Doctor Who: Nightmare in Silver (7x12)

I have a lot of feelings about this episode, because to be perfectly honest there were a lot of big things about it that made little to no sense, but there was also the Doctor playing a game of chess against himself so somehow it seems like the positives outweigh the negatives. For my fan-girl brain, anyway. But if I turn on my critic brain and try to examine this episode a bit more closely, I do have some critiques.

To start with, I am really happy that they decided to do an episode with Angie and Artie. I think they're adorable and they really bring out this complex side of Clara's character. However, that being said, was it just me or did they act really strangely for little kids? They were disappointed when they first showed up at their destination. And yeah, I know they were promised a cool carnival thing, but they think they're standing on the freakin' moon and they're complaining about it. I guess it just seemed like a really dissatisfying way to start off an episode. If the companions are underwhelmed, then are we supposed to be as well?

But, I'm happy to report that things picked up very quickly from there. I always like underdog stories, and this one was just that. The entire crew was there as a punishment, the park was closed down, and everything was basically deserted. It was the perfect place for a surprising threat, so it made sense why the Doctor didn't seem too worried at the beginning, and didn't bother to have Clara take the kids home as he started to investigate. I was shouting at the Doctor through the screen, though, because I obviously knew the Cybermen were about to mess everything up... GET THOSE CHILDREN OUT OF HERE!

But I digress. The kids ended up being a very positive addition to the episode overall. I particularly liked how Artie is all goody-goody and thanks the Doctor for the experience at the end. Angie is a bit more sassy, but still acts as an ordinary kid would. She ends up figuring out the twist at the end, and she has some excellent lines, such as "When someone asks you if you want to be queen of the universe, you say yes. You watch... one day, I'll be queen of the universe."

I'm going to mention the problems I have with this episode before I get into the stuff that I loved. I've already mentioned that I thought the characterization of the kids was a bit inconsistent, but I think overall their appearance here was a good thing.

The same can be said for Porridge. He was a fun character, and I actually didn't see the twist coming at the end, despite the clues throughout. My problem, however, was the fact that he was selfish enough to let them all almost be killed just because he didn't like the weight of responsibility. If Angie hadn't figured out that Porridge was the emperor, I got the impression that he would have let them all be killed. I think he's supposed to be a really sympathetic character, and I did enjoy him for the most part, but this one element made it hard for me to relate to him.

However, he did have some funny moments, the most notable of which was when he proposed to Clara. Actually I think the funniest thing going on here was the Doctor's rather frazzled reaction to this proposal. I could just picture the wheels turning in his head - No, she can't get married! She's my - wait a moment, am I jealous? Why am I jealous? This is a strange development.

Some other good bits: I liked the punishment platoon, and I loved how confident Clara was as she took charge. She was clearly terrified, but she didn't let it show. Under that sort of pressure, I feel like most ordinary people would be inclined to just collapse, but Clara held up really nicely. It was basically the first time we've seen Clara have to deal with something entirely on her own, and she did honor to the title of Companion. I also enjoyed a few of the minor side characters here, as they did a good job portraying the terror of their situation while still keeping some of these scene light and funny, such as when one of the guys was upset that the trigger had been broken: "but you signed for that!" I'd also just like to say that the funniest moment here was when Clara says "I trust the Doctor," and is then asked if she thinks he knows what he's doing. Her answer? "I'm not sure I'd go that far."

In terms of the stakes, I think that this episode had the best setup of the entire season. The concept of what was at risk was very clearly stated, and it was legitimately scary. I was actually scared of the Cybermen for the first time in a long time, and it comes from the fact that I'm scared of the Doctor. Or, not scared of him exactly, but scared of his knowledge. Of everything he keeps in that gorgeous alien head of his. If an enemy got hold of that sort of information, it would not bode well for the rest of the world. It was seriously freaky to see the Doctor lose control of himself in this episode. It actually reminded me about of Tennant's episode "Midnight," although the performances were very different. Just the very concept of the Doctor not being in control of himself is a very frightening one, and it was handled very well.

And then of course I've saved the biggest element (and the best) for last. Matt. Freakin'. Smith. Guys, seriously. Seriously. This guy is a master. If it isn't clear to those of you who have been reading my reviews, I'm occasionally not the biggest fan of Moffat's storytelling and characterization. But I will forever come back and watch if we have someone as seriously talented as Smith playing the Doctor. He killed it in this episode. I was so impressed. I think it's a lot of actor's dreams to be able to play in a Jekyll/Hyde sort of scenario, and he really took it and went for it.

The design of the metal control thing was really cool, as was the look inside the Doctor's head. I don't even know how to describe how much I enjoyed Matt Smith's performance this week. I was beyond impressed. I'll list some of the best moments for you, but there were so many of them that I'm bound to miss a few that I thought were really great. Basically, Matt Smith can do no wrong for me in this episode. Here are some highlights:

All of the physicality stuff at the beginning when the Doctor/Cyber-Planner were dancing around, jumping back and forth between the two.

The Doctor and the Cyber-Planner argue inside the Doctor's head, and the Cyber-Planner (who I'll be calling Mr. Clever from now on) asks this question: "Oooh... who's Clara, why are you thinking about her so much?"

I also very much enjoyed the moment when the Doctor has to break the news to Clara that Angie and Artie were in walking comas, and how he hid from Clara while saying it.

The Doctor using gold to temporarily incapacitate Mr. Clever.

The Doctor's line: "Immobilize me. Quickly." This was very chilling and intense.

"Fantastic!" "Allons-y!" 'Nuff said.

The Doctor and Clara are talking, and she's freaking out about the kids. Then, out of the blue, he says, "Listen, right now, they have a much better chance of getting out of this situation alive than you do." Clara asks: "Which one of you said that?" and then Mr. Clever gives a ridiculously creepy evil grin.

Mr. Clever destroying the bomb trigger.

Mr. Clever saying: "Do you think the children's death will affect your relationship with Miss Clara?"

The Doctor's "three moves" with the sonic screwdriver, and his cutting echo of Mr. Clever's earlier words: "Just taking advantage of the local resources!"

And then I've saved my favorite moment for last. Clara, being actually very smart, refuses to hand over the trigger without proof that the Doctor is in fact the Doctor. She says: "prove you're you." 

The Doctor answers: "Clara. I suppose... I'm the only one who knows how I feel about you right now. How funny you are. So funny. How pretty. And... truth is, I'm starting to like you in a way that is more than just..." but Clara interrupts him by slapping him.

Clara's face during this speech was so wonderful. It was like she wanted to believe he was telling the truth, but she knew he wasn't. After she slaps him, Mr. Clever becomes the Doctor, and says "It's me! That really hurt! How did you know that was him?!"

And Clara's answer is amazing: "Because even if that were true, which it is... obviously... not, I know you well enough to know that you would rather die than say it."

That moment for me was just covered in angst and drama and conflict and pressure. I really feel like Clara and the Doctor have this strong romantic connection. I'm only wondering how it's going to go down once River is thrown into the mix in the finale.

Of course then later Clara asks the Doctor if he thinks she's pretty (once again to determine if Mr. Clever is in control) and the Doctor says: "No. You're too short and bossy and your nose is all funny."

But, oh please. The Doctor obviously thinks Clara is attractive. I mean, who wouldn't? The way he smiles when he thinks about her in a skirt that's just a little "too tight?" Please, Doctor. You're not fooling any of us.

So, the short and long of it is that while this episode had flaws, there were just so many stand-out moments in Matt Smith's performance that I don't have it in me to be too harsh about it.

8/10