2nd Opinion: Mummy on the Orient Express
David Selby and John Hussey both give their own verdict on the 8th episode of Series 8.
David’s Verdict
New-to-Who writer Jamie Mathieson has just delivered his second, yet chronologically first script to the series, in the form of Mummy on the Orient Express, and I’d say there’s quite a bit of debating to be done over what it’s actually trying to be. It employs some characteristic scenery and iconography, accurately depicting a ‘genre-specific’ adventure alike those offered up in Series Seven. Genre-accuracy is, in this instance, mostly successful: as a science-fiction, borderline science-fantasy ‘murder mystery’, it ends up as a quaint and charming tale of the 1920s in the stars, accompanied by some appealing anachronisms.
Of course, in Doctor Who terms, Mummy on the Orient Express could be labelled as the next in the ‘base-under-siege’ series, which it is too, to an extent: it’s set in a confined space, where the TARDIS is inaccessible and there’s literally a clock ticking away (a successful cinematographic tool). But I think it’s worth highlighting where the episode pushes, effectively, the boundaries of these conventions: the Doctor is genuinely powerless in this instance, manipulated by a nefarious external force. And whilst Gus will presumably return, I think it’s a shame that the Doctor didn’t get to confront him this episode. Affected by post-trauma, and chagrined by his powerlessness, an instant Doctor/villain confrontation could have been a lot tenser, and potentially more believable, than a delayed one.
I also think it’s worth pointing out that I’m massively dismayed about all the missed opportunities offered up by the episode. First and foremost: Clara. It’s infuriating, almost upsetting, that such a vast period of time has passed without the remotest insight into what happened. How did the Doctor cope without Clara? How did Clara cope without the Doctor? And I’m not talking about science-fiction per se here: it would be honestly intriguing to see if Clara could adjust to her humdrum career-life, or whether the travelling has been such an overwhelming influence that she can’t leave it behind.
And, although I’m sure many fans were thrilled with it, the ending left me somewhat dissatisfied. In a different personal context, it’s merely narrative repetition, acting as a repeat of the Ponds’ journey with the Doctor: joins the Doctor, leaves, comes back, thinks about leaving for good, changes mind(s) and returns for good – and presumably leaves one last time. I’d have appreciated something different, even just to refute audience expectations. Similarly, the Mummy’s reveal was somewhat underwhelming. Perhaps it was due to being condensed within 66 seconds, but a plethora of scientific gibberish flippantly manages to dismiss some really fascinating concepts.
Capaldi was on fire this episode, providing a varied and positively unpredictable performance. It was heart-warming to see him taking on Maisie’s memories, reminding us that he could still fundamentally be a ‘good’ man. Such insights into the character are appreciated, and moreover superbly-communicated by Capaldi who remains one of the most meticulously skilled line-deliverers of our time. Speaking of Maisie, she too made for a delightful addition, as did Frank Skinner as the Chief Engineer. Series Eight is developing quite an impressive ensemble cast.
Eight episodes in and, though I can’t place my finger on it, something is missing. Perhaps it’s down to personal experience, but everything remains a semitone out of key. Regardless, Mummy is an entertaining enough adventure, serving its purpose and ultimately demonstrating that the ‘theme-of-the-week’ motif can work under the right writer.
John’s Verdict
The notion of an ancient Mummy terrorising the Orient Express in space was spoken of all the way back in 2010 during the final scene of ‘The Big Bang’. Fast forward to 2014 and we finally got to see the Doctor face that exciting adventure.
The whole concept of the Foretold was fresh in many ways as Doctor Who has rarely dealt with an Egyptian tale which is a shame because Egypt is filled with tons of mythology that is worth delving into. Also the Mummy in general has been lost to the cinematic world, so it was good to see the Hammer House monster returning in style. Its design made the creature look threatening and even to a degree scary looking. The movements it made along with the snarls as it stalked its victims created a load of tension. The tension was aided by the unique usage of the clock. For a show that takes pride in time travel it makes me wonder why time hasn’t been used like this before. It really allowed time to become an onscreen enemy that we could see and fear. As the clock turned on and began its countdown you were put on edge as to who would be snuffed out next and knew as the seconds counted down the victim was closer and closer to their demise. This I found was all placed together nicely and created a clever experience.
I liked the subplot of the episode, i.e. Clara’s slow acceptance of the new Doctor’s ways. It had been shown in great detail during the events of ‘Deep Breath’ how Clara was unable to attach herself to the new Doctor due to the loss of her Doctor, the incarnation she grew to love as a friend and trusted. At that point I felt her reactions to be somewhat debatable but after becoming unattached to the new Doctor due to actually experiencing his way of doing things, then I could forgive her somewhat. After the outcome of ‘Kill the Moon’ one could understand her being upset with the Twelfth Doctor due to his alien nature and lack of understanding. It’s such a contrast to Matt Smith’s take on the role and this was what Clara came to understand; that the new Doctor wasn’t the same man anymore. So she thought. ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’ made her realise that once again she’d misjudged her friend and was in fact jumping the gun in a disrespectful way.
The Doctor proved that in the midst of danger and cruel decisions that he was fundamentally still the same man that he has been for over 2000 years and would always do the right thing. This is what Clara needed to understand. We and she alike thought that the new incarnation could be accepted but his constant inhuman behaviour make you question him but never doubt him. Even during ‘Kill the Moon’ when he abandoned Clara and Courtney to the dark dilemma we were all reassured by the end of the episode due to the Doctor explaining his motives. The way the new Doctor operates is simple: he doesn’t have time to worry about people who are going to die or he simply can’t save whilst he still has people to save. He doesn’t have time to be moving and his cold, calculative ways just allow him to get on with the problem at hand a lot faster. Whatever the outcome may be or whatever he has to sacrifice his goal is still to do the right thing.
It was tense watching the experiment undergo and seeing the Doctor using everyone as guinea pigs in order to solve the problem of how to defeat the Foretold. The threat of the creature was made all the more threatening by the fact no one else could see it apart from the victim, making their death far more sinister as even in a room full of people they still couldn’t be saved. I think sometimes seeing a load of the supporting characters die in a cruel way, to which the Doctor can’t stop, makes an episode more engaging and serious and that’s what I liked about ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’. I also liked the neat little references to the past through Twelfth wearing an outfit similar to the Third Doctor and of course his dishing out of Jelly Babies, a massive custom of the Fourth Doctor.
The resolution was quite poetic and clever I found. Discovering that the Foretold was a soldier being controlled by faulty equipment made the creature seem vulnerable itself and less of a monster, especially since it was a soldier awaiting its time of rest. The story was made even more interesting by the mysterious overlord observing the activities of the Orient Express. In the end we didn’t discover who the culprit was but it certainly leaves a lot of speculation open until Moffat decides to spill the beans.
In the end Clara finally discovered that she couldn’t leave the Doctor and that he is who he is. There’s no changing the strange and lovable alien. Every regeneration showcases a different side to his ever growing personality and how he operates as a whole. His fundamental nature of travelling the stars and time will never come to an end and will always remain his greatest trait. The whole idea of the travelling being an addiction was a brilliant concept to showcase perhaps why the Doctor and his endless parade of companions find it hard to throw away this wonderful life, because they become attached by its wonders. Clara learnt that she too was addicted and loved the life too much, like the Doctor, to give it up.
