Doctor Who: The Story & the Engine (15x05)

I really, really liked a lot about this one!

Cons:

My one bigger structural complaint is just that I feel like they went too complicated when they could have stripped it down simpler, because the stakes and the concept behind the "bad guy" and the conflict were kind of muddy for me? Why have it be this thing where there's the barber who writes down the story for all these story-telling-slash-trickster gods, and then also Anansi's daughter is there, and they're sort of working together but really both of them need to be saved? Why not just have it be Anansi's daughter working alone, or why not have it just be Anansi, changed and warped somehow and in need of a perspective shift? You've got the stories feeding the battery and then the big spider mech in space and the hurt feelings and the goal of erasing the gods... it just felt like a lot of murkiness on the way through to the ending. I liked the Doctor and Belinda both helping to encourage these two wrong-doers to live for a better future and let go of bitterness, but it felt like the setup to get there could have been cleaner.

 Less convoluted setup might also have given us more time with the side characters, all the trapped people in the barber shop. I would have loved to have more energy of just them and their playing off of each other and the Doctor. There's a scene where the Doctor is furious at the barber for betraying him, basically, getting him to come here to rescue them all, but I think that scene would have worked better if there had been a bit more focus on the friendship and connection between the men before that moment of realization. Plus, I was a little unclear as to the reason for the Doctor's level of vitriol - his friend was in mortal danger and then Doctor showed up, and then he's pissed at being dragged into danger himself? I wish there had been something more concrete where we knew the Doctor had been lied to directly and deceived into showing up, but the writing didn't make that super clear to me.

Pros:

Over all, though, I think this was an incredibly strong episode with so many cool ideas and moments. So I can forgive some structural weirdness, honestly! To start off with, I like that Belinda was trapped in the TARDIS for the beginning stretch, so that the Doctor got a chance to fully immerse himself into this welcoming environment without having to be a guide or protector - because when the Doctor has his companion(s) with him, he always has to orient towards their safety and comfort a bit. So it was cool to see him walking through Lagos, greeting people, coming in and finding his friends, without Belinda for that window of time. I also loved their conversation in the TARDIS at the beginning, where she continues to emphasize that she wants to go home, but also understands that the Doctor needs a moment of connection and solace.

The last time we had an episode that was really about the Doctor being a Black man, it was when the racism of the other characters prevented him from doing his job and saving them. It was a brilliant episode that showcased the strange reality of a man who is used to having his authority go unquestioned, suddenly in a position to face a type of prejudice he hasn't faced before. I think it was high time we did another episode focusing on the Doctor's identity with respect to his race, but this time it's about being embraced into a cultural and physical space where he is not an outsider, where he very much belongs. The ritual and cultural solace offered by the barber shop, sweeping through those gorgeous crowd shots and being pulled into hugs and greeting aunties and uncles... I loved all of it, it felt very healing and cathartic for this character in a way I think was absolutely needed.

And despite what I said about the stakes being a little unclear, I do think the moment when the Doctor feels betrayed by his friend also worked along these same lines, because he expresses that this place was a safe harbor for him, a home. He doesn't like that his friend thought it was okay to sacrifice him, essentially, just because he "doesn't have a home" and "doesn't have a family" and is thus somehow less important. And then at the end, Obi apologizes and says that the Doctor is "part of his community" and thus he should have protected him. That was so sweet and lovely!

I also really liked the concept of the stories feeding their energy into something larger. It's a beautiful idea repurposed for a sinister goal, but in the meantime it was so neat to see the different art styles representing the different stories. I loved the story of the songs and the art that always changes, as a living thing. And Abena doing the Doctor's hair and telling her story about enslaved people using their hair as a means of escape. And I like that the Doctor chose to tell his story about Belinda, just a story of her generosity and kindness and a time when she was appreciated for all her hard work. That story being so powerful was both because it's the Doctor telling it, and because, as he says, a simple human story is going to be the most powerful thing of all.

We got the briefest glimpse of the Fugitive Doctor, with still no real idea what she means or what's going to happen with that! I'm curious, because obviously that character was an invention of a previous show-runner, what Russell T. Davies might have in mind for the exploration of this idea. But I thought it made sense to show her here, and have her be the version of the Doctor that had a connection to Anansi and his daughter.

As the episode ends, we still haven't made any progress on getting poor Belinda back home! But I liked her bravery here, the way she followed after the Doctor to help him, and how relieved he was to see her. They make a good team, honestly!

8.5/10