REVIEW: Doctor Who: ‘Heaven Sent’

‘Heaven Sent’ – the Doctor, credit: bbc.co.uk

In many ways, the episode ‘Heaven Sent’ has made an enormous impression. Things will never be the same in the Whoniverse.

‘Heaven Sent’ is the eleventh episode of Series 9 of Doctor Who. The popular consensus appears to be that it will go down as one of the greatest in the show’s history. Lending credence to this are things such as the greatness of Peter Capaldi’s performance, the unusual format, and the truly fearsome nature of the episode.

In this episode, the Doctor is transported to a strange cylindrical castle in the middle of the ocean. It is much like the Doctor’s own Alcatraz Island, only much more horrifically surreal and he is the only prisoner.

David Hill – Co-Editor

Picture, if you would, the perfect episode for Peter Capaldi on Doctor Who. It would need to have a high level of intrigue, as he seems to work best in deductive episodes. There would need to be a surprise at the end, a twist that would have been unforeseen. Finally, the episode would need to have a darker, more ominous feel, one suited for his incarnation of the Doctor.

Essentially, one would have created something akin to ‘Heaven Sent.’ In a season that has been filled with mostly excellent episodes, ‘Heaven Sent’ could easily be considered an instant classic, the episode that people point to when asked what to watch to get a sense for Capaldi’s tenure on Doctor Who.

The dark atmosphere and the somber setting were perfect, providing legitimate moments of fright. From the growing collection of skulls in the lake surrounding the castle, to the countdown where the Doctor knew he would have to race against time to figure out the clues, to the moment that the creature reached out from the grave, this episode knew when to push that button.

‘Heaven Sent’ was not only the best episode of the Capaldi era, but it may be one of the best episodes over the past few years. This was everything that Doctor Who could be, and it delivered on that promise.

Next: The Darkness of Loss

‘Heaven Sent’ – the Doctor looking pensive, credit: bbc.co.uk

James Aggas – Staff Writer

I can definitely see why Clara’s death was presented in last week’s episode and not the finale, as we get to see the Doctor coping with his loss in ‘Heaven Sent.’ Usually, after a companion’s exit, this process is saved for a Christmas special. An episode directly following the death of a companion (and unlike Amy’s and Rory’s exits was sudden and cruel instead of living a long and happy life), however, should be considerably less light-hearted than a Christmas special would have to be.

One of my favourite examples of the Doctor immediately dealing with loss is Big Finish’s excellent Eighth Doctor story ‘Dark Eyes.’ I adore that story, and the pain that Eight goes through is clear, but in some ways, ‘Heaven Sent’ may be even darker. Because unlike Eight in that story, Twelve has no new companions to meet. He’s stuck and completely on his own. On any other occasion, the Doctor may meet someone new, and even if that person doesn’t become a permanent companion, they usually help him to move on. In this episode, the Doctor is on his own (literally, with the exception of the Veil), and he has only the memory of Clara to push him forward.

Can I just say how much I love Capaldi’s performance in this episode? It says a lot that he was virtually able to carry an entire episode on his own, and we see many sides to the Doctor: the despair, the loss, the grief, and of course, the heroic. Moffat put a lot of trust in Capaldi with this story, and he easily delivered.

‘Heaven Sent’ is an incredibly strong episode, and may even get better on re-watch. Even if ‘Hell Bent’ doesn’t live up to it, that won’t stop the former from possibly being one of the best episodes of the best series in years.

Next: The Perfect Vehicle for Capaldi

‘Heaven Sent’ – the Doctor in his mind TARDIS, credit: bbc.co.uk

Joel Getter – Staff Writer

This season of Doctor Who has been great for attempting more experimental episodes. Whether you love it or hate it, most fans would have to agree that there’s been a confidence in its inventiveness that’s been lacking for the past few years. ‘Heaven Sent’ is definitely one of the most original ideas in quite some time, and for the most part, it is a success. Outside of a few minor complaints, this episode works extremely well for two reasons:

Let’s get the obvious reason out of the way first. Capaldi channels everything he has and then some into his performance here. This is a Doctor laid bare, as we see him both at his best and his worst. This truly is a testament to Capaldi’s extraordinary talent considering he had to pull off an entire episode by himself. I dare say that most of his predecessors could not have accomplished this feat. This Doctor is a magician, and here we get further insight into the secrets of his magic. Although the Doctor makes it look easy, we see that often it is not as indicated by two billion years.

The other strength of this story lies in its haunting atmosphere. Director Rachel Talalay did an extraordinary job of giving Moffat’s script a very Kafkaesque feel. The atmosphere is dark, creepy, and just downright frightening. The Veil was a solid creation, disturbing in its execution. The scenes in the Doctor’s mind are just as haunting as the nightmare castle itself, as I was most disturbed by the Doctor’s “conversations with the absent Clara.” The reveal as to how the Doctor manages to escape is both inspiring and tragic.

My only complaints with this episode are more about the overall story arc then the story itself. The ending would have been quite shocking had I not already read the synopsis for it several weeks prior. I was perplexed with the Doctor’s confession in the end, particularly as he was determined to not reveal the truth. However, I’m holding off on judgement until next week’s conclusion. Overall, this is definitely one of the stronger Moffat scripts reminding me of why I fell in love with his writing in the first place.

