Writer: Steven Moffat
Director: Douglas Mackinnon
Starring: Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Samuel Anderson
The Story: When ghosts of past and future crowd into their lives, the Doctor and Clara are thrown into an adventure that takes them to the very end of the universe.
The Verdict:
The opening three episodes have given an altered vision of the new Doctor and as we learn with him, there was always going to be the moment where we truly dig into this mind and Listen delves deeper than ever. Steven Moffat is the man responsible for one of the darkest, scariest and intense episodes since Blink and although there isn’t an categorical monster, its psychological nature has an analytical vibe that accompanies the discovery of the Doctor’s fear alongside his usual fight and desire to discover the strange.
Directed by Douglas Mackinnon, the man who gave us the mysterious Cold War with the Ice Warrior last season (And will direct another two this time around), the episode is built around the premise of the reason why we talk to ourselves, even when we know that no one is physically there and ‘whom’ are we talking to, if anyone. Capaldi’s Doctor revels in the murky side of the spectrum but he’s not over-dramatic, or purposefully seeking out the shadows, it fits his 12th incarnation so perfectly and it’s complete with a Cheshire-Cat grin.
Regrettably I watched Listen in a pitch black, half-empty flat and although I know this isn’t something you’d usually bring into a review, it’s appropriate this time. When the Doctor decides to prove his theory that we’re never alone and there’s always something in the blackness, he picks up Clara on the back of a disastrous date with Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson). Upon enticing her aboard with distraction, he asks her to remember the dream she had when she was a kid, the one we all have, where you think something is under the bed and out to grab you. As she embeds herself into the TARDIS psychic mainframe, she’s preoccupied by a phone ring and her thoughts instantly turn to Danny Pink and they land but, you know it, they’re not in Clara’s past but instead a young lad called Rupert Pink (Remi Gooding).
The young kid is all alone and fearful of something he doesn’t understand and as Clara tries to prove there’s nothing to be afraid of, we see there’s definitely something to be afraid of. It’s in the shadows and beyond the corner of your eye, as Doctor Who presents one of the eeriest confrontations with the unknown I’ve seen in a long, long time.
Throughout Listen you’ll be on edge to discover a whole host of fears that include what the hell is that under the sheet? What (or who) is knocking three times? Why did Danny change his name and what’s his past? Did the Doctor actually see what knocked him on the head at DB6 – and who else did he meet or leave behind? Is this a nudge towards Gallifrey’s pending return and what a finale that would be! The episode also helps explain why we returned to that specific barn as the War Doctor, it’s the feeling of a safe haven and not just being some random location. Damn that flawless link, Moffat!
Every now and then, there’s an episode that is just experienced and Capaldi continues to inspire with oodles of charisma, confusion and intrigue, he’s a mighty shift in the fast-changing gears of Who. Jenna Coleman continues to break free of those shackles of last season and Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, the man who always says the wrong thing and has a mysterious history, still manages to charm his way into Clara’s good books with honesty.
Listen is one of the most perfectly rounded and balanced episodes we’ve had in a long time, it follows a seamless loop through changing timelines and focuses on very relevant moments. There’s also the stand-out realisation as we’re led to believe the Doctor doesn’t know where his fear came from, who controlled it, and why he returned to the barn when it was most important. It cements Clara’s role as an impossible girl but also her continual essential role in the life of Doctor Who alongside a huge change in direction. I hope you left a light on…
Best Bit:
Even though it’s early on, it’s when Clara is under the bed with Rupert trying to prove there’s nothing under there to be scared of and then the bed presses downwards. But the scene doesn’t finish there and it isn’t just the Doctor messing about, he’s been sat in the darkness waiting to turn on a light and catch the unseen monster. It’s when they try to turn away from it and it doesn’t move, in fact it gets closer, the tension in the room, the hairs on the back of the neck…it’s unstoppable.
Best Line(s):
The Doctor: Why do you have three mirrors? Why don’t you just turn your head?
And
The Doctor: Are you scared? The thing on the bed, whatever it is, does it scare you? That’s good. Your heart is beating so hard I can feel it in your hands, there’s so much blood and oxygen pumping into your brain it’s like rocket fuel, right now you could run faster, you can fight harder and you jump higher than ever before! You’re so alert, you can slooow down time. What’s wrong with scared? SCARED IS A SUPER POWER!
[usr=5] THN’s Doctor Who Series 8 Blog returns next Saturday.
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