Doctor Who The Caretaker Review

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12th Doctor, Clara Oswald, Coal Hill School, Courtney Woods, Danny Pink, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 8, Doctor Who The Caretaker, Ellis George, Gareth Roberts, Jenna Coleman, Paul Murphy, Peter Capaldi, Samuel Anderson, Skovox Blitzer, Steven Moffat, TARDIS, The Caretaker

The Caretaker

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Clara is just about managing to keep her life under control, with her job at Coal Hill School, her adventures in time and space; a new boyfriend, and the Doctor, things are all ticking along nicely. However, when the Doctor needs to go undercover in Coal Hill School as its new Caretaker, things get decidedly complicate for Clara. With strange events happening near the school, the entire world is soon at risk as the terrifying Skovox Blitzer prepares to wipe out all humanity, and if that wasn’t enough for the Impossible Girl to deal with Clara’s well organised world is suddenly thrown into complete turmoil when Danny Pink finally meets the Doctor…

Coal Hill School takes centre stage in The Caretaker, the sixth episode of series eight, co-written by Gareth Roberts and Steven Moffat, and directed by Paul Murphy (Robot of Sherwood). The school played a prominent role in the very first episode of Doctor Who in 1963; it was revisited by the 7th Doctor in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988), before featuring in the 50th anniversary special The Day of the Doctor (2013), and again most recently in the 2014 eighth series episodes Into the Dalek and Listen. Gareth Roberts has written several Doctor Who stories: including The Shakespeare Code (2007), The Unicorn and the Wasp (2008), the Lodger (2010), and Closing time (2011), Roberts has also written many episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures (co-writing the pilot episode Invasion of the Bane with Russell T Davies) and co-wrote the second story in the Doctor Who series of specials in 2009, The Planet of the Dead (also with Russell T Davies). The Caretaker has some similarities with The Lodger, from Matt Smith’s first season, when the 11th Doctor moved into Craig Owens flat to defeat a hidden alien menace, where the Doctor’s attempts to blend also were far from successful.

The Caretaker sees the Doctor taking a new job as Coal Hill School’s new Caretaker, Mr John Smith (A popular alias used by many of the Doctor’s incarnations over the course of the series, and first used by the 2nd Doctor in the 1968 story The Wheel in Space), much to Clara’s horror, and soon the grouchy old Time Lord is causing all sorts of problems for her when he moves the TARDIS into the Caretaker’s storeroom at the school to investigate a new threat facing the Earth. Peter Capaldi has some brilliant comedic moments as the Doctor in this episode, its great fun to see his grumpy and impatient incarnation of the Time Lord trying to get on with his mission, but he soon finds that “boring little humans” and everyday life at Coal Hill School have a way of upsetting his carefully mapped plans to defeat the Skovox Blitzer.

With an increasingly exasperated Clara trying to stop her life imploding around her, matters are complicated even further when events draw Coal Hill pupil Courtney (Ellis George) into the fray. We first saw Courtney momentarily in Deep Breath and Into the Dalek, in The Caretaker we get to know her a bit more, she turns out to be something of a kindred spirit for the Doctor, and she can be every bit as blunt and direct to the point is the Coal Hill’s cantankerous new caretaker.

Clara Oswald is busy living two completely separate lives, having exciting adventures with Doctor one moment, before returning to her life as a teacher at Coal Hill School, while also dating ex-soldier turned maths teacher, Danny Pink. So, when the Doctor postpones Clara’s next adventure because he’s busy with something else, she’s far from impressed when the Doctor later walks into the staff room at Coal Hill School and introduces himself as the new Caretaker. While a Police CSO (Nigel Betts) investigates a disturbance in a nearby abandoned building, only to discover something extremely nasty hiding in the shadows, the Doctor instigates his plan to scan for the alien technology that is threatening the planet. Meanwhile, Clara’s frenetic attempts to keep the Doctor from meeting Danny ultimately prove unsuccessful, and results with a series of misunderstanding between all three of them.

Series eight has shown that although Clara still travels with the Doctor, she‘s still very much a control freak, insisting the Time Lord returns her to her own time moments after she left so that she doesn’t miss out on events happening in her own life. However, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for Clara to balance her normal life with her time travelling adventures, things start getting really chaotic in The Caretaker with the Doctor working at the school, especially now that she’s also dating ex-soldier Danny as well. Having set up a circle of time mines around the school to deal with the alien threat, the scan reveals the Skovox Blitzer’s location, and the Doctor finally explains to Clara how he will use a special watch that can make him invisible to lure the machine creature back to the school where the Chronodyne Generators will drag it into time vortex – sending the Skovox Blitzer billions of years into the future. But when Danny finds some of the devices and accidentally deactivates them, the Doctor’s plan only manages to send the Skovox Blitzer three days into the future – leaving Clara with some serious explaining to do now that Danny knows about the Doctor and the TARDIS, and Clara’s mortified when Danny initially believes she’s an alien and that the Doctor is her space dad!

Samuel Anderson also returns as Danny Pink in The Caretaker, and with all the strange happenings at the school it’s not long before Danny figures out what’s been going on. So, when the one thing that Clara has worked so hard to avoid finally happens, naturally all hell breaks loose as Danny Pink meets the Doctor for the first time. The Doctor is very rude to Danny, particularly after he discovers Danny’s a former-soldier, something the Time Lord has voiced reservations about since his regeneration, and this episode goes some way to addressing the Doctor’s stance on this issue – which has seemed somewhat at odds with the character especially considering his past friendship with UNIT and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. There’s a magnificent scene where Danny uses the Doctor’s watch to make himself invisible to observe the Doctor when he’s with Clara, but when the Time Lord notices Danny a furious argument breaks out between them inside the TARDIS – one that offers us an entirely new perspective on the Doctor’s relationship with his companions when Danny compares the Time Lord’s attitude to that of a military officer.

