New Who Review for “The Empty Child”
Posted By Kathleen David on May 8, 2006
The title reminds me of the first episode “The Unearthly Child” but that is really beside the point. This is one of the episodes that Caroline has not seen nor shall she for a while since it is about children in danger during the blitz in London not only from the bombs but this mysterious figure that is a child in a gas mask asking people if they are his Mommy. This is also the introduction of Captain Jack who will be around in the Doctor Who mythos for a while. This episode to me throws back to the spooky episodes of Doctor in which you really don’t have the truth until close to the end of the 4th act which in this case is this coming Friday. The dialogue is snappy for the most part and there is some good “Why can’t a companion just stay put” moments. It was also fun seeing the Doctor slip into his Sherlock Holmes mode to find out what is going on.
Spoilers behind the cut.
I am grateful that Caroline has not seen this episode. It really creeps me out.
Maybe it is because I am a parent now that this episode gives me the heebe-jeebes where as if I weren’t it wouldn’t effect me as much. Rose hanging from a blimp was hilarious even in context of the danger. Captain Jack to the rescue! Yeah he does seem to come onto everyone. We find out some interesting stuff about galactic politics and time travel in the course of this and the next episode. There is a Bad Wolf reference in this and the next episode. Over all it is a pretty good one but when match with the next one “The Doctor Dances” it becomes even better as one mystery is solved and another is created.
I didn’t care for it at all. The pacing was really lousy, it screamed “two-parter” from the beginning. They never got to the point of anything, it was all disparate stuff happening that they didn’t bother tying together that well. It was as if they knew everything important would take place in the second half, so they decided to just “pad” the first hour. I’d be curious as to whether the stuff left out of the American airing would have held this episode up better.
I couldn’t disagree more, Elayne — but that’s what makes for debate, of course. 🙂
I’ll post more later, but Lisa and I both adored this one — we didn’t much feel like going up the dark stairs from the TV room afterwards, but it was beautifully creepy and very intriguing.
I wonder if it’s got something to do with being a parent (though Elayne, I don’t know whether you are or not). Katherine’s going to be 2 this summer, and the continual “are you my mummy?” figure just weirded us out like crazy — Dr. Constantine’s transformation in particular, even though we saw it coming.
Very, very effective IMO. Can’t wait ’til Friday.
TWL
Really enjoyed this one. Introduction of an interesting new character. Only problem is that Jack seems to be an intelligent fellow, but he’s inexplicably attracted to dimbulb Rose. Opposites must attract, eh?