REVIEW: Doctor Who: ‘Under the Lake’

Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman star in ‘Under the Lake,’ the third episode in Doctor Who’s ninth series. (Credit: BBC)

We’re officially knee-deep into Doctor Who‘s ninth series now, with the first of a new two-part story airing this past Saturday. ‘Under the Lake’ comes from Being Human creator Toby Whithouse and will be followed by this week’s conclusion, ‘Before the Flood.’

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The ghostly Moran (Colin Mcfarlane) has an ax to grind. (Credit: BBC)

Leah Tedesco – Assistant Editor/Staff Writer

Episode three of Series 9 of Doctor Who down! As much as I loved the first two episodes of this series, I am happy to see the Doctor and Clara back on track in their adventures. Also, I am very much enjoying the cliffhangers of these two-parters. While not exactly the same format, it is reminiscent of Classic Who, when each story was broken up into smaller episodes. Having the entire current series broken up in a similar manner adds to its vintage feel.

The Doctor has had many “ghost” related adventures over the decades. For example, viewers will recall the Series 7 episode ‘Hide.’ The ghost from that tale turned out to be someone stuck in a pocket dimension who was just trying to escape. The difference between her and the ghosts in ‘Under the Lake’ (aside from the fact that the latter may actually be ghosts of a sort), is that whoever created these submerged spirits seems to possibly have a nefarious plan. So, we appear to now have ourselves a good old fashioned Scooby-Doo-style mystery… only with actual death. I am looking forward to the explanation of how the “spirits” of these people became transmitters.

As a final thought, it’s interesting that the TARDIS does not give the Doctor or Clara the ability to understand and use sign language. I wonder if there is a deliberate (and even significant) reason for this, or it is just “one of those things.”

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The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) has words with Pritchard (Steven Robertson) as the rest of the team looks on. (Credit: BBC)

Joel Getter – Staff Writer

Following the epic two episodes that preceded it, ‘Under the Lake’ could have ended up as a forgettable episode. Although we have to reserve full judgement until part two, what we do have is one of the best episodes of Doctor Who to air in quite some time. The strength lies in its pacing: having all two-part episodes this series allows greater attention for setup as the Doctor and Clara attempt to puzzle out the origins behind these mysterious ghosts. This could easily have been a single episode resolved within the hour; instead, we get an episode that has plenty of room to breathe without being full of unnecessary filler.

Although the episode unfolds at a slower pace, the tension is still high. The appearances of the ghosts are quite chilling, and there’s a real sense of menace thanks to the isolated location. Yes, Doctor Who has done plenty of “base under siege” stories, but this was done in an inventive way thanks to some exceptional writing and directing. Who better than Toby Whithouse to give us a traditional ghost story with some neat twists? Peter Capaldi once again shows how he continues to strengthen in his role as the Doctor. He manages to show childlike curiosity and wonder when addressing the ghosts, while still being his own Doctor. Fortunately, Clara’s note cards help with his harsher aspects (ahem, a bit anyway). Clara also gets her moments to shine rather than being under Missy’s shadow. I’m excited to see how Clara does without the presence of the Doctor.

The episode has the feel of classic Doctor Who, but then the rug is yanked out from under us. Rather than figuring it all out by episode’s end, the Doctor is leaving his companion behind in order to discover the origins of the ghosts. I thought this was a brilliant development that was a nice twist on the classic separation of the Doctor and his companion. We are left with a cliffhanger that is even better than the closing moment of ‘The Magician’s Apprentice.’ Sure, we know the Doctor survives — that’s not the point. It’s not about the outcome of the magic trick, but about figuring out how the magician does it.

Thank you Toby Whithouse for giving us a real behind-the-sofa episode that attempts something new at the end.

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Clara (Jenna Coleman) and the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) in the midst of an intriguing looking discussion. (Credit: BBC)

David Hill – Co-Editor

The continued dumbing down of Clara on Doctor Who is a bit of a mystery. As Leah said in her article last week, Clara had made a tremendous amount of progress at the end of last season, and it appeared as though there would be a new day dawning for both her and the Twelfth Doctor. While the Twelfth Doctor has come into his own, Clara has regressed to the point where she may as well be a child.

This was continued to be made evident in ‘Under the Lake.’ At one point, when the Doctor was speaking, he referred to Cass as the smartest person in the room when he left. While this was, without a doubt, due to her ability to lead and logical manner of thinking, it is still a slight towards Clara.

Granted, this is not outside the realm of normality for the Doctor. He has never exactly held a high opinion of Clara’s mental capacity or decision making. However, following the dialog between Clara and Missy, as well as his planned ignoring of her while speaking to the TARDIS, this seems to be a bit of a trend in Series Nine.

Clara may have lost her sunglasses and most of her dignity between the second and third episodes, but it seems she lost a few brain cells before then. Hopefully, he gets back to being the Clara that we began to see at the end of Series Eight.

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The ghostly apparitions of Prentis (Paul Kaye) and Moran (Colin Macfarlane). (Credit: BBC)

Kory Plockmeyer – Staff Writer

When I saw the previews for this week’s episode, I was not looking forward to it. The last time Doctor Who explored the idea of ghosts in ‘Hide,’ I found the results less than satisfying. The ghost in that episode was actually a time traveller named Hila who had been trapped in an alternate dimension. The explanation short-circuited the ghost storyline and made the episode far less creepy than it could have been.

Now I’ve said before that I don’t watch Doctor Who for the creepy elements, but I have to say that this episode was incredibly well-done on the chill factor. By making the ghost story a two-parter, they were able to leave questions unanswered. While there has been an explanation for the “ghosts,” it hasn’t all been clarified yet and I’m still sufficiently creeped out.

