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Saturday 30 March 2013

Doctor Who 7.7 "The Bells of St John" Review

                                           
So finally it returns to our screens okay, he returns with a story that was delightful, no really, lots of funny moments, no one "died today" and we're still left to puzzle over who Clara Oswin Oswald really is, with a few clues along the way, just to keep our interest peeked.  This time round she's a nanny yet again, cue several references to her being a governess by the Doctor (Matt Smith) and that's "so Victorian" since that's what she was when last he/we met her in Victorian London in the Christmas special, The Snowmen.  So there were lots of clues here as to who "the client" was as these allusions were made.  Also a great bout of continuity, but only the best for our Doctor.

The Internet is missing and Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman) can't find it anywhere so she calls up a helpline number given to her by a woman in a shop and gets through to the Doctor, who tells her to find a wireless connection and see which network comes up.  She needs to access the Internet using a password, which the girl tells her is 'RYCBAR 123' meaning: run you clever boy and remember.  One, two, three..." The numbers being a reference to three versions of her.  She dials through to the Doctor who is now a monk in 1207, complete with monk attire.  In fact we even get to see a painting of Clara circa 13th century, so how was that possible?  Other tan the Doctor was at the monastery to ponder who Clara could be.  All shades of Madame Pompadour here, well at least a little.  It appeared he didn't recognize her voice whilst on the phone for some reason.  It's not like he's forgotten about her.

The Doctor arrives at her front door and wants to see her.  He needs to talk but she's not talking.  Hey a little too much lipstick in that scene on the Doctor when she spies him through the peep hole.  He heads to the TARDIS and dons his new outfit so we can get another really good look at the new interior.  His new purple coat complete with tails (that's a little Victorian wouldn't you say?) and purple bow tie which was especially placed in a box!  Yay for purple and bow ties!  He refrained from stating "bow ties are cool."  But will forgive him for that seeing as he now dons my fave colour!  Good to see he's been storing his Fez too.

A girl appears to Clara apparently someone from the cover of Amy's book she's been reading only she turns around and there's a dish at the back of her head, they're known as "spoonheads" sending out a signal and infact begins uploading Clara.  He hears her shouting to let her out and uses his Sonic to open the front door where he finds her unconscious on the floor and her being uploading.  SO being a bit of a computer geek too, he quickly wastes no time in downloading her back, which works since she hasn't been fully uploaded yet.  Something to do with perhaps that she's a machine, or mean to be something of that nature.  Unless this third version isn't one.

A bit of a hark back to 5.1 The Eleventh Doctor ep where he once again used a computer and the Net to link up to the world so they could all sync in the number zero at the same time.  Loved those graphics appearing on the screen, reference to Sherlock (subtle reminder filming has begun on that show, okay I added that in myself.)

Clara's painting is meant to be her "final message."  Also I love the way she says "run you clever boy" it's so sweet.  Still more references to snogging and the TARDIS being his "snog box!"  Ha. Especially when he mentions the governess part and how she should be mixing with people her own age, younger people and she says it's an attempt to pick her up.
Doctor; "...shouldn't you be doing young things with young people?"
Clara: "What, you mean like you for instance.  Down boy."  Though let's hope we don't get any between the two.  She's also been reading Amelia Williams/Amy Pond's book, "Summer Falls."  Nice touch with the Doctor camping outside her house protecting her, again another harkback to The Eleventh Doctor and how Amelia waited for him to return, when he landed the TARDIS in her garden.  He wants to know why she has a leaf in her book, which he licked, she replies it's a leaf out of her book.

This ep deals with wi-fi linking and how a group of people being uploaded, to work for some organization run by Miss Kizlet (Celia Imrie) and specifically on behalf of a mysterious client.  How they can get into networks and people all at the touch of a button, a key on a computer keypad.  Shown when they find Clara and wake the people up so that she can send in a plane to her location.  SO they stood talking for quite a while outside when the lights were coming on, even if she refused to go into the snog box/TARDIS.  Since it's a time machine he tells her they find themselves in the plane and the cockpit in an attempt to fly the plane.  Ahh Doctor a wonder at many things but can't fly a plane.  He finally manages to disable the wi-fi signal and wake the pilot.
Doctor: "I'm the Doctor, I'm an alien from outer space, I'm a thousand years old, I've got two hearts and I can't fly a plane."

Lots of London scenes here and a view of The Shard (also topical too) which is where the uploaded people are working from, the 65th floor.  Clara says she can find their location in five minutes and the Doctor is sent for coffee, where Miss Kizlet is able to hack into the people and talk to the Doctor as herself.  You see all the people have been uploaded to a cloud computing storage area (akin to a cloud drive.)  Clara manages to find the their location but a fake Doctor is sent to hers to upload her once more, a spoonhead and this time the Doctor's too late.  Cue his motorbike again and he says he entered the Olympics in it in the future, his anti-gravity bike, where he came last, which he uses to scale the side of the Shard.  Breaking into Kizlet's office.  No time for bargaining with her so he uploads her too and she demands to be downloaded back.  Meaning everyone else will have to be as well, including Clara, who came back with her memory still intact.

UNIT arrives on the scene and no one can remember what's happened.  Kizlet is reduced to having the memories of a child waiting for her parents.  Courtesy of The Great Intelligence (Richard E Grant) who was "the client."  Not that the Doctor found out.  Clara returns home and the Doctor tells her she can go anywhere with him and be back in time for tea. This time he adds it's time to find out who she really is.

Doctor: "It is not a snog box...Oh shut up."  No, bet the Doctor's wife would have something to say about that and I don't just mean River!

Next ep reminds me of the second ep from season 5.2 The Beast Below when he took Amy to the Starship UK, there were some similarities as shown in the trailer.  A stunning start to the new season nonetheless showing Matt Smith still excels as the Doctor and Jenna-Louise Coleman really is fitting into her role of Clara and continues to impress.  Lots going on in this episode and subtle hints for the future too, now must go away and watch it all over again, just for the sheer enjoyment this time round!  Ahh he even left Jammie Dodgers for Clara too after running his nose over them and taking a bite out of one.  Oh and that half eaten biscuit was not in the same part of the plate when Clara wakes up.  Hey no Custard Creams, you clever boy?

The Doctor also invented the quadracycle;  realizes "monks are not cool."  So don't be one. The boy tells her to wait til she gets to chapter 11, as "it's the best.  You'll cry your eyes out."  Eleventh Doctor anyone?  Lots of joking with his name, 'Doctor Who?' again.  When the Doctor holds Clara when she's on the floor, this was reminiscent of The Snowmen when she was lying on the table and died there.

Steven Moffat described this episode as "an action  roller coaster" and wasn't meant to be scary.  Maybe make people think twice as to how dependent they are on WI-Fi.  We meet Clara for the third time after she's been killed off twice, both as a result of meeting the Doctor.  But this is the version of Clara who was always intended as the Doctor's new companion.  Matt commented that she "reignites curiosity in the universe and gives him [The Doctor] his mojo back."

Also you can read here: http://mila255h.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/matt-smith.html

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