• About Me

Sci-Fi Jubilee

~ Sci-Fi News & Reviews

Sci-Fi Jubilee

Daily Archives: October 13, 2014

Doctor Who Mummy On The Orient Express Review

13 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Paul Bowler in All, Doctor Who

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Christopher Villers, Clara Oswald, Daisy Beaumont, David Bamber, Doctor Who, Doctor Who Mummy on the Orient Express, Doctor Who Series 8, Foxes, Frank Skinner, Jamie Mathieson, Janet Henfrey, Jenna Coleman, Paul wilmshurst, Peter Capaldi, TARDIS, The Doctor, The Foretold, The Mummy

Mummy on the Orient Express

Review by Paul Bowler

[Contains Spoilers]

MOTOE (1)

The Doctor and Clara are travelling on the most beautiful train in history, the fabled Orient Express, but this is a train thundering across the stars on a voyage in the distant future – and a fearsome creature on board has begun killing the passengers. Once the helpless victim sees the terrifying Mummy they only have 66 seconds to live, there is no escape, and no reprieve. As the Doctor races against time to defeat this undead enemy, the train becomes stranded in space. Clara has seen the Doctor at his most ruthless and her now mind is made up, even if the Doctor figures out how to stop the Mummy, this will be their last adventure…

Mummy on the Orient Express sees the Doctor and Clara embark on their most dangerous adventure yet, in this exciting story written by Jamie Matheson (Being Human and Dirk Gently), and Directed by Paul Wilmhurst (Kill The Moon). The dark, menacing tone of series eight continues unabated, in this eighth episode, as the Doctor’s and Clara’s interstellar journey on the Orient Express, a faithful recreation of the original train travelling along hyperspace rails, where the Mummy has already killed Mrs Pitt (Janet Henfrey), and the passengers remain oblivious to its presence. Another death quickly follows and the Doctor’s little grey cells are soon called upon to solve the seemingly impossible mystery of the ghostly Mummy as it relentlessly stalks the train and its specially chosen passengers in search of its next terrified victim.

MOTOE 2

Jamie Matheson has crafted a wonderfully dark and macabre story, one that sublimely melds horror and sci-fi, to deliver a thrilling mystery with an uncanny supernatural twist. Set on a futuristic recreation of the Orient Express, the original setting of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel Murder on the Orient Express, the Doctor and Clara soon find themselves embroiled in all the mystery, intrigue, and mayhem on board.

Knowing this trip will be their last hurrah, the Doctor and Clara are intent on enjoying their final adventure. Some time has passed since Clara’s outburst at the end of Kill the Moon. As they observe the majesty of the Magellan Black Hole with the other passengers, she explains to the Doctor that she doesn’t hate him, but she cannot continue to travel like this anymore. This beautiful scene conveys just how much their friendship means to them, despite their recent differences, with Clara’s “sad smile” speaking volumes as they seem to reach a poignant understanding here. After meeting the late Mrs Pitt’s distraught granddaughter, Maisie (Daisy Beaumont), the Doctor and Clara learn more from Captain Quell (David Bamber) about the elderly Mrs Pitt’s death and the Mummy. When the Doctor and Clara wind up exploring the train separately, the Time Lord enlists the help of chief engineer Perkins (Frank Skinner) and discusses the five thousand year old story of The Foretold and the mythical Mummy with Professor Moorehouse (Christopher Villers), while Clara and Maisie become trapped in a baggage car with a strange high-tech sarcophagus.

MOTOE (8)

Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor doesn’t seem quite as fiercely intense during Mummy on the Orient Express, at times its almost like he’s challenging the essence of the 4th Doctor, highlighting the Doctor’s distinct alien qualities and manic eccentricities, and he even offers Professor Moorhouse a jelly baby at one point. Capaldi’s Doctor still dominates every scene he’s in and this episode once again showcases how unpredictable the 12th incarnation can be, but this time we also gain a startling insight into the Doctor’s reasoning for decisions that sometimes have to be made – especially when there are only bad choices and you still have to choose anyway.

After the Mummy strikes again the Doctor realises most of the passengers are scientific experts that have probably been gathered here by a being of tremendous power to study something. Following his announcement the train suddenly shudders to a halt and the hard light hologram façade of their carriage is transformed into a laboratory. The trains computer, Gus (John Sessions), explains that have been brought here to study the Foretold – along with the ancient scroll that somehow makes the Mummy appear in the immediate vicinity – informing them they must assess and contain the creature before it kills them so that its abilities can be reversed engineered.

