2nd Opinion: The Zygon Inversion
David Selby and Connor Johnston give their verdicts on the 8th episode of Series 9.
David’s Verdict
For the first time this series, I’m going to have to begin a review by saying I didn’t like it….
…I absolutely loved it.
To me, The Zygon Invasion epitomises the best of Doctor Who. A series ago, Clara was just getting over the fact that the Doctor had left her with an astronaut and one of her pupils – and no helpful information – to make, on their own, a decision about whether to let an innocent creature die. Whilst the Doctor’s character development across Series Eight was fascinating, it is important to remember that the Doctor is a role model. And as much as this is starting to become an attitude of the past – and I do agree, to an extent, but even so – it would take a damned good lawyer to argue that the Doctor isn’t a role model for hundreds of little boys across the country. Little boys whose only other male role models are soldiers and fighters and brave, handsome heroes. Little boys who need a madman in a box.
And not just little boys. Little girls. Young men. Young women. Old men. Old women. And anyone who doesn’t conform. Anyone who has been asked the question “which one are you?” and refused to give an answer until the answer no longer matters. Anyone who needs that hero.
So Doctor Who returns to the real world, and it returns with something to say. During a time of terrorism, a refugee crisis and just before Remembrance Day, Doctor Who unapologetically delivers a bold and imaginative anti-war piece. And the best thing about it is the fact that it doesn’t just deliver a message, but an argument – a set of points which genuinely hold water in a debate, like the fact that the only way to escape the cycle of anger is to forgive and forget, and that however a war starts, it will always end the same way, a way in which, if it had been the first port of call, all the conflict could have been avoided.
The ultimate success of this came from Capaldi. It would be interesting to read the script and see how much guidance the actors were given, because a common exercise in this era seems to be to throw a monologue at the lead actor and see how he plays it (and it’s completely different every single time). Here he communicates the character’s sheer desperation, his fury and his passion, and I’m not sure about anyone else but in that moment I felt more proud of my hero than I ever have in all my life.
I also appreciate how the show is able to do things which, a couple of years ago, I would have thought seriously unlikely. The way it references past episodes without the need for extensive recaps, for instance, or its willingness to let a one-off character (and innocent) commit suicide because of the symbolic content it adds to the plot. It seems as if Doctor Who has finally reached a point where it can just do what the hell it likes, whether that’s trapping a couple of characters in a room and seeing what happens, having the Doctor play electric guitar over the opening titles, or turning people into electrified haystacks.
Yes, I am often inclined to the position of site cynic, and it’s entirely possible (and even likely, based on previous years) that from this points onwards the series will grow more and more into something I don’t like. Yet somehow that doesn’t matter tonight. Even if the next four episodes are the worst the show has ever done, it won’t change the fact that Doctor Who has now produced the best piece of television in 2015 so far.
Connor’s Verdict
In the opening moments of last week’s episode, we see the Doctor play the opening riff to the well-known classic: “Amazing Grace”. It’s with such a simple element that the Doctor’s role in the story is immediately asserted: He is the man to whom the Universe turns to for help, he is the saving grace in the most impossible situations – he is the hero we not only look up to, but who we aspire to be like, and his speech on the pointlessness and futility of war only sought to poetically strengthen his ability to live up to such an impossible brief even more.
I’ll revisit the Doctor later in the piece, but as impressive as his role in the episode was, he is far from the only hero. Last week I mentioned how “The Zygon Invasion” was a measure for how far UNIT had come under the leadership of Kate Stewart. “The Zygon Inversion” works to invert that dynamic, showing instead how far Kate Stewart has come through her experiences leading UNIT. Kate is a character that represents both metaphorically (in her characterisation) and literally (in her role throughout the episode) the human race as a whole. For all the strength, honour and ability there is equally a level of fear, sacrifice and most profoundly mistake. It’s what make’s Kate’s character so accessible, aided of course by a movingly honest portrayal by Jemma Redgrave. Osgood is someone that I’ve repeatedly praised throughout her numerous appearances, purely because of the utterly un-extraordinary premise of her character. While Kate serves to represent the human race as it is, Osgood instead is a benchmark of what the human race should strive to be like. Filling the role of the companion for most of this episodes, Osgood really does fit so comfortably in a dynamic with the 12th Doctor. It really is moving that after all this time Osgood has evolved from fangirling over the Doctor to becoming the Doctor’s (and humanity’s) hero herself.
