It’s refreshing to see Doctor
Who narratively venturing much more beyond England these days -
even if it’s still filmed in the UK - and this story set in Nigeria finds writer
Inua Ellams bringing a tale of friendship, stories, and ambition to life mostly
inside a small barber’s shop. This incongruous setting becomes the heart of an
intriguing and ultimately uplifting story about the value both of friendship and of fiction. That it comes in a week when thee have been news stories about us reading less seems apt though stories as this episode shows can be told just as effectively as they can be read. The more Doctors and
eras we run through the further away the classic series feels yet this episode
seems to be able to bring it all together with a strong sense of both the new
and the old. It does need to be watched twice- or at least with more attention
than I clearly gave it on first viewing- because its deceptively light and has
an antagonist whose performance is full of nuance.
Though his first script for the series, Inua Ellams is a self confessed
fan and clearly seems to possess a strong understanding of what makes Doctor
Who tick so is happy to start slowly and gradually expand to larger
concepts as we go. There can’t be anything more informal than a small, barber’s
shop in Lagos and its within this that the story takes place. Calling back the vibe of `Midnight` (something of a totem for this season) we are in a confined
environment with a small group though the tension here is different perhaps because
the patrons have been trapped in the shop for
some time. In fact, the viewer will recognise right away that these are
the same faces we’ve just seen on Missing posters in the streets outside. They
appear to be destined to repeat haircuts as they tell stories which in turn
power a mysterious engine. Right away their hair grows back so I’m glad they’re
not being charged.
This is a very human story in the best way, dipping into a less familiar culture perhaps but based around storytelling, a tradition any culture will be familiar with. As Belinda also points out its a human story for the Doctor as well. The power of the patron's stories plays out with vividly animated pictures in a window of the shop – though when the Doctor tells his story about Belinda he gets proper clips, it must be his alien mind! Something has shifted between the duo in this story- perhaps there are unseen adventures- because Belinda may still be insistent on getting back home yet she is more indulgent to the Doctor’s whims allowing him to visit the shop. The smile between them suggests they have become proper friends now.
It
feels as if the series is more conformable now with its choices too. Back when
Jodie Whitaker became the first female Doctor there was very little course
correction to underline this whereas this episode includes a scene in which the
Doctor mentions being the first Doctor with black skin and how that can cause
issues. It’s not laboured and one of several delightfully penned scenes
throughout the episode which show the Doctor instantly taking the positive side
of things; that he feels at home here. Later the story has him angered when it
seems his old friend Omo (whose shop this actually is) has betrayed him and
later again he is apologetic. The Doctor should never be perfect and right every
time and this episode understands that.
Our antagonist is known
as The Barber, which had some people speculating this would be rogue Time Lord
but thankfully he’s something altogether more interesting. Played with great
earnestness by Ariyon Bakare, a wonderfully versatile actor, this hairdresser
is really a storyteller for the Gods, the person who wrote down their tales so
that people would know them but was eventually thrown out. Now he seeks revenge
by wanting to wipe them out. Even following carefully it’s not wholly clear how
he might do this yet it doesn’t really matter, Bakare sells it superbly with a considered performance. He
proves a foe that is not so easy for the Doctor to deal with. There are strong
performances too from Sule Rimi as the wise but conflicted Omo, Michelle Asante
as Abema whose motivation remains a mystery till later on and Jordan Adene as
Tunde who brings a lighter touch to the group.
Director Makalla
McPherson, also making her series debut, helms with confidence making some interring
decisions notably hiding the Barber’s face till the Doctor meets him. Visually
the story has some excellently mounted set pieces- the Lagos market is as busy, vibrant,
and bustling as you’d expect despite being a set in Cardiff. The massive spider
upon whose back the shop sits is just different enough from other giant spiders
of series lore to impress and I like the idea of a massive web in space. Its very fitting when we discover that there is a heart at the centre of this machine. Best
of all are the story animations that appear in the shop window; in a way I
wished the Doctor’s story was told like this too. That flashback story though
tells us a lot about Belinda in a way that `The Robot Revolution` never had the
chance to show. Her caring, devotion to duty and humble qualities are all on
display in a scene that also pays tribute to nurses in general. Plus we find out
she does know Mrs Flood. Then again who doesn’t?
The story has the conceptual
daring of someone like Douglas Adams at times yet remains a very down to earth tale and sometimes
this can undermine what the episode is trying to achieve. There is a little too
much exposition in some of the scenes yet the idea that destroying the Gods
would also wipe out millions of people is not really explained especially as
for most people the Gods are myths or stories. What difference would it make if
they didn’t exist? Also, it isn’t quite
clear how the Barber has the power to force his captives to undergo their imprisonment.
There’s a hint he has some sort of hypnotic control over them- and Ariyon Bakare
definitely suggests that with some menacing looks- but we’re not sure. The denouement
is a tad rushed too but that’s more to do with the running time; a lot of the stories
this year could do with an hour rather than forty-five minutes.
A couple of interesting asides happened which have got people talking. One was another short appearance for the Fugitive Doctor - Jo Martin may only have got about ten seconds but she made them count. Surely there is an opportunity for her to return with some more substantial material? Or was this a clue to expect her again shortly? The other much less welcome moment was the appearance of one of the children from `Space Babies` which is an episode I prefer to leave firmly in the past. Anyway we’ve now had five great stories out of five in a season that seems very consistent and always interesting. Surely an interstellar song contest can’t let the side down?
No comments:
Post a Comment