The Power of Three

"I'm running to you and Rory before you fade from me."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22nd September 2012

Series: 7.04

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Amy, Rory

Synopsis 

There have been ways to invade Earth, and the Doctor has seen them all - or so he always thought. And then the human race wakes up one morning and discovers the world has been overrun by small cubes, which then proceed to do nothing at all. A plan is afoot, humanity is endangered but by what, and how, and above all, when? The Year of the Slow Invasion has thus begun. 

Verdict 

The Power of Three was actually pretty good despite being mixed overall. For about 35 minutes the episode was full of intrigue, mystery and suspense... and then it just seemed to end in a rushed way. The idea and potential of the episode is very good and had this been presented in a two part story I think it would have been far better! When you do an episode that's going to last a calendar year in length, it needs to be done very cleverly as in Last of the Time Lords, but here it wasn't done all that well. To be honest, time-wise this episode was just all over the place. First the Doctor was restless having to take the 'slow path' and just be patient. But then later in the episode he wants to stay with Amy and Rory. Now I understand and liked the fact that the Doctor missed constantly travelling with the first face his face saw, and her husband, but he's experienced companions leaving him before so it shouldn't be too new for him. I'm really not liking how Amy and Rory's departure is being prepared for. They've gone from facing divorce in Asylum of the Daleks to wanting to choose 'real life' over travelling in the TARDIS. It's all a bit quick and muddled for my liking. But back to the episode and its individuality. Brian was great reappearing after his humorous stint in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship and I really liked how he followed the instructions of the Doctor by watching the cubes, keeping a log everyday. The introduction of Kate Stewart was done very classy, no emotional or heartfelt entrance, just a UNIT break in and she casually struts in identifying the Doctor. I really liked that. And I liked the Doctor's liking of her and how she didn't want to be known simply as the Brigadier's daughter. She was more than capable of being brilliant on her own and that was evident in this episode. The plot was very good to be fair with cubes just appearing all over the world... and doing absolutely nothing for months on end. It's the perfect plan. Do nothing, conceal the truth and become part of human society and you won't be feared. Once all doubt is erased from that society that the cubes are harmless, that's the time to strike. And it was done well for the most part. After nearly a year of nothingness, the cubes absorbed literally every piece of information and more. They'd soon pounce with an attack wave and once they did, after the countdown was complete, cardiac arrest became common instantaneously across the globe. The Shakri looked very impressive but yet the apparent leader (or is the Shakri just a term for the individual we saw) only appeared for no more than a few minutes. How can the main villain of the story only appear as a hologram for one conversation? I liked how the Doctor was shocked at seeing who was behind the cubes and they must be fearful and calculative if they were used to give Gallifreyan children nightmares. But if a species could cause shivers down the spines of a Time Lord, why were they afraid of human colonisation? Surely they'd have a more straightforward way of prevention than a slow invasion. The brief scenes where seven weeks of adventures between the now part time TARDIS trio were good but again rushed. Why couldn't we have seen the Zygons at the hotel and how Amy ended up marrying Henry VIII?! The fact that this was the anniversary of the Ponds should have been more momentous also. It's just a shame that a plot with so much potential was rushed at the end. Were the flashbacks and narration needed at the start as an expense for more time with the Shakri? I'm also liking Rory less and less as his departure draws near which should not be the case! He just seems inadequate and I'm convinced the Doctor only misses Amy. Overall, great ideas just rushed. The climax was far too quick and simple which was a great shame. 

Rating: 7/10