The Idiot's Lantern

I enjoyed this episode when it was first transmitted, but IВ’m beginning to think now that itВ’s one of pros and cons. On the one hand we have an episode here that actually bothers to tell a story, which puts it higher than many of the seasonВ’s other episodes. And yet, here in the 21st CenturyВ’s new character-driven Doctor Who, we are presented with some of the shoddiest characterisation the programme has ever seen. Apples and oranges then? WeВ’ll see.

The BBCВ’s flair with period detail is well documented by myself and others, and it doesnВ’t let them down here as the episode begins with an excellent pre-titles sequence, and Mark Gatiss clearly hasnВ’t forgotten the idea of the opening credits being the equivalent of the famous cliffhanger. It is directed by Euros Lyn however, and that means itВ’s going to be way too flashy for its own good. Despite the jaunty camera angles and jump-cuts this remains a visually strong episode though, and the imagery of having an ethereal television presenter as the villain is supremely engaging.

WhatВ’s immediately obvious about the regularsВ’ opening scene is that Billie Piper hardly shuts her mouth, which IВ’m going to use as shorthand for her portrayal through the entire episode; throughout my reviews of series two IВ’ve been tracking the characterВ’s descent from tough chick into obnoxious brat, and I have to say that The IdiotВ’s Lantern sets a new low for the companion. IВ’ve got more bones to pick with The Impossible Planet though, so I donВ’t want to dwell on this too much В– especially since IВ’m repeating myself now В– although I would highlight it as an example of series oneВ’s superiority over this one. The real problem with The IdiotВ’s Lantern is that the other characters are just as bad, as the usual saving grace of an episode is that while TennantВ’s enforced goofiness and RoseВ’s simpering deference to it grates theyВ’re usually surrounded by likeable foil like Mickey or Ida Scott. With The IdiotВ’s Lantern though, while I can hang on to the large amounts of decent mystery and atmosphere being produced I have to mentally fight to prevent it all being undone by the relentlessly two-dimensional Eddie and his family. With stagy delivery of didactic lines, I really feel like as a viewer IВ’m being spoken down to and the DoctorВ’s В“is housework a womanВ’s businessВ” scene doesnВ’t help matters. Wait, whatВ’s this? TennantВ’s raised his voice again! That means heВ’s angry, you know.

The faceless people help as in design terms theyВ’re very good and itВ’s certainly a shock to see them for the first time. There is the old В“how do they breatheВ” question, but if I went on about how visuals are being favoured over the idea actually being plausible even in a fantasy sense then I wouldnВ’t have anything left to say about a certain scene from Love & Monsters.

Once the Doctor and Rose have left the house and start creeping around looking for answers, things start to pick up: the fact that this episode takes a bit of time out to tell a proper story is a seriously big factor in its favour. The shots of the Doctor creeping round the cage of faceless people are fantastically done, and his conversation with the police detective is a highlight of the episode. Meanwhile, Ron Cook puts in an excellent performance as Magpie that forces even Billie Piper to restrain herself В– and any episode that removes RoseВ’s big flapping mouth for much of its runtime has to score bonus points, right? It does lead to Tennant shifting into the standard В“force of natureВ” role though, so I donВ’t know whether to take those bonus points back off again.

Meanwhile the auntВ’s line that В“itВ” should be beaten out of young Tommy sees more writing down (what is В“itВ”? Someone explain, itВ’s just too subtle!) and his speech about freedom is humiliating to sit through. My usual complaint about big moralising speeches applies here, but this is a particularly bad example. When the characters sound like theyВ’re reading something off rather than saying whatВ’s come into their heads, the writing has failed.

Things get back on track again in the shop with the chilling imagery of the faces on the screens, although they do over-literalise the idea of the victimsВ’ souls being stolen. The idea of the Wire being an executed non-corporeal entity is nothing new but it still works, and thereВ’s a genuinely dramatic scene where she attacks the Doctor. However, her comment that the Doctor is armed upon seeing the sonic screwdriver is a sad indictment of the magic wand the device has become. The ending is great in set-piece terms, but the resolution itself is the standard new series cop-out of plugging something into something else and pushing a button. The Wire, as arguably the best original villain the new series has seen, deserved better.

It seems that thereВ’s been a positive comment for every negative one. The IdiotВ’s Lantern is worthy for its story and its imagery, but with some dreadful characterisation it really isnВ’t as good as I remember and not a patch on GatissВ’s earlier The Unquiet Dead.