2nd Opinion, Take 2 “The Devil’s Chord” – Style Over Substance

J.C. reviews the second episode of Series 14.

I was very disappointed with the first episode of Doctor Who Series 14, so did things improve? Well, the second episode had plenty going for it: a neat concept about what would happen if great music was excised from the world, the Doctor and Ruby rocking 1960s outfits, the latest member of the Pantheon, and last but not least, The Beatles! Sadly, while “The Devil’s Chord” has some solid individual moments, it didn’t quite Come Together for me.

First, the episode was heavily marketed as ‘The Beatles in Doctor Who,’ and although the laughable Doctor Who Magazine cover of the Fab Four didn’t do the episode any favours before airing, I was still somewhat excited to see them in action. I can get over them not really looking like they did (and things like John already wearing spectacles), but what’s harder to fathom is how little the iconic band is actually in it. George and Ringo might as well be extras for all their contribution, and while Paul and John have a slightly larger role, they still feel more like cameos.

It was also criminal that the episode concludes without ever actually playing a Beatles tune. I got a chuckle out of their intentionally silly made-up song, but what a missed opportunity to not include a real one! Especially when John and Paul turned up again at the end to help defeat Maestro. I thought, “OK, here it is, the perfect moment!” But it wasn’t to be. In an interview, Russell T Davies said it would be too expensive to secure any song rights, but this is surprising considering a) Disney money, and b) Disney owning the rights to The Beatles: Get Back, that they have been promoting lately. Surely some strings could’ve been pulled? Alas, it wasn’t to be.

The real guest star of the episode is Jinkx Monsoon, with a performance so over the top it wasn’t so much chewing the scenery as utterly devouring the whole god-damn set! The reveal that Maestro was the Toymaker’s offspring makes a lot of sense given the similar godlike powers and actions. However, it does seem like this all came a little too soon. We only had the Toymaker just a few episodes ago, and Neil Patrick Harris’s memorable performance still sits fresh in the memory. Monsoon appeared to be channelling a shoutier, more exaggerated version, but lacking a lot of Harris’s charm.

In many ways, the more I consider it, the whole episode feels like an inferior version of “The Giggle,” with more music. There were some scenes that were eerily reminiscent of Tennant’s last episode, especially the spotlight scene and the showdown, but “The Giggle” was just better in every single way. I hope the other gods in the Pantheon they are teasing do things a bit differently because it could get repetitive if they all hit the same notes (badum-tish).

As for the Doctor, I’m still not sure if I like seeing the Time Lord act this cowardly with this level of frequency. That’s two stories on the trot now. Is that his arc this year? My favourite scene of the episode isn’t any of the crazy stuff, but actually the rare quieter moment where the Doctor tells Ruby about Susan (possibly hinting at a return). Although, it was a little odd that Gatwa ended a poignant moment with a laugh. Perhaps he was masking some sadness though. I enjoyed the Doctor and Ruby’s interactions, even if I still think things moved way too fast between this pair.

The episode undoubtedly had a lot of style and energy, but the plot was very thin. This is exacerbated by the time you reach the final act, when it culminates in minutes-long music battles and a dance number. It seems RTD thought the music alone would compensate for the script’s deficits. This was also the moment I realised what RTD is missing the most in this series so far: restraint. Everything is just so noisy, and things are rarely given moments to pause and breathe. This could be down to trying to appeal to a new generation of viewers that are perpetually glued to their phones and gadgets.

Finally, just because you can do a dance number at the end, doesn’t mean you should. The scene was very well done and choreographed, but the problem is, it just happens out of thin air. When shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer went full musical, it had well established plot reasons for doing so. But here, it’s because “there’s always a twist at the end.” That seems to be the path Doctor Who is on in this era now. Things just happen because they can, and you’re better off not questioning why.

Ultimately, out of the first two stories, I preferred this one, but I’m also left more disappointed that it didn’t capitalise further on a good premise and was so thinly plotted. My overriding feeling was that this was a strong case of style over substance.

Next week, Moffat’s back and I’m hoping after all these years away, and two disappointments, he’s got an absolute classic lined up.

Asides

• The actor playing Timothy Drake was pretty bad. Especially once Maestro turned up.
• What’s up with all the fourth wall breaking? Once was a novelty, now it’s happening a lot. Has RTD been watching too much She-Hulk?
• Where did the Doctor get that piano from?
• The episode showcased some good VFX, except the musical notes, which looked quite tacky.
• And the best performance goes to… Murray Gold.
• Any episode that squeezes in Carol of the Bells (again) gets an extra point from me!
• Why aren’t John and Paul more bothered by the insanity that is going on?
• What a missed opportunity for the Doctor to play a recorder in the music battle.