Doctor Who: Listen - 7 Failures Which Destroy The Story

2. Nothing Is Resolved

If you're ever given the chance to re-watch Listen, please do so but then ask yourself a question - what was set up and then resolved? Think about it for a minute, of all the ideas actually introduced in the story's opening, what actually brought this tale to a real close after it was set-up during the first act? Nothing. The story tries to pull a major twist in the final moments, but thanks to how it is handled it only creates new problems and questions rather than resolving anything. There is an alien out there exactly as the Doctor describes, the audience sees it and sees clear evidence of its existence within the TARDIS itself, so claiming there was nothing simply does not work. We never learn the truth behind Orson's history nor does he offer much to the tale beyond throwing the audience through a brief loop, leaving his story and the impact Clara had on Danny's life still in question. Worse still, the Doctor never gains the answers he so desperately craves. Given his manic obsession behind finding the information he seeks, he's given no reason to stop now and in all likelihood would immediately continue upon his mad quest thanks to Clara's refusal to be honest with him. To put it simply, nothing here really adds up and the ending to this story can barely be considered a conclusion at all.