Episode 3, Series 1 (159) The Unquiet Dead Writer – Mark Gatiss Enemies – The Gelth Set – Cardiff, 1869 Doctor – Nine Summary – At an undertaker’s, someone’s mother has just died. The undertaker goes off to make a drink, and the corpse wakes up and begins strangling their ‘son’. The undertaker sees what’s happening, says ‘Oh no, not again’ or words to that effect and pursues the corpse, which has escaped into the snowy streets. Meanwhile, in the TARDIS, the Doctor offers to take Rose to Naples in 1860 (somewhat randomly). Whilst they are still in the TARDIS, it cuts first to the undertaker and his assistant – who appears to be psychic – tracking the corpse, who is ‘going to see the great man’, then to Charles Dickens being depressed about a reading he’s about to do. They arrive, but quickly work out that it’s not 1860 – it’s 1869 – and it’s not Naples – it’s Cardiff. To avert any despondency, someone screams and they run off to see what it is. Charles Dickens is doing his reading, when the corpse (who is hiding in the audience) suddenly releases a massive gaseous creature, which starts doing loop-the-loops. The Doctor and Rose enter, as do Sneed and Gwyneth (the undertaker and his assistant). Dickens confronts the Doctor, Sneed and Gwyneth get the corpse, and the gaseous creature escapes into a gas lamp. Rose follows Sneed and Gwyneth, but gets chloroformed. The Doctor follows them, using Dickens’s cab, along with Dickens himself. After a brief argument, the Doctor goes into full fanboy mode. Rose is put in the room with the two corpses (the one from the reading and her son, who she killed). They reanimate with the gas creatures inside them, and start trying to kill her. The Doctor and Dickens enter Sneed’s house, and the Doctor saves Rose from a locked door (for the second time in as many stories). They all have a bit of an argument, Rose talks to Gwyneth, who reveals more of her psychic talent. They hold a séance (after the Doctor makes a joke that’s so bad, it’s actually good) and communicate with the gaseous creatures. Apparently, they’re called the Gelth, and lost their physical forms in a ‘Time War’ (the Doctor looks guilty). They say that they’re a peaceful race who are just inhabiting corpses out of desperation, and that if the Doctor could open the Cardiff Rift, they could bring the last members of their species through. They go down to the morgue, where the Rift is strongest, and Gwyneth opens the Rift. The Gelth start coming through, then revert back to their evil side. They inhabit the corpses in the morgue, kill Sneed, trap the Doctor and Rose in a side-chamber, and make Dickens run off. Dickens is pursued by one, who gets too cold in the snow and goes into a lamp. This gives him an idea, and he returns to the house, where he turns all the gas on. This draws the Gelth out of their bodies (I know, I know, I didn’t understand it either) and saves Rose and the Doctor from zombiehood. They evacuate, apart from the Doctor and Gwyneth, who is still channelling the Rift. She offers to sacrifice herself and blow the Gelth up, which the Doctor doesn’t agree to at first, but he suddenly acquiesces. Cue dramatic run from explosion. Dickens, Rose, and the Doctor discuss the events, and the Doctor explains that Gwyneth died the moment she began to channel the Rift. Dickens has cheered up by now, and he watches the TARDIS depart. Mistakes – Why on earth does everyone believe that the Gelth are peaceful, when the corpses they possess spend most of the time trying to kill other people? The ‘draw the Gelth out of their bodies’ trick makes no sense at all, and the revelation that Gwyneth was already dead seems to be a) to add a more ghostly element to it and b) to stop the Doctor trying to stop her sacrifice – also absolving himself of any noticeable guilt. Verdict – This is a very good episode, and probably one of Gatiss’s best (if he could have kept his episodes this good…cough Night Terrors cough…). It shows that Doctor Who, in this modern age, is good at different genres, and also introduces a tradition of meeting historical figures. Fun to watch. - Omega
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 20:10:45 +0000
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