Doctor Who S7 Ep10 – Hide

Compounding what makes this interesting is that fact that The Doctor hasn’t yet revealed to Clara what he knows about the other Clara’s. So she has no idea why she’s at the Caliburn House, other than that this is what travelling with The Doctor is like. Furthermore, it’s interesting to see that The Doctor will insert himself into your life and save it, just so you can give him the information that he wants. It’s a subtle form of manipulation.

As per the cast, everyone was on fine form, particularly the guests. Dougray Scott plays Alec the repressed British gentleman suffering from PTSD to a T. While watching the scene of The Doctor and Alec develop film, I couldn’t help but see Alec as the Ninth Doctor suffering from the ravages of the Time War and what was asked of him by the Time Lords. Jessica Raine as Emma is wonderful as the lovelorn psychic and assistant to Alec the professor (change assistant to companion and professor to doctor and it’s a total paradigm change). Clara and Emma both bring a warmth and human-ness to the episode.

I really want to give props to Jenna Louise-Coleman for the scene in the TARDIS where she tries to come to grips with watching the birth and death of Earth. Many people have kind of complained that The Doctor fails in his explanation as to how he’s okay with it, but I disagree. Sometimes you can’t think about it and sometimes you can’t always rightly express how you deal with it. Not everything gets explained away perfectly. I also don’t think the line “You are the only mystery worth solving,” centers just on Clara, but rather applies to the human race as a whole. In all his years and travels he’s always been amazed by humans to the point of becoming their protector, and even in all that he still can’t figure us out.

Before I wrap this up, I have to mention that I had just watched the Third Doctor serial “The Green Death,” where he travels to Metebelis III to retrieve a blue crystal for a part for the TARDIS. At this point it’s a pretty savage and undomesticated planet that beats up the Third Doctor a bit. Later it would become habitable and part of the main plot for “Planet of the Spiders,” but it’s this first time that I imagine the Eleventh Doctor has returned to for the blue crystal. Maybe there will be a deleted scene of him reenacting this trip while gathering all the stuff needed for the chrono-séance. I can only hope.

Future Doctor Who writers: this is how it’s done. Take a small cast, take a great location, and write something equal parts scary, science-y and witty and you’ll have a fantastic episode. Just don’t make it into a love story. Think of the children that watch this, you’ll gross them out.

“Hide” is a standout episode. One that I can see many kids playing on sleepovers because it has just the right amount of scares, but doesn’t send you to bed terrified. Unless you start to think about the fact that the Crooked Man is still out there.

Onwards!

Watch “Hide” on Amazon Instant Video.