2nd Opinion: Before the Flood
David Selby and Connor Johnston give their verdicts on the 4th episode of Series 9.
David’s Verdict
Admittedly, I’m still not sure what to make of Before the Flood. One thing that’s particularly hard to gauge is the point I went from thinking “this is nuts, but enjoyable” to “something needs to happen because this is drifting off”. There is absolutely no doubting, to my mind, that the opening sequence was an inspired bit of writing. It’s a trick carried over from The Witch’s Familiar – starting the second part off with a discursive tangent – and is, as well as deliciously rule-breaking, an awful lot of fun. Like Sherlock’s Moriarty, the Doctor is able to transcend the boundaries of his medium – playing right into the title sequence – which gives him considerable narrative power, an obvious place to take the Doctor, and I’m surprised it hasn’t been done before (incidentally, a merry Christmas to all of you at home). Also, if I never get to hear an electric guitar in the Doctor Who theme again, I might cry.
Following on from this, I was thrilled to see the bootstrap paradox addressed within the series. There have been many cases where it was used before – most frequently within the Pond era – but it has never been touched on within the series. Though some more discussion of it would have been appreciated, the solution ultimately boils down to this: Steven Moffat (or other) wrote the words. Within the Pond era, especially The Angels Take Manhattan, this added to the narrative, strengthening the thematic arc of fiction and the fairy-tale. The Capaldi era, with a protagonist who is able to break the fourth wall, does not possess the same characteristics, and has the capacity to do something different with these ideas, so I look forward to seeing the series challenge us with more conundrums in the weeks to come.
I found the crew of the base vastly more enjoyable this week, even if two romances was a bit far. Cass and Lunn were evidently going to end up together (just as the Doctor was evidently going to end up in the suspended animation chamber – please tell me I wasn’t the only one who guessed that last week), and I appreciated the fact that Whithouse chose not to push artificial backstories, but to embrace the characters as who they were in the moment. Cass was probably the highlight of the episode – not just a fantastic bit of representation, but a chance to play around with how character moments work. More deaf actors in television are now an obligation and I’m glad Doctor Who once again got to set the trend.
What happened with the Fisher King? I’m not sure where that was supposed to land, but it didn’t leave much impact. The frustrating thing about this two-parter was that, in the end, the main threat wasn’t terribly interesting, and just became roped in a clichéd beating-death story. The Fisher King had a lot of potential (and a remarkable design), but none of this was really capitalised on, and it managed to successfully secure its place as the most mediocre monster of the series. This can be said for the episode as a whole – it wasn’t bad, but it missed the mark quite severely. I’m not sure where this one would rank alongside others, but it’s not Capaldi’s strongest outing.
Clara’s characterisation felt a lot more natural this week. Even the more uncomfortable moments – such as her asking the Doctor to die with his next companion instead – were uncomfortable for the precise reason that they were true to the character. The mark of Danny’s loss was also evident towards the end of the episode, as Clara used her experience of grief to counsel Bennett (whose grief too was handled very well – one ingenious moment was the random focus-shot on O’Donell after her death in the episode, showing how grief literally changes perspective). However, it is clear that neither the Doctor nor Clara have faced death, despite the Doctor’s promise that everyone faces death, even if it is not their own. Dare I say that the further we get into the series, the more likely it seems to be that Clara won’t be making it out of it alive?
Connor’s Verdict
“There’s this man… and he has a time machine, and down through history he goes, zip zip zip zip, getting into scrapes…”
And so begins the fourth episode of Series 9, in one of the most unusual pre-title sequences of all time. How striking it is that after the warming familiarity of last week’s “Under the Lake”, Whithouse can return with a second episode that is so unlike anything that’s been tackled by Doctor Who before. For that’s what “Before the Flood” is – an episode that, while thematically fitting in seamlessly to the framework of Capaldi’s era, stylistically feels so incredibly foreign. From the 4th-wall-breaking opening sequence, through the rockin’ new theme tune all the way toward the ambitiously scholastic resolution; “Before the Flood” refreshes its audiences by pulling them from their comfort zones and showcasing yet another victory for Toby Whithouse.
