Hide

"Show me the ghost."

Writer: Neil Cross

Format: TV

Broadcast: 20 April 2013

Series: 7.09

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

Something terrifying is hiding in Caliburn House, and the Doctor finds himself part of the ghost hunt.

Verdict

Hide was a great episode to continue my way through the modern era rewatch! Unfortunately for my partner and I, this became more of something to watch in the background given our familiarity with the series and ongoing home circumstances, but that didn't make it any less enjoyable! Thankfully because it's one I really enjoy, I felt like this was an episode I remembered very well and part of that might also be down to it being subjected to The Fact of Fiction within the pages of Doctor Who Magazine. That's always helpful in reestablishing my memory of an episode because it always goes into such extensive detail (probably too much at times!). I am a huge fan of the character of Emma and her ability as a psychic empath was fascinating to explore. It's obviously perfect for Doctor Who and I really enjoyed seeing her character develop and go through excruciating pain over the course of the story. Jessica Raine is such a strong actress and I'm a huge fan of the performance here. She's full of emotion when it comes to showcasing the pain to use her powers to reach what she believes might be a ghost. But this is no ordinary ghost. This is a ghost in need of help. I thought the slow way the apparition went from looking featureless to actually being a woman was great stuff. The arrival of the Doctor and Clara to Caliburn House was excellent and the setting in of itself is just marvellous. You can't beat a haunted house and the 1970s just feels absolutely right. The technology in use feels perfect for this kind of horror-based episode. It certainly has its moments of being scary, but I think the main selling point is definitely the eery atmosphere. The moment in particular where Clara says the Doctor doesn't need to hold her hand despite the scary situation and then clumsily waves about his two hands to show that he isn't is magnificent. Matt Smith is playing the comic clown here but at the same time can shift that to being oh so serious. His true intentions of arriving at Caliburn House were to get a read on Clara. He's disappointed to learn that she is just an ordinary girl. She's more scared than she's letting on which is intriguing as she presents quite the front and even more so moving forward as her companion journey continues, whilst she gets a warning from Emma about the Doctor. She shouldn't blindly trust him and I like how these subtle moments really carried the story arc for the series forward. The relationship between Emma and Alec was sweet but by the end it did get a little annoying I must admit. The pair were obviously smitten and the former was trying to bring it out of the latter, but he was so hesitant. He didn't need to be a psychic empath to know what she was thinking. He got there eventually which was the main thing but it was like pulling teeth at times! Clara's question to the Doctor of when they were going was fun stuff and the journey to rescue the woman who turned out to be Emma's ancestor was strong action. The way he revealed their familial link was also typical Doctor fashion which I loved. I think the love story of the Crooked Man is fine and rightly isn't the main focus, although I'm not a huge fan of the Doctor going back at the end after Emma is recovered after quite the ordeal. I'm not sure borrowing her is the right term, but the shark analogy to find the truth was actually strong. Overall, a very entertaining episode with the best kind of atmosphere and feel!

Rating: 8/10