The Skovox Blitzer (Jimmy (Vee) is one of the most deadly and efficient killing machines ever constructed, its ruthlessly efficient, following its programming to the letter, and has hidden itself near Coal Hill School as it prepares to bring about the destruction of all humanity. The Doctor states the Skovox Blitzer homed in on this location because of the high concentration of atron emissions that have accumulated in and around this area over the years, probably due to its special connection with the Time Lord’s many adventures, and that it has enough explosive firepower in its armoury to take out the entire planet.

When the Skovox Blitzer reappears earlier than expected during Coal Hill School’s parents evening, the Doctor has to act quickly or everyone will be killed. With Clara acting as a decoy to draw the Skovox Blitzer to the storeroom, and with Danny’s timely intervention to distract it, the Doctor is finally able to shut the lethal machine down before it self-destructs. As the Doctor sends the deactivated Skovox Blitzer into space and welcomes a newfound friend to the TARDIS, Clara and Danny reach a mutual understanding about her adventures with the Time Lord, and somewhere in space and time a new arrival reaches the Promised Land.

The Caretaker is a fun, action-packed story from Gareth Robert’s and Steven Moffat. Peter Capaldi is really making the role of the 12th Doctor his own now, and he seems equally at home playing the lighter, more comedic elements as he does with the darker aspects of the Time Lord’s character. There are some great scenes for Jenna Coleman and Samuel Anderson as well, especially when Clara and Danny team up with the Doctor against the Skovox Blitzer, and director Paul Murphy strikes a perfect balance between the humours moments and fast-paced action sequences.

The Caretaker also features a coda where the Police CSO killed by the Skovox Blitzer finds himself in minimalist office situated in vast white corridor, where he’s greeted by the a sinister man, Seb (Chris Addison). When asked, Seb tell him this place has a number of names: heaven, afterlife, the Promised Land, and the Nethersphere. Missy (Michelle Gomez) enters the corridor from another door, but she says nothing and walks away. It would seem she is too busy to see the latest arrival to her realm, and as he looks out of the window, the Police CSO is visibly shaken by what he sees. This unsettling scene continues to build upon the mystery surrounding this uncanny Mary-Poppin’s like character, presenting us with even more tantalising questions about what she’s up to, and this time her demeanour is darkly sever and far from welcoming.

Although the threat of the Skovox Blitzer is resolved a little simplistically, its alien technology still presents a very unusual menace for the Doctor and Clara to battle. The Caretaker really puts Clara’s friendship with the Doctor to the test, which provides lots of fun moments throughout the episode, especially when the Doctor gatecrashes one of her lessons and later mistakenly thinks Adrian (Edward Harrison) is Clara’s boyfriend because he looks similar to the 11th Doctor and wears a bow-tie. However, now that Danny has met the Doctor, and with Courtney also discovering the Time Lords secret, it looks like Clara’s delicately balanced double-life as school teacher and time traveller is about to become even more hectic than ever before.

Images Belong BBC

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Doctor Who Time Heist Review

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12th Doctor, Clara Oswald, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 8, Douglas Mackinnon, Jenna Coleman, Jonathan Bailey, KeelyHawes, Mrs Delphox, Peter Capaldi, Pippa Bennett Warner, Psi, Saibra, Steve Thompson, Steven Moffat, The Bank of Karabraxos, The Teller, Time Heist

Time Heist

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Presented with a task he cannot refuse, the Doctor becomes a bank robber, and brings together a team of talented criminals to rob the most dangerous bank in the galaxy. With the help of a mutant shape shifter and computer-enhanced human, the Doctor and Clara must find a way to get past the advanced security within the Bank of Karabraxos, controlled by the villainous Ms Delphox, where the Doctor and his team soon encounter the Teller: a fearsome telepathic creature of unimaginable power that can detect guilt…

Time Heist plunges the Doctor and Clara into an adventure where time travel and bank heist collide in this fifth episode of series eight, co-written by Stephen Thompson and Steven Moffat. Having brought us The Curse of the Black Spot (2011) and Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS, Stephen Thompson latest offering is an exciting high-concept adventure that combines Doctor Who with Ocean’s 11 and a hint of Mission Impossible, as the Doctor and his team attempt to beak into the most highly guarded bank in the cosmos.

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are once more on great form in this episode as the Doctor visits Clara while she’s getting ready for a date with Danny, when a surprise phone call to the TARDIS suddenly finds them awakening on another world – their memories erased by memory worms (creatures first seen in the 2012 Christmas Special: The Snowmen). The Doctor and Clara have little choice but to accept their mission from the mysterious Architect to rob the Bank of Karabraxos, together with their fellow team members: the beautiful shape-shifter Saibra (Pippa Bennett-Warner) and cyber-augmented computer hacker Psi (Jonathan Bailey).

All movement on this planet is monitored, even the air is regulated. The Bank of Karabraxos also has the ultimate security system, the terrifying mind-reading alien: The Teller. The Doctor and his team have some protection from the creatures power because their memories have been wiped, but with no idea how to carry out the heist they‘ve been hired to perform, they must rely on a series of briefcases left by the Architect to guide them. Once the Doctor and his team manage to get into the Deposit Booth, their presence is detected, putting the mission and their lives in jeopardy. The ruthless head of security at the bank, Ms Delphox (Keeley Hawes), is determined to stop the Doctor’s gang and keep the impregnable banks secrets and its reputation secure.

