Silence in the Library

Books full of knowledge and power, with shadows uninvitingly dour, if you enter the larder, of the Vashta Nerada, you're the menu and they will devour.

I'm not sure if there were any Silence in this 51st century library but you would never recall if they were, even if you've not yet come across them, it is still alive with malevolence though, and you're just as unlikely to catch it creeping up on you, but at least your final moments will be recalled.

I'll save my full blown review when the story is complete but as usual Moffat and Doctor Who never disappoints especially with this chiller of an episode providing us with a slew of iconic imagery to go with the already bursting array of memorable moments which this show is notorious for providing.

The first part provides so much beautiful setup for what could be an incredibly striking second part.

We're just gonna have to get used to this when Moffat takes over in 2010.

Bring on Forest of the Dead

There's not much to say other then this episode is perfect, just that perfect.

The Doctor and Donna land in a library, The Doctor is alarmed that nobody else is there, but life signs are in their millions. They hear a message left which worries them 'run, for god sake run, no where's safe, count the shadows.' A later message warns them that 'Others are coming,' and soon after the shadows start moving. A crew burst through the walls, and we meet the rather fabulous Professor River Song. Members of her crew start to die, and we meet the cause, the Vashda Nerada, the Piranhas of the sky. To save Donna he transports her back to the TARDIS, but something goes wrong she's not there.

I loved how River Song knew the Doctor, it was obvious she was to return in the future, she made a big impact. Her scenes with Tennant were fabulous, big love for River.

So much intrigue with the little girl, who is she? and what's she to do with the Library?

It looks fabulous, the library is particularly wonderful, nice to see Swansea's library used, it adds to the quality and authenticity. The acting is glorious, the story is one of the best, the Tennant/Tate combination continues to impress.

A very definite advert for why I love Catherine Tate's Donna so much, she's totally in character again, very sweet with Miss Evangelista, and very tender when she dies. Donna can do no wrong.

The Vashda Nerada are a fantastic creation, I imagine they gave a few nightmares, especially when he suggested they were on earth and in the shadows.

Silence in the Library is totally fabulous, arguably one of the best episodes in the Shows history. It has one of my all time favourite lines, 'Almost every species universe has an irrational fear of the dark, but they're wrong, it's not irrational, it's Vashda Nerada.' A stunning cliffhanger that leaves you desperate for the conclusion. It's glorious 10/10

Silence in the Library seems to be a favourite story amongst fans. It introduced the endlessly likeable, enigmatic River Song, featured the terrifying Vatsha Nerada, and sets up future plot-points explored more in the Moffat era as showrunner.

Now, this episode is really, really good - I was heavily tempted to give it a 9, but I feel it pales in comparison to part 2, which fully fleshs out and explores the interesting concepts which part 1 just sets-up. River Song became more interesting in part 2, and the Vatsha Nerada became more of an active threat, but here, we're mostly building up to the ending cliffhanger, which is amazing, but it's part 2 that gets into the really meat of the story.

That said, this is still great. Catherine Tate and Alex Kingston steal the show, and, as mentioned, the cliffhanger is built up so well, and delivers such a punch in the gut, that it makes some of the more meandering sections feel worth it. And the Vatsha Nerada are legitimately really creepy, and it boasts some unexpectedly touching Donna momments.

This is a really good episode, but Part 1 is a little overrated, with part 2 over-shadowing it so much that it looses some of its original magic. Some other two-parters - like the Impossible Planet / The Satan Pit, The Stolen Earth / Journey's End, The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances, or even the far less great Rise of the Cybermen / The Age of Steel - have both parts on an equal level of quality, but here, one is great, while the other is fantastic.

I'll say it again, this is great, but not my absolute favourite. 8/10.

Yes, another excellent story from the ever-inventive brain of Steven Moffat - Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead proves that you can have intelligent science fiction that appeals to the whole family AND which makes you think. No dumbing down required, just a great story, great script and some characters who you really care about. What more could you ask for? My only slight disappointment was with the direction - Euros Lyn is a very fine director but I don't feel that his style suited this kind of story - I would have chosen someone like Hettie MacDonald (director of the excellent 'Blink'), Alice Troughton or perhaps Charles Palmer as they all have the ability to direct 'dark and creepy' stories. Okay, so Euros directed the successful 'The Unquiet Dead' series 1 story, but he was helped a lot by it being set in the rather dark and moody Victorian times.

Anyhow, an excellent two parter nonetheless. Here's hoping that we see more like this in series 5 when Steven Moffat takes over as the show runner.