At the centre of this episode was a running commentary on the Doctor and Clara’s relationship, and how for both characters their investment in each other (while a joy to watch) is becoming potentially more and more detrimental. While last week’s plot touched on Clara’s dangerously enthusiastic response to risk, this week saw a judgement from Cass on her recklessness and ‘professional detachment’ when it came to the lives of others – mirroring perfectly Bennett’s criticism of the Doctor’s priorities. It’s somewhat refreshing to physically see a companion loose grasp of their identity and principles through their time with the Doctor. What it does is offer a more sincere and realistic journey for a character’s development to take, and Whithouse very elegantly captures this dimension throughout the episode.
This week again saw the ‘ghosts’ re-emerge as daunting threats for Clara, Lunn and Cass – but also saw the introduction to the formidable Fisher King as the true villain of the narrative. Though not being seen in his full glory until well into the episode’s duration, the subtlety of the Fisher King and intimidating atmosphere his presence created was both constant and effective. While minimally detrimental to the quality of the episode itself, it’s worth mentioning that the sequencing of the plot is not totally without its flaws. If anything, the fact that the resolution is quite explanation heavy risks slowing down the pace of the episode – but ultimately it’s a criticism I’ve deemed necessary to allow each audience member a solid grasp of the episode’s complexity.
Commonly with ‘Base under siege’ stories, the characterisation of guest characters are often sacrificed for action sequences or shock-horror death scenes. It really is worth congratulating Whithouse who once again manages to evade this sacrifice delivering an array of personalities that are not only easy to engage with, but also have substantial narrative purpose. Aside from mirroring Cass’s judgment of Clara’s attitude and actions, Bennett and O’Donnell’s travels with the Doctor also established a secondary theme to the episode, revolving around life and death. O’Donnell’s sudden passing and the reaction it encouraged from Bennett is really quite moving, placing an enormous emphasis on the value of human life and those you spend it with. This development served to lead quite seamlessly into the Doctor’s confrontation with the Fisher King in which we see the Antagonist’s lack of respect for the rules and reverence of mortality, as well as Cass and Lunn’s eventual embrace. O’Donnell’s death, while admittedly quite regretful, also allowed for Clara to find relevance in her own grief in comforting Bennett later on in the episode, which ties in nicely to her own character’s journey.
Particularly moving once again was Murray Gold’s musical score – which while being noticeably less subtle then it has been in recent episodes was still remarkably impressive. This week the inclusion of a slower, more considered variation of “Clara’s theme” during the early discussion with Lunn was a specific highlight, only enhancing Coleman’s poignant performance and resulting in one of the most reflective scenes of the series so far. Once again, Daniel O’Hara’s direction continued to both unease and disturb (in a good way) – with just the right combination of horror and intrigue to secure the episode’s atmosphere. Specifically haunting was Moran’s stalking of Cass which made for one of the most intense sequences of the episode. Following on from the comments made last week, I remained impressed with the level of justice that the show (and more specifically this scene) payed towards Cass’ character. This episode once again proved that her disability was not a vulnerability, rather a strength that quite literally saved the day on more than one occasion. Truly inspirational stuff.
While “Before the Flood” seemingly lacked the mystery and warmth of last week’s introductory half, the intensity and menace of the episode as well as the satisfying resolution is most definitely rewarding enough. Viewed in its wholeness we are left with a 2 part story that remarkably managed to be both familiar and innovative, streaked with a dash of horror and a dollop of sci-fi, and who’s overall quality continues to reflect the extraordinary high standard Series 9 continues to endorse. The overwhelmingly positive response from both fans and critics alike this year continues to fuel an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm across the fanbase which is quite frankly a joy to witness. Personally, these first 4 episodes have been the strongest first quarter to a Series that Doctor Who has ever had – and with the return of Jamie Mathieson and Catherine Tregenna to the Whoniverse in the coming weeks this trend shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.
