The Doctor Makes a House Call

I wasn't sure what to call this week's review, I was stuck between the title above and “George's Anxiety Closet” and “You're Not The Man From Social Services” and “George: The Alien Obsessive-Compulsive Perception Filtered Closet Case”, but “The Doctor Makes a House Call” is it. Lame? Maybe, it's what ya get :)

Let's open the cupboard on this review . . . . . .. . .

LOOKS SCARY TO ME

Wow, this was like every childhood fear rolled into one, and given a shot of steroids. It was the Anxiety Closet gone into overdrive and it was one of the better episodes of the Reign of Moffat so far.

Most of my “Likes” this week are on the form of dialogue, though I have to give a singular round of applause to young Mister Jamie Oram as George. That kid was amazing.

Tick tock goes the clock
 And what now shallwe play?


Tick tock goes the clock
 Now summer's gone away?

WHAT I LIKED

Even though we adults have, for lack of a better word, hijacked Doctor Who and have increasingly held it up to adult show standards, it is a kid's show and it was nice to see them return to an episode where a child was the center of attention. You could argue that the entire season has been about a child (Melody/River), but its true central theme has been the death of The Doctor, at least in my opinion.

The scariest place in the universe is a child's bedroom. I can attest to that, as I am sure most of you can.

This was like all of a kid's emotional issues on steroids – abandonment, losing his home, scary old people, bull dogs. No wonder poor George was a basket case.

Tick tock goes the clock
 And what then shall we see?


Tick tock until the day
 That thou shalt marry me.

The Doctor: “I've been around the block a few times. More than a few. They've knocked down the blocks I've been around and rebuilt them as bigger blocks. Super blocks! I've been around them as well.”

The Doctor (referring to the Sonic Screwdriver): “It's not a gun! Wood! I've got to invent a setting for wood. It's embarrassing.”

WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT THESE TWO?

Tick tock goes the clock
 And all the years they fly,

Tick tock and all too soon 
You and I must die.

Alex (the dad) “It's bigger on the inside than the outside!” The Doctor: “It's more common than you think.”

Nice to see a reference to the ongoing story at the very end, but we could probably have gotten away without it.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

Not much aside from nit picking. Another Jammie Dodger reference (OK, we know the Doctor likes them already!) Makes me wonder if Mr Moffat has stock in an obscure Welsh (or Cymruian?) cookie company (Burton's). Actually, I love shortbread cookies, but enough with the Jammie Dodgers (it was kind of a stupid reference in “The Impossible Astronaut” since those cookies didn't exist in the US in 1969).

That's it for this week. Looking forward to next week's episode “The Girl Who Waited”.

Tick tock goes the clock
 He cradled her and he rocked her
Tick tock goes the clock
 Even for the Doctor.

Thanks to both Static Frenzy and Planet Claire Quotes for providing me with Marc Gatiss' actual Twitter feed for the scary sing songy lyrics throughout the episode.