I think I would call murder the worst of humanity, which is what they tried to do. It's funny that you say "when a group fears" because it doesn't end when they're no longer afraid. It's also when they get home. This'll affect them for the rest of their lives. The parents coerced their their teenaged son into trying to kill a man, and the professor/student relationship is permanently damaged. They all know what kind of people they are, now.
Considering the look on the Doctor's face after he was drained, and considering how unwilling he was to talk about it afterwards, this really seems like one of the most traumatic things the Doctor has gone through, which is saying a lot considering all the pain he's experienced. It's never described what his experience was like in that paralyzed state, and I have a feeling it's something unimaginably painful.
The sheer look of terror on the Doctor's face, combined with him muttering 'it's gone, it's gone' over and over afterwards... this was one of the very few foes the Doctor's faced that he truly could not win against, largely because it was so inscrutable.
I think this showed the absolute top performance of the actors and the writers. To make such a tense episode with no running and little to no action just using basic communication (verbal and non-verbal) is showing your amazing at what you do.
Man, I completely forgot that "Midnight" was RIGHT after the library episodes. Wowie, that's quite a hat trick! And show so much versatility in ways scifi can be done and of the skills of the show's creatores. Last two episodes had space suits, big library, rock faces, child trapped in a computer and weird time travel shenanigans, and this one is just a few people in a box, talking. Such difference in technical execution and the very concept itself, yet so very much on par with each other in terms of engagement, emotions, and entertainment. Just amazing work all over.
Midnight is genuinely the scariest Doctor Who episode of them all imo. The fact that we know literally nothing about this entity, where it came from, what it looks like, what it wanted, just that it’s powerful enough to rip the cockpit off the cruiser, possess people and paralyse even the Doctor and that it seems to take joy in pitting the humans against one another for seemingly no reason is truly terrifying.
I think Midnight had such a clever concept and was done so well. It's a masterclass in directing and writing. It just goes to show you don't need a big budget to make such a gripping story. Doctor Who has proven that time and time again.
Really loved the Professor's last line "I don't know", he's sorta come full circle from claiming to know everything about anything, but he doesn't even know the name of the customer service woman who hosted him....
I disliked him from the begening and I also hate Jethro’s parents no wonder he didn’t want to seat next to them. They couldn’t even bother to say sorry 🙄
"Midnight" has the atmosphere of many a classic _Twilight Zone_ episode, where paranoia and uncertainty of an ambiguous threat consumes the participants so that average people start turning on each other in panic.
Specifically, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", which Time Magazine named one of the ten best TZ episodes in 2009. The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices ... to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill ... and suspicion can destroy ... and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own-for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is ... that these things cannot be confined to ... The Twilight Zone!
I think this is one of the best bottle episodes of TV ever. One of my favourite Doctor Who monsters, as well. I love that they just don't explain anything about what the monster truly was or wanted or how it worked beyond what we can observe. It's unknown. Is it really even dead, or just roaming as a shadow now that Sky's body is destroyed? The fact that the episode doesn't tell us makes it so much more impactful. 15:34 - This is a really good question, I think that there would have been much less paranoia if Donna had been there. One of the things the Doctor needs companions for is to be reminded how to act human, to help him interact with humans, to stop him getting out of hand, to know the right things to say to de-escalate. There were several things the Doctor said and did in this episode that solidified him as not to be trusted and even antagonistic to the other passengers: telling the most obvious lie about his name, refusing to give any information about himself, the "as it happens yes I am [so special]", the "because I'm clever!". The last two things are true, but the way he puts them are arrogant in a way I think wouldn't happen if Donna were with him. My fun fact for this episode is that the Professor is played by David Troughton, the son of Patrick Troughton, who played the Second Doctor! David also appears in several classic stories in various roles. Fans of BBC Merlin will also recognise Jethro (Colin Morgan, who plays Merlin in that series).
This is one of my personal favorite episodes. I love "locked room" stories and this is one of the best. The woman playing Sky is incredible in this as she had to basically play everyone in this. The whole not knowing the hostess's name is so good as even if you as the viewer rewatch you never know her name as well.
This episode and Blink are the two scariest episodes of Doctor Who I've ever seen - and I'd put this one at the top because, as old as the Doctor is and the fact that he has all the Time Lord knowledge on top of his own... and he had never been so close to death from an entity he'd never even heard of before... one that was quite possibly just as intelligent and formidable as he is.
Silence in the Library, Forest of the Dead, and Midnight are an excellent horror trifecta to watch on Halloween night. During the phone call between Donna and the Doctor, Donna's phone is unplugged and a greenscreen is visible behind the Doctor.
Midnight was the first ever episode of Doctor Who I watched (was a fan of Colin Morgan (Jethro) from Merlin) and oooooh boy lets just say it was a banger to start with. David Tennant's acting is so amazing.