Time Heist is an involving and action-packed story from writer Stephen Thompson. The clever use of time travel to rob a bank is really inspired, complex, exciting, and with a fascinating central premise, the real highlight of Time Heist is seeing the Doctor working with a team of professional criminals to break into the Bank of Karabraxos. The scene where Psi attempt to distract the Teller features the hacker accessing a colourful array of computerised mug shots: where we see a Teripletil (originally seen in the 1982 story the Visitation), a Slitheen (aliens that have featured in a number of new Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Adventures), a Sensorite (last seen 1964‘s The Sensorites), Androvax and the Trickster (both from the Sara Jane Adventures), Captain John Heart (James Masters) who appeared in Torchwood’s second season, an Ice Warrior of the same design seen in Cold War (2013), the Gunslinger from A Town Called Mercy (2012), and Absalom Daak (the Dalek Killer) a popular character from the Doctor Who comic strips.

Capaldi’s 12th Doctor is at his grouchy, disagreeable best in Time Heist, he’s far less user-friendly than his predecessor, and seems almost frustrated at times by his team’s inability to keep up with him – which makes him that little bit more dangerous and unpredictable. Pippa Bennett-Warner is great as the shape-shifter Saibra, she even gets to impersonate Clara at one point, and Jonathan Bailey is also really good as computer wiz-kid Psi. The scene were Psi brings the Doctor to task about his “professional detachment” is another superb moment. Jenna Coleman also has plenty to do in Time Heist, she’s an integral part of the Doctor’s team, and because their memories get erased it leads to really some fun banter between them during the episode.

Using a dimensional shift bomb the Doctor and his fellow bank robbers descend to the service level, where they uncover the horrific fate of those who have dared to cheat the bank. With security closing in, the teams escape route inadvertently leads them into frightening encounters with the Teller, where first Saibra, and then later once Ms Delphox has unleashed the Teller to track them down, Psi, valiantly sacrifice themselves using the exit strategy provided for them by the Architect. After this deadly game of cat and mouse with the Teller, a solar storm begins battering the planet, allowing the Doctor and Clara the chance they need to finally break into the vault and use the code from the last case to find the things that their team most wanted to find in all the universe.

Keely Hawes gives a brilliant performances as Ms Delphox, the wickedly evil head of security at the Bank of Karabraxos, with her deadly golden armoured guards and icy-cool charm, she makes a perfect adversary for the Doctor. The way Mrs Delphox deals with a customer who is trying to swindle the bank is quite horrific, and she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to stop the Doctor his and team from reaching the vault.

After trying to locate the contents of the Private Vault the Doctor and Clara are captured and Ms Delphox orders her guards to dispose of them. The guards are actually Saibra and Psi in disguise; it seems the disintegrator “exit strategy” devices given to them by the Architect were really teleports to a ship hidden in orbit. The Doctor gives them the items they found in the vault as payment for their mission, Saibra has the gene suppressant antidote she wanted to cure her mutation and Psi receives the neophyte circuit to restore his memories.

With the solar storm sweeping the planet, the Doctor and his allies gain access to the Private Vault, where the Director of the Bank is revealed as Madame Karabraxos. She has used numerous clones of herself to control her own security, of which Mrs Delphox was just one of many, and it quickly becomes apparent that Madame Karabraxos has no qualms about “firing”, quite literally, any clones that fail her. A sudden flash of inspiration inspires the Doctor to give Madame Karabraxos the phone number for the TARDIS on a scrap of paper as she gathers her valuables, revealing he is a time traveller, before asking her to call him should she ever have any regrets as she departs. The Teller arrives and the Doctor willingly allows the creature to scan his mind, unblocking his memories, revealing the Doctor was really the Architect and shows the Time Lord how he set up the whole heist and planted all of the cases to enable his team to reach their goal.

The Teller (Ross Mullan) is an alien being whose telepathic powers have been subverted and slaved to Ms Delphox’s will in order to provide the Bank of Karabraxos with the most ingenious and impregnable security system in the universe. This creature has awesome powers, and even the Doctor has never encountered anything quite like it before. The way it locks onto a persons mind to wipe it completely, feasting on their memories before turning their brain to “soup”, leaving them alive but in a state far worse than death, is very unsettling. We discover that the Teller is not the last of its kind as Ms Delphox claimed, and that the Doctor has orchestrated the entire heist to free another member of the Teller’s species, a female that’s been imprisoned in the Private Vault by Madame Karabraxos as a bargaining chip to ensure the Teller’s complete obedience to the Bank of Karabraxos. The Doctor helps both aliens and uses the TARDIS to take them to a planet where they can live together in peace and solitude, free from the mental traffic of the universe.

Time Heist is a fast-paced Sci-Fi crime-caper from Stephen Thompson and Steven Moffat, the story makes great use of its diverse cast of characters, Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman are excellent as the Doctor and Clara, I really like how their characters interact with Saibra and Psi, lets hope they return to work with the Doctor again one day. It’s also ingenious how the phone call from the elderly Madame Karabraxos instigates the whole adventure, and the Doctor being jealous about Danny was priceless. Time Heist is the second story directed by Douglas Mackinnon for Peter Capaldi’s debut season, and just as he did with Listen, Mackinnon’s stylish use of striking and innovative visuals, together with the stunning CGI vistas featuring the bank, really enhances the story, capturing the heist vibe perfectly, to make Time Heist a thoroughly enjoyable and exciting adventure.

