When the TARDIS is damaged, the Doctor has to recruit help to find Clara within its corridors…
Every episode of this year’s run has caused some form of ructions within fandom – whether it’s the revisualisation of the Ice Warriors, or the mispronunciation of Metebelis – and Steve Thompson’s trek within the walls of the TARDIS herself is not going to be an exception. Chances are that there’ll be some who’ll miss the wood for the trees once again!
There are some real surprises in store: some of the rooms we’ve seen before (at least one notably in the last TARDIS-centric episode in 1978’s The Invasion of Time), and some areas of the Ship have had a major makeover since the last time we saw them (parts of the 8th Doctor’s console room have migrated to their own area, and contain at least one item that seems likely to reappear later in the season). And listen out for some nice touches in the soundscape of the episode, notably the scene where one of the crew tries to dismantle the console.
The episode builds on “last” season’s The Doctor’s Wife, to an extent, as well as the various hints regarding the relationship between Clara and the TARDIS. It also throws up as many questions as it answers – there are developments in the ongoing story whose resolution is thrown into question by the final scene between the three salvage operatives (who aren’t as well delineated as some of the guest characters have been this season).
Verdict: It does what it says on the tin, but with a large amount of wandering around corridors, it’s not quite as epic as it might have been. 7/10
Paul Simpson
IF YOU HAVE COME HERE PLEASE REDIRECT YOUR BROWSER TO WWW.SCIFIBULLETIN.COM 