Judging by the title, this episode didn’t seem like the best one to watch on iPlayer at midnight, in my bed, all alone. Of course, that’s what I did.
We are told by a new narrator as the episode commences ‘Do not watch this’. Oh, what a tease.
Yet another inconsequential #DoctorWho episode. When will this stop?
— Jason (@Lewishamdreamer) November 15, 2015
This is the ‘found footage’ episode that we were given hints about before the series began, and I really like the different camera angles’ effect on the storytelling.
The story is set in the 38th century, just after the ‘great catastrophe’ according to the Doctor. Clara says, what ‘great catastrophe’? We may never know. Doctor Who does like to keep us in suspense.
A rescue team arrives on a lab orbiting Neptune to investigate a sudden silence. The lab’s central purpose is to develop ‘Morpheus’- a concentrated sleep pod which enables people to stay awake for up to a month. Our narrator is revealed to be the lead scientist, and the Doctor takes a nice little prod at our overworked society today.
The team meet the Doctor and Clara, and all of a sudden, everyone is attacked by what looks like a giant portion of fried chicken. The concept behind these monsters was ill thought out in my opinion. Animated concentrated sleep dust which is carnivorous, psychic and can turn human beings into cameras?
The speech trying to convince us that eye sleep is scary and the story was poignant/meaningful was embarrassing. #DoctorWho #SleepNoMore
— Claudia Boleyn (@ClaudiaBoleyn) November 14, 2015
The whole episode was spent running around the lab base, away from the monsters and towards the Doctor’s inevitable, clever, conclusion. Ten points for the Macbeth quote.
I freaked out at one moment when the Doctor looked directly towards the camera.
‘It’s like this is all for effect, we’re in a story’….OH LORD HE’S BROKEN THE FOURTH WALL.
Turns out, our narrator is the bad guy. Classic. And the whole episode is a ruse. The electronic signal which will turn the whole of humanity into Kentucky Fried Chicken monsters is encoded in the very video we’re seeing. Well, he did tell us not to watch it.
The conclusion? An impending invasion of earth by sleep dust. Although it doesn’t look like this storyline will be continuing in the next episode, we’ll no doubt be seeing more in episodes to come. I can’t say I’m thrilled.
That was the worst episode of Capaldi’s run, worst of Moffat’s, possibly worst since the show came back in 2005. What the hell? #DoctorWho
— lameboy advance (@ryxnf) November 14, 2015
Overall, one of the weaker episodes of what has otherwise been a very strong series so far.
Next week’s episode though?! Looks AWESOME.
