A huge number of small black cubes suddenly appear all over Earth. Why are they here? The Doctor and UNIT try to find out. In between the Doctor popping off to do some other stuff.
Chris Chibnall is not doing himself a great deal of favours with this one, that’s for sure. A plot that covers a whole year of time was probably a mistake and to be frank I’m getting a little tired of the whole pop-in-and-out relationship with the Ponds. It’s over next week at any rate.
Further thoughts:
· There’s an awful lot of padding in this story – the whole 1890 and Henry VIII stuff stood out in particular.
· The black cubes were interesting (“The Birdie Song” was an odd one, though), but a line about the inability to cut them open would have been appreciated.
· Matt Smith – not quite as good in this one as usual. Probably poor material, but he made the best of it.
· Was Brian Williams really needed in this story?
· Glad to see UNIT back and I liked the “Trap One” references.
· Engaging in “pest control” on humanity is something aliens have done in other sci-fi, although I cannot remember what.
· Jemma Redgrave did a great job here as Kate Stewart. It’s nice to see that the Brigadier’s legacy is carried on in UNIT.
· If someone has their heart stopped for several minutes, they’re going to be suffering some serious brain problems afterwards.
· Didn’t recognise Steven Berkoff under all that make-up. Did a great job there.
· Definitely were some good bits in here, but they were mostly character stuff, instead of a limited plot that would be best served for one of the Quick Reads.
Conclusion
Distinctly average. This is the better of Chibnall’s two stories this five-part run, but not by much.
1.71 to the power of 3, or rather 5 out of 10
1 comment:
I think The Power of Three is regarded by fans as being a rushed mess, even by people who otherwise like the episode.
In fact, one notable aspect that is often overlooked is the ending. The Doctor, Rory and Amy find themselves on the Shakri spaceship. Rory is searching for his kidnapped dad and they discover many other comatose bodies laying on similar plinths. Rory and Amy get Brian Williams to safety. In a very short space of time, the Doctor thwarts the Shakri and sets the ship to detonate.
But, as the Doctor leaves the about-to-explode ship, viewers can plainly see the remaining victims all still firmly in place on their plinths. The Doctor, Amy and Rory left all those people to die and they never mention it again.
Now, perhaps the victims were already dead. Perhaps Rory carefully checked each one for signs of life before stepping back through the gateway to Earth. Perhaps there simply wasn't time to save them. Perhaps, perhaps. But the Doctor and co never say any more about it, and we are left with the unpleasant impression that they doesn't care that several innocent people just got blown to bits.
It's not so much that the Doctor's actions might be out of character, it's that he doesn't feel bad about what happened. He errs frequently, but he usually feels guilty about it.
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