Foggy on Doctor Who - The Girl Who Waited

Doctor Who has been on quite a roll at the moment, can this episode make it 3 for 3.

Well from the offset, it's a Doctor-lite episode, meaning a lot less of the titular character, and more with either the companions or a new character completely. These types of episodes have great track records, with Blink being a particular favorite of mine and many others, and still holds as one of the scariest and most intense 45 mins on TV for a long time, to other like Left Turn, which I remember very little of, except the huge return of an old character, and someone turning left in a car. But I do know the general conscience around it is very positive. And of course, the odd one out, the one that started it all off, Love and Monsters. The less said on that one the better (because Doctor Who should need more blow job dispensing pieces of pavement, I'm glad that episode filled that gap)

Good news is that The Girl Who Waited follows the good trend of the latter episodes of the Doctor-lite. It allows us to see more of a development between Amy and Rory, and leaves The Doctor very much at bay, acting more as a guide to get the plot along. The story is ambitious, and with a lot of emotional dilemma to play upon, with the ending of the episode becoming both harrowing and very moving.

The performances are center stage in the episode, Arthur Duvall particularly having to stand up to the center stage as the hero of the episode, although it's all a bit redundant since he seems to be continually getting bossed and directed around by either The Doctor or older Amy, but to the more quiet and moving moments, you can see how heart breaking it is to see all the stuff he sees.

However, for once, I can finally see how great of an actress Karen Gillian, she effectively has to play to different characters, who are both very similar, and show their differences very subtly, whilst also showing that the two are both the same. There is a moment half way through the episode where she has to talk to herself, to convince her to save herself, and it's done fantastically, where both are telling the same story, but you see an older and a younger version of one another communicating, I think that's a fantastic achievement. Credit due also to the make-up team, puts Potter and his pals to shame!

I can only say the episodes biggest flaw is it's lack of fun, it all gets a little heavy handed for an episode about robots who kill you with kindness. And when ever something random and fun is implicated, there just a lack of point that just makes it feel like it shrugging it of its shoulders. Although, the macarena is always necessary...

Plus it takes a good 10-15 mins to really get up to speed, that isn't very good for a 45 min show.

The Girl Who Waited is one of the series best so far, although not topping the greatness of The Doctor's Wife, and not the most memorable episodes, and probably one of the weakest Doctor Lite episode (while that's not much of a complaint) The Girl Who Waited is just plain and simply put well written and well acted, and that's all you really need to love the episode, sure it lacks mystery and adventure (although it's nice to see the show try a very ambitious action sequences, which I will say doesn't fully work) it's moving, and it shows how the show can be very dramatic when it needs to be. And dramatic it does well!
8/10