MOTOE (3)

Mummy on the Orient Express features an impressive guest cast: Frank Skinner is great as chief engineer Perkins, then we have the brilliant David Bamber as Captain Quell, along with Daisy Beaumont who plays distraught granddaughter Maisie, with Christopher Villers (Hugh Fitzwilliam from 1983’s 5th Doctor story The King‘s Demons) as Professor Moorhouse, the elderly Mrs Pitt is played by Janet Henfrey (Miss Hardaker in 1989‘s The Curse of Fenric), and the singer / songwriter Foexs performs a cover of Queen‘s Don’t Stop Me Now. As well as David Bamber‘s excellent performance as Captain Quell, I also thought Frank Skinner was really good as Perkins, and it was great to see the chief engineer and the 12th Doctor working together to solve the mystery of the Foretold in so many of the episodes most dramatic moments.

When the Doctor discovers the Foretold is drawn its victims weaknesses, targeting their illness or psychological state, it becomes apparent the creature moves them out of phase and leeches their energies away on a cellular level. Knowing that it’s likely Maisie will be next because of her trauma the Doctor gets Clara to bring Maisie to them, despite Clara’s reservations about lying to Maisie, and the Time Lord then takes the risk of implanting Masie’s mental issues into his own mind – effectively making him the Mummy’s next target so he can confront it. This isn’t the first time a Mummy has appeared in Doctor Who, the 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith were menaced by lumbering servicer robots disguised as Mummies in Pyramids of Mars (1975), and the 11th Doctor fought against a Mummy-like creature in The Rings of Akhaten (2013). When the 12th Doctor is finally face to face with the Foretold in Mummy on the Orient Express, he asks it: “Are you my mummy?”, echoing the chilling words of the resurrected gas masked child in The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances (2005) as it searched the streets of London for its mother during the blitz.

Doctor Who MOTOE (Mummy)

The Mummy / Foretold (Jamie Hill) has a very unique and disquieting way of dispatching the passengers. Once this ethereal horror has clapped eyes on it victim, they only have 66 seconds to live, and nothing can save them from the Mummy’s wrath. This in no shambling terror that can be easily outrun. The fact that the Mummy can only be seen by those who are about to die make it seem even more threatening, and the way that it closes in on its horrified victim while everyone else is oblivious to their plight is brilliant. When the Doctor glimpses markings on the Foretold’s body he realises the scroll is actually a flag and the Foretold is really an ancient soldier from a long forgotten war that has become trapped by the malfunctioning technology that gives it advanced camouflage and teleportation abilities. Mummy on the Orient Express presents us with a creature that is grotesque, unstoppable, and utterly terrifying. The special effects are superb, the Mummy’s abilities are ghoulishly horrible, and it’s certainly one this seasons most memorable monsters.

Jenna Coleman’s character has undergone something of a reinvention over the course of series eight. We’ve seen Clara balancing her adventures with the Doctor and her life as a teacher at Coal Hill School; she’s also found romance with Maths teacher, and former-soldier, Danny Pink. However, everything was thrown into chaos when Danny and Courtney found out about the Doctor in The Caretaker, and when Clara was forced into making a life-changing decision to save the Earth in Kill the Moon her faith in the Doctor began to crumble.

MOTOR 1

Mummy on the Orient Express is another great episode for Clara. What began as her final adventure quickly becomes a situation that puts her danger again, and she angrily confronts the Doctor when he coerces her into brining Maisie to the lab and realises that Gus must’ve known about the Time Lord because of the force field around the TARDIS. After the Doctor manages to stop the Foretold by surrendering to it, the creature salutes him before it disintegrates, whereby Gus begins to expel the air from the carriage as the passengers have outlived their usefulness – leaving the Doctor only moments to rig a teleporter from the Foretold’s remains to save them.

The intriguing mystery of Gus and the unknown force that lured the Doctor and the other passengers to the train remains unresolved for now, although the Doctor does tell Clara that it has contracted him before, even phoning the TARDIS on one occasion – which probably refers to a call the 11th Doctor received in The Big Bang (2010).

MOTOE (2)

Afterwards when Clara regains conspicuousness on a nearby planet, the Doctor sits with her and explains how they escaped from the train as they mull over recent events and the choices the Time Lord has had to make. I really like the ambiguity surrounding the Doctor’s explanation about how they escaped from the Orient Express, which exploded after the Doctor attempted to hack into Gus to find out about the mysterious force that brought everyone to the train, and this magical discussion with Clara certainly gives us plenty to ponder over.

