Doctor Who Series Seven Episode Nine – Hide

Thank goodness. This series hasn’t entirely gone to the dogs. Finally a proper good quality episode. It begins as with all the others of this series, with an excellently directed and gripping pre-titles sequence, although it was clear right from the off that the two scientists (Dougray Scott & Jessica Raine) would have one of these typical, pointless sub-plot romance, though it turned out not to get on my nerves as much as they tend to. The pair were decent actors, and it struck me how excellently Scott appeared immediately more sinister having removed his glasses. Raine was more impressive however, with a good contrast between the sheepishness with Clara (Jenna Louise Coleman) and Alec (Scott), and the mayhem within her mind when wired up to the machinery. It did seem that Neil Cross forgot at times that empathics ‘hear’ feelings and not thoughts, but that can be allowed to slide since most of the episode was so flawless. Matt Smith (the Eleventh Doctor) and Coleman are really finding their feet and work superbly together. What really made this episode though, was its sheer originality. It took the haunted hause genre and made it its own excellently, blending with the sci-fi elements of the show better than any of the ‘cinematic’ episodes this series. It also looked phenomenal. No episode is without its flaws and it seemed odd that nobody explained to Hila (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) what was going on once she ended up in the house, and what’s more, Jack Harkness died (albeit was resurrected) when traveling through the vortex on the outside of the TARDIS, a feat that the Doctor apparently completed without the slightest dizziness. Nonetheless this was an excellent story and by far the best of the series thus far.