At the point when the “ghosts” hands first came through the wall between the Doctor and Clara I actually jumped. When we saw close-ups of the ghosts I couldn’t get past the creepiness of their features. Throw in their ability to override the computer system and remove the illusion of safety and I was on the edge of my seat for the whole episode.

In my opinion, these “ghosts” are the scariest monsters we’ve seen in the modern era on the level of creepiness, at least since the introduction of the Weeping Angels in ‘Blink.’ When I think of the creepiest episodes in recent years, the ones that come immediately to mind are ‘Listen,’ ‘Midnight,’ and, of course, ‘Blink.’ Moffat seems to be at his creepiest when the monsters are only lurking in the shadows.

My primary complaint with the episode was its cliffhanger ending. Doctor Who needs to stop giving us such unbelievable cliffhangers. We knew last week that Missy and Clara weren’t dead, the only question was how they weren’t. This sort of cliffhanger set-up almost inevitably sets up its sequel for failure when Moffat and company pull some timey-wimey trick to get themselves out of a writing jam. I have my suspicions for just what’s happening in the end of this episode, but I’ll save that for another post later this week.

Next: Best. Episode. Ever?

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Sophie Stone (Cass) and Zaqi Ismail (Lunn) (Credit: BBC)

Barry Rice – Co-Editor

‘Under the Lake’ was hands-down the best episode of Doctor Who in years. In fact, I’m not sure I can even think of the last episode that was this good. Maybe the 50th anniversary special, ‘The Day of the Doctor’? Even the best episodes of Doctor Who tend to have a few niggling issues like minor plot holes, but I’m finding it difficult to criticize almost anything in ‘Under the Lake.’

As a full-grown man, I’ve never been truly frightened by even the spookiest of Doctor Who episodes, but I was truly nervous throughout the entire episode this week. The production values and direction continue to impress this year and last, and even the guest cast gave believable, nuanced performances.

Everything about ‘Under the Lake’ felt familiar yet completely original in a weirdly refreshing way. I also loved how writer Toby Whithouse managed to slip in some nods to character development and story arcs with the Doctor’s cue cards and Clara’s overzealous attitude in the TARDIS. A lot of fans enjoyed the interaction between the Doctor and Davros last week, but I personally felt it was a bit dull and destroyed the pace of the episode. If Steven Moffat had written ‘Under the Lake,’ the scene with Clara and the Doctor inside the TARDIS would’ve been a five-minute chat on the steps of the control room, with Clara waxing poetic about whether she’s a good woman. Instead, Whithouse addressed the characterization clearly and then quickly returned to the action.

It’s entirely possible all of the good will established in ‘Under the Lake’ could be lost when part two airs this week, much the way the jaw-dropping premiere dropped the ball with ‘The Witch’s Familiar’ the following week. But I don’t see that happening here; I have a feeling Whithouse has carefully plotted out the rest of his story to reach a satisfying conclusion. All I know is, if the rest of the series can keep up this level of quality, I will be one very happy fan.

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Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald and Peter Capaldi as the Doctor (Credit: BBC)

James Aggas – Staff Writer

So after the amazing opening story, we’re back to something that’s a little more traditional for Doctor Who: scary monsters, a base under siege, and a mystery for the Doctor to solve.

I loved how atmospheric the episode was at times, with its low lit corridors and general sense of claustrophobia. As a horror fan, I also really appreciated how the ghosts were done – not just transparent, but looking like they’ve had their eyes gouged out! Family friendly TV in Britain, everyone! (Then again, I’m not surprised that this was broadcast at the slightly later time of 8.25pm.)

While I wasn’t too keen on ‘The Vampires of Venice’, overall, I’ve really enjoyed Toby Whithouse’s work, so it’s really great to have him back writing. Along with writing a horror that involves scary monsters and people under siege, he’s also written some great characters in this story. I especially liked that Cass wasn’t just a part of the story for her ability to lip-read, but was also someone who was struggling with the new responsibility of being a leader of a group in danger, while at times finding the Doctor almost impossible to deal with due to his thirst for mystery and seemingly complete lack of empathy.

I also liked the characters of Bennett, a man eager to escape at the first opportunity and yet not completely without courage, and Pritchard, whose main interest is his bonus (I always enjoy a horror story that has at least one selfish character that you love to hate within the main group). A real mixture of characters was what I enjoyed most about ‘The God Complex’, so I’m glad to see more of them in ‘Under the Lake’.

Rounding off with an absolutely brilliant cliffhanger, ‘Under the Lake’ is a strong start, and I’m eager to see how ‘Before the Flood’ will turn out.

Next: What Did You Think of 'Under the Lake'?

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The Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) strikes a pose. (Credit: BBC)

So that’s our take on Doctor Who‘s latest episode, but what did you think about ‘Under the Lake’? Take our poll and give us your opinion!

Next week is the epic conclusion, as the Doctor travels back in time to save Clara and the crew of The Drum by investigating what happened ‘Before the Flood.’ Here’s the preview blurb Steven Moffat provided to Radio Times:

"In the eerie remains of a town that never was, something is stalking the Doctor and his friends. A desperate battle for survival is underway, but this time our heroes already know which of them is going to lose. With the past and the future hanging in the balance, the Doctor is breaking the rules to win the day. Can anything stop the Fisher King? And more importantly, who composed Beethoven’s 5th?"

And here’s the official trailer for ‘Before the Flood’:

We’ll have a full episode recap on Saturday night after the episode ends and another round table review on Monday morning. For more info on ‘Before the Flood’ and the rest of the upcoming episodes, check out our frequently updated guide: Doctor Who Series 9: Everything There is to Know So Far.

What did you think? Any more theories or opinions you’d like to share about ‘Under the Lake’? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

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