New Who Review for Silence in the Library

[puppetmaker]

I'm going to ask that those that have seen the second half of this please be careful about what you say in comments. I would really hate to spoiler next week. And SciFi, it would really stink if you didn't show Doctor Who this next Friday. Taking a break between the Sontaran episodes was bad enough. I can't imagine what the fan reaction would be if you decided to wait another week on this one.

I will also say that Ariel slept with her light on for a couple of nights after seeing this and Caroline has NOT seen this episode nor will she see the next one either.

Overall fine performances all the way around. It was nice to see David play the Doctor not so confident in what he knows or thinks he knows because of someone he might or might not know in the future. Moffat plays well with dumping us in the situation and then having it worked out like a puzzle. It worked for Blink and it is working here.

Creepy from almost the get go, this one ratchets up the tension slowly to where I found myself on the edge of my chair by the conclusion.

And then there is the mystery of River Song but more on that behind the cut.



OK how was that for an end? Donna Nobel's face as part of the computer system and the empty suit coming after them while the shadows lurk? Oooooo spooky.

I have every confidence in Moffat for 2010 and beyond. Next year is going to be shaky because they are retooling things for RTD's departure but this episode makes me feel a lot better about the whole thing.

And River Song. I think (Battlefield and Blink were characters he runs into before he meets them but they were not close to him) that this is one of the first times that someone that the Doctor was involved with arrives in his timeline before he has met him. The fact that she has a sonic screwdriver is strange enough. But considering how she is treating him like an old lover or a very comfortable friend is even more intriguing. And he is very confused by it. He doesn't trust it. Donna has now a host of concerns about how River reacts to her.

The villains in shadows or that are the shadows are very creepy. The idea that the "soul" is stuck briefly into a microchip is disconcerting to say the least. The scary factor is good. I got that chill that you get from a good horror film like Hitchcock or a good haunted house. The observer is kept off balance as are our characters through out the episode.

Overall I liked this one a lot.

Next week we find out a lot of stuff.

I am grateful for having one shadow right now.

Comments

[lilia2000.livejournal.com]

When I watched this episode on YouTube a couple weeks ago, I didn't realize it was a two parter... and I about died at the end. Like you said Moffat is amazing with suspense and both episodes had me on the edge of my seat!!

River is a fascinating character. I wonder if Moffat will bring her back later on or if she will always remain a mystery!

[querldox.livejournal.com]

There's an interesting catch there. If I'm recalling correctly, River recognizes "David Tennant"; i.e. the physical appearance of the Doctor, first and easily (i.e. not as if from an old picture or somesuch). That strongly implies she spent a fair amount of time with the tenth Doctor, which means you have to fit it in prior to the next regeneration/contract negotiation. : -)