This has probably been pointed out but Professor Hobbs was played by David Troughton who was yes you guessed it Patrick Troughton’s (2nd Doctor) son His other son was also in a Capaldi episode Whilst I’m on the subject Patrick’s grandson (Harry Melling) played Dudley in Harry Potter
This run of Doctor Who in my personal opinion is one of the best, the writing and the cast just make the show feel so alive. I look forward to seeing your reactions 😄
This episode reminded me of a couple of 1960's Twilight Zone episodes, usually taking place with "friendly," suburban neighbors going paranoid and frantic and threatening because of some unforeseen or mistaken coming danger.
Between this episode (Midnight), the last two-parter (Silence in the Library), Torchwood's gut-wrenching last three episodes (Adrift, Fragments and Exit Wounds) and heck -- even Sarah Jane (What Ever Happened to Sarah Jane Smith) you might have noticed that we're definitely at a darker point in the Whoniverse tonally and things have not been as whimsical or cheery as they have been!
One thing that increases the stress is that the Doctor’s greatest weapon, talking, is used against him. Usually he asserts his authority by being the smartest in the group and talking his way out of danger,Here, every word, every mental flex, makes things worse.
i love this EPISODEEEEEE one of my fav eps of the show. scared me so much and it continues to this day because of the unknowns. what did the driver see outside??? what the heck was that thing??? WE NEVER KNOW. TERRIFYING!!! also a really lovely minor role for colin morgan who plays jethro - he ended up playing merlin in BBC's ridiculous tv series Merlin!
One of my favorite episodes of Who. Leslie Sharp's physical acting really set it off. It was subtle and terrifying, and it was heightened by a little clever lighting and some good minimalist scoring. David Tennant's acting in this was probably the best he's done in the show. He managed to communicate an awful lot with a nearly immobile face.
The Doctor (without a companion) being his own worst enemy is a running theme. He can be extremely arrogant when he doesn’t have a companion around to remind him how to act human. This theme is VERY important in the next episode, so even though most don’t consider this to be part of the series 4 finale (and yes, as far as stories go it is indeed its own separate entity), to me, it significantly informs the central premise of the next episode in that it plants the idea into the viewers’ minds that the Doctor might very well need his companions just as much as his companions need him. So I consider this a companion episode of Turn Left in that regard.
seeing Colin Morgan (jethro in this episode name) reminds me you should totally watch Merlin its a BBC tv series about a young sorcerer in medieval period its amazingly funny and tense
One of the eeriest episode in all of the show! Never finding out what “it” was, to this day still creeps me out. Tennant’s amazing acting when possessed, the entire great cast, and the worst of what humanity can be…Absolute banger of an episode!
Donnna’s not in this episode because it literally couldn’t happen otherwise. As soon as the Doctor told everyone to be quiet she would have enforced it through sheer force of will. 😂
This is the scariest episode in Doctor Who in regards to a villain; as this monster is not known at all, outsmarted the Doctor, paralysed the crew, ripped half of it off and still is out there. It’s insane.
You're in the middle of a very strong run of Doctor Who episodes right now. I think this one is my favourite from a drama/acting point of view - it achieves so much with so little on the screen. It's also very clever how the show in this season is using the constraints it had to work in to the advantage of the story it wants to tell - but that's a minor spoiler as to what the theme of the next episode might be.
Now this was the other episode I was waiting for you to watch! The story itself, it feels like a play in that it’s all set in one confined place. And the glimpse of Rose *scream* (Apologies if you say this stuff at the end, I’m commenting halfway through the reaction)
Classic RTD. Starts off light and frothy… then something shifts and things get darker, and darker, and darker. One of the greatest episodes. ‘BECAUSE I’M CLEVER!”. The Doctor completely misreads the room , and without a companion as the go-between, his arrogance nearly gets him killed. Stunning episode and series 4 Tennant is on FIRE.
Don't worry - Donna will have an interesting vacation of her own next time. You are bound to say 'best 4 episodes in a row ever'... and then the best may still be yet to come ;)
This episode always hits me so hard. I have a fear of losing mental control and autonomy already, and the combination of the unseen threat and the brilliant acting really drives it home. Blink is an incredible "Horror Who" episode, but this is the one that gives me nightmares
One of my favorite episodes of series 4! I thought about this story for a looooong time afterwards. I don’t think the Doctor counts this event in his “wins” column. Others have done a good job at mentioning the cast who went on to other things, David Troughton, Colin Morgan. The cast is stacked, not the least of whom was Lesley Sharp as Skye. She went on to star in a great cop/detective show called Scott & Bailey with Suranne Jones, and I loved her there because she was so kind. Her performance here is vulnerable and terrifying and I am in awe.
Definitely not a win. It would be hard to count anything as a win with him being so defeated in the end. I wonder what would be his win, finding out more about the alien or saving the girl? Both?
