While I enjoy much of what the new series of Doctor Who has to offer, it’s still nice every once in a while to have a story like “Night Terrors” that feels like it could easily slip into just about any season of the classic run without too much difficulty.
Mark Gattis’ script is a fairly straight-forward one, dealing with a child who is terrified of being alone in the dark of his bedroom. His parents, trying to help him deal with his fears, have “locked” the fears all up in his bedroom cupboard. But the plan hasn’t soothed Gordon who is ably to psychically summon the Doctor to help him confront the monsters that lurk there.
Surreal stories have had their place in Doctor Who since the early 60’s (“The Celestial Toymaker,” “The Mind Robber” “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy”) and it’s nice to see the new series embrace that a bit here.
Watching the story, I predicted where Amy and Rory were long before they put it all together, but that still didn’t make the story any less entertaining or interesting. I was happy that the story made Gordon’s fear something as “simple” as a child wanting to be sure his parents loved him and wouldn’t send him away instead of something a bit more sinister.
Visually, the story was a treat with lots of dark corners, shadows and the image of people being turned into living dolls probably scaring or frightening more than one younger viewer. (It certainly unsettled this much older viewer). It’s easy to imagine that if this story were made during the Gothic-heyday of the Tom Baker/Phillip Hincliffe/Robert Holmes era that a certain leading critic would be up in arms about the unsettling nature of things on the screen. That puts “Night Terrors” in some solid company among stories that are the best in the entire run of Doctor Who.
While not quite as much of a treat as “The Doctor’s Wife,” “Night Terrors” is still among the better stories from the current series. It reminds of just how creepy Doctor Who can be when it wants to be.
VyseN1 says
This was a terrific stand alone episode. It was a lot of fun.
Shadoglare says
Sorry, I appear to be in the minority, but I found the episode to be both unoriginal and uninteresting. Didn’t do anything for me at all.
Jeff Allison says
It’s not supposed to it’s a kids show…
My kids loved it, especially the big scissors.
Ashley B. Perry says
Night Terrors was okay, but it just didn’t stand out as all that great, really. Once again, Matt Smith, Karen Gillen, and Arthur Darville provide really good performances with what was an average script, at best. This episode is good for watching the main characters, but not good if you want to get engrossed in a deep, interesting plot.
Phyllis Teresa says
At first I found Amy and Rory’s reactions quite strange for a couple who had just left their adult not-entirely-human daughter in a coma. Then I found out this episode was meant to air as part of the first half of the season. With that explained, I found it to be a charming stand-alone. I would enjoy seeing previous Doctors cope with the same story. It wasn’t particularly a Matt Smith story, but it was distinctly Doctor Who.
That said, I have one problem with this review. The child’s name was George, not Gordon. It’s a minor point but it bugged me the whole time I was reading the review
Chris says
I liked the episode. Was nice to have something that stood alone. I thought what was nice was that while for adults the episode was nicely stylised, especially when in the dolls house, for kids it plays on some very basic fears. Monsters in the bedroom (be they under the bed or in the cupboard), do my parents love me and will they ever send me away.
Sam says
Bizarre episode that I just loved because it smacked of old school Doctor Who so much. It’s nice to have one of these kinds of episodes sprinkled in there from time to time.
Eric says
I would agree that this one had a real old school Dr Who feeling to it with a much creepier edge. I would place it down the middle in quality, not the best, not the worst.
Baldrik says
Sorry, I feel this episode only confirms my belief that D.W. is steadily declining.
Its production standards can’t make up for thinner, more disjointed and infantile scripting.
With D.W. it’s success was in seeing past the props into the scifi/science based assumptions that underpinned each episode – however far fetched.
The current Doctor doesn’t seem capable of a coherent conversation. The other program regulars have greater depth and as a result leave the Doctor looking like some dithering idiot.
Bring on the next regeneration and script writers who will hopefully bring some guts back to the Doctor’s character.
I’ll still watch but with fading hopes.
B
VyseN1 says
Boy you’re right “Love & Monsters” was great. Bring back brain dead RTD!
sean from edwards says
My biggest problem with the episode is with Amy and Rory’s characters as parents, especially parents of a kidnapped/comatose child. The drive to find/care for their daughter should have been driving them mad, and when they found out that it was a child in danger should have spurred the pair in more. George’s Dad acted just as a father in that situation would have and was the best character of the episode. Honestly Amy and Rory’s handling of the whole River/Melody situation, with the exception of the one episode where it was dealt with, is my biggest complaint about this season/series.