Jenna Coleman really has come a fair way since the quirky, bubbly personality we met almost 4 years ago – both in her development of Clara’s character and her own ability. I mentioned last week that I was reserving judgment on her portrayal of Bonnie until the character was given enough time to assert herself as a worthy adversary for the Doctor – but what I wasn’t expecting was for Coleman and Harness to define Bonnie as a strong character in her own right. She becomes so much more than just a superficial threat to validate the Zygon’s presence in the series, instead totally capturing the pain and suffering and passion of the race she represents. Clara’s legacy is also added to significantly in the episode with the evaluation of what she means to the Doctor once more placed in the spotlight.
Tonally the episode is superb, balancing such a tense atmosphere with an array of emotive, threatening, political and hysterical moments of dialogue. The humour of the episode is embedded perfectly into the script, not prominent enough to turn the episode into a superficial romp but present simply to vary the viewer’s experience. The suicide of the ‘good’ Zygon and finally the mental transformation of Bonnie are two scenes that stand out as examples of how emotionally gripping the storyline was. They’re also 2 scenes that illustrate what tremendous justice has been done to the Zygons in not basing an episode around the threat of abilities, but rather the threat of their motivations and mindset. Ultimately I don’t wish to stew on the political undertones of the story for much longer, however I will add that “The Zygon Inversion” is an amazing bold and confident script in the issues it aims to address.
This story is not one that can claim its success on the merit of one scene or one player – but on a seamless co-operation between all involved. Director Daniel Nettheim returns with what I personally consider to be the strongest episode in terms of direction this series so far. He effortlessly achieves the claustrophobic nature of Clara’s dream sequence, the intensity and menace of Bonnie’s stalk and finally the scale and presence of the Black Archive sequence. How I long for the day when I can actually find some diversity in evaluating Murray Gold’s work in an episode of Doctor Who, who once again rises to new heights in plotting such a suitable and ornamental score to the weeks proceedings.
Peter Capaldi goes above and beyond this week in his portrayal of the Doctor – warranting such a strong response from the fanbase with such profound investment. It’s not only a measure of his ability, but also his dedication to his character that means Capaldi can present the Doctor so strongly and appear so believable and composed in his portrayal that one almost forgets he’s watching an actor and not instead a 2000 year old Timelord. Perhaps the greatest compliment one can give Capaldi in a desperate attempt to pay justice to his performance this week would be that he utterly encompasses everything the character has every stood for…. all he is and ever has been. Peter Capaldi is the embodiment of THE Doctor.
Division among the fanbase over episodes is nothing new – and certainly nothing to feared or condemned – although very often the extreme range of opinions can leave us questioning if we’ve even seen the same episode. One of the clearest and most recent examples I could give to prove this was the reception of the Church scene last week; with some (including myself) viewing it as a moving and profound emotive climax of the episode, and others condemning it as one of the *various* logical flaws of the episode. During this week I came to a conclusion that possibly the reason why there’s ALWAYS division over the fluxuating quality of Doctor Who is because we can’t agree on what Doctor Who is actually supposed to be. It’s a show that isn’t as straight forward as most Sci-Fi or Drama, because it’s more diverse in both its setting and ambition. So while some may contend that a mutual affection of the episode by both David and myself may seem cheap or pointless, given our contrasting point of views in the past I would say that instead our agreement serves as a measure of the episode (and the series so far) – not of just its quality, but due to the fact it encompasses various different aspects aiming to appease different people. Political undertones, strong characterisation, wit and humour, intensity and action – all united and contained in a polished and compelling narrative bound to hold different significance for each and every one of us.
“The Zygon Inversion” is an script penned by two of the most ambitious and proven writers of the new series; performed exquisitely by a cast that have each grown, developed and furthered the depth of their respective characters to reach the level of talent and sincerity witnessed in the episode. Its sense of moral and conscience is constantly present, only serving to enhance the flow of the narrative rather than overbear it. It’s an episode that endorses a standard and duty of storytelling that not only should set the bar for Doctor Who in the future, but television as a whole.
