Dr. Who Season 4 Episode 10: "Midnight" SPOILERS

[Felon]

Weeeeeird episode. All taking place in one little area with no running and no companion and no big monster. Davies trying to channel Moffat?

 

[Grog]

That was, without a doubt, the best DW script Davies has written. And the tight, tense atmosphere really came across well, so credit to the director, too.

I loved this episode. There's an unknown, mysterious, scary alien presence - and it turns out that the scary alien presence is not the scariest thing in the episode. Great depiction of the mob mentality; the people here aren't deliberately evil, they're just scared, and petty, and looking for a scapegoat. And once they decide that the Doctor is an outsider, he's it.

Once the Doctor lost his voice, that panicked mob presented more danger to him than any alien or evil mastermind ever did.

Great episode. Loved it.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

I really liked it, for the most part. I'm a bit disappointed that the Doctor didn't do anything to save the day and solve the problem- he's the hero, after all, and it's kind of meh when things just happen to the protagonist in a story and he isn't instrumental in solving things. That, and the ending was another downer of an ending for the seemingly constant tragic life of the Doctor.

Otherwise, I really enjoyed it. The tension among the travelers was incredibly tangible, and the paranoia and ease with which they determined to destroy that which they couldn't comprehend was pretty interesting.

The woman playing Sky was a pleasant suprise as well. At the beginning, I thought she seemed like the lamest of the bunch- both from a character standpoint as well as an acting standpoint. But then she did an incredible turnaround. She plays creepy very well.

 

[Mark Hope]

That was a very enjoyable episode. Great tension, great characterisation. Very glad they went with tiny set and minimal approach. Plus it was cool to see Rose put in an appearance on the tv screen behind the Doctor. A bunch of the characters were played by veteran British tv actors from soaps, hospital dramas and the like, and it was a real treat to see them doing Dr Who .

Teasers for next week looked awesome!

 

[Pinotage]

Good episode. Not one of the best - it had a kind of 'Blair Witch' feel to it in a certain way. Still, now that it's out of the way, they can get on with the finale! Yay!

Pinotage

 

[Felon]

I really liked it, for the most part. I'm a bit disappointed that the Doctor didn't do anything to save the day and solve the problem- he's the hero, after all, and it's kind of meh when things just happen to the protagonist in a story and he isn't instrumental in solving things. That, and the ending was another downer of an ending for the seemingly constant tragic life of the Doctor.

I agree that it's very uncharacteristic for the Doctor to reach into his magic hat and pull out nothing. No encyclopedic knowledge of the creature, no theories about it, and ultimately no solution. Can't even employ a little basic psychology to keep everyone cool. Heck, he even choked on the fake name.

This episode touches on a lot of stuff we've discussed here. The Doctor cops his almighty "over-my-dead-body" attitude--and gets called on it. Pluck wasn't enough this go-round. He overestimates human compassion, and underestimates human paranoia. All those times he's taken for granted that humans are blissfully oblivious to little details catches up to him, because this time they do notice, and he's clearly genuinely taken aback by it.

 

[horacethegrey]

Argh. Late again, chalk it up to a faulty connection (I hate my ISP), and having to service my comp (dirty fan).

But WHOA. What a kicker. I definitely must agree with Grog, this is the best script Russell T. Davies has written for Doctor Who. He takes the standard plot trappings of the show (base under siege, humans in danger, and the Doctor saving the day), and turns it on it's head. The result is fantastic.

And what was best here is that while there is a monster of the week, it wasn't the scariest thing in the story. What was scary was the collective paranoia and fear that gripped the passengers, so much so that they were willing to do the unthinkable. It's stuff like that the Doctor has no answer to, and the episode really portrays his helplessness at the situation. Lovely acting from David Tennant, but I must commend all the guest stars, especially Lesley Sharp, upon whose creepy performance the success of this entire episode revolves.

In conclusion, I'd rate this as one of the darkest stories of Doctor Who ever, alongside The Caves of Androzani .

 

[horacethegrey]

This episode touches on a lot of stuff we've discussed here. The Doctor cops his almighty "over-my-dead-body" attitude--and gets called on it. Pluck wasn't enough this go-round. He overestimates human compassion, and underestimates human paranoia. All those times he's taken for granted that humans are blissfully oblivious to little details catches up to him, because this time they do notice, and he's clearly genuinely taken aback by it.

I must definitely agree with this. This time his superiority complex wasn't an asset, but a liability, and a dangerous one at that. It only served to make the rest of the passengers suspicious and downright hostile of him. And as I said, he has no answer to that.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Among the other nice touches were that the annoying 'hostess', whose name nobody actually knew, was in fact the one to save them.

The transformation of the passengers from people who were having fun together to a mob was very real and, as others have mentioned, frightening.

Great episode all round.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Among the other nice touches were that the annoying 'hostess', whose name nobody actually knew, was in fact the one to save them.

I found that part to be a little hokey, considering how much time the Doctor spent intermingling with the other passengers and how much interest he had in getting to know everyone. Maybe not quite as hokey as the fact that- some time in his conversation with Sky, he didn't manage to ask her her name- but a little bit.

Granted, it's entirely possible to meet and have conversations with people without ever learning their names, but it's not generally in keeping with the Doctor's M.O. (nor is it terribly British, in my experience. More of an American thing to do.)