Doctor Who Season 11: 10 BIg Questions After The Ghost Monument
1. The TARDIS Has Redecorated, But Do We Like It?
Undoubtedly, the highlight of the episode was the reveal of the new TARDIS design. When the set was leaked a couple of months ago it wasn’t greeted with much enthusiasm. The designer was at pains to point out that it would look far more impressive when seen fully lit on-screen. A fan mock up, as expected, was widely off the mark. The orange lighting conveys both warmth and a sense of danger, a fitting metaphor for this new Doctor. It is intense, busy, and ever so slightly scatty. Again, all possible clues as to the characterisation of the thirteenth Doctor. The quirkiness of a custard cream dispenser is a lovely touch.
The Doctor is clearly a fan, and after seeing her seemingly forcibly ejected at the end of Twice Upon a Time, it was a lovely moment when the TARDIS door opened for her. There are of course still all kinds of questions, such as why it threw her out in the first place, and why it came to Desolation and entered this cycle. But Jodie Whittaker’s stand out moment so far as the Doctor was her face on seeing her TARDIS again, as she effectively conjures it into existence with her handmade sonic.
Interestingly this episode on more than one occasion reused something associated with her predecessors. How many of us were expecting to see Capaldi’s sonic sunglasses? And when we had that clicking of the fingers for creating an explosion with the cigar, how many of us were waiting for her to do the same with the TARDIS. In the end it was Art Malik’s character who had the last click. All the Doctor needed to do was talk to the TARDIS with affection. No showing off. No bigging it up. Now we just need to know how good she is at flying the thing.