While some creature ideas may be cute and/or clever, they may not belong on Doctor Who.
Rose and the Tenth Doctor in ‘Fear Her’ – credit: denofgeek.us
I have discussed in the past that, while Doctor Who is a soft science fiction show, it is not excused from wandering too far into fantasy territory. And while it is a family show, it does best when it does not pander overly much to children. There have been some creatures over the years that have been painfully guilty of both of these offences. Granted, their presence is much more justifiable when examining the show back when both budget and technology did not allow for special effects that could meet current standards.
It is not entirely fair, however, to completely dismiss modern examples of such creatures. Their basic concepts are not usually poor, nor are the episodes in which they appear necessarily bad. It most often comes down to them being better suited for the world of a different program, or even franchise — one that has a slightly different demographic audience. Some of these creatures would have been right at home on The Sarah Jane Adventures back in the day. For others, the Harry Potter universe would be a much more appropriate setting.
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It seemed for quite some time that the characters of Clara Oswald and Danny Pink may have been being groomed for a Sarah Jane type series of their own. But with Danny’s death and Cyber resurrection, plus Clara’s death and undead resurrection, they are now figuratively and literally light years away from being the teachers of a simpler time. The upcoming spin-off series Class could be a good vehicle for such creatures, but, at this point, not enough is known about it to be sure.
Anyway, the following are some examples of questionable creatures from Doctor Who.
Next: What is this, The Clumps from Space?
Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen – credit: tardis.wikia.com
The Slitheen family of Raxacoricofallapatorius did appear in seven episodes of The Sarah Jane Adventures. This makes a lot of sense considering that, while their Doctor Who episodes were excellent, their flatulent state was a perpetual gag that got old very quickly with adult audiences. It is also very hard to believe that these creatures would be able to make their human suits look so very natural when worn, even if they are able to compact themselves to fit. It is a shame because the family actually has a good amount of depth and character development. It is somewhat forgivable, however, considering that they were introduced in the first season of the revival, when the program was still in an experimental stage.
Abzorbaloff – credit: mostlyfilm.com
The Abzorbaloff of Clom (the sister planet of Raxacoricofallapatorius) from ‘Love & Monsters‘ is another example of a questionable monster from an otherwise well-done episode. The winning submission from the 2005 Blue Peter Design a Monster competition, it is a similar concept to the previous example in that it disguises itself as a rotund human. It was designed by one William Grantham, aged nine, so its appeal to children is understandable.
And how could Ursula‘s face logically survive in a slab of concrete? Really, now.
Next: They're so two-dimensional.
‘Fear Her’ drawing – credit: eyeofhorus.org.uk
The episode immediately after ‘Love & Monsters’ was ‘Fear Her.’ Both are quite infamous in the Doctor Who fandom. As I stated in a previous article:
"Simply using a term like “ionic energy” is not enough to justify a) trapping objects and living beings in drawings, b) bringing graphite creatures into being by drawing them, or c) using a drawing to manifest the personification of one’s fear of a deceased person."
If reworked a bit, ‘Fear Her’ would have been a good fit for Sarah Jane.
Rigsy in ‘Flatline’ – credit: nerdist.com
Along very similar lines are the Boneless from ‘Flatline.’ They had basically the same ability as the possessive alien from ‘Fear Her,’ except they did not just make thing two dimensional, it was also their natural state. It could technically be argued that it makes marginally more sense for the Boneless to have this ability because they pull people, animals, and objects into their dimension, rather than indirectly using a human girl to use ordinary colored pencils to draw pictures of targets. Considering this, I will give the Boneless a pass. As an aside, I think that Rigsy is a good character, so am thankful for the episode’s introduction of him.
Next: What happened, Series Eight?
hatching creature in ‘Kill the Moon’ – credit: amplifyyourvoice.org
Series Eight has much more questionable writing than ‘Flatline.’ Considering creatures alone, let’s start with the space dragon-bird with the Moon egg from ‘Kill the Moon.’ It is inventive, but talk about jumping the shark! Yes, let’s almost completely throw physics out the window! That will make for great science fiction! The characters are great, the moral and ethical dilemmas are compelling, but the creature belongs in the realm of wizards. Regardless, I would love to see Courtney return.
the Twelfth Doctor in ‘In the Forest of the Night’ – credit: doctorwhotv.co.uk
The entire episode of ‘In the Forest of the Night‘ is a Disneyesque sore thumb in the history of Doctor Who. I even devoted an entire article simply to the ending. Once again, that is not to say that the concept in and of itself is bad, the episode just seems like more of a Sarah Jane thing. Elemental spirits that can grow trees may be beyond even that, though. The cast of kids is fantastic and deserved better than to be put in the awkward position that they were.
There are a lot of things to like about Series Eight, but I would rather not think about it too much considering the many aspects that just do not add up. Alas, as a writer of Doctor Who Watch, these are things that I have to consider repeatedly and in detail.
Next: Ewww
Sandmen in ‘Sleep No More’ – credit: tardis.wikia.com
Let us finish this slideshow of sideshow with the Sandmen of ‘Sleep No More.’ While a… creative idea, they are quite an ill-fitting concept for Doctor Who. They are a prime example of a creature that belongs in a Harry Potter type franchise… or perhaps The Toxic Avenger. I love you, Mark Gatiss, but these things are as gross as shmeg. The basic structure of the episode was fine, it just needed a different monster.
While it is not much fun to have so very much to criticize about a show that you love, it is valid to do so. While it is unreasonable to expect perfection 1) because the people who work on the show are only human and 2) everyone has different opinions about what is good and what is bad, it is not unreasonable, as a fan, to want to see a franchise live up to its full potential.
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Next: Clara Oswald's Five Most Pivotal Moments
What do you think of these creatures on Doctor Who? Should they have been in different franchises, or should they never have existed at all? Do you have any other examples? Let us know in the comments.