"That's the way..." "That's the way..." Just even the way the Entity speaks, the way it goads them throughout the whole time without sounding scared at all, holding the Doctor's confidence and gravitas in an evil, Master-like spin. It's obvious if you watch it back, but if anyone had paid attention to the way she was speaking apart from DeeDee and the Hostess it would've been so easy to clock Skye. But this group would never have spoken to her since she was sitting on her own, only the Doctor thought to reach out and that's why the others were so distrustful of him. Easy target, an "alien" who carries himself higher and so it's so easy to believe he's turned evil when the Entity steals his voice.
yeah this is another scary scene like are you my mummy and the tape had run out. great episode that does feel super fast. was so excited to see your reaction cause you were hyped in the beginning, was so afraid you wouldn't like it
THe thing about Doctor Who is that the 'good old days' feeling never really goes away for long. You're careening toward some of the best content this franchise has ever produced. Before long you'll be where we all are. Just take a deep breath, enjoy the star beasts on your journey into the wild blue yonder while you can. Maybe have a bit of a giggle now and then. Take you time... With Doctor Who, it's always the Time of the Doctor.
Fun little bit of trivia: The actor who plays Professor Hobbes is David Troughton, the son of the actor who played the Second Doctor back in the late 60's, Patrick Troughton.
I've been looking forward to your reaction to this for so long! To me, this is the most genuinely terrifying episode in all of Doctor Who history, and I've literally seen them all, including the classic show. It gives me nightmares to this day.
There's something so interesting about this episode right after the library, we go from a two parter about avoiding the shadows and staying safe in the light, to this where the light is kinda what traps them, it's the only thing that actually physically hurts anyone all episode. both these formless mysterious entities that we're fighting and yet the episodes don't even feel remotely similar, there's no sense of repeat to it? I guess that's a testament to how well written they are
One of my all time favorite eps. Pure psychological thriller. Doctor Who meets Twilight Zone...but with brilliant performances by Tennant and the actress who was possessed.
I think things would have been SO different if Donna had been there with the Doctor. The companions humanize him, both in their interactions with him, and in helping him to appear more human to the humans around them. She would have slapped some sense into him if necessary LOL before he reached the point of his somewhat natural arrogance helping to turn the humans against him. Also, she would have fiercely defended him. She would never have allowed it to get that far. He was so acutely ALONE in this episode, and Donna is the best friend he's ever had. Her presence would have altered the course of this episode tremendously.
also i love this ep as a character study of ten's arrogance. without a companion, he can so quickly become a blustering self-important man who tries to get people to do what he says, he needs a companion to vouch for him and without that people can EASILY turn against him. it's SO fascinating. they all warp hard against him because without the context of who he is and what he can do and how he can help, he can so easily become untrustworthy to people.
Its amazing what you can do with just a few characters in a box, few special effects, and a great script. All the characters were very well realised and their dynamics very clear. A great study of what fear and the manipulation of fear can do to humans. And turns the doctors best asset agaibst him, his voice.
Hear about this episode that it was scrapped together in a rush due to some technical or budget issue, so that is why no fancy aliens this time. And yet it's a very unique episode....
Been watching Kaos on Netflix, been wracking my brain trying to work out where I knew Rakie Ayola (Persephone) from. Then saw this and realised she’s the Hostess
Lesley Sharp, the actress that played the possessed passanger, starred in a tv series called "afterlife" in 2005. She plays a psychic medium. It's pretty scary sometimes and also stars Andrew Lincoln before he starred as Rick in The Walking Dead.
Like Agent K says in Men in Black, “A person is smart. People are dumb.” There’s more but I don’t recall the exact lines. This is certainly the case here. Such a brilliant episode, so well acted by Tennant’s and the actress playing Skye.
When the lady says "I said it was her" my blood always boils. I hate her so much and yet still understand why she did everything she did and can sympathize. Masterfully written..
"The last story of Doctor Who we watched was among the... the best two hours of television that I have ever seen, and I'm telling you, I was on a high for like 5 days following watching the-whew that story... just to say I am so excited for-for more Doctor Who today." Did I get you? I'm kidding of course, I don't have the kind of time necessary to copy *everything* you've said in this video, but it's a start.
This is one of my favourite Doctor Who episodes. I'd argue it's the best of S4. The monster is secondary. The real meat of this episode is what happens when you put a bunch of terrified people in a room and have Doctor's speeches fail on them.
Personalty this is one of my favoriete episodes ever. The way they portray paranoia and fear taking over when people encounter something they don't understand and create a narrative that makes sens to them. "Like I saw it go in to him" And the claustrophobic felling all packed in that bus. The constant rise of tentoon. Davis master full performance. It has it all.
Has anybody reading my post either read or maybe even performed Rod Serling's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" as a school assignment? My classmates and I read aloud the various roles for an English class in 1976 and I, personally, had a ball, really getting into character! I'm not claiming I was a good "actor", merely that I emoted more far more than some of the other students. (My homeroom teacher later stated she could hear me from several classrooms down the hall!) This very much gave me that vibe when I first saw it in 2008. Basically, a "closed room" study in growing paranoia. Structured as it is, this could work very well as a stage play with minimal alterations It doesn't even have to be Doctor Who themed. Really, this could have been an episode of "The Twilight Zone" with the Doctor simply being an insightful and empathetic human and nobody serving as a central protagonist.
