"Doctor Who : Dark Water" Review

Before we get into this, I think I should say:

Well, that was quite brilliant wasn't it?

After a frankly mediocre series of episodes, Steven Moffat has finally pulled through had give us something decent in the form of penultimate episode "Dark Water." An emotional rollercoaster mixed with intrigue and a whopping twist at the end, it is easily one of, if not THE, best episode of the series so far. So let's not waste any time, and get stuck into "Dark Water!"

The Doctor and the not-so-mysterious Missy stand together as the Cybermen emerge from a familiar location.

The acting this episode is on level with many of the other episodes this series. Which is pretty good. Peter Capaldi's Doctor has received mixed views (some Americans have complained that they cannot understand his accent) but I personally like it. Portraying a "darker" version of the Time Lord than in the past, Capaldi has brought the intelligence and detachment of the Doctor to the screen but also the emotions of the character when faced with so-called impossible decisions (Moffat does like to use the word "impossible" even when the situation isn't that bad, doesn't he). It has also been an incredible series for companion Jenna Coleman, who has finally received some decent character development. Her acting is particularly impressive in one of the earliest scenes of the episode when she tries to get the Doctor to change time and bring boyfriend Danny back to life (he dies in the first five minutes, by the way) and the emotions shown by both characters is very realistic and well written. Capaldi's "Thick Of It" co-star Chris Addison also stars in this episode as Nethersphere caretaker Seb and is in practically every scene with Danny. The character comes across as very clever and funny, but also insane. However, the stand-out performance is that of Michelle Gomez, who portrays Missy, a psychotic Mary Poppins character, whose final reveal is the big twist. Her chemistry with Capaldi is beyond excellent and she is the perfect villain to the series.

Old enemies return to face the Doctor, although this wasn't surprising as we knew it was going to happen months ago.

The story revolves around Clara and the Doctor going to find out where people go when they die after Clara's beau Danny bites the dust after five minutes. I'm not kidding. It's not long before they encounter the mysterious Missy and Dr. Chang at the 3W institute where dead bodies are kept in exoskeletons (three guesses what the exoskeletons are) in an attempt to keep the dead safe because apparently people stay conscious after death. This is a rather unfortunate choice of topic when you think about it. It's no wonder that the BBC have received over 100 complaints about this! You'll see why or you know why is you've seen the episode. Later, the Cybermen emerge into London from St. Paul's Cathedral. This is a great callback if you understand it from a classic Doctor Who story and it is incredible to see again. And then the twist happens. The clue was in the name the whole time, wasn't it. Missy is the Master. Yep. The Master is now a woman and is back for revenge after the Doctor abandoned him on Gallifrey. I LOVED this. The idea of the Master being back is enough and how insane Gomez can be just adds to my excitement to see Missy fully in action in the second part. On the other hand, I can't help but feel that this was a test for the BBC to see if we would be fully able to accept a female Doctor. I like this but I know lots of people don't so we'll see what happens.

Chris Addison and Peter Capaldi reunite as hero and villain respectively, with excellent performances form both actors!

Once again, Murray Gold delivers a solid soundtrack with intense and emotional music fitting in perfectly to whatever scene they are needed in. Overall, this was an incredible episode with stunning performances from all of the cast. The episode kept the excitement and pace, never letting up, and I am very excited for part two despite the perhaps unwise topic chosen and portrayal of it by Steven Moffat.

Rating : 9/10

Original Air Date : 1st November 2014

Starring : Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Samuel Anderson, Michelle Gomez, Chris Addison