Series 8; Episode 4:
--- "Listen" by Steven Moffat

Listen is a really damn interesting story. A story that can have no villain or possibly one of the scariest in the whole show. I'll admit, the idea of a creature so good at hiding it can always be with you and you'd never notice is an amazing idea and I don't know which interpretation I prefer - that there was no creature or that there was one. Whilst not the greatest episode to ever exist, it's certainly a highlight of the series for me.

The Doctor's found a new obsession. A mysterious message in the TARDIS that appeared from thin air has made him ask a question: what if there was a creature so good at hiding you could never possibly find it? The answer will take him from a dingy little children's home, to the edge of the universe, to the site of the Doctor's greatest fear.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

I always found the concept of Listen to be terrifying. This episode has some great horror moments, everybody highlights the shape under the bed and, whilst that scene is pretty great, I think that Moffat's interpretation of the last man in the world hearing a knock on the door horror story is easily one of his best scenes period. I also really like Clara in this episode, despite one scene we'll get back to later. She honestly steals the show and I find her way better in episodes like this where she acts as a human being and not a canon plaster. Her and Danny's relationship is definitely a highlight of Series 8 to me, it feels like a very realistic and well constructed, especially in this episode. The awkwardness over dinner is, I'm sure, a well known experience to some and it gives a very palpable relatability to the two characters.

The elephant in the room for this episode is probably the scene with Clara and the Doctor. If Moffat had made it an explanation for the Doctor's motivations during the episode, it would be fine, the only real problem would be that it was Clara, again. However, they stepped on old Doctor Who's toes by having Clara give the Doctor some of his iconic lines, which I feel was a leaning too far into fanwank and also downplayed some truly great and iconic quotes. Other than that, I felt the Doctor was a little abrasive in this episode. He was too animated and felt more like a weird side character than the story's main character and it certainly didn't fit into his personality in Series 8.

Whilst the episode has gone down a bit for me upon rewatch, most of the enjoyment comes from the constant second guessing and plot reveals, I still think it's a great little atmosphere piece Moffat slipped in with some truly great and terrifying moments.

8/10

Pros:
+ Great concept executed perfectly to a terrifying extent
+ Amazing take on the Last Man in the World hearing a Knock on the Door concept
+ Fantastic direction of horror
+ The ambiguity of the episode is really experimental territory for Doctor Who that helps along the episode
+ Clara and Danny have really realistic and interesting scenes together

Cons:
- The infamous scene of Clara meeting the Doctor leaned to far into fan service and ended up sullying a great line from Classic Who
- The Doctor acts weirdly out of character quite a lot in this episode.
- I didn't actually find the scene's in the children's home that interesting outside of the creature under the bed, the rest just felt like meandering

Every viewing of Listen has made me fall in love with it more than more. What a beautifully affecting episode of television. The Doctor's constant search to try and find this creature, to find the unknowable when he's really dealing with the turmoil inside himself is realized expertly. As most great episodes do, the moral center of the episode falls to Clara. No matter how many times I watch, her grabbing the child Doctor's ankle from under the bed still draws gasps every time, and she delivers an all-time beautiful speech. Never cruel nor cowardly indeed.

Few Doctor Who stories reach the heights of this one. It feels like Steven Moffat returning to his roots, crafting a chamber piece—or rather a series of them—with a small cast of only three. Two characters are explored at different points in their lives, but not the two you’d expect. The story delves deeply into themes of fear, particularly primal childhood fears, while also revealing something rare: a glimpse into the Doctor’s childhood and how it connects to his purpose.

Peter Capaldi’s performance here is exceptional. In this episode, the Twelfth Doctor feels more at ease, no longer needing to emphasise “whether he is a good man”. Instead, he fully inhabits the darker, spookier tone of the story, which suits him perfectly. Despite its serious themes, the episode is interwoven with the charming never ending date between Clara and Danny Pink. Their date night is split up so perfectly with this grand intergalactic adventure, it is handled with elegance.

This episode captures the essence of what Steven Moffat does best. The highest praise I can give is that the episode made me want to rewatch it immediately—even while watching, the urge to revisit it is irresistible. This is undoubtedly the high-water mark of the Peter Capaldi era so far and a brilliant showcase of what his Doctor is capable of.

I think Listen is a remarkably strong episode and Doctor Who story. It is an excellent bit of horror and mystery, while, just like Midnight, somewhat frustratingly leaves you with more questions than answers. Yes, it is also somewhat frustrating that Clara is once again the explanation for everything, I feel it is easy to look past that given how emotionally-drive Moffat scripts are. This is a story of fear itself and it is quite masterfully done, at least in my opinion.

That scene with the figure is haunting, and leaves so many questions. If it all was just a childhood fear instilled by Clara, was the mysterious entity really there? What was it, exactly? I think that mystery is what makes it so tantalizing.

Every Doctor shows fear in some way at some point. Capaldi still manages to stand-out here. But Jenna Coleman is also just so excellent here. Overall, a very impressive episode that sticks in my memory. Easily one of my favourite New Who episodes.

New Who Review #108

Listen

This story was amazing. It is the scariest from series 8 and it's about a creature that is so good at hiding so how do you even know it exists. It is peak doctor who. I really liked seeing the development of the relationship between Danny & Clara and all the date scenes we got between them. Seeing the future ancestor of clara & Danny was cool even though the finale kinda rewrites it. The scenes on gallifrey where clara is the doctors nightmare and grabs his leg was good and the speech by her was nice. Overall a spooky story with some great scenes and development between clara & Danny. 10/10