Villordsutch reviews Doctor Who series 8 episode 11 – ‘Dark Water’….
Danny: Wi-fi. You have iPads in the afterlife?
Seb: iPads. WE have Steve Jobs.
The penultimate episode of Season 8 has arrived far too quickly for me. It’s ringing my own internal Cloister Bell making me aware that this rather excellent Peter Capaldi introduction is coming to an end and it’s finishing rather magnificently too. That being said there is a but and it is a big BUT, though I’ll address this further into this review.
Dark Water begins with Clara being honest with Danny as her room is littered with Post-it notes with many moments of her travels with the Doctor, but her biggest piece of truth she gives to him is that she loves him. This is a bittersweet moment as we discover that Danny was struck by a car and killed instantly upon hearing Clara’s words. Clara, unwilling to accept this death for Danny, attempts to coerce the Doctor into changing history at the moment of Danny’s death and rescue him. Going around the TARDIS console room she gathers all known keys to the TARDIS – including one hidden in a copy of The Time-Travellers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – and asks the Doctor to take her on a trip to a volcano planet. After a bit of banter the Doctor does so but as a soon as he sets the TARDIS is motion Clara places a sleep patch on the Doctor; when he awakens they are both on a ledge – above a volcano – with Clara ready to drop the keys into the boiling lava. After an emotionally charged war of words between both Clara and the Doctor in a rage she throws all the keys into the volcano and falling to her knees the realisation of what she’s done strikes her. It’s at that point the Doctor shows Clara the palm of her hand and she see’s a sleep patch, which the Doctor explains is actually a dream patch which makes her susceptible to suggestion; he wanted to see how far Clara would go. Clara realising she has been caught betraying the Doctor asks what should she do now, to which the Doctor replies, “Go to Hell.” As Clara turns to leave the Doctor stops her and tells her they’re going to Hell to look for Danny and to bring him back.
Arriving in the Nethersphere where all the deceased have been going from numerous episodes gone by, the Doctor and Clara walk slowly past numerous tanks of water each occupied with a skeleton until they finally meet Missy (Michelle Gomez) who – after kissing the Doctor – introduces herself as the MobIle Intelligence SyStems Interface, alluding that others are in charge – namely Doctor Chang, who takes the Doctor and Clara to explain the Nethersphere and 3W. Meanwhile Danny and Seb (Chris Addison) are going through the run of the mill admin duties, when Danny’s past returns to haunt him as a small boy – who he has killed in his military career – has requested to pay him a visit. Whilst attempting to speak to the boy, Danny reaches out to hold his hand and in fear the young boy runs away.
Doctor Chang has been shown the psychic paper from the Doctor, so both he and Clara can get more information about 3W and the Nethersphere. We discover the properties of the Dark Water and Doctor Chang opens a line of communication between Danny and Clara; Chang and the Doctor leaves Clara to question Danny on his validity and they examine the dead in the mausoleum when Chang tells the Doctor that Missy is actually his boss and we discover who Missy is (Missy, Mistress, Master). Missy’s plan all this time is to harvest the dead bodies, upload the memories using Gallifrey technology, strip the emotions and reinsert the basic functions and make a quick and easy army of Cybermen. Cybermen through Cyberspace. Missy actives the Cybermen, killing Chang and she leads the Doctor outside the Nethersphere where he discovers it’s actual St. Pauls Catherdral in London!
As the show ends Danny is given the option to remove himself from the emotional trauma of death by pressing the “Delete” button on the iPad when we see the boy he killed reflected in the screen.
This was a rather excellent episode with some brilliant moments and lines, from The Doctor once again being more than aware of what is going on in his TARDIS when Clara starts lifting keys and the line after Clara has just betrayed the trust of the Doctor: “Do you think that I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?” And not forgetting the scene in between the keys and the acting between both actors was just outstanding; I can barely recall breathing as it played out. We also had a return to Clara being a strong character again with the Doctor chastising her too – “Cut out the whining while you’re at it!” – bringing her to be a strong companion again, one who questions and doesn’t flounce and pout. Capaldi and Coleman are an excellent team in Who.
The RaniWe also discovered who Missy is finally, and she was played ever so unhinged by the rather brilliant Michelle Gomez. Here we have our new Master and I have to say I’m quite upset by it all and it isn’t because the Master has been emasculated – rather the complete opposite as a matter of fact it’s the due to the power of the Rani has been diminished. The Rani for those of you that are not up on your old Who is an extremely intelligent female Time Lord, who even considered the Master to be stupid (she was that smart). She also did numerous planet-wide scientific experiments which could hold entire planets under her grasp. Does Missy sound like Rani to you? She was Rani to me and up until she said, “Master” I was saying, “Rani!” and smiling like a Cheshire Cat that we were finally getting back our female Time Lord who could give the Doctor a run for his money.
That issue pushed to one side part one of the finale ‘Dark Water’ was brilliant and I really cannot wait for part two, ‘Death in Heaven’. You can watch the trailer here.
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
Originally published November 3, 2014. Updated December 15, 2019.