Somebody has probably already commented on this, but the man playing the professor is the son of Patrick Troughton, the 2nd Doctor. --- And this is definitely, absolutely one of my all-time favorite episodes! Such a fantastic study of how humans can behave in panic situations. It is also so rare when we get to see the Doctor rendered completely ineffective. Just a brilliant story.
"That's costumer service. 5 stars." 😂 Also 5 stars for this season. And it seems I have also 5 stars in my pocket. Might as wel leave them here for funiest reaction to Doctor Who. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sometimes people say that the Doctor would've been all right if Donna had also gone on the excursion. But we see different personality types here all falling under the spell of whatever the creature is, as it plays on their fears, distorts people's words, and manipulates them into seeing things that didn't happen. Why would Donna be immune from that?
Point of interest: The professor, David Troughton, co-starred with Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor) in a very strange and quirky TV series called A Very Peculiar Practice. It’s unlikely that it would get very many views here on the RUclips, but you might enjoy it anyway.
My all time favourite Doctor Who episode. Yes, the last two were pretty outstanding, but this one grips me every time. Yes, you are in the Good Old Days right now! 😊
Maybe the scariest episode of Doctor Who. I don't know that I've ever seen the Doctor that incapacitated, that helpless, even compared to the cartoony finale of Series 3. To have the creature's only weapon be it's ability to provoke everyone else's panic and unreason. It wasn't even subtle--a few characters figured out just what was going on, but they were still helpless as long as other people were reacting with violent fear and ignorance. Something the Doctor can't solve with technical jiggery-pokery, epic threats, reversing the polarity, or even by talking and encouraging people. Mere cleverness wasn't enough. Only quick-thinking self-sacrifice. The Doctor might have attempted that himself, if the thing hadn't first incapacitated him (it probably noticed that he was the cleverest and most powerful enemy). I remember being so tense with this episode, even coming off of the spectacular two-parter before it!
My favourite bottle episode of anything ever! I do wish we got more of Sky's backstory (the line "she said she'd get me" still plays on me I wanna know why she was so scared and convinced it was coming for her
Something I love about this episode: the Doctor lost. Completely lost. Despite all he can do and how godlike he may seem to some, here, he was powerless. The *only* reason he survived is because someone, a nobody no one paid attention enough to to even know their name, not even himself, asked him about an unusual expression he randomly used and somehow managed to focus on that instead of following the group panic. This was pure luck.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
It’s not the worst of humanity. It’s humanity, when a group fears. This is the most chilling doctor who I’ve seen.
This is terrible paraphrasing but that saying “a person is smart but people are stupid”
@@Chestersgirl”People are dumb panicky dangerous animals and you know it.”
@@gregstephens that’s the one. Thank you
Group panic _is_ the worst of humanity.
I think I would call murder the worst of humanity, which is what they tried to do. It's funny that you say "when a group fears" because it doesn't end when they're no longer afraid. It's also when they get home. This'll affect them for the rest of their lives. The parents coerced their their teenaged son into trying to kill a man, and the professor/student relationship is permanently damaged. They all know what kind of people they are, now.
This episode shows how much you can do with some good writing and acting in a single set. No elaborate special effects, just acting and reacting.
Considering the look on the Doctor's face after he was drained, and considering how unwilling he was to talk about it afterwards, this really seems like one of the most traumatic things the Doctor has gone through, which is saying a lot considering all the pain he's experienced. It's never described what his experience was like in that paralyzed state, and I have a feeling it's something unimaginably painful.
The sheer look of terror on the Doctor's face, combined with him muttering 'it's gone, it's gone' over and over afterwards... this was one of the very few foes the Doctor's faced that he truly could not win against, largely because it was so inscrutable.
the doctor's greatest strength is his brain and his voice. when he's robbed of that he's powerless and it's terrifying.
And he is of a telepathic species. What would this mean for him?
I think this showed the absolute top performance of the actors and the writers. To make such a tense episode with no running and little to no action just using basic communication (verbal and non-verbal) is showing your amazing at what you do.
Man, I completely forgot that "Midnight" was RIGHT after the library episodes. Wowie, that's quite a hat trick! And show so much versatility in ways scifi can be done and of the skills of the show's creatores. Last two episodes had space suits, big library, rock faces, child trapped in a computer and weird time travel shenanigans, and this one is just a few people in a box, talking. Such difference in technical execution and the very concept itself, yet so very much on par with each other in terms of engagement, emotions, and entertainment. Just amazing work all over.
Midnight is genuinely the scariest Doctor Who episode of them all imo. The fact that we know literally nothing about this entity, where it came from, what it looks like, what it wanted, just that it’s powerful enough to rip the cockpit off the cruiser, possess people and paralyse even the Doctor and that it seems to take joy in pitting the humans against one another for seemingly no reason is truly terrifying.
