“I am never
precipitate in my actions, nor would I adopt so energetic and, indeed,
dangerous a course, if any other were possible.”
--Sherlock Holmes, “The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton”
Austin: I like to switch things up a bit. Instead of just referencing Doctor
Who in every post, we're going to do that but be on topic! Last year we talked
about the Tom Baker (Fourth Doctor) story The
Talons of Weng-Chiang where The Doctor and Leela found their deerstalkers
to investigate a wonderfully ridiculous Victorian mystery. Now we are back in
that time, but it's an episode that was made in 2012 with Matt Smith (Eleventh
Doctor).
This may be
the trickiest one to write because the Sherlock Holmes aspect is just a small
part of this tale. It's really just a straightforward Doctor Who story with The
Doctor hiding himself away after the loss of his best friends. He meets a
mysterious barmaid with a secret that she doesn't even know she has---all will
be revealed in the season finale! There's a monster from the Classic era of
Doctor Who voiced by Sir Ian McKellen. There is silliness, sci-fi gibberish,
the power of the human spirit and plenty of humor.
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| Ian McKellen is the one on the left. Far left. |
This episode
was written by the showrunner Steven Moffat who also co-runs BBC's Sherlock.
Since both shows sparked fans so wildly, plenty of people have demanded a
cross-over where Benedict Cumberbatch and Matt Smith can chat about who has the
most ridiculous bone structure in their face. Seeing how a time machine could
ruin every single Sherlock Holmes story, Moffat has made the cross-over
impossible by revealed who really is the inspiration for the Arthur Conan Doyle
stories.
So what would
you like to cover first, Leigh? What do you think of who really is Doyle's
inspiration for Sherlock and Watson or what do you think of the scene with The
Doctor trying to imitate their style?
Leigh: As a fan of Richard E. Grant and Ian
McKellen I have to say I was disappointed they weren't featured more. I felt
like the evil bad guy in this episode was disjointed and needed a better
explanation than "snow that learns and mimics." It felt a bit weak.
I also have
to say that the Sherlock Holmes bit just felt like a way to advertise for
Moffat's second show without spending the money. It was such a minor part of
the main show that it felt crowbarred in. I think the scene with the Doctor
acting as Sherlock Holmes would've been just as humorous if the setup with
Madame Vastra wasn't there. And it might've made a bit more sense almost.
Richard E. Grant's character knows who "Sherlock Holmes" is in this
universe so why would he even humor the Doctor when he comes in? Why did his
butler(?) announce Sherlock Holmes was there? Grant could've had a better
dialogue there that would've made the scene stronger. It felt sloppy to me.
 |
| Benedict Cumberbatch still looks more ridiculous than Madame Vastra. |
What I do
like is that Madame Vastra and Jenny as a possible inspiration of Sherlock and
Watson. It is definitely crowbarred in here but the mini-webisode with them was
much more entertaining and less crowbar-y. (I am going from memory though so I
could be completely wrong about this.) But if they mention the inspiration for
Sherlock Holmes and Watson and mention Doyle was using them as inspirations,
then why not make that connection more obvious than just blatantly saying it. I
don't like it when things are said to me. I like seeing them and making the
connection myself. If there was a scene with Doyle sitting in his livingroom
reading an article about a detective that was solving impossible crimes or even
have Doyle be friends with Vastra and Jenny or have Jenny write the stories
herself with a pen name then I think it would've felt more natural and less
forced. Where it stands, it's a neat concept but needs refining. Come see me
after a few more drafts of this script.
So I wasn't a
fan. As a Moffat fanboy, convince me why I should like this episode.
Austin: Whoah. You really didn't like this
episode. This is my favorite one of Season Seven and watching it again just
made me smile all over again because it handled Christmas a better than the
Davies era. (Actually involving snow helps.) I love this version of Clara with
the speed of her wit and the wonderful imagery of the TARDIS on a cloud with
its stars and ladders.
