12.16: Under the Lake
In which a base is under siege, and underwater.
Broadcast: October 2015
Watched: March 2022
“I’m very sorry for your loss. I’ll do all I can to solve the death of your friend slash family member slash pet.”
I have a sense that the base-under-sieges are more literal now than in the olden days: the show knows it’s doing them and plays with the format, it doesn’t just fall into it by accident. Funny how they fall into two groups: “space”, or “weird bases on Earth” (monastery, oil rig, acid mining castle…) Now it’s underwater Highland base.
The word I’d use for this one is “efficient”. It’s neatly structured the pre-credits set up the guest stars, then we get a few minutes just the regulars; then when everyone meets, the guest cast all just list their names. As it goes on, every time they fix one problem it rolls into another.
But it’s really well done, with loads of nice high concept or tech stuff: the underwater nuclear base, day/night mode, the sub controlled by VR, the writing and the ear worm. Loads of nice character touches, too: Cass not letting Lunn look in the space ship; O’Donnell being a fan of the Doctor; Bennet being openly terrified and just wanting to leave, in a way you’re not meant to do in a Doctor Who story.
The entire ghost hunt sequence is terrific, as is the cliffhanger, with the base flooding, the cast separated and the Doctor ghost showing up... It’s great.
But, I dunno, something’s missing. Whithouse feels like a solid A- writer, I think. His stuff never forgets the basics there are always jokes, characters, scares, etc but it rarely feels *inspired*. He seems like an obvious showrunner, but maybe he lacks the madness. I dunno.
Other thoughts...
Clara is written a bit generic companion in the opening minutes? The stuff about unseen stories, the demanding an adventure, the joke with the cards... She could slightly be anyone. Although I do like it when she gets a bit too into it and the Doctor tells her off for it, the big hypocrite, even if in retrospect this screams “arc”, and possibly “arc we should have finished”.
Nice, casual diversity in the guest casting. Although Steven Robertson is the latest in a long line of Scottish actors doing posh English accents when they have to play a complete arsehole, as if no arseholes are Scottish.
Vector Petroleum... Victor Pemberton? Surely not.