This might be the only thing I've ever watched on my channel where I completely lost track of time and felt shocked that it was over.
@@CasualNerdReactions Did you see how terrified his eyes looked after it stole his voice? David Tennant is such a fantastic actor!
I think Midnight had such a clever concept and was done so well. It's a masterclass in directing and writing. It just goes to show you don't need a big budget to make such a gripping story. Doctor Who has proven that time and time again.
Really loved the Professor's last line "I don't know", he's sorta come full circle from claiming to know everything about anything, but he doesn't even know the name of the customer service woman who hosted him....
I disliked him from the begening and I also hate Jethro’s parents no wonder he didn’t want to seat next to them. They couldn’t even bother to say sorry 🙄
@@kay-jay1581why did you dislike the professor?
“That’s customer service, five stars” - well, I’ve never laughed at that scene before!
Midnight is masterfully done. It gives you enough to be frightened, but not enough to know what the monster is.
"Midnight" has the atmosphere of many a classic _Twilight Zone_ episode, where paranoia and uncertainty of an ambiguous threat consumes the participants so that average people start turning on each other in panic.
Specifically, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", which Time Magazine named one of the ten best TZ episodes in 2009.
The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices ... to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill ... and suspicion can destroy ... and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own-for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is ... that these things cannot be confined to ... The Twilight Zone!
I think this is one of the best bottle episodes of TV ever. One of my favourite Doctor Who monsters, as well. I love that they just don't explain anything about what the monster truly was or wanted or how it worked beyond what we can observe. It's unknown. Is it really even dead, or just roaming as a shadow now that Sky's body is destroyed? The fact that the episode doesn't tell us makes it so much more impactful.
15:34 - This is a really good question, I think that there would have been much less paranoia if Donna had been there. One of the things the Doctor needs companions for is to be reminded how to act human, to help him interact with humans, to stop him getting out of hand, to know the right things to say to de-escalate. There were several things the Doctor said and did in this episode that solidified him as not to be trusted and even antagonistic to the other passengers: telling the most obvious lie about his name, refusing to give any information about himself, the "as it happens yes I am [so special]", the "because I'm clever!". The last two things are true, but the way he puts them are arrogant in a way I think wouldn't happen if Donna were with him.
My fun fact for this episode is that the Professor is played by David Troughton, the son of Patrick Troughton, who played the Second Doctor! David also appears in several classic stories in various roles. Fans of BBC Merlin will also recognise Jethro (Colin Morgan, who plays Merlin in that series).
I would love to see an alternate version of this episode to highlight his need for a companion, it would be really fascinating to me.
This is one of my personal favorite episodes. I love "locked room" stories and this is one of the best. The woman playing Sky is incredible in this as she had to basically play everyone in this. The whole not knowing the hostess's name is so good as even if you as the viewer rewatch you never know her name as well.
This episode and Blink are the two scariest episodes of Doctor Who I've ever seen - and I'd put this one at the top because, as old as the Doctor is and the fact that he has all the Time Lord knowledge on top of his own... and he had never been so close to death from an entity he'd never even heard of before... one that was quite possibly just as intelligent and formidable as he is.
Silence in the Library, Forest of the Dead, and Midnight are an excellent horror trifecta to watch on Halloween night.
During the phone call between Donna and the Doctor, Donna's phone is unplugged and a greenscreen is visible behind the Doctor.
Midnight was the first ever episode of Doctor Who I watched (was a fan of Colin Morgan (Jethro) from Merlin) and oooooh boy lets just say it was a banger to start with. David Tennant's acting is so amazing.
This has probably been pointed out but Professor Hobbs was played by David Troughton who was yes you guessed it Patrick Troughton’s (2nd Doctor) son
His other son was also in a Capaldi episode
Whilst I’m on the subject Patrick’s grandson (Harry Melling) played Dudley in Harry Potter
The Troughton legacy is through Who, David Troughton 1 of the few actors that wasn't a regular to appear in both original and new Who too
This run of Doctor Who in my personal opinion is one of the best, the writing and the cast just make the show feel so alive. I look forward to seeing your reactions 😄
This episode reminded me of a couple of 1960's Twilight Zone episodes, usually taking place with "friendly," suburban neighbors going paranoid and frantic and threatening because of some unforeseen or mistaken coming danger.
Between this episode (Midnight), the last two-parter (Silence in the Library), Torchwood's gut-wrenching last three episodes (Adrift, Fragments and Exit Wounds) and heck -- even Sarah Jane (What Ever Happened to Sarah Jane Smith) you might have noticed that we're definitely at a darker point in the Whoniverse tonally and things have not been as whimsical or cheery as they have been!
That is pretty accurate! Definitely a lot of heartache in recent times with the show.
One thing that increases the stress is that the Doctor’s greatest weapon, talking, is used against him. Usually he asserts his authority by being the smartest in the group and talking his way out of danger,Here, every word, every mental flex, makes things worse.
i love this EPISODEEEEEE one of my fav eps of the show. scared me so much and it continues to this day because of the unknowns. what did the driver see outside??? what the heck was that thing??? WE NEVER KNOW. TERRIFYING!!! also a really lovely minor role for colin morgan who plays jethro - he ended up playing merlin in BBC's ridiculous tv series Merlin!
