Before the Flood Advance Review
Note: Doctor Who TV’s pre-air reviews aim to be as detail-free as we reasonably can while still offering a critique, but as everyone’s spoiler sensibilities are different, we advise you read on at your own discretion.
“I’m a dead man walking,” the Doctor proclaims early on in the conclusion to last week’s story. As the cliffhanger revealed, the Doctor seems destined to become a ‘ghost’ and the countdown to his death is on (well it wouldn’t be the first time!).
From its fourth wall breaking pre-title sequence followed by a rocking new theme arrangement, part 2 of the story sets itself up to be a pretty different beast to the preceding instalment. Despite being written again by Toby Whithouse, it feels like Moffat may have had a hand in the script with its timey-wimey plot elements.
It’s an episode of two halves with Clara, Cass and Lunn still on the underwater base in 2119 dealing with the escalating ghost threat. Meanwhile, the Doctor, O’Donnell and Bennett have taken a trip back to the past (1980 to be precise) to try and get to the bottom of things before time runs out. And as a wise companion once said, this is where it gets complicated.
It’s fair to say that the sequences with the Doctor and co are the most interesting as they not only introduce a fresh new setting (A Cold War era army outpost) but also the real villain behind events of part one, the imposing Fisher King. On top of that time is explored from a couple of perspectives (think Father’s Day).
The Fisher King is not only a brilliant creature design, but he has a suitably epic voice to match (played by Star Wars’ Peter Serafinowicz). His eventual confrontation with the Doctor is fantastic bringing out some of the best in Capaldi. Much has been made about the involvement of Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, however this is actually a very minor part with his contribution as the Fisher King’s roar lasting seconds on a few occasions.
Like with last week there’s also more strong character moments between Twelve and Clara which allow Capaldi and Coleman to shine, respectively. There’s a nice parallel that as the Doctor faces the prospect of death (he is, after all, going to become a ghost), Clara is risking everything and potentially pushing herself and others towards it. This recklessness is soon challenged by more than just the Doctor.
With the story set-up out the way and a few characters dead in part one, it’s pleasing to see the remaining survivors are fleshed out to a far better degree. Arsher Ali’s Bennett, who wasn’t really given much more to do than play ‘generic scared guy’ last time around, is particularly good here, even standing up against the Doctor. We also get to see Paul Kaye’s character before he became a ghost in a short but sprightly role as Tivolian alien Prentis. Although at the same time, he feels a little out of place tonally this far into the story.
With a few different time periods to juggle, it’s impressive director Daniel O’Hara manages to keep it all together so cohesively and still inject a strong visual look. The Russian Cold War aesthetic is nicely invoked. Special mention must also go to the handling of the Fisher King’s scenes. The monster is kept out of sight and slowly revealed to create a nice sense of unease. The collapsing of the dam is also one of the more impressive visual effects scenes on the show.
You could possibly fault the story for not being as audience friendly as part one, as things gets more complex. With scenes zipping around through different time periods and an exposition-heavy denouement, it may leave some scratching their heads trying to piece it all together. This is the type of episode that requires at least a couple of viewings to really appreciate. But overall it’s another strong finish for the second two-parter this year. Let’s hope the show can continue on this form.
