Doctor Who Review: Sleep No More – The Good, The Bad And The Crumbly
5. Call In The Cannon Fodder
If the homage to Hammer Horror and The Ring werent enough we also have the crew from Aliens. Or maybe they are more accurately defined as red shirts as they only exist to serve as Sandmen snacks. We cant feel for them as they were only given attributes and not personalities. Im left wondering how much backstory was cut as this episode went into production. Mark Gatiss is perfectly capable of creating memorable characters. Ada from The Crimson Horror is one fine and haunting example. But here he spreads himself too thin and we never get a sense of who these people really are. The only marine to come close to making an impact on the audience is the cloned grunt known as 474. Bethany Black is the first openly transgendered person to appear in Doctor Who and she brings a sweet and sad pathos to a character that is underwritten but intriguing. It is interesting to note that while 474 is denigrated for her supposedly subpar intellect she is the first one to recognize that there are eyes in the sky and to find the pod that Rasmussen is hiding in. She ultimately sacrifices herself not in service of her in-bred function but for love of Chopra. If only we were given more of this potentially fascinating person and less of the rest of this disposable crew.
Mary Ogle is the author and illustrator of “Orangeroof Zoo” a whimsical tale of magical realism told through the pages of a coloring book for adults. Working as a professional artist in the digital medium, Mary’s commissions have included everything from fine art to fan art, book cover design, illustration and book layout. Find more of Mary’s work at www.maryogle.com. Mary currently finds inspiration in the Ojai Valley, residing in a snug little cottage with a recalcitrant cat.
