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Doctor Who, Ep. 8.05, “Time Heist” a forgettable caper, despite stylish flourishes

After weeks of memorable episodes, series eight of Doctor Who has its first dip with “Time Heist”, which sees the Doctor and Clara embroiled in a bank heist. Despite some fun visual flourishes and production elements, the story itself is underwhelming, failing to commit to or fully explore its promising premise.

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Doctor Who, Ep. 8.04, “Listen” a visceral, gripping bedtime story

Steven Moffat loves childhood fears. He’s mined them for some of nuWho’s most effective villains: Something lurking in the dark (the Vashta Nerada), a threat waiting to pounce the moment you look away (the Weeping Angels), and now, the monster under your bed. These creatures tap into the intense, pervasive fears so many experience as children and like its predecessors, “Listen” is hugely successful drawing from this well. It also takes a common and, when explored, curious habit and exploits it for significant dramatic potential: why do people talk to themselves when no one’s around? Both ideas have been explored by Moffat to some extent already (“The Girl in the Fireplace”, the Silence), and so here he puts them together, hoping that between the two, there’s enough new material to make the story work.

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Doctor Who Ep. 7.04, “The Power of Three”: Wonderful character beats save messy plot

Doctor Who, Series 7, Episode 4: “The Power of Three” Written by Chris Chibnall Directed by Douglas Mackinnon Airs Saturdays at 9pm (ET) on BBC America This week, on Doctor Who: Amy and Rory contemplate their lives while monitoring a slow invasion of small black cubes. Chris Chibnall continues his good work on Doctor Who, …

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