Images Belong BBC

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Doctor Who Listen Review

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Clara Oswald, Danny Pink, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Listen, Doctor Who Series 8, Dougulas Mackinnon, Jenna Coleman, Listen, Orson Pink, Peter Capaldi, Samuel Anderson, Steven Moffat, The Doctor

Listen

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

Clara continues to balance her everyday life as a teacher with her time travelling adventures with the Doctor in the TARDIS. Now, with Clara off on her first date with former soldier-turned-teacher, Danny Pink, the Doctor is left wandering inside the TARDIS alone, lost deep in through as he travels through space and time. So, what is it that really scares the Last of the Time Lords, and what terrors are lurking under the bed? Ghosts from the past and the future begin to spill into the Doctor’s and Clara’s lives: the petrified Caretaker in a children’s home, the last man in the known universe afraid of a door that must never be opened, and the lonely child that doesn’t ever want to join the army. The Doctor and Clara must embark on their most frightening adventure yet, one that will take them to the darkest edge of the universe itself and beyond…

Listen takes this fourth episode of series eight well and truly back into the realm of darkness, in this chilling tale written by show runner Steven Moffat, and Directed by Douglas Mackinnon, whose previous directing credits on Doctor Who include The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky (2008), The Power of Three (2012) and Cold War (2013). Steven Moffat has brought us some of the new series most fearsome creations: the gasmask children from The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (2005), the terrifying Weeping Angels debuted in Blink (2007), the shadowy Vashta Nerada lurked in Silence in the Library / Forest of the Dead (2008), and the Silence warped perceptions to invade stealthily in The Impossible Astronaut / Day of the Moon (2011). Now he’s gone one step further, addressing possibly the most primal fear of all, the inimitable, creeping horror of what might really be there when we think we are alone, that unthinkable something that’s always secretly present, waiting to reach out and grab us from the shadows under the bed.

We join the Doctor as he ponders to himself in the TARDIS: “Why do we talk out loud, when we know we’re alone?” Peter Capaldi’s grave tone here as the Doctor speculates about the possibility of evolution spawning a creature that is always secretly with us but somehow remains unseen, instantly captivates the imagination and draws you into this episode. Here we see the Doctor alone with his own musings while Clara is away on her date night, but what does this more volatile incarnation do when he has no great menace or alien invasion to fight, alone and with only dark his thoughts for company, what is it that really frightens the Doctor?

Clara finally gets to go out on her date with Danny in this episode. However, when the conversation moves to Danny’s time in the army, they inadvertently wind up offending each other, and when Clara returns home she’s soon off on her adventures with the Doctor in the TARDIS again. Although she’s initially sceptical about the Doctor’s theory that every living being has a silent companion, and that we’ve all shared the same nightmare, where we’ve woken up and thought there was something nasty under the bed, Clara eventually agrees to help. The Doctor gets Clara to use the TARDIS telepathic interface so that the time machine can extrapolate her time line and lock onto the same nightmare from her own childhood, but Clara’s thoughts drift back to Danny momentarily when her phone suddenly rings, causing the TARDIS to arrive instead outside a children’s home in Gloucester in the mid-90’s. The Doctor sets off to investigate alone, encountering a frightened Caretaker, Reg (Robert Goodman) along the way in a scene that also features the return of the psychic paper that was often used by the 9th, 10th and 11th Doctors, while Clara goes to visit the young boy, Rupert Pink (Remi Goodin), who has just waved at her from his bedroom window.

Jenna Coleman continues to make Clara a hugely resourceful, intelligent, and really interesting character, especially now she’s teamed with Capaldi’s new Doctor, and her role in Listen become even more vital than either of them could’ve expected. When Clara meets Rupert Pink, the boy is frightened there’s something hiding under the bed, and she realises Rupert is really the young Danny Pink (he changed his name when he was older because he didn’t like it), they both hide under the bed in order to convince him there’s nothing there, but it soon becomes apparent they are not alone when an unseen entity rises from the bedspread. These scenes, where the Doctor arrives and gets them all to stand by the window and turn their back on the horror that must never be seen, is brilliantly directed by Douglas Mackinnon, the tension here is almost palpable. I think it’s ingenious how the Doctor handles this fearsome encounter, and the scene afterwards, where Clara places the toy soldiers under Rupert’s bed to guard it and he names the Colonel “Dan”, is another magical moment, one that inexorably links Clara’s time line with Danny Pink in the most sublime way imaginable.

In an attempt to right things with Danny, Clara gets the Doctor to return her to the restaurant moments after she stormed out, but just as her date goes pear shaped again for the second time in one night, a space suited figure walks in and beckons at her to return to the TARDIS. Believing it’s the Doctor (having seen his previous incarnation wear a similar space suit in the 2013 story Hide), Clara confronts the figure in the TARDIS, but this is not the Doctor, it’s a time travelling pioneer from one hundred years Clara’s future, Colonel Orson, the pilot of the first human time shot – who also happen to bear a striking resemblance to Danny Pink. The Doctor takes Clara and Orson back to the planet where the Time Lord found Orson stranded in his capsule, a world at the very end of time itself, where even though nobody even exists anymore Colonel Orson Pink always keeps the door locked to keep out the horrors that bang relentlessly on the hull at night.

