Imagine this for a moment if you will. You're watching a long running tv series which you have seen from the very beginning. The show has had many characters come and go but throughout all of this there have been two key characters running through the whole series. Two characters who are completely in love with each other. And throughout the years you've seen these two lovers travelling together, having crazy adventures and getting into many a dangerous scrape. And after all this, after 48 years (or in my case 859 days) , these two character finally speak to each other for the first time. I can't begin to describe how monumentally moving that is.
So the two characters I was referring to in case you hadn't guessed were the Doctor and the TARDIS. It's been known for a long time that the TARDIS is far more than a ship. I can remember way back to the time of the third Doctor when Captain Yates says to him "you speak about the TARDIS as though she were alive" to which he gives a knowing smile and says "yes I do rather don't I"
The Doctor has had many goodbyes over his time travelling with the many departures of his companions but as Amy says "it's always you two in the end isn't it, long after the rest of us have gone. A boy and his box off to see the universe". Although it's never stated in the episode the TARDIS is pretty much like his wife. His long term companion for most of his life.
The reason the Doctor can finally speak to his TARDIS is due to the nefarious schemes of the sentient asteroid known as House. Yes I'm away that that last sentence sounded a little nonsensical but bear with me. House eats TARDISes but before he can do that he must first take out the dangerous part of the ship, which is essentially its soul. He stores thus soul inside the now empty mind of Idris, one of the few people he has kept alive on his asteroid to serve him.
Idris (I.e the TARDIS) is played brilliantly by Suranne Jones. She's every bit as mad as the Doctor himself and I love the conceit that it was never the Doctor that stole the TARDIS but the other way round. She was bored and wanted to see the universe so she stole a Time Lord and he was the only one mad enough.
The writing is also superb. Neil Gaimons first entry into the Doctor Who world. I must admit to knowing very little about him before this but the excitement that was caused by the announcement that he was going to writing an episode made me realise that he was something special indeed. Some of the lines he comes up with such as "I like biting, it's like kissing but there's a winner" are just incredible.
This is definitely an episode which improves after several viewings. Idris has a hard time getting her mind in the right order as she can see the whole of the time stream. As such she will suddenly come out with something which makes no sense at the time but makes sense later. At first it felt a little annoying because I wasn't following what was going on but when you realise it you neat yourself up as it's a really clever concept actually.
Some interesting points are also made which make you thing of the series in a whole different way. During one heated debate, the Doctor snaps at Idris that she has never been all that reliable and she didn't always take him where he wanted to go to which she replies "no but I always took you to where you needed to go!" which is a very good point actually.
I haven't spoken much about Amy and Rory in this episode and that's because the focus is not really on them in this episode. In fact if I had to make any complaints about it I would have to say the scenes of them running around the corridors of a TARDIS now possessed by the House are a little dull. Although it is exciting to see TARDIS corridors again! They are a little bland but at least they don't resemble an abandoned hospital like in The Invasion Of Time!
As the episode comes to an end, Idris's body wears away and the TARDIS spirit returns to the ship but not before one last emotional exchange with the Doctor. It's not very often we see the Doctor cry but in this case it's completely understandable. I found it particularly moving when the TARDIS says there was one thing she never got to say to him to which he replies that the word she is looking for is "goodbye. Her response of "no, I just wanted to say hello. Hello Doctor, it's so very very nice to meet you". This really hammers home the point that this is a character who has travelled with all this time and finally they get to speak to each other.
I must admit I cried a little at this. Like the Doctor, over the last 859 days I too have travelled with the TARDIS and to finally hear her say hello for the first time is quite a moment. This quest has been pretty crazy at times but as it nears it's end I'm feeling a little down about it I must admit. Only 41 days to go.
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