Spoilers for “The Nicely.”
Generally, in fiction, you don’t have to say a Very Necessary Factor in a Very Necessary Technique to make a superb level, simply ask how a factor would work if it performed out on the planet. This week’s episode of Physician Who, “The Nicely,” does precisely that, and brilliantly.
Selecting up straight after “Lux,” the Physician and Belinda, nonetheless of their ‘50s outfits, are attempting to get the TARDIS to work. Belinda helps with the controls, however the vessel nonetheless refuses to land on Could 24, 2025, which panics the nurse much more. If the TARDIS isn’t damaged, she assumes that the date or the Earth itself might be damaged, and frets about her mother and father. The Physician shares her considerations, however guarantees that she can be reunited together with her household.
The Physician persists along with his plan to land in a couple of extra spots with the Vindicator (the gadget he constructed final week) to orient the TARDIS. This time, it’s 500,000 years sooner or later, and Belinda asks if humanity even exists by now. He assures her it does, as people unfold to the celebs and wormed themselves into each nook of the universe. The pair head to the TARDIS wardrobe to get into some acceptable garments earlier than heading out.
They step out onto the gantry of a spaceship the place an advance occasion of marines are leaping into the void. With no alternative however to affix them, they land on the planet under, enabling the Physician to take the Vindicator studying. However, alas, the planet’s heavy radiation means the ship (and by extension, the TARDIS) has to glide down slowly over the subsequent 5 hours. In order that they tag together with the mission, the Psychic Paper enabling the Physician and Belinda to insinuate themselves with the crew.
The planet is inhospitable, occupied solely by a small mining colony that has dug down into the world to extract its final remaining helpful assets. The colony went silent a couple of days earlier than and, earlier than you’ll be able to say “Oh, is that this going to be an(different) Aliens riff?” one of many marines suggests it will have been wiser to “nuke the location from orbit.”
All the colonists are useless, half from gunfire, half from accidents that appear to be they fell and broke each bone of their physique. The mirrors are all smashed and the techniques are offline, the information of what went on inaccessible. However there’s one survivor, the colony’s chef, Aliss Bethick (Rose Ayling-Ellis) who, just like the actress who portrays her, is deaf. Aliss has been ready in the midst of a big cargo turntable (which reads on digital camera as a giant circle) for days.
Aliss is remoted, each bodily within the staging and due to her listening to loss, and whereas she will be able to lipread, it’s nonetheless a barrier between her and the troopers. The Physician can talk with Aliss in signal, and the troopers all have their very own captioning screens on their lapels. A lot of the second act is taken up with the interrogation of Aliss because the marines work by means of the logistics of find out how to talk together with her. As an example, getting her consideration by casting to a different soldier’s display screen in her eye-line to get her to show round. Belinda enters the circle to deal with Aliss’ accidents however retains seeing one thing lurking behind her new affected person.
It isn’t lengthy earlier than the Physician learns that the desolate planet they stand on was as soon as lined in diamonds. That is the planet Midnight from the sequence 4 episode of the identical title when the Physician, trapped in a shuttle, tries and in the end fails to defeat a sinister entity that possessed one of many passengers. Like then, the Physician’s pleas for calm fail. Two of the troopers mutiny and try and lure the entity out and kill it. They don’t survive.
It’s Belinda who works out and explains the principles: When you think about the host — Aliss — on the middle of a clock, then whoever stands straight behind her is attacked by the unseen monster. When you stand at six o’clock you then’re positive, however “you’ll die at midnight.” Fairly actually, as whoever is within the entity’s approach will get thrown round like a ragdoll — half the crew taking pictures one another to kill the entity, the opposite half getting minced by the alien.
The Physician approaches Aliss to talk to the monster however because it’s time for the third act to begin wrapping up, he simply stares for a bit earlier than understanding the answer. As a way to mine the diamonds the colonists would dump down mercury, utilizing a pipe which is conveniently operating behind Aliss’ head. Taking pictures the pipe will trigger a river of mercury to cascade down, making a mirror that must be sufficient to banish the monster.
They make their escape, however the Physician can’t assist however wait behind to see the monster, giving it an opportunity to latch onto Belinda. The captain of the marines shoots Belinda sufficient that the entity thinks she’s about to die and switches hosts, after which level they leap into the mineshaft. Belinda wakes up within the TARDIS within the Physician’s care, prepared for the subsequent journey. In the meantime, the marines debrief their boss — Mrs. Flood! Who is aware of all concerning the Vindicator, too — earlier than revealing the alien did make it on board their spaceship in any case.
One of many threads within the episode is Belinda retains discussing human phrases and superstitions to shrugs from everybody round her. It’s one thing that’s received each her and The Physician puzzled, as there appears to be one thing very unsuitable with all of actuality.
