If you've never read the short story, "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad" by M.R.James, then you are missing a certain cultural depth of this Doctor Who episode. I would love to know if the writer was consciously invoking that classic horror tale. In any case, the lingering shots on the sheets of apparent fabric made me think of the M.R.James, and when they eventually did their stuff, I definitely felt the chill that echoed from my first reading of the short story.
Ahem.
The plot itself was fine, a little on the standard side. We all know about rallies and winners and such, and this episode definitely used that plot to give our expanded cast of characters more time to develop. This was very much a story about growing the characters with some quick action mingled with introspective moments and nice scenery. Overall, I thought it worked.
I noticed the reference to the previous baddie, and I'm not sure whether I'm happy or annoyed that there is apparently going to be another extended arc. If that's what's developing.
I liked Angstrom and had what I assume is the expected negative reaction to Epzo. The actors for both were fantastic, and gave their stories nicely while still acting like people at the end of a difficult race, still trying to win. The ending was... I'm not going to say predictable, but it certainly didn't win any awards for originality. I guess I was hoping for something a little more amazing.
And lastly... the TARDIS. I wasn't sure if we would spend the entire season searching for it, so seeing the tease of it at the beginning didn't actually tell me much. The ending and entry into the timeship was nicely done - it felt almost like a callback to Ian's "It's a Police Box!" reaction. The interior... well, I'll have to really see it in action to make a decision on whether or not I like it.
The verdict: I enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next episode (which I hope to watch tonight).
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