Review: Doctor Who - Silence In The Library
Remember I said we hadn’t had any blow away brilliant episodes so far this season? Well Silence In The Library was written by Steven Moffat (soon to take the place of Russell T Davies as show runner for Doctor Who).
Right from the get go we’re given a library that supposedly exists in a girl’s mind. So how do the Doctor and Donna get there? Love the concept.
And it just gets creepier when the episode proper starts. Count the shadows the android tells them. A planet sized library and no one is there. How is the girl controlling a security camera? Who is turning off the lights. What is in the shadows? What casts the shadows?
And just when you think you know what the scenario is, suddenly a bunch of new characters arrive including someone who has a relationship with the Doctor. Just not one he’s experienced yet. There are a lot of layers built up in this story. It demands constant attention. Why doesn’t River Song answer Donna’s question about her future? How did she get a sonic screwdriver?
Image via Wikipedia
The episode just piles tension on tension. But Moffat doesn’t forget the little details either like the robots with a donated face. The book of the Doctor’s life carries a motif resembling the outside of the TARDIS. Data Ghosts, an impression of a living consciousness after death. Not only is that a great sci-fi concept, but it creates a very emotional moment in the middle of the story and really humanizes what was a fairly minor character.
This is Doctor Who at its best and I can’t wait to see the second half of this story.
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Johnd
After watching the episode I think The Doctor is starting to get a little full of himself. Do we really need someone we don’t know running around telling us how great The Doctor is while everyone is being killed & when did he get this thing for ugly middle aged annoying women.
Jun 28th, 2008
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