We will never know and that does make it all the more terrifying.
One of my favorite episodes of Who. Leslie Sharp's physical acting really set it off. It was subtle and terrifying, and it was heightened by a little clever lighting and some good minimalist scoring. David Tennant's acting in this was probably the best he's done in the show. He managed to communicate an awful lot with a nearly immobile face.
The Doctor (without a companion) being his own worst enemy is a running theme. He can be extremely arrogant when he doesn’t have a companion around to remind him how to act human. This theme is VERY important in the next episode, so even though most don’t consider this to be part of the series 4 finale (and yes, as far as stories go it is indeed its own separate entity), to me, it significantly informs the central premise of the next episode in that it plants the idea into the viewers’ minds that the Doctor might very well need his companions just as much as his companions need him. So I consider this a companion episode of Turn Left in that regard.
And I absolutely did NOT intend the pun regarding the use of the word companion in that last sentence, lol
seeing Colin Morgan (jethro in this episode name) reminds me you should totally watch Merlin its a BBC tv series about a young sorcerer in medieval period its amazingly funny and tense
Merlin 🤬🤬😂😂
YES
Merlin it started of great but like many series long shows it kinda ended in a very low note. It was fine for me but kinda disappointing overall
2:39 Cool how you can see the reflection of the show in the picture of London and it looks like the TARDIS is in the vortex.
Can we just appreciate how cool the reflection made your DW london poster looked when the titles were playing
your next reaction is already out, so I can say this: your prediction of a "Doctor Who lite episode" was really spot-on. well done!
One of the eeriest episode in all of the show! Never finding out what “it” was, to this day still creeps me out. Tennant’s amazing acting when possessed, the entire great cast, and the worst of what humanity can be…Absolute banger of an episode!
There are many great moments to come, but for me Season 4 is peak Doctor Who. Best writing, best doctor, best companion.
I completely agree with everything you said here. 👏👏👏
So do I!
Donnna’s not in this episode because it literally couldn’t happen otherwise. As soon as the Doctor told everyone to be quiet she would have enforced it through sheer force of will. 😂
Exactly
This is the scariest episode in Doctor Who in regards to a villain; as this monster is not known at all, outsmarted the Doctor, paralysed the crew, ripped half of it off and still is out there. It’s insane.
You're in the middle of a very strong run of Doctor Who episodes right now. I think this one is my favourite from a drama/acting point of view - it achieves so much with so little on the screen. It's also very clever how the show in this season is using the constraints it had to work in to the advantage of the story it wants to tell - but that's a minor spoiler as to what the theme of the next episode might be.
Now this was the other episode I was waiting for you to watch! The story itself, it feels like a play in that it’s all set in one confined place. And the glimpse of Rose *scream*
(Apologies if you say this stuff at the end, I’m commenting halfway through the reaction)
"Now that's customer service! Five-star!" ❤
Classic RTD. Starts off light and frothy… then something shifts and things get darker, and darker, and darker.
One of the greatest episodes.
‘BECAUSE I’M CLEVER!”. The Doctor completely misreads the room , and without a companion as the go-between, his arrogance nearly gets him killed. Stunning episode and series 4 Tennant is on FIRE.
Lesley Sharp, who plays Sky/the entity here, starred as a cop in Scott & Bailey. She also played Rose in Russell T. Davies' series, _Bob & Rose._
One of my favourite episodes of all time. Definitely one of the scariest. Great writing on display here! And some powerful performances to boot 👍
Don't worry - Donna will have an interesting vacation of her own next time. You are bound to say 'best 4 episodes in a row ever'... and then the best may still be yet to come ;)
This episode always hits me so hard. I have a fear of losing mental control and autonomy already, and the combination of the unseen threat and the brilliant acting really drives it home. Blink is an incredible "Horror Who" episode, but this is the one that gives me nightmares
One of my favorite episodes of series 4! I thought about this story for a looooong time afterwards. I don’t think the Doctor counts this event in his “wins” column.
Others have done a good job at mentioning the cast who went on to other things, David Troughton, Colin Morgan. The cast is stacked, not the least of whom was Lesley Sharp as Skye. She went on to star in a great cop/detective show called Scott & Bailey with Suranne Jones, and I loved her there because she was so kind. Her performance here is vulnerable and terrifying and I am in awe.
Definitely not a win. It would be hard to count anything as a win with him being so defeated in the end. I wonder what would be his win, finding out more about the alien or saving the girl? Both?
This is the first episode of Doctor Who I ever saw.
"That's the way..."
"That's the way..."
