Reviews Series / Doctor Who

The Beast Below

The Eleventh Doctor's second outing takes him and Amy to a very British starship with a sinister secret.

This was an episode heavily reliant on Rule Of Cool. The central plotline, revolving around a Moral Dilemma, is rather overshadowed at first by the various bizarre inventions of the writers, most notably the Smilers, sinister smiling faces whose heads turn to reveal displeased and evil faces whenever rules are broken. Also featured are the ship's black robed police force, the Winders, and a mysterious Action Girl-type character named Liz, who makes for very entertaining viewing.

Amy quickly finds trouble, and the whole thing is a very lively and fast-paced romp... up until the end. I'm not going to spoil it, but it's worth watching for that scene alone, which reveals a great deal about our two heroes. In fact, it feels almost as though the entire episode is a vehicle for that one scene, and all the other flashiness is simply window-dressing. This would explain why so little of the aforementioned weirdness in the episode is actually explained at the end. It's not that it doesn't make sense, mind - you aren't asked to suspend your disbelief any more than with any other episode - it's just that the usual explanations never come.

Still, it's nevertheless great fun and any failing in terms of exposition is more than made up for by the characters, so my advice is to sit back and enjoy the ride.