The Woman Who Lived: The Good, the Bad and the Nerdy
Gustaff Behr goes through the highs, the lows and everything else from the 6th episode.
From outlandish Vikings to English highwaymen, the Maisie William’s two-parter is certainly one of the more unusual stories we’ve ever had, tying together like a traditional two-parter, but tackling two different storylines whilst sharing plot elements. But did this structure succeed in robbing us of our breath? Or did it simply steal 45 minutes of our life?
The Good
Let’s start with the fact Doctor Who managed to cast an anti-villain this week, a character archetype that is widely uncommon in general fiction, almost non-existent in Doctor Who and therefore proves just how out of the ordinary this episode really is. While the Doctor is the protagonist, the episode goes to great lengths to allow us to respect and appreciate Me’s ideologies, however dubious her methods are.
Maisie William’s presence as a whole counts as her character was dreadfully underused in the previous episode. Including flashbacks is also a great (and easy) way to establish off-screen character development.
As noted numerous times this week, this episode’s strongest aspect is its dialogue and that is true for me as well. It’s interesting how my attitude towards Me felt like I was on a rollercoaster ride. One moment she was unlikable, the next it was justified, then she was likable again, then she ruined it. Up and down the cycle went.
The lack of Clara was definitely a bonus for me, but The Woman Who Lived also went a long way to show that companions aren’t needed in every single story. This isn’t just Clara mind you, there have been loads of episodes where a secondary protagonist wasn’t necessary, yet the companion was still present which often leads to them being wasted by the narrative. It is possible to have more companion-lite episodes in a series. Just saying.
The Bad
The Lion King! No really. It seems Lenny the Lion falls into the same pit trap Doctor Who Series 9 falls into every week: The lack of a noteworthy or interesting villain. Putting aside Davros (who isn’t a new villain and already has oodles of development), the villains Doctor Who has produced this season have been very underdeveloped or uninteresting. Odin was designed to beat his chest and be defeated in battle from the get go, whilst the Fisher King took a backseat to his minions, who while not very developed or interesting, were at least terrifying.
Leandro’s part in this story is so poor, the plot almost lampshades this by giving us a rapid exposition-heavy back story before disposing with the character so quickly and completely, he might as well not have been there to begin with.
Me’s sudden revelation that she cared about people was a little too plot convenient, especially since she was willing to murder an innocent herself all in the name of “it’s them or us”. Do the amount of people needed to be mindlessly slaughtered help with this epiphany? Is one not enough?
The Nerdy
A young “witch” helping to put an end to the Hundred Year War sounds a lot like the plot for Maria The Virgin Witch.
Unfortunately, save for a few easily recognizable references to Captain Jack Harkness and The Visitation, there aren’t much else in the way of pop culture or obscure nerdy references this week; though we did get a cheeky Winston Churchill one.
Sorry everyone! Maybe things will be a little juicier next week. Will Peter Harness’ Zygon invasion reunite the fandom, or will it crack open like an egg?
