‘Doctor Who’ season 8, episode 6 review: Did you buy Clara, Danny Pink surprise?
Tonight’s episode of “Doctor Who” was entitled “The Caretaker,” and we imagine that it may for many be somewhat polarizing. Not everyone wants to watch this show to hear about relationships, but for us, we really enjoyed the way in which the story for Clara and Danny Pink came together.
Basically, this story explored very well whether or not Clara can continue to balance having an ordinary life while traversing around the universe past and present with a man Danny came to call her “Space Dad.” He learned of the Doctor’s existence after he began an undercover mission at Coal Hill school, and suffice it to say, he was not that thrilled about being lied to.
You could call Danny possessive or angry through this, but we feel like he handled all this information far better than we thought that he would. How else cal you react to finding out that your girlfriend is a rogue space traveler?
We enjoyed the emotional process that he went through, and that Clara went through at the same time. The Doctor had to realize that Danny would be okay, and Danny had to do the same thing about the Doctor.
In a way, there are fewer things conceptually to discuss this episode than in past hours, but we enjoyed it just as much (if not more) than most episodes this season. It was simple, but gave us a better sense of the characters. It was less about throwing the characters all over the place.
Overall, we’d declare this the second-best episode of the fall, behind only “Listen” at the moment. Grade: A-.
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Photo: BBC
Peg
September 28, 2014 @ 1:59 am
Loved it. Love Danny. After years of companions besotted with the Doctor and male companions unable to stand up on their own two feet in a fight with the Doctor, it was good to see Clara seeing clear distinction between being in love with Danny and having a different love for the Doctor… And it was just plain wonderful to see Danny Give the Doctor a real dissident to push back against.
The Doctor has the age and the power and the Tardis and in some ways no boyfriend or companion can “win” in a serious fight with him. But only a character strong enough to rebel and disent works to bring out character and narrative, and the Mickey-Captain Jack-Rory run, and all the many girl companions all dewy-eyed over him made it rough going to explore the character much. Really, Donna Noble was the one companion, male or female, who really could and did stand down the Doctor.
Now Clara and Danny both can, and do, and do it well, and with dignity, and plausible humanity. Good work on the part of writer, director, and definitely actors.