Previously on Doctor Who: The Doctor and Clara travel to an underground base that’s being haunted by murderous “ghosts” who’re sending a transmission—of coordinates—to some unknown person or place.
If you’re gonna break the fourth wall, Doctor, please always do so leading into a rock version of the theme song.
Here We Go Again
To figure out where the ghosts in “Under the Lake” came from, and why they’re transmitting coordinates, the Doctor, O’Donnell and Bennett travel back in time to before the flood to investigate the ship. In the past, the group meets the Fisher King, a member of a race of creatures who likes to makes slaves and use up natural resources. The Doctor foils his plan, keeps himself from dying in the future—spoiler alert: his ghost was actually a holographic projection—and saves Earth, yet again.
Fantastic!
Really, even though there were some great “ah-ha!” moments this episode, I just can’t get over how cool this sounds.
Don’t Blink or We’ll Exterminate
The Fisher King definitely looked the part of a Big Bad—and his plan to enslave Earth and steal all of our resources is likely what anyone who’s afraid of aliens thinks they’re going to do (rather than, you know, want to be friends).
We’re All Stories
Winner: O’Donnell. I would SO do the exact “It’s bigger on the inside” jumping dance she did were I in her situation. Also, I liked her name drop of previous companions; sometimes it can be hard to connect current episodes with past ones, so I always appreciate a good nod at what came before. (Sadly, she also becomes a loser shortly afterward, in a very literal sense. Why you gotta keep killing off the fan avatars, Moffat?)
Loser: Prentis. An alien from a race that has been enslaved over and over again for so long that it now actually thrives on being enslaved kind of epitomises a loser, don’t you think?
Words from the Madman
Doctor: “I’ve met Beethoven. Nice chap. Very intense. Loved an arm wrestle.”
Doctor: “This regeneration, it’s a bit of a clerical error anyway.”
Doctor: “Doctor, such an honor. I’ve always been a huge admirer.”
Doctor: “Even a ghastly future is better than no future at all.”
Doctor: “I’ve erased the memory of the writing. But you might find that you’ve lost a couple of other memories too, like, people you went to school with, previous addresses, or how to drink liquids.”
Keep Moving
I kind of cringed when Clara brought up the “L” word, but I understood after the fact that it was a means to an end. All in all, I thought this was a good episode, and liked the introduction of a new alien race (who they obviously spent a lot of time working on, to good-looking ends). Also, I do so love when the Doctor gets timey wimey.
But, what did you think of “Before the Flood”? Let’s discuss in the comments.
