ANDREW'S
DOCTOR WHO REVIEWS 
This is a terrific Doctor Who story, one of my favourites of
Matt Smith’s Doctor – spooky, clever, funny, exciting and well acted, all those
things that mark out the best Doctor Who tales.
The Doctor, Amy and Rory arrive in what appears to be a rather
grim 1980s style hotel but is actually in space. Here they find a small group
of people who are living in terror of something else in the hotel which
possesses them and then comes and takes them away. The creature, which looks a
little like a minotaur, tricks visitors into entering a room which contains
their greatest fear. They then repeat the phrase “praise him” until the
creature takes them. The rooms and corridors of the hotel shift continuously
and the Doctor and company are soon separated from the TARDIS.
They meet a group of people who include Rita (Amara Karan)
who the Doctor bonds with, as well as the cowardly rodent-like alien, Gibbis
(David Walliams) whose people habitually surrender to anyone who wants to
oppress them.
After Rita is possessed by the creature and killed the
Doctor is horrified to find that Amy is possessed next. They take her to the
room where she faced her greatest fear and they seem young Amy (Caitlin
Blackwood) waiting for the Doctor to return. The Doctor realises that it is
Amy’s faith in him that is possessing her, so he has to break her faith and as
he does so the creature dies, thanking the Doctor for releasing him from his
pain and servitude.
Once they find the TARDIS the Doctor insists in returning
Amy and Rory to Earth, worried that he keeps risking their lives.
This is a great story, the premise of the rooms where you
face your own fears which then possesses you is strong and original and the
interesting collection of people in the hotel keeps things surprising and
unpredictable.
David Walliams is perfect casting as the shifty, cowardly
Gibbis and he is both funny and untrustworthy- enough that you never know if
you can believe him or not. Best of all though is the character of Rita and the
rapport she has with Matt Smith’s Doctor. You really really wish she could have
survived to replace Amy and Rory as companion, and the Doctor’s genuine
distress and anger at her death is really heartfelt. Quite why Amara Karan is
not one of our biggest stars is a mystery.
Matt Smith’s world-weary and sad Doctor sits perfectly
within this story where even the monster is not really a monster but forced to
do what it does. He realises with great sadness that he will have to kill the
creature to free the survivors and again, his distress as he comforts the
creature when it dies is palpable.
Watching this story again in order really highlights how
strong it is, probably Matt’s strongest story yet.
NEXT UP: CLOSING TIME
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2022
