The Idiot's Lantern

I remember looking forward to this since it was written by THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN'S Mark Gatiss who wrote the previous years story featuring Charles Dickens and gas zombies . But after seeing the episode I felt rather disappointed and it's down to one very simple reason . The entire plot is summed up in the pre title sequence . After this - which I do agree is effective enough - we still have to endure a story which we know will end up with the Doctor defeating the alien and it's just a question of how . There's little surprise involved and this week's obligatory dysfunctional family subplot is more irritating than usual .

There is one other aspect conspicuous by its absence and that is Gatiss is a big fan of the QUATERMASS serials . For some reason the story is set at the Queen's coronation which was no doubt a big national event at the time but surely 1950s television was the decade where Nigel Kneale as a household name . Imagine if the audience had been watching an episode of QUATERMASS ? Wouldn't that have been a brilliant post modernist tour de force ?

The Doctor and Rose hoping to arrive in New York to see Elvis perform instead find themselves in London circa 1953, where they stumble on a plot to take the faces off of various Londoners. It's not as nearly as grotesque as the previous sentence implies, as the aforementioned faces are just kind of erased off via television sets. It all makes sense upon watching the show, I promise. Well if the last 2 episodes reminded me a bit of "Sliders", this one definitely had the feel of "Shapphire and Rose". Of course, enjoying that late, lamented show, I was definitely tickled by this one. Good acting by all (save for a few bit actors), splendid costume and set design, witty banter, and an intriguing plot all combine to make an amusing and highly watchable episode. Even if the bit of social commentary is a bit daft and it's full of plot holes.

My Grade: B-

Most people will tell you that a director on a television show cannot really make an impact, since all they do is run on set, take charge of the crew, and finish up the episode in less than a week. Due to this rushed process, television directors, supposedly, are restricted in terms of creativity, but "The Idiot's Lantern" is proof that this isn't necessarily true. Director Euros Lyn, also responsible for great episodes like "The Unquiet Dead" and "Tooth and Claw", makes this episode extremely entertaining with his visual style. "The Idiot's Lantern" might have been a fairly boring episode otherwise, disregarding the witty dialogue, the script wasn't exactly perfect. Inventive, zany cinematography make this episode a pleasure to look at. An inspired portrayal of the Doctor from Tennant and some witty dialogue make up for a pretty weak story and make this episode quite enjoyable. It's hardly the greatest episode, but it's good enough.

Letter Grade: B-

This episode was great but something felt really off about this episode and I can't describe it what it was.

Now this is one of those episodes that scared me to death when I was a kid, so it immediately a good Doctor Who episode. As an adult it's a little less interesting but still leaves you glued to the screen (Yes you heard me). All in all a different type of doctor who episode that can be watched 2 or maybe 3 times a decade but not one of those ones you can watch over and over again