‘Doctor Who’ season 8, episode 8 review: Foxes, mummies, and reconciliation

Tonight, “Doctor Who” found itself with what we believe to be quite the challenge: Actually finding a way to live up to an episode entitled “Mummy on the Orient Express.” Seriously, this was such a cool premise, we were worried that the odds were very high that this story would fall flat on its face.

Luckily, we are pleased to report that this is not actually what happened here. Instead, we had one of our favorite episodes of the season. Was there some wasted time? Sure, and there were a few times that the relationship between the Doctor and Clara went in some unexpected directions. It’s not that they hooked up or anything, but there was some bizarre tension between them. The two finally seemed to be on the same page again near the end of the episode, but what was with some of Clara’s half-truths as a result of this later?

What really made this episode shine, at least for us, was the presence of a very good monster. Every successful episode of the show needs someone to root against, and this mummy was pretty awesome. Great effects, and the right sort of terrifying. It is at least a million times better than the spider mess that we saw with “Kill the Moon.”

With only a handful of episodes left in the season, the only thing that we are hoping for is that the story continues to move forward in a direction that really plants the focus first and foremost on the characters, and this complicated triangle that Clara has herself in. It’s not a love triangle per se, but it is a situation where she has to choose between a normal life, and continuing to make excursions with the Doctor. Sooner or later, her time will come where she has to figure this out. Grade: B+.

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