2nd December: an introduction.
Right …
Any minute now, I’m going to be eating a bacon sandwich: for lunch.
This evening?
I’ll be having an early dinner … then watching “Wild Blue Yonder”, the next Doctor Who 60th anniversary special episode.
I’ll have this review done, by tomorrow night!
Hopefully?
You’ll be back to read it: or to watch the video review!
3rd December, 2023: “Wild Blue Yonder”.
“Wild Blue Yonder” opens with the Whoniverse ident.
Then shifts … to show us England in 1666: where Isaac Newton (Nathaniel Curtis) heading out to his garden, to get some fresh air, take some notes, and sit under a shady apple tree.
Only for an apple to fall out of the tree: and onto Isaac’s head.
The apple — along side quite a few others — has been forced to drop from the tree: by the TARDIS that’s just materialised at the top of the tree.
And earns the scientist an apology — and a cheap pun — from the Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna (Catherine Tate) before they’re say their farewells … and fly off into the wide blue yonder of the episode’s title.
Post titles?
Post titles, we see the TARDIS crash: into the solid metal walls of an internal room of a mysterious spaceship on the very edge of the universe, itself.
The Doctor and Donna have a set of problems.
- There’s no living beings on the ship.
- The maintenance robot isn’t talking.
- It’s getting cold in here … !
To cap it all off … ?
The TARDIS’s on-board HADS, its Hostile Action Displacement System, has caused the TARDIS to vanish.
The TARDIS … has fled … !
~≈👽≈~
Now … what did I make of this episode … ?
Of “Wild Blue Yonder”?
One thing — and it’s a relatively minor thing! — was casting mixed raced actor, Nathaniel Curtis, as Isaac Newton.
Effectively, we have a person of colour playing a known white historical figure.
To me, it’s as inappropriate as casting Daniel Craig as Malcolm X.
Or — relevantly, for Dr Who fans — casting white actor, John Bennett as the Chinese character, Li H’Sien Chan in “The Talons of Weng Chiang”.
Or not casting a trans actress in the role of Rose Noble.
It’s on a par, I think.
That said? And before anyone cancels me!?
Curtis puts in a capable performance: even if it’s short.
I don’t know if I should ask for Curtis to be hired for future performances as Newton.
But wouldn’t object if he was: like I say, Nathaniel Curtis put in a capable performance: which is the important bit, more important and any issues I may have.
~≈👽≈~
On other fronts … ?
On other fronts, the design work is pretty damned good!
For starters, the robot that’s the key part of the plot is just wonderful.
OK: the designers could’ve made a nice, shiny robot, one in the style of a 1950s sci-fi magazine cover … but no.
They went for a beaten-up look: a robot that that’s got dents, flaking paint … and rust … !
I think Dr Who’s just decided to get a cyberpunk, there.
Forty-odd years after the release of Ridley Scott’s grimy looking Alien, Dr Who’s team have figured out that rusty robots look good!
The other bit — or bits — of design?
Set wise, the corridor where so much of the action takes place in, is superb!
Granted, it reminds me of the corridor set of Event Horizon: at least the oval shape of the thing, did.
It seemed similar.
And it gives life to the old Dr Who cliché: that our heroes spend a lot of time, running down corridors!
The ship, itself … ?
In terms of what we saw of the interiors, the ship itself also put me in mind of Event Horizon: a much spruced up, lighter version of the Event Horizon, designed to look more A Space Odyssey, than a grimy cyberpunk wreck.
Those interiors gave me a definite Banksian, Event Horizon feel.
The exterior, by contrast?
Whilst still looking Banksian, put me in mind of the colony ship in the 12th Doctor stories, “World Enough and Time” and “The Doctor Falls”.
Why it reminded me of the Capaldi era ship … ?
I don’t know, but maybe was the broad shape: I’m assuming there’s only so many designs that a production designer can do.
Especially if they’ve seen Event Horizon … or 2001: A Space Odyssey: the latter is where I suspect many people designing a fictional spaceship will be getting their ideas.
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At any rate … the design work for this episode is great: with riveting attention to detail.
~≈👽≈~
As for the story, itself … ?
Let’s be frank: “Wild Blue Yonder” is an old fashioned two handed drama.
Although — possibly — ‘old fashioned’ is the wrong term for an episode where there’s four characters.
The Doctor and Donna: and their evil twin, duplicates made from some sort of energy: and able to lock themselves into shape … as long as the creatures they’re trying to duplicate are thinking, and thinking fast … !
It’s …
I mentioned in my write up of last week’s episode: that “The Star Beast” seemed a little too retro for my taste.
As good as it was, it was recycling both old actors, and an old story.
That is not necessarily an accusation I can throw at “Wild Blue Yonder.”
It’s fresh, new: and, in featuring the last performance of the late Bernard Cribbins?
“Wild Blue Yonder” is a beautiful thing to watch.
~≈👽≈~
With that said … ?
What did I think of “Wild Blue Yonder”?
Did I enjoy it?
Enough to want to see the next episode, “The Giggle”?
Yes, I did.
It’s one hell of an episode, With one hell of a cliffhanger!
So yes: I’ll be watching “The Giggle” on 9th December: and releasing my written and video releases on the 10th.
In between now and then?
I’ll be watching “House Divided”, the next episode of For All Mankind, on 4th December, 2023: and putting my written and video, reviews up on the 5th.
Feel free to subscribe to both Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar, and to my YouTube channel.
Until then, I’ll leave you with the words of №.6, himself.
“Be seeing you!”
“Wild Blue Yonder”.★★★★
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