Once again, we have another two-parter to talk about. It seems this will be a staple of this particular series, and one so far I feel has worked to the show's advantage. Story lines can become more complex and characters can be further fleshed out. This week's episode, The Girl Who Died, is more a set up to the character of Ashildr (Maisie Williams) than the first of a two part story, and for me, falls significantly short of the series' so far high standard.
The plot combines both past and future in equal measure, as the Doctor and Clara travel back to the time of the Vikings, just an alien race of warrior aliens plan to raid their village. These aliens, the Mire, live for the thrill of war, and Ashildr let's her pride rule her head when she declares war on the Mire after being captured along with Clara. Returned as messengers to the Doctor and the remaining villagers, they must prepare themselves for the oncoming raid. But does Ashildr have a greater purpose to serve in the Doctor's oncoming days?
The big draw for this episode was seeing Maisie William's in another big television franchise. Having made a name for herself in Game of Thrones, her appearance in Doctor Who was highly anticipated. She gives a good performance here, and is thankfully involved in much of the story. She seems to be the only one of the villagers to be given any sort of character development, whereas the rest of the townsfolk kind of go under the radar. Not much was explored about the Mire, nor do they do that much throughout the episode. All we know is that they love war and have a ruthless reputation, which makes them sound like a very basic Doctor Who monster. The Sontarans, aliens that have appeared in both the classic and newer series, can also have this description applied to them. However, the Sontarans are far more interesting as their code of honour is explored, and their straight-forward attitude creates opportunities for some comedic moments, too.
One thing I really disliked was the story of this particular episode. This is largely down to it being a recycled plot from several other BBC television dramas: a small village is under threat from a powerful foe, and its down to a group of outsiders to train them to fight and make a stand. We've seen this in Merlin (2008-12), The Musketeers (2014-Present) and several episodes of Robin Hood (2006-09). All of these episodes play out exactly the same way, and its become incredibly boring and predictable. It has taken Doctor Who a long do their version of this story, but after 10 years, the show has finally caved in. It does very little new with this played out story. Had it not focused on the unique aspects, i.e. Ashildr, then this would easily be one of the most forgettable Doctor Who episodes in recent years.
With the introduction of Ashildr, the series looks to have its story arc firmly placed, with her hopefully being a recurring character. The idea of her being a hybrid of both Viking and Mire brought on by the Doctor's efforts to save her is an interesting one. Inadvertently, the Doctor has created something he may not fully understand, and will no doubt feel a sense of responsibility for her. Story arcs focused on a specific character have, for me, been the more interesting since they were first introduced. I hope Ashildr's story matches the surprise and weight of the Bad Wolf (series 1) and Mr. Saxon (series 3) arcs.
The Girl Who Died is held back by its recycled plot, but at least has intrigue with Ashildr's introduction and the possibilities this opens up for the remainder of the series. Next weeks episode, The Woman Who Lived, looks to be a completely different story to this one. Given how this is easily the weakest episode of the series so far, that doesn't sound like too bad a thing.
The big draw for this episode was seeing Maisie William's in another big television franchise. Having made a name for herself in Game of Thrones, her appearance in Doctor Who was highly anticipated. She gives a good performance here, and is thankfully involved in much of the story. She seems to be the only one of the villagers to be given any sort of character development, whereas the rest of the townsfolk kind of go under the radar. Not much was explored about the Mire, nor do they do that much throughout the episode. All we know is that they love war and have a ruthless reputation, which makes them sound like a very basic Doctor Who monster. The Sontarans, aliens that have appeared in both the classic and newer series, can also have this description applied to them. However, the Sontarans are far more interesting as their code of honour is explored, and their straight-forward attitude creates opportunities for some comedic moments, too.
One thing I really disliked was the story of this particular episode. This is largely down to it being a recycled plot from several other BBC television dramas: a small village is under threat from a powerful foe, and its down to a group of outsiders to train them to fight and make a stand. We've seen this in Merlin (2008-12), The Musketeers (2014-Present) and several episodes of Robin Hood (2006-09). All of these episodes play out exactly the same way, and its become incredibly boring and predictable. It has taken Doctor Who a long do their version of this story, but after 10 years, the show has finally caved in. It does very little new with this played out story. Had it not focused on the unique aspects, i.e. Ashildr, then this would easily be one of the most forgettable Doctor Who episodes in recent years.
With the introduction of Ashildr, the series looks to have its story arc firmly placed, with her hopefully being a recurring character. The idea of her being a hybrid of both Viking and Mire brought on by the Doctor's efforts to save her is an interesting one. Inadvertently, the Doctor has created something he may not fully understand, and will no doubt feel a sense of responsibility for her. Story arcs focused on a specific character have, for me, been the more interesting since they were first introduced. I hope Ashildr's story matches the surprise and weight of the Bad Wolf (series 1) and Mr. Saxon (series 3) arcs.
The Girl Who Died is held back by its recycled plot, but at least has intrigue with Ashildr's introduction and the possibilities this opens up for the remainder of the series. Next weeks episode, The Woman Who Lived, looks to be a completely different story to this one. Given how this is easily the weakest episode of the series so far, that doesn't sound like too bad a thing.
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