The adventure continues.
March 12, 2011, 1.31 pm. After the undoubted beauty of Vincent and the Doctor, it’s time for another self-contained standalone episode. But this one is quite different in tone…
NB – as before, if your name or image is on these screenshots and you’d rather it wasn’t, PM me on Facebook and I’ll edit the image. Thanks!
We’ve had sci fi, we’ve had horror, we’ve had heartbreaking emotional drama. Now it’s time for something rather different, courtesy of writer Gareth Roberts – sitcom!
Season 5, Episode 11: The Lodger
Starting this episode involves inserting the next disc of the box set. I now know exactly how long this takes.
Steaming mug of tea in hand, I settle down to watch the Doctor arrive somewhere surprisingly average, and reveal an unexpected knowledge of stationery supplies:
Across town, beaten down everybloke Craig (James Corden playing it straight for once) is pining after his best friend. She, typically, doesn’t know anything of this:
Stranded and unable to find the TARDIS, the Doctor decides to move into Craig’s spare room. Thus ensues a scene establishing Smith and Corden as a comedy double act to watch out for, including what must be an intentionally risque reference to a senior clergyman:
I was quite enthusiastic about the comedy, but others saw it differently. And to be fair, I know Corden gets a fair bit of stick too:
Never one to pass up an opportunity to lust after a scantily clad young man, I was happy to see the Doctor’s shower scene. Happier than I would have been if he’d still been William Hartnell anyway:
At which point Steve directed me to a picture he’d found, much to several people’s delight:
Much to Craig’s alarm, the Doctor decides to help out on his pub football team, showing the level of football knowledge achieved by most Who fans:
For my part, I’ve found my attention drawn to part of Craig’s decor – intentionally on the director’s part, it seems:
(Corden did return as Craig, but nothing ever came of the mysteriously prominent picture. Or the duck pond. Yet)
The Doctor discovers that the top floor of Craig’s house is actually a spacecraft that looks oddly familiar:
(Yes, the spacecraft control room was featured in season 6, as the buried Silence ship in Day of the Moon. Significant, or just a cheap reuse of an existing set?)
And the verdict:
Yes, the end draws near! Two more episodes, one more story, with Mr Moffat back on writing duties for the first time since episode 5. Coming up in a moment…
Simon’s Incoherent Blog 
The point about the duck pond isn’t spelled out very clearly, but it’s that Amy *remembers* its a duck pond even though the ducks like so much else in Ledworth have fallen through the crack. i.e. it’s the first clue that she can bring things back from the crack. Later she’s sad in Vincent and the Doctor but can’t consciouly remember why. Rory is brought back by the Nestenes based on her memories even though she shouldn’t have them. And ultimately that’s how she brings the Doctor back. Cos he’s a legend now (a story, geddit) and she remembers him 🙂
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