Doctor Who Series Blog 7.11: The Crimson Horror (Contains Spoilers)

 Written By: Mark Gatiss

Directed By: Saul Metzstein

The Story: Madame Vastra, Jenny and Strax investigate a series of strange deaths in Yorkshire, 1893, where the corpses’ skin has been turned waxy and red!

The Verdict: And things were going so well. After three very excellent episodes, THE CRIMSON HORROR comes along to lower your expectations for next week, by delivering a sub-standard episode that’s more irritating then it is entertaining.

It’s not for want of trying, mind you. The central concept of dead red folk is a disturbing image (well, disturbing for kids at least) and there is some fun to be had here and there. But too much of the story is played for laughs, when clearly it would be more effective to play it for scares instead. It doesn’t help matters that much of the focus is on the Silurian Madama Vastra and Sontaran Strax, whose presence here is merely comic relief, a bad move on Gatiss and Moffat’s part, a move which continues to domesticate two of the most interesting and monstrous alien races/villains in DOCTOR WHO’s history. The jokes worn thin. Stop it now and get back to having proper evil Sontarans and monstrous Silurians again please!

Performances are pretty poor this week as well. Dame Diana Rigg hams it up to eleven, whilst Matt Smith as the Doctor gurns his way through most of the episode, delivering rubbish gags and trying way too hard to be funny (something he occasionally does once or twice a season – clearly he’s been working too hard and putting more effort into previous episodes). And the less we can say about the annoying Urchin boy and that awfully forced and utterly s***e Tom-Tom joke, the better!!

It’s all a wasted opportunity. It could have been another great episode, had things been played much straighter. But ultimately, THE CRIMSON HORROR falls very flat, due to it’s hammy acting and an overreliance on humour as opposed to horror.

Best Bit: The flashback of the Doctor and Clara’s arrival in Yorkshire is great, partly due to it being made to look as if it’s been shot using very old film. Matt Smith’s northern accent is a hoot!

Trivia: THE CRIMSON HORROR is the 100^th episode of DOCTOR WHO since the show’s return in 2005 (not including mini-episodes or interactive bits and bobs). 1965’s THE TRAITORS (Episode Four of THE DALEKS’ MASTER PLAN, now sadly missing from the archives) was the original 100^th episode of WHO (and considerably a lot better then this one).

Worst Performance: Dame Dianna Rigg, currently wowing audiences on GAME OF THRONES, seems to have decided DOCTOR WHO requires hammy, over-the-top acting of the lowest caliber. She gets a few bits here and there spot-on, but for the most part, it’s a very overdone performance. However…

Star Performance: …her daughter Rachael Stirling (who here plays the blind Ada) is simply marvellous, creating a character that is sweet, vulnerable, a wee bit disturbing, and yet very sympathetic at the same time. Clearly Dame Diana should take some lessons in acting from her daughter.

Kill Me Now: Angie and Artie discovering Clara’s travels with the Doctor through the use of awful Photoshop did my nut in (did the Doctor and Clara really pose for photos with the Submarine crew in COLD WAR?!!)! What a horrible, badly conceived, tacked on scene to end on, eh? If these two annoying brats feature heavily next week, I fear I won’t be able to stomach it for long!!

Best Line(s):

Strax: “Horse! You have failed in your mission! We are lost, with no sign of Sweetville! Do you have any last words before your summary execution? (Pause) The usual story! The fourth one this week! And I’m not even hungry (raises laser gun to shoot the horse).

THN’s Doctor Who Series Blog returns next Saturday.