The Unicorn and the Wasp

"This makes a change! There's a monster and we're chasing it!"

Writer: Gareth Roberts

Format: TV

Broadcast: 17th May 2008

Series: 4.07

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis 

In 1926, Agatha Christie mysteriously disappears, only to be found ten days later at Harrogate Hotel with no memory of what happened to her. What could have been the cause? Was it a nervous breakdown? Was it a cry for help? Or did it involve a giant alien wasp and a mysterious stranger known only as the Doctor?

Verdict 

The Unicorn and the Wasp is a fantastic episode! The atmosphere is just tremendous and the fact that the Doctor and Agatha Christie were solving a murder mystery with a giant wasp is obviously going to be brilliant Doctor Who. Add in Donna and her comical genius and it's a wonderful balance of a great story and humour. The guest cast were marvellous, I really liked the characters of Lady Eddison, Hugh Curbishley and Roger. The fact that Robina turned out to be the Unicorn was very intriguing and I liked the fact that you had that mystery added with murder and giant Vespiform hiding in human form. Arnold Golightly's Christian character was the perfect backdrop for the Vespiform and after we learned of Lady Eddison's troubled visit to India in the 1880s, it was even more fitting. The scene where the Doctor was trying to cure his poison by all sorts of barmy methods was just outstandingly hilarious! A game of charades to protect the Doctor's enzymes! The scene when all the party residents were gathered in the same room and the mystery was solved was excellent. You had Agatha's detective brilliance, the Doctor's intense intelligence and Donna's cluelessness. The humour of the episode was at a premium but I loved the ability for it to remain absolutely serious throughout as well. An accurate balance no doubt. The references to The Unquiet Dead and The Runaway Bride were good and again provided some more laughs. After more than one reference by the Tenth Doctor proclaiming his adoration for Agatha and his will to meet her, it was fitting that he got to solve an alien mystery with the brilliant writer. Surely though that it was inevitable in the Whoniverse, right? The take of Christie's disappearance was extremely clever and the way it was explained and panned out was very good. The chemistry between the Doctor and Donna was, as usual, fantastic and I like the continued shunning of the fact that they're just friends. Nothing more. The closing scene in the TARDIS was terrific and after seeing that the Doctor keeps some bits and bobs from encounters with the Cybermen and Carrionites it made me think what else is looming underneath the TARDIS. Donna's use of defeating the Vespiform by throwing the necklace into the lake was clever and rescued Agatha causing the amnesia. Very clever! Overall, a tremendous episode!

Rating: 9/10