Samuel Anderson returns as Danny Pink in Listen, and the character has a lot more to do this time around. Although Danny remains a good source of humour, especially during his date with Clara, it’s good to see the character featuring in some of the episodes dramatic moments as well. Danny is inevitably drawn into the Doctor’s and Clara’s adventures in this story- albeit unwittingly because of the TARDIS homing in on various elements from of his own time line. Indeed, the former soldier is clearly smitten with Clara, something that’s sure to impact on Clara’s friendship with the Doctor, especially considering the Time Lord’s moral stance where it comes to soldiers travelling in the TARDIS are concerned. Listen is a great episode for Danny Pink: we learn more about Danny’s time as a soldier, travel back in time to meet Rupert Pink in the children’s home, and learn about the voyage of future descendant Colonel Orson Pink (also played by Anderson) who unavoidably becomes entwined with the Doctor’s quest to unravel a mystery at the very end of the universe.

The Doctor orders Clara and Orson into the TARDIS as he prepares to open the door and face what ever is outside. Orson presents Clara with a very special family heirloom before he rescues the Doctor and brings him back inside the TARDIS. With the Doctor incapacitated and the Cloister Bell tolling as the sinister forces outside try to get in, Clara uses the telepathic circuitry to fly the TARDIS to safety. Clara steps out of the TARDIS and finds they have materialised in a barn where a child is crying in a bed underneath the covers, the child is the young Doctor, and when Clara has to suddenly hide under the bed to avoid being seen she accidentally sets in motion a chain of events that will change the Doctor’s destiny forever.

Steven Moffat has excelled himself with this episode, and the way these final scenes link into the 50th Anniversary special are simply stunning. From the moment we see a brief glimpse of the War Doctor (John Hurt) from The Day of the Doctor (2013), it becomes apparent that this barn from the Doctor’s childhood is also the same place he would one day revisit on the Last Day of the Time War to activate The Moment. The scene here as Clara sets the Doctor on his path in life, with its moving dialogue resonating beautifully with the origins of the series itself in the very first Doctor Who serial An Unearthly Child (1963), and the gift of a toy solider so brave it doesn’t need a gun to save the world is utterly brilliant and extremely moving.

Peter Capali and Jenna Coleman both give terrific performances in this episode. The dynamic between Cara and this darker, more unpredictable incarnation of the Doctor bring an added edge to their friendship. Clara isn’t afraid to stand up to him though, and the Doctor even threatens that she will never travel in the TARDIS with him again when she refuses to follow his orders at one point. He’s not someone that’s used to being told what to do, certainly not by his companion, so it is perhaps fitting then when this incarnation of the Time Lord that adamantly doesn’t do hugging, finally receives a well deserved hug from Clara at the stories resolution.

Listen is a brilliantly crafted tale from Steven Moffat, one that draws its influences from a similar dark vein as Blink, playing to our most primal fears and anxieties – and there are some really exciting and fast-paced action sequences as well. It also cleverly explores the Doctor’s character in a very different way, while also delivering a very poignant message that actually turns out to be quite poetic. Peter Capaldi is magnificent in this episode, he brings so much to the role, and his 12th incarnation of the Doctor is quickly becoming one of my favourites. Dark, sinister, and with an exquisite timey wimey twist, the stories unsettling premise blends seamlessly with the striking visuals created by Director Douglas Mackinnon to make Listen a truly memorable episode. A blanket on a bed suddenly becomes the most terrifying monster of all, the TARDIS interior seems hauntingly cavernous, and the unseen terror knocking on the capsules door are just some of the many highlights amidst the plethora of creepy moments in Listen that are sure to have you checking under the bed tonight.

Don’t look round… Listen!!

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Batman Eternal #23 Review

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Batman, Batman Eternal, Batman Eternal #23, Batman Eternal #23 Review, Blackgate Penitentiary, Catwoman, DC Comics, Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyem, Hush, James Tynion IV, John Kalisz, Julia Pennyworth, Kyle Higgins, Ray Fawkes, Scott Snyder, The New 52, Tim Seeley

Batman Eternal #23

Review by Paul Bowler

Hush has returned to Gotham. He attacked Alfred in Wayne Manor, injecting a fear toxin directly into his brain. After discovering the Bat-Cave, Alfred’s daughter, Julia, must help Batman stop the Architect from destroying the Beacon Tower. With the newly appointed Commissioner Bard also corrupt, and secretly working with Hush, the evidence that could have proved Jim Gordon’s innocence has been destroyed. Now as the crime families vie for power, Catwoman’s secret past is finally revealed. The answers she seeks reside in Blackgate Penitentiary, where she must ultimately decide what her role in Gotham’s order of crime will be.

Batman Eternal #23 has a lot of ground to cover following the events of the last few issues, with the riot in Blackgate Penitentiary, Batman’s mission with Killer Croc and Bard in the sewers, Batwing and Jim Corrigan’s investigation at Arkham, and Batgirl’s quest to clear her fathers name, the action continues to unfold at a rapid pace as this weekly series shifts its focus towards Catwoman. With it’s intricately plotted storyline by writers Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, with script by Tim Seeley, and consulting writers Ray Fawkes, and Kyle Higgins, Batman Eternal #23 makes the most of its extensive cast of characters and locations as it draws together a number of ongoing plot threads and sets the stage for even bigger things to come.

When Catwoman interrupts the latest skirmish between Mr Ibanescue and Tiger Shark for control of Gotham’s black market, her attempt to rescue a snow leopard cub from the carnage at the east end train yards doesn’t go well. Unable to save the wounded leopard cub back at her apartment, Selina receives a surprise visit from Jade, Killer Croc’s young friend who fences supplies into Blackgate Penitentiary, and who now brings a message for Selina from an old friend.