You die at midnight…
Showrunner Russell T. Davies was requested about dangerous religion criticisms that the present had someway gone woke. “Somebody all the time brings up issues of range and there are on-line warriors accusing us of range and wokeness and involving messaging and points and I’ve no time for this,” he mentioned. “What you would possibly name ‘range’ I simply name an open door,” he added, “it’s chilly and it’s bracing and there’s a world in entrance of you! There’s a blue sky, there’s clouds and there’s noise, there’s birdsong, there’s folks arguing.”
What’s notable about that is that Davies’ open-minded (and open-hearted) strategy to creating the present creates storytelling potentialities. As an example, the final time an episode of Physician Who featured a deaf character (2015’s “Underneath The Lake”), she relied upon a colleague to interpret on her behalf. And her skill to lipread wound up being a part of the answer to the episode’s downside — lowering her to little greater than a plot mechanism.
Right here, whereas Aliss’ deafness is a core a part of the plot, it doesn’t really feel as if she’s outlined by that one aspect. Effort has been made to flesh out her character, and it’s extra a venue to discover how expertise and communication intersect with somebody with totally different accessibility wants. Particularly as (co-writers) Sharma Angel-Walfall and Russell T. Davies made the hassle to suppose by means of how this may work.
At any time when I’m watching an episode of nü-nü-Who, behind my thoughts I’m mulling what the injection of Disney cash modified. “Midnight,” the episode “The Nicely” is a sequel to, was produced as a “double banked” episode — splitting the results in shoot two episodes at a time. “Midnight” was additionally supposed as an inexpensive story, with the majority of the script going down in a single room. If we’re being sincere, “The Nicely” may have labored simply as properly given the majority of the motion takes place in a handful of rooms.
That’s to not say the additional money lavished upon this episode is wasted: “The Nicely” feels nearly indulgent by Physician Who requirements for the sheer breadth and depth of its units. I can’t assist however recall the Aliens riff Unusual New Worlds produced in its first season, which re-used the sequence’ standing units for the wreck of the USS Peregrine. It sounds bizarre to say that Physician Who is luxuriating within the truth it might afford to indicate a trashed bunkroom for all of a minute, however it’s.
Maybe a part of the explanation it does really feel indulgent is that that is an episode comparatively low on incident and excessive on character. Belinda will get an actual showcase right here, each asserting herself on the narrative at a number of factors, but additionally being rebuked for doing so. She tries to take cost to assist the injured Aliss however the medical package is so superior she’s not ready to make use of it. She’s sensible sufficient to work out the principles of the alien, but additionally it will get the higher of her ultimately.
Whereas the primary two episodes this season felt overstuffed and rushed, the smaller story and deal with character lets every part breathe. That an accessibility instrument is a key focus of the plot and used as a venue for storytelling and character growth is marvelous.
Look, I’m as bored saying it as you might be studying it, however as soon as once more I can’t assist however level out the affect of Steven Moffat on this season. One of many inspirations for monsters just like the Weeping Angels and the Silence was the concept of them being straightforward to show right into a schoolyard recreation. The unnamed entity right here, with the mechanic that when you stand straight behind the host you’ll die, appears completely in that custom.
However “The Nicely” additionally provides cases the place Davies is in dialog with the remainder of this season and his earlier work. In each “Midnight” and “The Nicely,” the Physician is prone to dropping his grip on the scenario as a result of the specter of the unknown makes folks paranoid and jumpy. A streak of deeply darkish pessimism runs by means of all of this work and whereas it’s additionally on present right here, there’s a bit extra hope than there was earlier than.
It’s additionally attention-grabbing how Davies, who has all the time structured his seasons in a reasonably inflexible method, appears to be intentionally repeating motifs and beats. The parallels between this season and the final really feel nearly like they’re attempting to attract consideration to themselves. “Area Infants” and “The Robotic Revolution,” “The Satan’s Chord” and “Lux” and now the “Growth” paired with “The Nicely” really feel like episodes vying for a similar house in several realities. To not point out the repetition of moments from episode to episode — just like the TARDIS wardrobe sequence and the repeated hand accidents. If subsequent week’s “Fortunate Day” is predominantly featured on Ruby Sunday with out the Physician and revolves round bodily distance and / or the supernatural, then maybe we would assume that that is greater than coincidence.
Mrs. Flood Nook
I’ve all the time hated “The Finish… or is it?” fake-outs that usually undermine the drama of no matter denouement they’re tacked on to. Certain, it can be efficient when you wish to cheapen the sacrifices your characters made to conquer the villain, however typically it comes throughout as hacky. To not point out that individuals with poor media literacy will assume that it’s truly a teaser for a cliffhanger to be resolved the next week.
Right here, eh, it’s primarily a method to shoehorn Mrs. Flood in because the troopers’ boss taking the debrief after the Physician and Belinda depart. She is aware of concerning the Physician’s use of the Vindicator, and has now seen it in motion because of the soldier’s recording. However there’s no breaking the fourth wall, which implies she’s working right here in the identical method as Susan Twist did final 12 months. Which is, uh, attention-grabbing.