But let's get
to your complains. The villains weren't used very well. Ultimately there is a
lot more of an explanation than that but it's scattered throughout the show's
past and future. Ian McKellan voiced The Great Intelligence who was a villain
back in the 60s when he went up against the Second Doctor in "The
Abominable Snowmen" and the recently rediscovered "The Web of
Fear". Then we get him more throughout the season in "The Bells of
St. John" and "The Name of the Doctor." Part of his allure is
that we really don't get how he exists. He uses his psychic powers to take over
the Yeti and Richard E. Grant. But typically I don't watch Doctor Who for its
sci-fi-ness. Gandalf says he can manipulate snow, he manipulates snow.
Also even
though The Stand was popular at this time, I think it's reasonable to assume
that the butler doesn't read it. The Doctor has psychic paper; he can say
whoever he wants. Simeon/Grant was interrupted and he probably thought it was
Madame Vastra being amusing. I really really don't think it was a plug for Sherlock,
just a nice little parody. He doesn't need the ratings… To have the theme was
an especially nice touch because The Doctor is too silly to do the Sherlock
investigation right. He doesn't even figure out it's the Great Intelligence
until he goes ahead and gives him a map of the London Underground. (Setting of
"The Web of Fear".)
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| Fun fact: Matt Smith first met Steven Moffat when he auditioned to play Watson. |
Even with the
parody scene, Moffat still uses Sherlock plotting to play fair with its scenes.
This was a character based episode first. It's about The Doctor getting back
into the swing of things and learning to accept loss and failure. At the end of
this Clara dies (again) and now he is inspired to save the day again. That is
from finding joy and hope in the people around him. Clara is tested several
times in this episode but the most Sherlock one is why did he tell her to grab
an umbrella. Much like a Sherlock story, all the clues are in front of you and
it's up to her to logically get to the point and it's a great sequence. (Aside
from the not so perfect effects of the ice monster.)
With Clara
figuring out that mystery and others, Vastra being the real Sherlock, Jenny
being the real Watson (We'll see them investigate their own mystery later in
the season in "The Crimson Horror"), this may be as close as we get
to looking into a female Sherlock Holmes story. (Unless there's a big example,
I don't know about.)
Also, I'm glad
Moffat didn't do a scene with Doyle because that would be way too similar to an
amazing scene in Jekyll that involves Robert Louis Stevenson. Thinking back,
Moffat hinted at Vastra being Holmes earlier in the show when in her
introduction she is the one to stop Jack the Ripper...
Leigh: I think you hit the nail on the head
as to why this episode was so problematic for me. I'm American, if you hadn't
realized this. I'm also only 25 years old. I only started watching Doctor Who after I saw the guy who
played Barty Crouch Jr on TV one day and decided to look into it more. So with
this knowledge, there is no way that me, a casual fan of Doctor Who, would've been able to know ANY of that backstory about
the Great Intelligence. I'm glad that Moffat is reintroducing older bad guys
from the Doctor Who canon but not at least having a throw away line of
"Oh, you again." or "Didn't I already defeat you?" or
something along those lines to give a clue to the average viewer. There's a
difference between a nod to long time fans and completely alienating a good
portion of the audience. I have absolutely no desire to watch all of the older Doctor Who episodes and I know I'm not
the only one who watches Doctor Who
who feels that way. I think to fully utilize this character of the Great
Intelligence, there needed to be more of a primer for those who aren't in their
60s and/or British or have gone and watched all of the episodes.
 |
| A clue! |
And I
honestly don't quite get the connection of Sherlock Holmes aside from the
blatant references. Yes, Clara explaining a line of logic as to why she has the
umbrella could be seen that way but I saw it more as her showing that she
understands the Doctor even when he doesn't understand himself. She's a step
ahead of him. Now if that's Holmesian or not, I don't think so. We can agree to
disagree there. The Doctor has been compared to Sherlock Holmes numerous times
and there are definitely times when they do seem like similar characters,
especially in the David Tennant years. I think that Matt Smith is too moody to
observe the little details and find the connections so Clara comes around and
helps him.
Next time, we
read a story that seems reaaalllllly familiar......
And now Austin
with the final words:
Austin: You asked why he could manipulate the snow! That's not essential to
the story and within the episode they said he was a powerful psychic figure
without a physical body. That's pretty much all we know from the old series as
well; in fact "The Snowmen" takes place before those 60s episodes.
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| "Sir, how is the Great Intelligence controlling the Yeti?" "Who cares, they're adorable!" |
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