*Episode premise spoilers.*
It took me a couple viewings to really get into this one, but once I did, I liked it a lot. An excellent Eleventh Doctor adventure that takes the story to some very interesting place.
The TARDIS lands in a seemingly inescapable motel, one where all the rooms are filled with bad dreams. What’s more, everyone in the motel has “their door,” the room holding their own worst nightmare: if you find your door and look inside, you’re killed by a beast lurking somewhere in the hotel. The Eleventh Doctor, Amy, and Rory try to help the others trapped in the motel get out alive, all while trying to avoid finding their own doors.
The parts that took a little getting used to for me were some stylistic choices in the episode. The editing gets frenetic at times, which feels to me like an attempt to up the creepiness in a way that’s a bit too self-conscious. Similarly, I don’t think it was necessary to have the motel corridors twist and turn the guests around so they pop up in unexpected places—I get that it adds to the labyrinthine atmosphere (given the bona fide minotaur roaming around,) but to me, it’s another extraneous bit of “creep factor” that distracts from the main story.
I love a good “our nightmares are coming to life” story in a genre show. In fact, I’ve talked about that before on the Sunday Who Review, with “The Nightmare Man” from The Sarah Jane Adventures. Unfortunately, the episode is a little stingy with showing us the Doctor and companions’ nightmares—we only see inside one of their doors—but the rooms for the other characters are done well. I also really enjoy where the episode ultimately takes this story, the realization of what the motel is for. The Doctor makes critical mistakes early on when his strategies unwittingly lead Amy, Rory, and the others in the wrong direction.
There are some great oneshot characters in this episode. Rita is prime companion material, and I love her interactions with the Doctor. And the introduction of the Tivolians as a new alien race, hailing from “the most conquered planet in the galaxy,” is super fun. Gibbis cracks me up throughout the episode with lines like, “I’m in Town Planning. We’re lining all the highways with trees so invading forces can march in the shade.”
The interactions between team TARDIS are excellent as well. The Doctor-Amy relationship gets some major spotlight scenes, exploring the nature of their connection and the implications that’s had on Amy’s life. And we sneak in some Doctor-Rory moments too, which are rarer to see but always welcome! Strong emotional storytelling with these three all around.
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