I've already written at length about Chris Chibnall and his popularity with fandom in my review of Dinosaurs On A Spaceship. I got the impression this time around that much of the online community had exhausted themselves two weeks earlier and so this episode was preceeded with a more lacklustre dismissal. This is a good thing; we should all judge the episodes on their own merits rather than by our own preconceptions and blinkered opinions - which is why I will normally watch each episode at least twice before reviewing it to try to avoid being too reactionary.
I've watched The Power of Three thrice to date. Unlike the first three episodes, I've enjoyed this slightly less each time I've watched it - which I find rather curious. There is, however, plenty to like:
The regulars: it's good to have an episode centred around Amy and Rory for a change, particularly when they've been sidelined a bit over the last two weeks. Matt Smith is normally pretty damn good anyway and it's not easy to single out individual episodes from a performance perspective (scenes yes, but usually not whole episodes), but this week he was on scintillating form throughout.
Jemma Redgrave is pure class as Kate (Lethbridge-) Stewart, with a performance of effortless brilliance. Casting an actress of her stature was a real compliment to the memory of the Brigadier and to Nicholas Courtney. I do hope the character, and Jemma herself, returns. A little bit of me was very chuffed that as soon as she said her name was Kate Stewart I turned to my good lady wife and said 'the Brigadier's daughter!' and was later proven right. I expect there were mutterings throughout Whodom at that point though, from others just as smugly self-satisfied as me!
Steven Berkoff was also brilliant. Was he wasted on a minor role? I don't think so. He looked awesome and was very memorable, and I hope he also returns. The Shakri have added a nice touch to Time Lord mythology. Berkoff's precision shone through with a wonderfully controlled and under-played performance that still retained his trademark energy and passion. I'd seen him beating seven shades of sh*t out of someone in a first aid training video the previous Thursday (explaining what a heart attack feels like) and we know how scary he can be in manic full-flow, but it's also refreshing (to him no doubt as well as us) to channel it through a more controlled vessel now and again.
Rory's dad, Brian. Unlike his previous appearance, this time Mark Williams was much more natural and relaxed as Brian, making him much more of a 'real' character. Or maybe I was used to him having seen him before? I don't know. Mark had a couple of wonderful moments, but the best of them surely was the bewildered look on his face as he got wheeled off the Shakri ship on the trolley.
I liked the boxes, the fact that it didn't all happen in one afternoon, the spooky hospital porters (owing a little to the gas mask horrors from Series 1's The Empty Child / The Doctor Dances), the gorgeous, GORGEOUS shots of the Shakri ship orbiting the Earth, the whole domestic feel, with guest appearances from real TV people - which was a reminder of how different the show has been under Moffat compared to RTD.
Stuff I wasn't so keen on: the Henry VIII bit made me frown. Was this the moment referred to in the previous week's episode? If so were the episodes originally going to be the other way around (which would also explain my the Ponds are already with the Doctor at the start of A Town Called Mercy...) or have they visited the old king twice now?
The resolution: I found myself saying 'is that it?' at the TV when they just blew up the ship with the sonic screwdriver and it caused everyone to come back to life. I've never been fond of sudden, convenient solutions where the Doctor finds himself in exactly the right place at the right time to sort it all out three minutes before the end of an episode. Series 4's The Fires of Pompeii was similarly spoilt in that respect.
I realise by now that Mr Chibnall is a lover of the 'edited highlights' approach to other stoies going on around the one he's focussing on, so again we get snippets of other - possibly more interesting - adventures all going on just off camera or just ending. It's now ten years since Amy started travelling with the Doctor. I don't mind this, but it's rather thrown at the viewer unprepared and I found myself concentrating on that fact rather than what was going on in the episode; it's careless on the part of the writer to drop in something so distracting. Also, we've waited since 1975 for another Zygon story on TV and here he taunts us with one that's just happened - damn you sir! If he hadn't done that we wouldn't have got confused over how many times they'd visited Henry VIII in the last two weeks would we?
However, despite all this I found it an enjoyable romp with thrills, chills and plenty to move and amuse the viewer and I thought it was the strongest episode since Asylum of The Daleks. But when I watched it again it didn't thrill or entertain me as much. I knew the gags, I was able to concentrate a bit more on what was going on at the end and I spotted the phone charger in the Henry VIII scene tying it in with the escapade as reported in A Town Called Mercy, but it didn't move me as much, it didn't take me to that next level of appreciation beyond instant gratification. I don't know if this makes it a good episode or not. Most viewers will only watch it once, so on that level I'd have to go with my first reaction and say yes, it's a great episode with a gorgeous shot of a spaceship orbiting the Earth but with far too convenient a resolution!
I hope next week doesn't end too badly for the Ponds, or Brian will be left watering the plants for a very long time. He's a patient man, we know this from his log, but still...
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