Just even the way the Entity speaks, the way it goads them throughout the whole time without sounding scared at all, holding the Doctor's confidence and gravitas in an evil, Master-like spin. It's obvious if you watch it back, but if anyone had paid attention to the way she was speaking apart from DeeDee and the Hostess it would've been so easy to clock Skye. But this group would never have spoken to her since she was sitting on her own, only the Doctor thought to reach out and that's why the others were so distrustful of him. Easy target, an "alien" who carries himself higher and so it's so easy to believe he's turned evil when the Entity steals his voice.
yeah this is another scary scene like are you my mummy and the tape had run out. great episode that does feel super fast. was so excited to see your reaction cause you were hyped in the beginning, was so afraid you wouldn't like it
THe thing about Doctor Who is that the 'good old days' feeling never really goes away for long. You're careening toward some of the best content this franchise has ever produced. Before long you'll be where we all are. Just take a deep breath, enjoy the star beasts on your journey into the wild blue yonder while you can. Maybe have a bit of a giggle now and then. Take you time... With Doctor Who, it's always the Time of the Doctor.
Fun little bit of trivia: The actor who plays Professor Hobbes is David Troughton, the son of the actor who played the Second Doctor back in the late 60's, Patrick Troughton.
To quote the movie Men in Black, "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals..."
I've been looking forward to your reaction to this for so long! To me, this is the most genuinely terrifying episode in all of Doctor Who history, and I've literally seen them all, including the classic show. It gives me nightmares to this day.
“Heck, What the heck, what the heck, what the heck heck heck” my exact feelings this whole episode. Love it!!
There's something so interesting about this episode right after the library, we go from a two parter about avoiding the shadows and staying safe in the light, to this where the light is kinda what traps them, it's the only thing that actually physically hurts anyone all episode. both these formless mysterious entities that we're fighting and yet the episodes don't even feel remotely similar, there's no sense of repeat to it? I guess that's a testament to how well written they are
This is right up with Blink as one of the best Doctor Who episodes of all time!
Best David Tennant episode by far and one of my favourite episodes as well.
This is why the Doctor needs a companion. Donna wouldn't have let them try to throw him out. She would have fought all of them.
One of the best written modern Doctor Who shows with wonderful performances especially from Lesley Sharp (Skye) and David Tennant.
I have a hate love relationship with this episode, look it’s one of the best episodes ever but I get too stressful with that damn crew 😆
One of my all time favorite eps. Pure psychological thriller. Doctor Who meets Twilight Zone...but with brilliant performances by Tennant and the actress who was possessed.
I think things would have been SO different if Donna had been there with the Doctor. The companions humanize him, both in their interactions with him, and in helping him to appear more human to the humans around them. She would have slapped some sense into him if necessary LOL before he reached the point of his somewhat natural arrogance helping to turn the humans against him.
Also, she would have fiercely defended him. She would never have allowed it to get that far. He was so acutely ALONE in this episode, and Donna is the best friend he's ever had. Her presence would have altered the course of this episode tremendously.
also i love this ep as a character study of ten's arrogance. without a companion, he can so quickly become a blustering self-important man who tries to get people to do what he says, he needs a companion to vouch for him and without that people can EASILY turn against him. it's SO fascinating. they all warp hard against him because without the context of who he is and what he can do and how he can help, he can so easily become untrustworthy to people.
This
Probabky my favourite New Who episode, such an interesting study of human minds and mob mentality all in one room
this is one of my all-time favourite DW episodes. I look forward to seeing your reaction
Its amazing what you can do with just a few characters in a box, few special effects, and a great script. All the characters were very well realised and their dynamics very clear. A great study of what fear and the manipulation of fear can do to humans. And turns the doctors best asset agaibst him, his voice.
Hear about this episode that it was scrapped together in a rush due to some technical or budget issue, so that is why no fancy aliens this time. And yet it's a very unique episode....
Been watching Kaos on Netflix, been wracking my brain trying to work out where I knew Rakie Ayola (Persephone) from. Then saw this and realised she’s the Hostess
Thanks for a fantastic reaction to a very great episode. The acting from the supporting cast was superb. The camerawork was great.
Lesley Sharp is an amazing actress.
Incredible
Donna would talk the creatures head off so it would flee in terror
Lesley Sharp, the actress that played the possessed passanger, starred in a tv series called "afterlife" in 2005.
She plays a psychic medium.
It's pretty scary sometimes and also stars Andrew Lincoln before he starred as Rick in The Walking Dead.
"These are the good ole days." Yes. Yes, they are.
There is a making of about this episode “Doctor Who Confidential” that is a great view.
One of my favourite episode (but there are so many…) because of how different it is. It is fairly unique in style.
Like Agent K says in Men in Black, “A person is smart. People are dumb.” There’s more but I don’t recall the exact lines. This is certainly the case here. Such a brilliant episode, so well acted by Tennant’s and the actress playing Skye.
When the lady says "I said it was her" my blood always boils. I hate her so much and yet still understand why she did everything she did and can sympathize. Masterfully written..
This episode, Saw, Lost, Devil, Elevator, Circle. Stories where a group of people are trapped and arguing.