Batman’s fight with the Architect, another associate of Hush, continues high atop the Beacon Tower. With Alfred hospitalised, the Dark Knight is now reliant on Penny-Two, Alfred’s daughter Julia to relay information to him from the Bat-Cave. Julia’s role is becoming increasingly vital to the Dark Knight, especially with Alfred out of action, and I like the dynamic that’s developing between her and Batman. As the showdown with the Architect reaches its climax, an earth shattering surprise awaits us, and its one that is sure to have big implications for Gotham’s future.

The majority of Batman Eternal #23 is cantered around Catwoman’s secret visit to Blackgate Penitentiary. With Jade’s help, Catwoman manages to gain access to the prison through a drainage pipe, where Rex Calabrese “The Lion” is waiting to meet her. After a furious exchange, where Catwoman’s past is brought into sharp focus, Rex reveals that Jade’s father was also a gangster, just like Selina’s… Rex knows that Gotham is in chaos without a kingpin to maintain the order, and is certain there is only one person who can now unite the families before they tear the city apart… I really like how this issue of Batman Eternal flows into the narrative of the events we saw in Batman 28, the special “spoiler issue” released mid-way through Zero Year, that showed how Catwoman would become the new Kingpin of Gotham City – and these scenes between Selina and Rex Calabrese in Batman Eternal #23 proved a nice precursor to these future events.

Dustin Nguyem’s artwork perfectly captures the dark, foreboding skyline of Gotham, from the brutality of the dogfight, to the griminess of Blackgate Penitentiary, and there is also get a brief interlude in the sewers with Killer Croc. The short scenes in Sliena’s apartment and those in the Bat-Cave with Julie, with their pristine interiors and high-tech gadgetry, highlight’s the oppressive presence of the city even further. Nguyem’s pencils bring a real sense of kinetic energy to the action, which together with Derek Fridolfs inks, and colorist John Kalisz, makes Batman Eternal #23 a darkly atmospheric and visually impressive issue, one that is epic in scale and packed with exciting character development to accentuate the big action sequences.

The return of Hush has brought an added sense of tension to main story arc in Batman Eternal. We also have Commissioner Bard’s betrayal, having already become close to Vicky Vale, the new commissioner is also in league with Hush, and continues to consolidate his position of power this issue by pressuring the Governor to declare marshal law in Gotham. With the crime war still escalating, Jim Gordon serving a life sentence in Blackgate Penitentiary, the ongoing haunting inside Arkham Asylum, together with the Nanovirus that’s been sweeping through the Narrows, and now the devastating attack on the Beacon Tower, the corrupt forces conspiring to destroy the Dark Knight and his allies are beginning to close in.

Batman Eternal #23 is another great issue; The Lioness is a multi-layered story, which, together with the dynamic artwork, continues to develop the ongoing plot in completely new and unexpected directions.

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Bullet Gal #3 Review

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Andrez Bergen, Bullet Gal, Bullet Gal #3, Bullet Gal #3 Review, Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth, IF? Commix, Tobacco Stained Mountain Goat, Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa?

Bullet Gal #3

Review by Paul Bowler

Bullet Gal #3 is the new issue from the Australian author Andrez Bergen, the writer of the noir inspired superhero detective novel Who is Killing the Great Capes of Heropa? , the IF? Commix book series Tales to Admonish, and the stylish anthology Black White. Now, following the release of his new novel, Depth Charging Ice Planet Goth, along with Tales To Admonish #4, and the graphic novel Tobacco Stained Mountain Goat, the latest issue of Japan based writer Andrez Bergen’s IF? Commix book series, Bullet Gal #3, will be published in print form in September 2014 in Australia.

Bullet Gal is a character from Andrez Bergen’s earlier works. This new ongoing series is a prequel that follows the adventures of the young woman, Mizi, a gun-toting teen with a taste for destruction and strong espresso. Her personal crusade against crime has brought her to Heropa, where Mizi began targeting criminals and citizens with connections to the criminal underworld.

After encountering the mysterious Lee, a cape (Super-Powered type), Mizi accepted his offer to begin training so she could join The Crime Crusaders Crew. However, her volatile and unpredictable nature soon brought her into conflict with her new mentor. Mizi’s attacks on the crime rackets in town have also caught the attention of the vicious gang leader Sol and the seductive French femme fatale Brigit, Sol’s lover and personal assassin, who is eager to confront the meddling Bullet Gal and make her pay for what she’s done.

Bullet Gal #3 follows Mizi as she resolves to find some answers about the people she is working for. Her journey across the vast city of Heropa leads her to a rooftop, where, overlooking a dark alley, she observes a secret meeting between eight men, who all incidentally look exactly like Lee, the man who offered to train her for The Crime Crusaders Crew. Feeling shocked and betrayed Mizi sets out to find some answers, unaware gang boss Sol and his deadly assassin Brigit are watching, assessing her skills and abilities. As Mizi returns to the apartment, she is confronted by Lee, but as the truth begins to unfold a new threat prepares to strike.

Rebound is another dark and intriguing issue of Bullet Gal from Andrez Bergen. We get to learn even more about Mizi’s past over the course of this issue as she wanders the streets of Heropa after discovering Lee’s secret, her pain and regret over his apparent betrayal is almost palpable, as is the all pervading sense of paranoia that threatens to consume her.

The scenes were Sal and his French assassin, Brigit, are observing Mizi from the rooftops also enhances the brooding air of tension, and it’s interesting to see how much influence the assassin has over her crime boss lover. Brigit is a really compelling character, seductive and deadly, she effortlessly wraps Sal around her little finger while also reigning in the over zealous henchman Bronco, alluringly honing her lethal art as she plots Mizi’s downfall.