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor offers Perkins the chance to stay and maintain the time machines systems, but the engineer politely declines and bids them farewell. After Clara receives a phone call from Danny (Samuel Anderson), who believes this is her last adventure with the Time Lord, but the Impossible Girl makes a momentous decision after the call, one that results in her lying to Danny and the Doctor, when she decides to continue travelling with the Doctor. I don’t think any of us really believed that Clara’s adventures with the Doctor would end during Mummy on the Orient Express, however, after the way she likens the Doctor’s adventures to an addiction, it does make you wonder if the choice she that makes here might eventually come back to haunt her.

Doctor Who MOTOE (Dr Clara)

Mummy on the Orient Express is another fine addition to this eighth series, the story by Jamie Matheson is tense and exciting, and Director Paul Wilmhurst keeps the episode rattling along at a cracking pace. Peter Capaldi continues to impress on every level as the 12th Doctor, and Jenna Coleman gives another great performance as Clara. With its great sets, impressive guest cast, excellent special effects, and claustrophobic atmosphere this episode a real highlight of the season. There is a distinctly classic series feel about Mummy on the Orient Express, which also really plays to this episodes strengths, and the closing scenes between the Doctor and Clara also provides a deeply moving and emotional coda to this excellent episode.

Images Belong BBC

Follow @paul_bowler

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • WhatsApp
  • More
  • Tumblr
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Skype

Like this:

Like Loading...

Search Sci-Fi Jubilee

Follow @paul_bowler
Follow Sci-Fi Jubilee on WordPress.com

Enter your email address to follow SciFi Jubilee and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Sci-Fi Jubilee RSS Links

RSS Feed RSS - Posts

Recent Posts

  • Batman The Detective #1 Review
  • The Swamp Thing #2 Review
  • Blade Runner Origins #2 Review
  • Superman #29 Review
  • The Swamp Thing #1 Review
  • X-Men #18 Review
  • Immortal Hulk Flatline Review
  • Star Wars: Darth Vader #10 Review

Top Posts & Pages

  • Batman The Detective #1 Review
    Batman The Detective #1 Review
  • Immortal Hulk Flatline Review
    Immortal Hulk Flatline Review
  • The Swamp Thing #2 Review
    The Swamp Thing #2 Review

Calendar

October 2014
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep   Nov »

Categories

  • All
  • Avengers vs X-Men
  • BOOM! Studios
  • Dark Horse Comics
  • DC Comics
  • Doctor Who
  • Dr Who (Classic Series)
  • Dynamite Entertainment
  • Film Reviews
  • IDW Publishing
  • IF? Commix
  • Image Comics
  • Marvel Comics
  • Movie Articles
  • Paul Bowler YouTube Channel
  • Playstation 3
  • The Walking Dead
  • Titan Comics
  • Trailers & Posters
  • Vertigo

Gravatar Profile

Paul Bowler

Paul Bowler

Writer / Blogger / Sci Fi geek, fan of Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, Movies, Comic Books, and all things Playstation 4.

Personal Links

  • Sci-Fi Jubilee
  • Twitter @paul_bowler
  • Sci-Fi Jubilee Facebook
  • Paul Bowler YouTube

View Full Profile →

Follow Me On Twitter

Twitter @paul_bowler

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012

Blogroll

  • Flodo's Page
  • Learn WordPress.com
  • Sci-Fi Jubilee
  • TARDIS Tweets
  • The Consulting Detective
  • The Gotham Rogue
  • The Knights Blog
  • Theme Showcase
  • WordPress Planet
  • WordPress.com News

Sci-Fi Jubilee

All New X-Men Andrez Bergen Avengers Batman Brian Michael Bendis Bruce Wayne Charlie Adlard Chris Chibnall Clara Oswald comics Cybermen Cyclops Daleks Danny Miki DC Comics Doctor Who Dr Who Dr Who Season 7 Earth 2 FCO Plascencia Frank Martin Gotham Gotham City Greg Capullo Hawkgirl Horror IDW Publishing IF? Commix Image Comics Iron Man James Tynion IV Jean Grey Jenna-Louise Coleman Jenna Coleman Jim Gordon Jodie Whittaker Marte Gracia Marvel Marvel Comics Marvel Now Matt Lucas Matt Smith Michonne Mike Deodato Nardole NCBD Negan Nicola Scott Original X-Men Paul Bowler YouTube Peter Capaldi Peter Parker PS4 Rick Grimes Robert Kirkman Sci-Fi Jubilee Scott Snyder Spider-Man Star Wars Steven Moffat Stuart Immonen Superman TARDIS The Doctor The Flash The Joker The New 52 The Saviors The Walking Dead Tony Stark Trevor Scott Walkers Wolverine X-Men Zombies

Blog at WordPress.com.

Cancel

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×
    Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
    To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
    <span>%d</span> bloggers like this: