Silence in the Library

I think this series so far has been a bit of a let down. It feels as though nothing big has happened so far and I've been watching, waiting for the real excitement that the last few series have offered.

Tonight's episode though, I thought was absolutely fantastic! Steven Moffat manages to create such brilliant episodes ('Blink', 'The Girl in the Fireplace'...) which rivals some of the original Doctor Who story lines, in terms of depth and imagination.

Finally, we have mystery. Russel T. Davies' opening episode was of great disappointment - as were some of the following episodes. Moffat's script doesn't fail to intrigue. TV worth watching.

Moffat is definitely the best writer - Moffat to take over from Davies...

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.

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.

Ooo... I knew that this back run on season four was good and so it proves here with another double episode story, one that introduces a seminal Nu-Who character and is more of the chilling horror that Steven Moffat has become synonymous with during his writing only days.

Responding to a message that appears on his physic paper, the Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate) head to the largest library in history, a whole planet dedicated to the preservation of books. Though eerily uninhabited, the Doctor discovers a security camera that seems linked to a little girl (Eve Newton) apparently living in 21st century Britain. Then they meet an archaeological team led by the enigmatic River Song (Alex Kingston) who appears to know the Doctor already, though he doesn't know her.

Moffat's penchant for horror comes out again here with the Vashta Nerada, microscopic creatures that will strip the flesh from a person in seconds. But there's also the more esoteric horror of the concept of echoes of dead people being trapped in their mental communicators - already dead, but still trying to make sense of their experience as the signal degrades. The image of the animated space suit, with only a skull inside the helmet repeating "who turned out the lights" as he chases down the others is a memorable one.

The cast of this episode is really strong, even down to tiny cameos from Sarah Niles and Josh Dallas. The archaeological team consists of several recognisable faces, from O-T Fagbenle, Talulah Riley, Harry 'Ray Bloody Purchase' Peacock and, completing the League of Gentlemen collection, Steve Pemberton. It's the first appearance of Alex Kingston's River Song though, that is the key one, as she would feature regularly from here on out during Moffat's time as show runner - which was announced just as this episode was going to air.

Two-part episodes can only really be judged at the conclusion of the second episode, but this is such an inventive start, jam packed with ideas, that it stands as one of Nu-Who's best episodes so far.

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.