However, one of the most intriguing aspects of Bullet Gal #3 is our insight into Lee’s character, well, one of them anyway. In a brilliantly structured sequence almost as many questions are answered as they have been raised, and the unique strengths and abilities of the “capes” of Heropa become more clearly defined. The ambiguity surrounding which doppelganger Mizi is actually dealing with is another subtle twist, and one that perfectly suits the distinct noir tone. Furthermore, is this version of Lee really the man she first met, and who, if any of them, can really be trusted?

The story and art by Andrez Bergen for Bullet Gal #3 seamlessly splices the series distinct noir style and tone, creating a dark web of intrigue and suspense that encapsulates the reader with its striking visuals and rich narrative. Bergen’s art resonates sublimely with the key aspects from Mizi’s past: from her father’s lucky number in the lens of the binoculars, the raw emotion of betrayal is sprayed like graffiti across her soul, polarizing the past upon the twilight glair of Heropa, as the dark shadows gathering against her in this metropolis prepare to strike. I particularly like how Bergen has infused Bullet Gal’s origin story with the dark hardboiled pulp narrative and style of his other novels and comic books, making it possible to enjoy this prequel series either as a stand alone story, irrespective of any knowledge about the series or characters, prior or otherwise, or as one that also enriches the noir inspired world already crafted in Bergen’s earlier works.

Bullet Gal #3 is another terrific issue in Andrez Bergen’s IF? Commix book series. The stylish noir style of Bergen’s storyline and art effortlessly imbues every level of the narrative with his sweeping vision, drawing you further into the dark world of Heropa and its intriguing characters. This new series continues to go from strength to strength, with its gritty adventure and excellent artwork, Bullet Gal #3 is Bergen’s most assured issue so far.

Bullet Gal #3, is published in print form in September 2014 in Australia, along with the digital version, and available direct from the IF? Commix website.

FIND OUT MORE FROM IF? COMMIX VIA THEIR SITE:

iffybizness.weebly.com

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Doctor Who Robot of Sherwood Review

Tags

Ben Miller, Clara Oswald, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Series 8, Jenna Coleman, Mark Gatiss, Paul Murphy, Peter Capaldi, Robin Hood, Robot of Sherwood, Sheriff of Nottingham, Sherwood Forest, The Doctor, Tom Riley

Robot of Sherwood

Review by Paul Bowler

[CONTAINS SPOILERS]

When the Doctor lets Clara choose what time and place she’d like to go to next, Clara decides that she wants to visit Sherwood Forest in the twelfth century and meet Robin Hood. Even though the Doctor claims there’s no such thing as old-fashioned heroes like Robin Hood, when the TARDIS finally arrives the first person they meet is… Robin Hood! The Doctor makes an alliance with Robin Hood and his Merry Men to thwart the evil schemes of the Sheriff of Nottingham. With all of Nottingham at risk, dark forces awakening from beyond the stars, and robot knights on the rampage, the Doctor must act quickly to discover who is actually real and who is fake – after all Robin Hood was a legend, a made up hero, he couldn’t possibly exist, or could he?

Robot of Sherwood, the third story from series eight, sees the Time Lord and Clara joining forces with Robin Hood, to do battle against the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham. This fun adventure written by Mark Gatiss (Who also brought us The Unquiet Dead (2005), The Idiot’s Lantern (2006), Victory of the Daleks (2010), and two stories during 2013’s seventh series Cold War and The Crimson Horror) is a glorious blend of humour and legend, directed by Paul Murphy, where the fate of Nottingham and its famous fictional hero becomes inexplicably entwined with the uncanny technological influences that have fallen from the stars that could destroy the world.

From the moment the Doctor steps out of the TARDIS in Robot of Sherwood, he is resolutely set on proving to Clara that the Robin Hood they’ve encountered, is a fake, and Peter Capaldi is brilliant as the grumpy Time Lord. Peter Capaldi’s edgier, less patient incarnation of the Doctor, is an absolute delight to behold in this episode, and its great fun to see how the Time Lord deals with being confounded by the impossibility of Robin’s existence. The fight here between the Doctor and Robin Hood over the river is brilliantly staged. The Doctor even wonders if the TARDIS has materialised inside a Miniscope at one point, a neat reference to the device in 3rd Doctor story Carnival of Monsters (1973) that was used to store miniaturised life forms as exhibits for entertainment. During his fight with Robin Hood, the Doctor also mentions Richard The Lionheart, the 12th Century monarch the 1st Doctor met in the 1965 story, The Crusade.

When the Doctor, Clara, Robin, and the Merry Men attend the Contest for the Golden Arrow hosted at the castle by the Sheriff of Nottingham, the rivalry between the Doctor and Robin continues, with each of them trying to outdo the other by performing the most elaborate shot. After the Sheriff brings the contest to an end it’s revealed that the knights are actually disguised robots, and the Doctor allows them to capture him, together with Clara and Robin, so they can find out what the Sheriff of Nottingham is secretly planning.

Offered a chance to go “anywhere in space and time” Clara’s wish to meet her childhood hero quickly sets up this episodes clever premise, and provides some great moments for Jenna Coleman as the witty script unfolds. Clara makes a stunningly beautiful and resourceful companion as events inadvertently cast her as the stories equivalent of Marian. Clara’s no damsel in distress though; she has to contend with deadly robot knights, act as referee when they are locked in the Dungeon as the Robin and the Doctor constantly bicker, and she cleverly gets herself released so she can trick the Sheriff of Nottingham into revealing his past.

