Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS

"The salvage of a lifetime."

Writer: Steve Thompson

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27 April 2013

Series: 7.10

Featuring: Eleventh Doctor, Clara

Synopsis

The Doctor's TARDIS captured by brothers running a salvage company in space. In the process, Clara gets lost inside the time machine. To save her, the Doctor promises the brothers they can have the TARDIS if they'll help search for his missing companion. They agree, only to find that what lies at the centre of the TARDIS could kill them all...

Verdict

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS was an excellent episode to continue our way through the modern era rewatch! This is an exciting episode for me as I'm a huge fan of going beyond the console room when it comes to the TARDIS. It was a rather unique take in The Invasion of Time and it was done very well in The Doctor's Wife, but this is probably the most extensive look at the time and space machine. It's a little too corridor-filled for my liking, but that doesn't make it any less interesting. I think the premise is tremendous and the title is a fun play on words that works well. It's not the most traditional of episodes in getting there and not what I expected when I first watched it on broadcast, but it provides a threat outside of the time leakage which is strong. I think the different aspects of the TARDIS we see are tremendous and it works well to have Clara separated and stranded within. That goes even harder with how the episode starts and the Doctor trying to get his time machine and companion to get along. It was told to him last time out in Hide that Clara was just an ordinary woman, but the TARDIS appears to know better. There's clearly something wrong with her when it comes to time and that's to be expected given what we have seen since Asylum of the Daleks onwards. I thought it was brilliant that with the threat of death on the way to the heart of the TARDIS at the engine the Doctor addressed this. I was a little surprised that he was so confrontational given the hugging the pair have done since she arrived as companion in The Bells of Saint John, but it was good to address things. She was scared and that was a really innocent moment. We've seen Clara with such bravado and confidence in her first few adventures, but here she definitely did feel vulnerable. I mean, being chased by time zombies in an infinite time and space ship that is constantly reconfiguring itself is hardly unwarranted for that. The directing for the time zombies was good and I liked that there was never focus on them for more than a second or so. That kept them mysterious and scary. Their speed was a surprise and it was a good bit of intrigue to keep me guessing when the Doctor knew what, or more importantly, who they were. This is quite a unique version of a Clara death but it sparks his aforementioned confrontation so I'm all for it. I thought the time leakage within the TARDIS being mostly contained to recent history was understandable but I would love that if this would be novelised that we'd dive further back. The little echoes at the console going back to the likes of Susan and the Ninth Doctor were a lovely treat. It's a stark reminder of the extensive history this machine has! The Doctor's relationship with it is obviously so important, so the surprise I had when he set it to self destruct showed how much he cared for Clara. The line about her being the salvage of a lifetime he'd referred to whilst the brothers thought he had meant the ship was sensational. That's the Doctor showing compassion for his companion. I loved that. The comedy that came from the Doctor announcing the self destruct was a fake worked brilliantly and the line about having to do the face was terrific. Matt Smith really can go from comic goof to incredibly serious with apparent ease. The imagery of the TARDIS engine in explosion was fascinating and I like the link back to the moment of the tear to put things back in place. The Doctor realising that Clara really is just ordinary girl Clara is poignant and it's nice for him to embrace her, and for her to appreciate and love the hug. She needed it after everything she went through! I'd love to get a copy of the book telling the history of the Time War, and just what did Clara see? Perhaps foreshadowing events to come with the War Doctor? I like it a lot. Overall, a terrific episode! 

Rating: 9/10