Review: Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 11 – Dark Water

It’s the start of the two-part finale. Will we finally discover the identity of the mysterious person we’ve seen sporadically throughout this series? Yes. The character goes by the name of Missy (Michelle Gomez).

The opening scenes of this episode are touching, a pivotal part in any relationship: telling that special someone you love them. This is what Clara (Jenna Coleman) tries to do with Danny (Samuel Anderson), but the moment is shattered. This scene was devastating and emotional. At the time, I felt it was unfair of the writers to kill off Danny.

It turns out this tragedy leads to the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara visiting the afterlife. I liked the idea of the Nethersphere, a place where the consciousness of the dead is stored. Missy looks after the Nethersphere.

I also thought the acting was amazing, particularly Peter Capaldi as the Doctor and Michelle Gomez, who plays Missy.

We learn more about Danny’s past, despite his death. The episode as a whole is very emotional. We see an angry side to Clara as she wants to change history. Her anger almost makes her betray the Doctor but, as is the nature of the programme, he has everything under control. The mysterious Missy’s mission seems to be coming together too.

Some parts of the episode are very intense and it was hard to tell where the story was heading. The atmosphere was scary and the underlying themes of the episode fitted the later timeslot.

The set design of the episode was modern – one location seemed to be a museum. The Doctor is suspicious of his surroundings but I don’t think he had a clue what was to come. The episode ends with one of the best cliff-hangers in the history of Doctor Who. We finally find out who Missy is!

Then we had to wait a week to see what would happen next.