Tom Riley’s Robin Hood embodies all the finest qualities of the Errol Flynn version of the medieval hero: dashingly handsome, honourable, well mannered and jovial, all his scenes with the Doctor are especially fun. At first, the two adventurers bicker constantly as they squabble over who is, and isn’t, real. The Doctor and Robin don’t really like each other at all, and the Time Lord becomes particularly vexed when he’s trying to escape from the dungeon with Robin, but they eventually manage to overcome their differences and it’s great to see these two iconic British heroes fighting side by side. Ben Miller also gives a wonderful scenery chewing performance as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham, and he makes a great adversary for Robin and the Doctor.

Ever since Doctor Who returned in 2005, the celebrity historical adventure has become something of a mainstay for the new series: so far the Doctor has encountered Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria, Winston Churchill, and Agatha Christie. Whereas these were all adventure in the past, the seventh series saw Queen Nefertiti travelling into the future. Now with Robot of Sherwood we have possibly one of the most interesting takes on this format to date, as the Doctor and Clara become part of the fabled legend of Robin Hood.

Mark Gatiss has ingeniously woven the legend of Robin Hood into this episode of Doctor Who: we have a very traditional style Robin Hood, one that’s free from the angst so inherent to many modern versions, then we have Robin’s band of Merry Men, the fight over the river, sun-dappled glades, an archery contest, a dark dungeon, and exciting swordfights. Gatiss’s excellent script for Robot of Sherwood perfectly balances all these key elements, it’s certainly a more light-hearted episode, and there are some very poignant moments as well that offer a meaningful insight to the value of old-fashioned heroes like Robin Hood.

The Sheriff described to Clara how he witnessed a spaceship crash, discovered its secrets, and began collecting all the gold in the land with the disguised robots to repair the ships circuitry so he can use it to take over the Kingdom and the world. It is only when the Doctor and Robin finally escape from the dungeon that the full extent of the Sheriff’s grand design is finally revealed, when they discover a secret room and learn the castle is actually a disguised spaceship that has fallen back through time. The engines are damaged and the ship has been attempting to blend in by altering itself and the surrounding environment from the data of Earth’s myths stored in its memory banks; inadvertently creating Sherwood Forest and instigating the legend of Robin Hood.

After a dramatic start to the season, we get a break from the darker tone of series eight for this episode. Robot of Sherwood is packed with humour, clichés, lots of puns, and even a hilariously absurd sword / spoon fight between the Prince of Thieves and the Last of the Time Lords, but it’s all brilliant fun too! While all the merriment and mirth won’t appeal to everyone, I think it’s good to have a lighter toned episode like this to balance a season out; otherwise everything can become unrelentingly dark. Mark Gatiss’s script cleverly weaves its magic, making Capaldi’s Doctor all dour and grim (and consequently really funny), while Riley’s outlaw of Sherwood Forest is a thigh-slappingly cheerful Robin Hood, and Miller’s Sheriff of Nottingham serves as a fittingly grandiose pantomime villain. As such, Robot of Sherwood is a marvellously fun run-around for the Doctor and Clara, so much so that at times it almost feels as if this episode is actually daring you not to like it, before winning you over with its cheeky grin and infectious charm.

Even when he is captured again the Doctor quickly realises there is nowhere near enough gold in the area to repair the spaceship properly, and it will almost certainly explode soon after take off. The Doctor instigates a revolt and leads the other prisoners against the robot knights, which, together with the arrival of Clara, Robin Hood, and his men, ensures that the Sheriff’s plans are soon in ruins. Robin’s swordfight with the Sheriff of Nottingham sends the Sheriff plummeting into a vat of molten gold as the remaining robots take off in the ship. Although his arm was injured in his fight with the Sheriff, with the Doctor’s and Clara’s help, Robin manages to fire the golden arrow at the spacecraft, enabling it to safely reach orbit, where it explodes.

With its impressive production values, costumes, and colourful cast of characters including Friar Tuck (Trevor Cooper) Little John (Rusty Goffe), Will Scarlet (Joseph Kennedy), Alan-a-Dale (David Benson), Walter (Adam Jones), Herald (David Benson), Quayle (Roger Ashton-Griffith), and Quayle’s Ward (Sabrina Bartless), together with Paul Murphy’s excellent direction, Robot of Sherwood remains a thoroughly enjoyable affair from beginning to end. While there is no sign of Missy (Michelle Gomez) the bizarre Mary Poppin’s-like character who has been welcoming the recently deceased in previous episodes, the data bank on the robots space ship indicated the vessel was bound for the promised land – the same place the Half-Face Man was searching for in Deep Breath. Fans also got a nice surprise as the Doctor showed the spaceships files to Robin and an image of Patrick Troughton appeared from when he played the title role in the BBC’s 1953 TV production of Robin Hood.

The robot knights are also very impressive, and its clever how their helmets open to reveal their true identity. It’s only really towards the end of the episode, when the robot menace is defeated and everything gets wrapped a little too easily, that Robot of Sherwood becomes a little unstuck. However, minor quibbles aside, this is a great comedic episode, Peter Capaldi is superb, and the final scene as the Doctor says his farewell to Robin is something really special. The Doctor and Clara also appear to be getting along much better now, they seem more comfortable with each other, and the way the legacy of Doctor Who collides with the legend of Robin Hood in Robot of Sherwood gives added weight to the Time Lord’s ongoing mission to rediscover himself and understand the man that he has ultimately become. Robot of Sherwood is a very old-fashioned style of adventure, its always an extra special event when the Doctor meets a historical figure, even more so this time because its a fictional one, and as a stand-alone story it works remarkably well.

Images Belong To BBC

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