Under the Lake

"You live and you die. That's it."

Writer: Toby Whithouse
Format: TV
Broadcast: 3rd October 2015
Series: 9.03

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

Arriving on an underwater base under attack, it's up to the Doctor and Clara to save the frightened crew. But also onboard is an alien spaceship, and the base is being haunted by the most impossible of things.

The Doctor's deepest beliefs are challenged when he encounters something he cannot explain. Can it really be possible? Can ghosts be real?

Verdict

Under the Lake was a very good episode of Doctor Who that kicked off this story in a decent way! Following an epic series opener in The Magician's Apprentice/The Witch's Familiar, this episode did have the feel of being in the middle of the series which can sometimes harm things but there was no obvious damage here which was great. I thought the pre-titles scene in which we were introduced to all of the crew on board the Drum was excellent and with Moran's death and then reemergence as a ghost, there was an immediate mystery for the Doctor and Clara to delve into once they arrived. I thought their arrival was terrific as they were almost instantly met with the ghosts and it was quite an action-packed sequence that eventually saw them meet up and be introduced to the crew. I really liked how even in a 22nd century based story, the Doctor's work at UNIT was still known and O'Donnell treating him as if he was a celebrity really was brilliant. I thought she was a wonderful character and I loved how so very Scottish she was. Cass was another great character and it's great to see disabled actors getting cast and nothing being made of it. Ironically, my talking about it would indicate that Sophie Stone was different to the rest of the cast but that really is not what I am trying to say. The Doctor instantly liked Cass and although it seemed that his sign language was a little rusty, his acknowledging of her being the smartest person in the crew was fantastic. The way she stood up to him was also great and I liked how she personified authority and just wanted to ensure the safety of all of her crew. That sounds quite a lot like the Doctor. The concept of ghosts getting explored in this episode was good and I liked how despite initially ridiculing the whole possibility of ghosts existing, the Doctor soon seemed to accept that they did indeed exist. Could he really believe that? I'm not sure he did but the evidence at that time certainly pointed towards them being ghosts. Clara was, I noticed in this episode more so than the series opener, noticeably different to what she was like in her first two series. Following Danny's death, which still seemed to be having quite the effect on her, she just wanted an adventure. She didn't care about having a hobby or even if her life was in danger, Clara wanted to be right at the heart of everything that was going on. I thought it was quite interesting and actually pretty powerful that the Doctor had to stop and be serious for a moment and tell her quite frankly that there was only room for one person in the TARDIS like him. Pritchard's death was quite a surprise I must say but I liked how it meant that the ghosts added in strength. The Doctor thinking he was an idiot before his demise was also fantastic. The TARDIS being unable to translate the language in the spaceship was interesting and was something we haven't seen since The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit. Cass soon worked out what the ghosts were saying though and the Doctor pinpointed that they were actually coordinates but noted that the whole crew weren't at all surprised by the revelation. That would be the imprinting on the eyes we saw. The Doctor and Clara getting split up was an interesting way to set up the second part and I liked how the Doctor intended on going back in time to learn a lot more about just what was going on. There was a good mention of an Auton and a great reference to Dark Water/Death in Heaven but the cliffhanger was an absolute highlight. We saw the Doctor, and he had become a ghost which meant only one thing. He was dead. Overall, a very good start to the story!