Doctor Who: 10 Unpopular Opinions About Everybody's Favourite Episodes

9. The Vashta Nerada Are As Dull As Dishwater - Silence In The Library

Following the success of previous Steven Moffat-penned stories, like The Empty Child, The Girl In The Fireplace, and most especially Blink, Series Four's Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead was eagerly awaited. But after all those hits, it has to be said, the library-based romp isn't anywhere near as good. On the one hand, it introduced the character of River Song, who was mildly interesting in her début and was subsequently built up to be a much more important character. But on the other hand, the shadow-dwelling Vashta Nerada are far too generic to qualify as a particularly good monster. For example, they're nowhere near as inventive or creepy as clockwork robots looking for organic spare parts. Also, the story boasts yet another catchphrase from Moffat. Following on the chilling "Are you my mummy?" and the excellent "Don't Blink!", this story gave fans "Hey, who turned out the lights?" Which is, um, not as memorable. Like countless genre stories before it, this two-parter has an A-plot (the Doctor and co are menaced in the library) and a B-plot (Donna is "saved" to a virtual world). Unfortunately, the sub-plot of Donna trapped in the virtual world is much more engaging than the supposed main thread of the adventure, causing viewers to wish for more of Catherine Tate every time the Vashta Nerada are mentioned. That may not be a well-liked view, but it's nonetheless a perfectly valid one.