Story: Sleep No More
Written By: Mark Gatiss
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2015
And things were going so well...
Well, I suppose even the best of seasons are entitled to at least one dud. And if you have a really good season in need of a dud, Mark Gatiss has continually proven that he is the man for the job. Poor Mark, he is such a huge fan and he has been given such great opportunities, and I've found most of his work to be average (with the exception of "The Crimson Horror, which I actually really liked). This one, in my opinion, is just downright bad.
The episode is in the style of a found footage movie, which is a weak style of filmmaking that never truly works in my opinion. It rarely makes the story feel more realistic, and I honestly think I end up thinking about the format more than the story. If anything it is a cheap way to use a gimmick to hide the shortcomings of a story. If this episode lacked that gimmick what would it have left? It would have a monster made out of the eye boogers (a phrase my wife has always used), and a generic mustache twirling villain. The concept of the monsters is too silly for me to buy into, and the gimmick of the filmmaking style was tired 5 years ago. I think it's a little sad to see Doctor Who grasping at a movie making style that is already on the downswing of it's trend. It feels equal parts desperate and lame.
It does not help this episode that it is appearing in a series that is unusually strong. Who is usually a mix of great, average, and bad episodes...this year has only had episodes that get better and better...then this dud shows up to ruin the party. I mean, it is pretty ironic that for an episode called "Sleep No More" I managed to fall asleep when I first attempted to watch it. First time this year an episode struggled to hold my interest.
I feel it is almost a yearly tradition now to lament Mark Gatiss' continued contributions to the series. He is a big time fan, and I like him as a writer and actor over on Sherlock. But as a huge Doctor Who fan, it is almost mind boggling how rarely he tends to knock it out of the park. He just turns in episodes that feel generic or average. It's lucky he is friends with the main forces behind the scenes...it has been the greatest gift for him. Just wish he could really make something special with his enthusiasm beyond this. I like Gatiss, he is clearly enthusiastic in interviews, he has written fine entertainment on other shows, and his 50th Anniversary Docu-drama was good fun (even if I thought it was a tad too faithful to the origins of Who than the film's narrative required)...I just don't understand how he manages to miss the mark on writing for Who so often. Can't he make more episodes like "The Crimson Horror"?
I'm not the only one who enjoyed "The Crimson Horror" right?
NEXT TIME: Countdown Tattoo
Written By: Mark Gatiss
Length: 45 Minutes
Year: 2015
And things were going so well...
Well, I suppose even the best of seasons are entitled to at least one dud. And if you have a really good season in need of a dud, Mark Gatiss has continually proven that he is the man for the job. Poor Mark, he is such a huge fan and he has been given such great opportunities, and I've found most of his work to be average (with the exception of "The Crimson Horror, which I actually really liked). This one, in my opinion, is just downright bad.
It does not help this episode that it is appearing in a series that is unusually strong. Who is usually a mix of great, average, and bad episodes...this year has only had episodes that get better and better...then this dud shows up to ruin the party. I mean, it is pretty ironic that for an episode called "Sleep No More" I managed to fall asleep when I first attempted to watch it. First time this year an episode struggled to hold my interest.
I feel it is almost a yearly tradition now to lament Mark Gatiss' continued contributions to the series. He is a big time fan, and I like him as a writer and actor over on Sherlock. But as a huge Doctor Who fan, it is almost mind boggling how rarely he tends to knock it out of the park. He just turns in episodes that feel generic or average. It's lucky he is friends with the main forces behind the scenes...it has been the greatest gift for him. Just wish he could really make something special with his enthusiasm beyond this. I like Gatiss, he is clearly enthusiastic in interviews, he has written fine entertainment on other shows, and his 50th Anniversary Docu-drama was good fun (even if I thought it was a tad too faithful to the origins of Who than the film's narrative required)...I just don't understand how he manages to miss the mark on writing for Who so often. Can't he make more episodes like "The Crimson Horror"?
I'm not the only one who enjoyed "The Crimson Horror" right?
NEXT TIME: Countdown Tattoo
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