David Tennant remains a fan-favorite as the titular character of Doctor Who, and it is clear to see why after watching what is perhaps the most ambitious script of his entire run: Midnight. With only one location and a handful of guest characters on top of the Doctor, Midnight almost feels like a play in its approach to slow-burn suspense and interpersonal drama. The premise of the episode is like something right out of the Twilight Zone: A group of people are onboard a shuttle (think the science fiction equivalent of a tour bus) when one of them becomes possessed by an invisible spirit that only repeats what other people say. Paranoia and accusations fly as the passengers try to figure out what to do next. Written by Russel T. Davies, this bottle episode proves that even a show as typically extravagant as Doctor Who can create tension purely through dialogue and character - in essentially one continuous scene. While this could have easily become another "Doctor saves the day" episode, Davies chooses to subvert this and level the paranoia at the Doctor himself. The passengers on the shuttle are much more cynical than your average civilians, and they turn on the Doctor as easily as they do on each other. The mystery behind the passenger's possession is a catalyst for some of the most tense moments of the entire series, all bottled up within the claustrophobic shuttle.
Self-evidently a man who writes for the Internet, Robert also writes films, plays, teleplays, and short stories when he's not working on a movie set somewhere. He lives somewhere behind the Hollywood sign.
