Doctor Who "Forest of the Dead" (2008)

I cannot wait for season five. The conclusion to last week's episode proves again that Steven Moffat is the best man to take the helm once Russell T. Davies steps down. Aside from some qualms with the beginning ( I was never a fan of last week's cliffhanger ending) and the very end this episode was both gripping and entertaining throughout and plants some more seeds towards the season finale and the Doctor's future. Both regulars were at the top of their game (after sidelining Donna last week) and the two main guest stars complement them perfectly. While there were overtones of The Matrix in the plot, it was both original and thought-provoking and proves how adeptly Moffat can weave a storyline and make us care about the characters. Alex Kingston continued to shine as the Doctor's future mystery lady and I sincerely hope we get to see more of her in the future. With Moffat returning next season as the head writer and her being his character, there is a strong chance that we will see Professor Song again. I also hope that Moffat will get to write more episodes as head write as Russell T. Davies has done. The future for Who is looking bright indeed.

I won't reiterate my feelings regarding the cliffhanger and walking corpses as I covered that last week so therefore we'll skip over the cliffhanger resolution. I do wish to discuss my issue with the ending. I think having Professor Song survive, even as consciousness in the computer data core, takes the emotional weight off of her death. To make the audience go through the torment of watching this woman, who will eventually grow so close to the Doctor that she will learn his name, sacrifice herself to save the life of the man she loved, only to revive her through some miracle science is a bit of a cheat. I am torn though because imagine the Doctor's relationship with this woman. Throughout their courtship and experiences together he knows exactly how and when it will end, and that has to carry a cloud of depression around no matter how happy they are together. The new series has constantly highlighted the Doctor as a lonely and tragic figure as opposed to one who enjoys the wonders of the universe with a childlike delight and necessary heroism when needed. The Doctor now still maintains some of those qualities but he has become an old and solitary soul following the Time War and it takes something out of the essence of the character. But even if I was okay with Professor's Song's survival, the fact that everyone was saved through this neural link and that no one in fact died takes the suspense out of the story and will hurt it on repeat viewings. There is a precedent for this ending however in that the last two-parter Moffat wrote (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances) the Doctor is able to save everyone as well but the deus ex machina was a bit more believable and the Ninth Doctor's pure delight in being able to save everyone won the audience's doubts over. I'm sorry to say I didn't feel the same here.

Don't think that I disliked the episode however as it has been the best of the season so far and has pushed the audience into that last batch of episodes with apprehension and excitement. I was so pleased with Donna's story as her romp into the virtual world has given Catherine Tate a chance to show her acting skills and prove that she can tackle drama with the same versatility as she can comedy. Interesting to note the way her life takes shape in the computer. It can be assumed that the world acts on her desires as it does on her actions and that this is the ideal life she has chosen for herself. She wants a family with children that she can care for and settle down with. This dream is completely contradictory to her previous statement that she is going to travel with the Doctor forever and the fact that there is an impending sense of doom hanging over her future with the Doctor, she may start to reevaluate her priorities and cut short her partnership with the Time Lord. I also loved the scene with them as they are watching people transport out of the library. She tries to get the Doctor to talk about his loss but understands enough not to push him. When she says that he's using Time Lord speak to communicate that he is all right when in fact not and uses the same expression to describe herself, she shows the Doctor that she is there if he wants to confide in her but she will not push him. Another demonstration of how close these two opposites have become over the course of the season.

Favorite moment: Professor Song decking the Doctor and handcuffing him to prevent him from risking his life to save the people trapped in the computer core. Kingston displays genuine fear when he states what he intends to do and her love for him that has been apparent since their first scene together drives her to sacrifice her life to save his. Her past/future experiences with the Doctor has granted her the courage to stand up to him as people tend to back down when the Doctor tells them to and has made this character a memorable one and one we hope to see again very soon.