Lava lump

This week's episode of Doctor Who looked good in previews, but I can't say I wasn't nervous about the writer of the LOLracism episode of Sherlock returning to Who.

"Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" by Steve Thompson, directed by Mat King. Spoilers under the cut.

In the event the episode is lots of running-around fun, although one of those that falls apart if you try to think about it too much. Or at all. It certainly does look good though, kudos to director Mat King.

I always like the idea of seeing more of the TARDIS interior, and I suppose it's only fitting to the show that it would end up mainly consisting of endless identical corridors. I did think we might get a bit more about the TARDIS' overt dislike of Clara, this would surely have been the perfect episode to really try and resolve that arc. Maybe it'll be connected to the reveal of who or what she really is in the final episode. If not that will have been a bit of a waste of a potentially interesting dynamic. The fact that the Doctor doesn't entirely trust Clara either (though that's been dealt with now) is something I like about their relationship too. Matt Smith's Doctor's always been, for my money, a mix of Doctors Two, Four and Five, but there's definitely a lot more Seven creeping in lately and it's right to the fore this week - mercurial and unapologetically manipulative.

Ashley Walters' Gregor actually makes the opening scenes in particular feel like we've veered into a much darker, more dangerous kind of sci-fi, whereas Jahvel Hall's Tricky is a sympathetic contrast. The fact that "allegedly emotionless android is more human than the humans" is such a sci-fi trope means the reveal of Tricky's true identity actually maintains a bit of surprise to it. The least said about Mark Oliver's Bram the better though. (Gregor letting Tricky believe he's an android is pretty dark, and even in the context of wanting to be captain, unnecessary: If Tricky lost his memory in the accident that's reason enough for him not to be captain, surely? And when time resets and everyone but the Doctor forgets, Gregor has remembered something of the humanity he gained in the timeline we saw, and is nicer to Tricky. But... will he actually tell him he's human?)

The story's resolution is a bit of a mess. The lava creatures as dying future versions of Clara, Gregor and Tricky doesn't make much sense, and again fixing everything relies on a bit too much timey-wimey handwaving. And who exactly wrote the History of the Time War book? Unless the TARDIS can create the books like she can create the library to put them in, the only survivor who could possibly have written it is the Doctor. So why would he use his real name in it, when he's so determined nobody must know it?

His real name's going to be something connected to past series that doesn't quite make sense, isn't it? Like Omega or something.