The Unquiet Dead

"Stories going back generations. Echoes in the dark. Queer songs in the air and this feeling like a shadow passing over your soul." 

Writer: Mark Gatiss

Format: TV

Broadcast: 9th April 2005

Series: 1.03

Featuring: Ninth Doctor, Rose

Synopsis 

The dead are roaming the streets of 1869 Cardiff when the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler arrive, just in time for Christmas. Teaming up with Charles Dickens, the TARDIS team encounter the Gelth, creatures sucked through the Cardiff Rift from the other end of the universe, their home lost. Surely inhabiting dead bodies is wrong though! Can both sides be helped, or are these gaseous creatures not to be trusted?

Verdict 

The Unquiet Dead is an absolutely brilliant early episode of the revived series. The Ninth Doctor and Rose are past the getting to know each other stage and this is their first televised adventure as a proper team. Billie Piper just looks staggeringly beautiful as Rose in her Victorian era clothing. The humour regarding the Ninth Doctor's attire was very good and I think in most Doctor Who stories, there always should be a hint of humour at some point. The idea of the dead roaming Cardiff is terrific and the fact that it was as a result of the Gelth trying to get through the Rift was just magnificent. The fact that this episode somewhat forms the basis of the Torchwood spinoff is just wonderful. You have the first mention of the Rift and the stunning Eve Myles as Gwyneth, whom it was later implied was an ancestor of Gwen Cooper. The addition of Charles Dickens to help the Doctor and Rose was absolutely brilliant and I loved the Doctor's reaction to finding out who his new accomplice was! So typical of the Doctors from Tom Baker onwards. The haunted house setting was clever and I really liked the logistics of the Gelth, the gaseous creatures, hiding in the gas pipes. So simple but it's massively effective. Gwyneth's ability to see into the minds of others was really good and her reaction to seeing what was inside Rose's head was marvellous. She didn't seem overwhelmed by what she forsaw of the future, just accepted it. The reference of the season arc 'Bad Wolf' was delicately placed in the episode and at an early stage in the series the viewer of the time wouldn't have thought of it as significant (I wouldn't have thought). It's only after the whole arc is revealed can you admire the writing by placing in a sneaky reference in nearly every episode. It's just brilliant! Mr. Sneed was a fantastic character and I liked the selfishness of his persona, a typical businessman getting things as cheap as possible but now paying the price. The dialogue of the episode was outstanding throughout and the Doctor's referencing of how horror and ghost stories were created thanks to echoes from the Rift was just beautifully put. When it seemed that the Doctor and Rose were at death's door, the reference to The Myth Makers was absolutely wonderful! So subtle yet so brilliant. I love any reference to a classic serial in the new who episodes but referencing that story in particular seemed very special. At the same moment, the effects the Time War had on the Doctor, obviously this incarnation in particular, can truly be seen. As we saw in The Day of the Doctor, the War Doctor was a hurt and frailed old man prior to ending the war and regenerating. And now for this Doctor, where all is gone and he's all alone, Rose has made him happy again. She's shown him that not all is bad. And I think that's why the pairing worked so well together in this episode! The climax was chilling and the selfless death of Gwyneth was very admirable. It was also the beginning for Rose as she would learn that so many people save the world, and receive no acknowledgement. A cruel lesson whilst travelling in the TARDIS. The goodbye to Charles Dickens was a lovely sendoff to a fantastic episode! 

Rating: 9/10