"The last story of Doctor Who we watched was among the... the best two hours of television that I have ever seen, and I'm telling you, I was on a high for like 5 days following watching the-whew that story... just to say I am so excited for-for more Doctor Who today."
Did I get you? I'm kidding of course, I don't have the kind of time necessary to copy *everything* you've said in this video, but it's a start.
This is one of my favourite Doctor Who episodes. I'd argue it's the best of S4.
The monster is secondary. The real meat of this episode is what happens when you put a bunch of terrified people in a room and have Doctor's speeches fail on them.
Personalty this is one of my favoriete episodes ever. The way they portray paranoia and fear taking over when people encounter something they don't understand and create a narrative that makes sens to them. "Like I saw it go in to him" And the claustrophobic felling all packed in that bus. The constant rise of tentoon. Davis master full performance. It has it all.
You are definitely in 'the good old days'.
i love how this episode depicts humanity and its response to fear
Has anybody reading my post either read or maybe even performed Rod Serling's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" as a school assignment? My classmates and I read aloud the various roles for an English class in 1976 and I, personally, had a ball, really getting into character! I'm not claiming I was a good "actor", merely that I emoted more far more than some of the other students. (My homeroom teacher later stated she could hear me from several classrooms down the hall!) This very much gave me that vibe when I first saw it in 2008. Basically, a "closed room" study in growing paranoia. Structured as it is, this could work very well as a stage play with minimal alterations It doesn't even have to be Doctor Who themed. Really, this could have been an episode of "The Twilight Zone" with the Doctor simply being an insightful and empathetic human and nobody serving as a central protagonist.
I’d like to see that.
Somebody has probably already commented on this, but the man playing the professor is the son of Patrick Troughton, the 2nd Doctor. --- And this is definitely, absolutely one of my all-time favorite episodes! Such a fantastic study of how humans can behave in panic situations. It is also so rare when we get to see the Doctor rendered completely ineffective. Just a brilliant story.
"That's costumer service. 5 stars." 😂
Also 5 stars for this season.
And it seems I have also 5 stars in my pocket. Might as wel leave them here for funiest reaction to Doctor Who.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"That's not necessarily wrong if you're right."
Good logic.
My favourite episode of Searies 4 and one of the best ever made. Just an extraordinary piece of writing
Welcome to what is easily the most stressful episode of Doctor Who.
This is a seriously underrated episode
Sometimes people say that the Doctor would've been all right if Donna had also gone on the excursion. But we see different personality types here all falling under the spell of whatever the creature is, as it plays on their fears, distorts people's words, and manipulates them into seeing things that didn't happen. Why would Donna be immune from that?
One of the best episodes in all of Doctor Who in my opinion. So creative how they made us feel so many emotions from just a small room.
"thats customer service, five stars" 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Point of interest: The professor, David Troughton, co-starred with Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor) in a very strange and quirky TV series called A Very Peculiar Practice. It’s unlikely that it would get very many views here on the RUclips, but you might enjoy it anyway.
My all time favourite Doctor Who episode. Yes, the last two were pretty outstanding, but this one grips me every time. Yes, you are in the Good Old Days right now! 😊
Maybe the scariest episode of Doctor Who. I don't know that I've ever seen the Doctor that incapacitated, that helpless, even compared to the cartoony finale of Series 3. To have the creature's only weapon be it's ability to provoke everyone else's panic and unreason. It wasn't even subtle--a few characters figured out just what was going on, but they were still helpless as long as other people were reacting with violent fear and ignorance. Something the Doctor can't solve with technical jiggery-pokery, epic threats, reversing the polarity, or even by talking and encouraging people. Mere cleverness wasn't enough. Only quick-thinking self-sacrifice. The Doctor might have attempted that himself, if the thing hadn't first incapacitated him (it probably noticed that he was the cleverest and most powerful enemy). I remember being so tense with this episode, even coming off of the spectacular two-parter before it!
I absolutely LOVE midnight. It's my favourite episode
When he says 'What could possibly go wrong', did you spot the green screen behind him where they forgot to add VFX?
Easily one of my favorite episodes. Reminds me a lot of the classic Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street"
What would it have been like with Donna onboard...a lot...lot...lot more shouty lol
Great great episode. Enjoy.
My favourite bottle episode of anything ever! I do wish we got more of Sky's backstory (the line "she said she'd get me" still plays on me I wanna know why she was so scared and convinced it was coming for her
Something I love about this episode: the Doctor lost. Completely lost. Despite all he can do and how godlike he may seem to some, here, he was powerless.
The *only* reason he survived is because someone, a nobody no one paid attention enough to to even know their name, not even himself, asked him about an unusual expression he randomly used and somehow managed to focus on that instead of following the group panic. This was pure luck.
If Donna had been with him she'd have beat them to a pulp the minute they tried to touch him.
The Dr Who take on The Monsters are Due on Maple Street. This was a cheap episode to shoot, but such a good one.
I always watch this episode and Blink during Halloween. So good. So creepy.