Doctor Who 4.08 - Silence in the Library

[caz963]

Spoilers and plot developments! Hee! Somebody likes their little in-jokes ;)

But... wow. Moffat rules, and again taps into one of those deep seated "traditional" fears that exist in every society. This time - fear of the dark or of what's in the shadows.

That really was a great episode. No monsters, no CGI, no prosthetics... just plain ol' good and scary, watch it from behind the sofa stuff.

I've often said this about horror movies; I'd much rather watch something where the threat is mostly unseen - one of my favourites is Night of the Demon which is a British black and white movie from the 50s which still manages to scare me shitless - because it's all up to me and my imagination and I find that much scarier than seeing blood, guts and gore spattered everywhere.

So this episode was very much in that vein. The "monsters" aren't in the shadows, they are the shadows although not, as the Doctor says "every shadow - any shadow."

Added to that were the questions posed by Alex Kingston's character; things between her and the Doc were a bit "Time Traveller's Wife" at times as it became clear that she knows him... but not yet. The scenes between them were quite poignant, as you could see that it was tearing her apart not to be able to tell him who she is and what she is/was/will be to him.

The book/diary that looks like the TARDIS was a nice touch :) As was the "extra" sonic screwdriver.

The death scene was one of the creepiest and most weirdly touching things I've seen on television in a long time. The idea that the consciousness or the soul can be trapped for a short while after death and speak to the living ...

She's a footprint on the beach. And the tide's coming in. Amazing scene.

And then there's "The Girl", in whose head the library exists. Who is she and how is she the only one who can save everyone?

Favourite lines -

I'm a time traveller - I point and laugh at archaeologists.

Tell me we're not running away from a power cut!

Donna was, once again, completely awesome. Catherine Tate is a wonderful foil for the Doc - as when they're talking about whether the books are really beings, yelling about the fact that the sonic screwdriver "doesn't do wood!" and kicking the door in, getting snarky with River, and being "nice" to the dim but pretty girl who is clearly the DW equivalent of the extra guy in the red shirt in Star Trek!

River's reaction to Donna when she found out who she was was disturbing. I've really been hoping that Tate could be persuaded to stay for longer than a season, but was this the writing on the wall for Donna?

Given the cliffhanger ending - perhaps. (Nooooooooo!!!!!!!)

Can't wait for next week.

Comments

[caz963.livejournal.com]

Fab, wasn't it? There was so much packed in as well - not an ounce of flab or filling and that scene with Miss Evangelina's "ghost" really was amazing. I just re-watched it, and ... wow.

[hooloovoo_42]

Yes, I think a re-watch is definitely in order.