Doctor Who: Series 9, Episode 11 – “Heaven Sent” (2015)

This will have to be a fairly short review, since there’s so little I can say without spoilers.  My overall impressions:  not OMG!!! Best Episode Ever!!!!, but interesting and well-made.  I’m equal parts excited and wary for next week’s conclusion/season finale (well, maybe not equal parts; the excitement is strong in this one.)

So, plot, huh?  Let’s see:  the Doctor is in mundo trouble, thrown headfirst into a creepy, baffling place with a fairly Moffatty monster that is slowly but inexorably coming for him.  It’s a race against both time and death to figure out how to escape.

The episode is stunningly directed.  The visuals and mood are Guillermo del Toro-esque, and the music is absolutely perfect.  It’s a veritable feast for the senses.  Putting aside the fact that it’s a two-parter, the episode feels very much like a complete entity.  By that, I mean that its assorted production elements all come together to create an unsettling but incredibly cohesive viewing experience.  There’s a thoughtful, deliberate feel to the design and cinematography.

The story, penned by Moffat, is a bit more hit-or-miss but still mostly good.  Most of the twists feel earned and well-seeded, and there’s some fine dialogue.  However, there’s one device that (to me) feels a little too much like Sherlock’s “mind palace,” which doesn’t quite work for me, and there are a few points that I’m not yet decided on; I’m going to have to watch the finale before I quite know how I feel about them.  There’s one in particular that I’m really hoping is misdirection.

The real headline here is Peter Capaldi, who gives his blood, sweat, and tears for this episode.  He spends huge chunks of time alone onscreen, but he fills it gorgeously.  He’s admirable, determined, despairing, lonely, smart, flippant, brave, terrified, and fatalistic, often several at the same time.  If this episode had a thesis, it would be, “Peter Capaldi is amazing.”

I’m a bit floored by how much good material has been written for Capaldi this season.  He’s always been phenomenal in the role, but last year, it felt like he was so often in the position of elevating so-so or even shoddy writing and making it work.  This year, though, it feels like the writers are much more interested in actually writing for him and giving him some beautiful scenes to realize.  Between some excellent points in “The Witch’s Familiar,” “Before the Flood,” “The Girl Who Died,” “The Woman Who Lived,” “The Zygon Inversion,” and now this episode, I’m thrilled that he’s getting material that’s up to his level.