New Who Review #95

The Bells of Saint John

This story was fun. It's a nice way to kick off 7B and introduce the "new" clara. Having The Great Intelligence back feels eh because we've only just had him as a villain but I guess he's an ongoing villain throughout this part. The Spoonheads were an ok villain not my favourite villain but they were pretty cool. The idea of WiFi that can kill you is silly but it's so doctor who which is why it works. If this was any other show I don't think it could pull it off without looking pathetic but doctor who just does it right. The ending was so strange with the staff going back to factory default. I don't know what that exactly means like are they going back to the mindset of a child or something else? Overall a good story to kick off 7B and continue the clara story onwards. 9/10

This is one of the strangest episodes in the show to me, partially due to the suprisingly unique setting, with London shot from a ground level perspective for once, which adds to the whole idea of being watched. Another part is due to the unique use of time travel, with the TARDIS actually being used in scenarios other episodes may have forgone (think Gridlock or The Sontaran Stratagem). Admittedly, it does let go of it during the finale, though at least they give a reason for that.

The main issue I have i with this episode is the doctor, somehow. It follows th e series 7 trend of the doctor being a bit weird and boundary pushing in a way I feel is contrary to the character. He's just a bit obsessive over Clara in a way that appears more creepy than noble. On top of that there's a joke in the first 10 minutes I rolled my eyes at. This is definitely Moffat's writing at its most questionable. There's also a fe moments here it feels they're trying too hard to make him quirly and any that just come off as forced.

I do like how the villains could be a really imposing threat on a show like Torchwood or SJA, just this near omniscient entity that sees all and hears all, but becuase of their terrestrial nature, they're no match for the doctor, who takes them down in less than 24 hours. Their interactions in the cafe are interesting, both due to how they use everyday people and also due to how clearly the villains underestimate the sheer force of nature knocking on their front doorstep.

The whole organisation being a front for the Great Intelligence is a neat idea, I guess, but they needed to establish how it got there and the effects this programme caused.

Clara's doesn't have much character outside of Jenna Coleman's performace, generally going along with the doctor after the spoonheads appear. This is a consistent issue with series 7, we mainly see her through the eyes of the doctor and his obesession instead of like a normal companion.

The whole evil WiFi thing could have been handled with a lot more grace than it was. All of the effects and fake hacking look goofy and take away from the stakes. This is definitely the internet through the eyes of someone older than it. reroute it If it were handled a bit more realistically I feel the stakes and villain would benefit.

I do somewhat like the villains, the spoonheads are suprisingly effective, the way a seemingly normal human turns around to reveal the back of their head entirely missing. Its incredibly uncanny, which works in their favour. The main villainess is very much a classic mustache twirler, bu the way she consistently underestimates the doctor in a way that feels natural for someone in her position, and especially that ruthless ending elevate her slightly above the standard villain of the week.

The set pieces in this episode are interesting in how they take elements from terrestrial action films and add a doctor who twist to them, showing just how effortless it is for the doctor. Plane crashing? Use the TARDIS to board and reroute it. Need to infiltrate a building under lockdown? Anti-gravity motorcycle.

The use of the shard is cool as well. I always like it when the show uses iconic landmarks. Here's a fun fact: the shard in real life is 95% owned by the state of Qatar, an entity responible for more death and human misery than the corporation in the show. Even the Great Intelligence can out-evil human greed and ego.

Overall this is a mixed bag, but the intersting direction and set pieces elevate it above a lot of other series 7 episodes with similar issues.

I think this episode has the best shots and lovely storyline.

I stopped re-watching new episodes multiple times around 2013 as I got more deeply into the classic series and Doctor Who's extended universe. As a result when watching the second half of series 7 I have the interesting experience of experiencing Doctor Who that I in many ways know the least about - episodes that I have had the longest gap since most recently watching. The last 10 years has meant that I even forgot that Richard E Grant's Great Intelligence was even a recurring character in this series - I thought he was dispensed with in The Snowmen!

​This story is a bit mid. The most interesting idea is the spoon headed baddies, which is a rip off of Silent in the Library. Otherwise this inner city thriller is a bit nondescript (chases, hackers, action!) The show looks good though and Clara and The Doctor's relationship gleams. Its the worst of Clara's three introductions, but it still leaves you feeling warm for her afterwards. A solid series opener.

Still hard to know what to make of this one. The idea wasn't exactly new but it certainly had a different feel to it. Thought it was a pretty low key opening episode in the truth though. There were a couple of very creepy scenes and nice some nice banter between The Doctor and Clara but nothing particularly memorable. It was certainly no Eleventh Hour.

*Insert Chibnall wifi joke here*

Prerequisites: Asylum of the Daleks and The Snowmen give needed context.

Spoilers!
The Bells of Saint John is a fairly fun, if flawed companion "introduction" piece. I say "introduction" because this is kinda Clara's third introduction, and I'd argue it's also her weakest. To start, Clara's character here just isn't that well set up. She lacks the genuinely fun mystery element Oswin had in Asylum, and she also lacks the fun little pieces of characterization she got in The Snowmen. Instead, I imagine that Moffat was using those previous episodes as a crutch when writing her here, because her only character traits I can really make out are 'clever' and 'flirty'. Don't get me wrong, Coleman and Smith have some fun exchanges, but it's nothing I'd call exemplary. What I do quite like, though, is the vibe and setting. While admittedly the whole 'wifi is sucking up people' thing is goofy, I really enjoy just how adventurous this feels. We don't see a lot of the Doctor zipping around a modern metropolis in Who, and it's fun to see it here. I like the motorcycle stuff, and I even like how the Great Intelligence pops up again. Overall, I think this is a fun little episode, although were I to sit down and analyze it further I'm absolutely sure that my rating would lower.

god this sucks /affectionate

i love seeing clara this early on now bc u see how much she LOVES being a manic pixie dream girl. shes like yeah obviously im gonna be whisked away on a space adventure. its about time.

I don't hate The Bells of Saint John.

Thanks to a number of Moffat-related decisions, it has some key weaknesses. Clara essentially has to be introduced for the third time and a lot of it is rushed for what turns out to be the permanent version of her. The whole thing with her and wifi is pretty lame and already quite dated.

Yet there are exciting aspects of this episode. I love the sense of action and frantic pace it manages to achieve and it feels entirely appropriate for the Eleventh Doctor. Out of the dozens of Moffat-era episodes that work as jumping on points, this one is pretty good, even if, again, points are rushed along the way. The stuff with the Great Intelligence also has some neat ideas to it. Both the ideas of being able to edit humans like a video game character, and our villain character being brainwashed from childhood to serve the villain are cool ideas, and I think Moffat does enough service to both of them that there is just enough value to Bells of Saint John it manages to overcome some of its weaknesses.