Review by RCR contributing editor, Hayden Black, follow him on Twitter @HaydenBlack!
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Termites. Or wood lice. Not sure really – the Doctor decides to call them Dryads – but there’s lots and lots of the buggers. This week, the episode Knock Knock told a tale of a man trying to save his daughter (surprise twist to come) by feeding her some college students every 20 years. And we all know how tasteless some of them can be!
The story tried its best to be creepy but ultimately it wound up more crawly. Bill and five of her college mates rent out this sprawling mansion for next to nothing but the catch is, of course, that they’re going to be food. David Suchet – Poirot for many years – delivers a solid performance but never really takes the role anywhere other than a brief “oh mommy” moment at the end. He’s the father to a girl (Eliza) who’s being kept alive by these alien insects in a strange, wooden form but it’s never really explained how or why. The twist at the end – discovering Suchet’s character was Eliza’s son who’d grown old while she remained a very wooden 30-something – was underserved by the emotional punch it lacked. I mean, are you my mummy – or are you Groot? Why wouldn’t she remember who he was? Why would she suddenly remember when the Doctor mentioned it (maybe wood rot)? Why do these insects only need to eat every 20 years? Why do—Sssh. This is Doctor Who. Let’s just run with it. And so Eliza makes everything all right by taking the Doctor’s suggestion and sacrificing herself and her son and then restoring the other college kids who’d all been “killed.” Huzzah! Take that Oedipus Landlord!
Once again, the production design punched above its weight. Seeing the one guy fused into the wall was a lovely touch and Eliza the wooden Mom looked pretty cool (oh, and thanks for the Bowie reference!). The house itself was genuinely creepy enough too – in an utterly coincidental aside, David Suchet actually rented it out for Christmas a couple years ago (but didn’t see so much as a cockroach). A nice touch – that was sadly edited out of this episode – was that Bill’s friend Harry was the grandson of Harry Sullivan who accompanied Tom Baker’s Doctor in his first season. Ian Marter – you rocked.
Let’s unpack the hints we saw of the season story-arc. Most interesting was Bill calling the Doctor her Grandfather, especially in light of the picture of Susan on his desk. He also used the word “we” when referring to the Time Lords which could have been colloquial – or was her referring to her too? He drops a hint that he’s aware of an upcoming regeneration – but maybe he’s already regenerated. Is Bill the new Doctor? Is there a fob watch with the new Doctor’s soul out there that’s waiting to be returned to her? We also spent a little time at the end hearing whomever’s locked up in the vault playing the piano. Dare I suggest the John Simm Master likes Pop Goes The Weasel because he is one? Let’s hear your thoughts!
About Doctor Who Season 10
Get ready to have the time of your life with the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole on BBC America, Saturday’s at 9/8c.
The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is an alien Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey who travels through all of time and space in his TARDIS with his companion. Instead of dying, the Doctor is able to “regenerate” into a new body, taking on a new personality with each regeneration.
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About Hayden Black
Hayden Black is the award-winning British star/writer/producer behind Goodnight Burbank (“Better than 99% of the stuff on TV” – USA Today”), the first-ever scripted half-hour comedy series made for Hulu and then licensed – the day it premiered – by Mark Cuban for his cable channel HDNet. Goodnight Burbank and his other original online work – including Abigail’s Teen Diary & The Occulterers – have won Webby, iTunes and Yahoo awards, been viewed in the multi-millions, and taught in college courses.
The press has dubbed him a “web sensation” (LA Times), “ridiculously funny” (Time Out) and “one of Internet comedy’s brightest stars” (The Guardian). He’s a proficient tweeter and has been reprinted on the home pages of the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, Hollywood Reporter, Fox News, and more.
He contributed to a book entitled “Behind The Sofa; Celebrity Memories of Dr. Who“, named by Amazon UK one of its “Ten Best Books of 2013.” He was also a regular on-air contributor to BBC America’s TV series “The Brit List,” wrote for the UK animated TV comedy “Mashed”, and appears regularly on panels at Gallifrey One.
Photo Credit: BBC Doctor Who
