Doctor Who: The Zygon Inversion (9x08)

So... this double episode has definitely been a weak point in the season thus far. There were a lot of elements that I felt were very successful, but I never felt like things clicked into a coherent and masterful whole. Let's take a look at part two of this Zygon-based adventure.

Cons:

I'll start with the big one. The entire episode hinges on a scene at the very end when Kate (human) and Bonnie (Zygon) face off and contemplate pushing a button that will destroy the ceasefire between humans and Zygons. Kate wants to push the button that will kill all the Zygons, while Bonnie wants to push the button that will force all the Zygons out of hiding, and cause panic and destruction. The Doctor is the only thing stopping them from pushing these buttons - he talks to them, trying to get them to see that war is an endless cycle, and that the only way to get off the crazy rollercoaster is to forgive. The Doctor also draws on his own experience with war to convince these two women not to push the buttons. They both back off, swayed by the Doctor's rhetoric. Bonnie actually realizes that both boxes are empty, and that the whole thing is there to keep the political balance safe.

My problem with this? Well... Moffat does this a lot in his stories. It reminded me of the non-existent code from Sherlock, that Moriarty said he was using to hack into government institutions. It reminds me of several other Moffat-era episodes wherein the whole thing is merely a setup with no practical consequences, and it's really just about getting people to communicate. This isn't a bad message by any means, but it feels like the Doctor is a puppet master over the population of Earth, rather than a benevolent protector. The main proof of this? Apparently this isn't the first time this stand-still has happened. It's happened fifteen or so times, and each time the Doctor erases their memories so they don't remember that the Osgood Boxes (as they are called) are empty. What's to stop this from continuing to happen again and again? Effectively, only one person actually grows and changes in this episode, and that's Bonnie the Zygon. What's to stop somebody else from the rebellion from just doing the whole thing again, in perpetuity?

Pros:

Great acting. Most of this episode hung on Jenna Coleman's ability to act as Bonnie and Clara. She did a phenomenal job. Bonnie was by far the best part of the episode. The best scene was the conversation between Clara and Bonnie, when they feel their own pulses because their hearts are beating as one. With this biological lie detector built in, they have to tell each other only the truth. The difference between Bonnie and Clara is clear as day, and it has nothing to do with their different outfits. The scene was well-paced, building up to Clara telling Bonnie that she'll want to talk to her again after she sees the Osgood Boxes. Clara gets the last word, which is fantastic.

And then there's the resolution of Bonnie's character. Instead of just remaining a villain, she actually listens to the Doctor, and decides not to push the button inside of the Osgood Box. She actually joins Osgood, the Doctor, and Clara as one of the few people to know the truth of the Osgood Boxes. She takes on Osgood's appearance, thus filling in for one of the Osgoods who died in last week's episode. The Doctor has no idea which Osgood is human and which one is Zygon, but as the Osgoods say, it doesn't matter. They're both Osgood.

And Osgood was another highlight. Osgood's character has gone from being something of a nerdy sycophant to being a truly capable and awesome individual. She doesn't have to fight or outwit her enemies. She just has to keep quiet about her nature. Which is Zygon? Which is Human? She tells the Doctor that she'll only answer that question when nobody cares about the answer anymore. That was a really powerful moment. I also liked that she knew a lot about the Doctor, but she wasn't just a mindless fan. She engaged with the Doctor and helped save the day. Honestly, Osgood was an amazing companion in terms of fulfilling the "normal human is extraordinary" purpose of the companion. I was actually disappointed when she turned down the offer to travel with the Doctor at the end. I would have loved to see that.

Peter Capaldi also did an amazing job. The toughest part of the script, the big speech, wasn't at all my favorite thing. He did a good job, but the scene itself just didn't work for me. The acting moments that I liked most from him were the subtle ones when he tried to hold back his devastation at the belief that Clara was dead. He knows he has to keep moving forward, and doesn't have time to grieve. At the very end of the episode, Clara asks the Doctor what it was like to believe she was dead. He says it was the longest month of his life. (Even though, in reality, it was only an hour or so at most). Basically, he's saying it was one of the worst things he's ever been through. There's no dramatic declarations or tearful reunions, but we still know because of Capaldi's acting that his grief was bone-deep and all-encompassing.

Kate didn't have a lot of screen time, but I continue to appreciate her character for its complexities. She pretends to be a Zygon to get in with the enemies and help the Doctor, but in the end she was willing to commit mass murder to save the day. She's deeply flawed, and actually reminds me a lot of Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister. Her instinct to commit harm is deeply abhorrent to the Doctor, but he still wants to help her do better.

So... do you see my problem with this episode? On the surface, you would think that I would love it. After all, it's dominated by strong and fairly well-developed female characters - Clara, Bonnie, Osgood, Kate. The acting was superb, there were a few very touching and powerful moments. So why do I say this is a weak episode in the season? It all comes back to the climax. When a story has a lot of good elements in it, but it can't stick the landing in terms of its powerful climactic moment, it's really hard to give it high marks.

7/10