Next: The Whole Package

‘Heaven Sent’ – the Doctor and the Veil, credit: bbc.co.uk

Kory Plockmeyer – Staff Writer

‘Heaven Sent’ may very well take the cake for me as my favorite episode of the season. Elegant and deceiving in its simplicity, the episode had a stellar combination of jumps, thrills, and emotion. There were enough hints of what was to come that I was able to theorize as much. In my opinion, however, such hints were not overly obvious. Four things stand out to me about this episode in particular.

First, the subtle terror. I’ve said in previous reviews that I don’t particularly like horror as a genre. The one exception that I find I often enjoy (though I don’t often choose to watch) is psychological thrillers. Movies like The Others come to mind for me. This episode created fear with the sense of confusion, the creepy setting, and the lurking, lumbering threat.

Speaking of the threat, the second thing that worked really well for me was the Veil. Reminiscent of the Mummy in ‘Mummy on the Orient Express,’ the Veil was very well executed as a villain. Every time I heard the buzz of a fly I would tense up, knowing what was to come. When the Veil attacks the Doctor inside the grave, I nearly jumped out of my chair. As far as monsters go for Series 9, I would rate the Veil as the best by far.

The third high point: the Gallifrey twist. I’m going to let next week’s episode play out precisely what the Doctor’s declarations regarding the prophecy actually mean. Somehow it was both completely surprising and yet made perfect sense that the Doctor had actually been inside his confession dial – again, something that had been hinted at with the aerial shots of the castle and the clock-like movement of the bridges. A great twist that leaves me excited for next week.

My favorite part of the episode, though, was being let into the Doctor’s mind. The dialogue with imaginary Clara inside the mental TARDIS control room allowed the show to explore and engage with how the Doctor’s mind works without reverting to the breaking of the fourth wall already employed earlier this season. Doing so also helped break up the pace of the episode in just the right way. And, of course, it gave the Doctor the chance to show off. Best of all, though, it let us feel like the Doctor was figuring it all out each step of the way and rediscovering his own plan, rather than the “omniscient” Doctor we saw earlier this series.

Overall, another great addition to an already stellar Series 9. I can’t wait to see how it concludes next week!

Next: One of the Best Ever

‘Heaven Sent’ – the Doctor on Gallifrey, credit: bbc.co.uk

Leah Tedesco – Assistant Editor/Staff Writer

Episode 11 of Series 9 of Doctor Who is one of the best episodes that I have ever seen in the history of the show, as well as my top pick for this series, so far. Considering how great this series has been overall, that really says something. I have not been this stunned since the big “Yana” reveal in the episode ‘Utopia,’ perhaps even more so. Since I watched ‘Heaven Sent,’ it has taken me a few days to properly gather my thoughts enough to put into words how I feel about it.

I do not recall if I have ever before been this in awe for such a large portion of a Doctor Who episode. Lots of episodes save one jaw-dropping moment for the climax, or the end. This one, however, had a perfect gradual buildup, going from intriguing to mind-blowing.

It hardly even need be said that ‘Heaven Sent’ is an instant classic. For one thing, the format of the Doctor being completely alone with his adversary for most of the episode is unprecedented in the history of Doctor Who. As for the substance, the depth of emotion, the beautifully paced, nuanced, and original writing, the genuine surprises, the stunning visuals — this is Doctor Who at its finest. It is also the Doctor at his finest, allowing himself to be vulnerable, and channeling his grief into productivity. And just when we thought that we had seen the best of Peter Capaldi’s outstanding acting in the past, he tops himself once again.

Some other notes: One thing that is particularly amusing to me is the episode’s vague similarities to the movies Groundhog Day and Saw. It is a nice touch that the scene with Clara comes full circle from the scene with Amy Pond in ‘The Time of the Doctor.’ I love the score, especially the cool synth music when the Doctor is inspecting the painting of Clara — a subtle nod to Classic Who. It’s super neat that the skulls were modelled from Peter Capaldi’s own head. (In addition, I started to write about plot holes, but it got long enough to have its own post.)

Let’s hope that ‘Hell Bent’ lives up to the epic awesomeness that is ‘Heaven Sent.’ Whatever happens on Gallifrey, it is safe to say that it will be major.

Next: Finally Free?

‘Heaven Sent’ – the Citadel on Gallifrey, credit: bbc.co.uk

‘Heaven Sent’ is the middle episode in a three episode story, starting with ‘Face the Raven’ and ending with ‘Hell Bent.’ Many questions have been raised so far: Who exactly forces Ashildr to trap the Doctor and transport him into the confession dial? Why did they do so? How exactly does the confession dial work? What is the Veil? When and where is Gallifrey when the Doctor arrives? What makes the Doctor “the Hybrid”?

If the Doctor breaking free after billions of years from a mindfrack of a prison was not epic enough for you, the next stage of the adventure is on Gallifrey, in the Citadel, with lots of Time Lords. At last! This is what he has been searching for for so very long! Except every time he ends up on Gallifrey something awful seems to happen. What do you think is going to go down this time? Here are a couple of trailers for ‘Hell Bent’:

What is your opinion of the episode ‘Heaven Sent’? Take our poll, which appears below the next post box. You can also let us know exactly what you think in the comments.

Next: REVIEW: Doctor Who: ‘Face the Raven’