The Idiot's Lantern

I somewhat enjoyed Gatiss' "The Unquiet Dead" from last series. The production values were good, the acting was good, and the writing wasn't bad either. In "The Idiot's Lantern," that is not the case. While Tennant and Piper were good, the Wire was a horrible villain and her constant repetition of "Hungry! Hungryy!" makes the viewer uncomfortable. Coupled with the disorienting camera angles, The Idiot's Lantern becomes something that's just hard to sit through. I really don't have much to say about this episode other than it was something I'd rather not watch again and an episode that I would never show to a non-Who fan. Mark Gatiss has penned some nice scripts: The Unquiet Dead, Robot of Sherwood, and Cold War were all pretty good, but The Idiot's Lantern was just hard to watch. I'm not sure if that's more on the director or the writer, but I do not recommend this episode at all. 5/10

An early (1953) TV feed but it's not particularly nourishing, about an alien (the Wire) in the telly that is finely tuned and flourishing. It takes the face, of all who place, their ugly mugs before it (turning one into a stem), with a magpie in assistance acting like a kind of conduit. The Queens big day, what will they say, if all does not go ace, as the Doctor clambers up the spire of Alexandra Palace (it's not ace by the way, filler episodes set on earth in presentish times usually aren't).

Mark Gatiss was always a little hit and miss when it came to his Doctor Who scripts, I found, and I'm afraid that, despite some interesting moments, "The Idiot's Lantern" is one that can be considered a bit of a damp squib.

Heading to the early 50's in a bid to see The King, instead they land in London preparing for a new Queen. Television sets are becoming popular in people's homes as they want to watch the Coronation - but several North London households are hiding a secret, faceless family members, caused by their suspiciously low-priced televisions from Magpie Electrics.

To be clear, I don't think that "The Idiots Lantern" is a bad episode, just that it's a bit underwhelming. Mostly I think this stems from the villain. Ron Cook's Mr Magpie is OK, but the reluctant accomplice comes rather soon after Colin Spaull's Mr. Crane in the Cybermen double bill. Magpie is more tortured, but still the similarities are present. Then we have the real bad guy, Maureen Lipman's The Wire. (Sadly short on references to McNulty or Stringer Bell). Whereas the idea of a character on a TV talking back to you has the potential to be a bit creepy, the actual performance is played for knowing laughs a little too much and the "Hungry... Hungry" refrain is too bizarre and too little unsettling. Add into that the Connolly family, and boorish patriarch Eddie, played by television staple Jamie Foreman, who again are nicely played - if not particularly memorable characters and you're left with an episode that doesn't add up to very much.

The Doctor and Rose do have some nice interactions though, particularly a funny gag about Rose's mum and sailors and you get to see his anger (again) when Rose falls foul of the Wire's power. It's odd, but once you know it was written with Ecclestone's Doctor in mind, it does start to feel a little more understandable.

Again, it's not a "bad" episode - it's just an underwhelming one.

I think this episode is more unpopular than it deserves. I found a lot of it pretty good with a mixture of fun and some tougher drama which is well acted and with some spooky elements to enjoy.

It is certainly not the greatest story as the way the plot is carried out is not that convincing and the cries of "hungry" and "feed me" etc are a bit silly and annoying. The reactions of people and the authorities are also not that convincing.

On the plus side most of the episode is entertaining. I thought the boy was a well acted and endearing character and the 1953 Coronation setting was a nice aspect. The humour is very good in places and the subplot of the bullying father and struggles of his wife and son is quite affecting and touching. The faceless people are done well and are suitably creepy. Rose being attacked and the Doctor's reaction provide quite powerful moments. Maureen Lipman is perfect for her role as the TV face of the adversary despite it not being the best idea for depicting the threat. The idea of a villain using a surge in TV viewing to gain power from a TV mast is perfectly OK but it is just not entirely written in the most convincing way by Mark Gatiss. It could have been done better. But it is not bad at all in my opinion.

The human drama, creepiness and entertainment are fine, it just falls short on being a believable story overall. It is an acceptable filler episode, flawed in terms of how the plot is developed but quite fun.

My rating: 7/10.

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-