A Quantum Shade, a tool of the craven, through anomalous child and an ungodly raven, makes the hearts of a Time Lord explode and enrage, consequences of actions belligerently raged.
27 Reviews
The Craven Raven...
Xstal30 December 2021
Face the Raven was emotionally charged and atmospheric.
Sleepin_Dragon21 November 2015
The TARDIS phone rings, old friend Riggsy's in trouble, a counter's appeared on the back of his neck (a quantum shade,) when it reaches zero he dies. The Doctor learns he's had an alien encounter and had his memory wiped. The Doctor, Clara and Riggsy try to discover who's done it to him, and find an Alien refugee camp run by Ashildr. She is the cause of Riggsy's situation, believing him guilty of murder. He was found over Anna, a psychic woman. The quantum shade is willingly passed from Riggsy to Clara. A fatal error as tragedy strikes for Clara, and The Doctor is transported to an unknown destination.
Absolutely loved the idea of death being dished out in the form of a Raven, death by Quantum shade, just brilliantly conceived and well realised.
As a whole it was hugely atmospheric, and very emotionally charged, the last fifteen minutes or so was exceptional, Capaldi was as always fantastic, but Jenna Coleman, her best performance to date, she's shown us that when the writing for Clara is good she's hugely up to the mark. The storytelling was intelligent and thoughtful.
I'm not altogether convinced that's the end of Clara, based on previous experiences with death on the show I am more then expecting Clara to re-appear in two weeks time. I also thought the Doctor spotted Riggsy had no tattoo on his neck after the switch.
It felt a little bit like The Doctor had landed in Hogwarts, there was definitely a Harry Potter vibe and feeling to the episode, but no bad thing.
9/10
Absolutely loved the idea of death being dished out in the form of a Raven, death by Quantum shade, just brilliantly conceived and well realised.
As a whole it was hugely atmospheric, and very emotionally charged, the last fifteen minutes or so was exceptional, Capaldi was as always fantastic, but Jenna Coleman, her best performance to date, she's shown us that when the writing for Clara is good she's hugely up to the mark. The storytelling was intelligent and thoughtful.
I'm not altogether convinced that's the end of Clara, based on previous experiences with death on the show I am more then expecting Clara to re-appear in two weeks time. I also thought the Doctor spotted Riggsy had no tattoo on his neck after the switch.
It felt a little bit like The Doctor had landed in Hogwarts, there was definitely a Harry Potter vibe and feeling to the episode, but no bad thing.
9/10
Tear dropping, pulse racing, just another day at the office
Equalizer1621 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I've never liked ravens, and now I hate them, for taking the best Doctor Who companion in history.
Doctor Who has its exciting days, its funny days, but then come its sad days that every fan dreads. Back in the day, when a companion left it was just oh see ya, but now it's waterfall of tears.
This week the Doctor and Clara investigate alien streets in London, but the road they ahead is not good at all. We have the return of the pudding brain Rigsy, to make nonsense of the Doctor and Cara's adventure, but also to be the source of Clara's death. We also have the return of Ashildr played by the brilliant Maisie Williams to bring darkness into the story but also out of the Doctor.
Again what's great about Doctor Who is when apply real life paranoia to the science fiction universe to create something awesome. So next time I'm walking down the road, I'm gonna think and walk carefully so I don't enter an alien street.
What's great but sad at the same time is how Doctor Who gets rid of its companion. Years ago it was huge plot development that would lead to their death or some form of departure, but today we just have simpler and normal ways of departure which just show the realism of the easy danger that travelling round the universe.
We also have now a huge cliffhanger leading us to the big finale that has absolutely sold me, and has got the heart pounding. This episode is a high 8/10, with strong emotion, and excitement.
Doctor Who has its exciting days, its funny days, but then come its sad days that every fan dreads. Back in the day, when a companion left it was just oh see ya, but now it's waterfall of tears.
This week the Doctor and Clara investigate alien streets in London, but the road they ahead is not good at all. We have the return of the pudding brain Rigsy, to make nonsense of the Doctor and Cara's adventure, but also to be the source of Clara's death. We also have the return of Ashildr played by the brilliant Maisie Williams to bring darkness into the story but also out of the Doctor.
Again what's great about Doctor Who is when apply real life paranoia to the science fiction universe to create something awesome. So next time I'm walking down the road, I'm gonna think and walk carefully so I don't enter an alien street.
What's great but sad at the same time is how Doctor Who gets rid of its companion. Years ago it was huge plot development that would lead to their death or some form of departure, but today we just have simpler and normal ways of departure which just show the realism of the easy danger that travelling round the universe.
We also have now a huge cliffhanger leading us to the big finale that has absolutely sold me, and has got the heart pounding. This episode is a high 8/10, with strong emotion, and excitement.
Capaldi's Utopia, Coleman's Swansong.
revans-5836822 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I very rarely give a ten it's fair to say, but this episode is fully deserving of top marks. It reminded me of Utopia, in that it's the lead in to the end of the series, but it also felt like it was building up to something big. Clara's demise was exceptionally well done, Capaldi and Coleman produced their A Game for this episode. Clara has been much better this series without Danny's influence. I will just say this, we have been here before with a character dying, should she miraculously come back to life in two weeks time, or turn out to be a Zygon, a hologram, a product of the Tesselector, my score instantly goes from 10 to 1. Mr Moffat do not cheat us! I felt a Torchwood vibe throughout, an episode more satisfying to a more mature audience.
Compelling, dramatic, emotional, devastating. In that order.
ryanjmorris21 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Doctor Who's ninth series has been its best ever. I haven't made any attempts to hide my admiration for this series across the previous nine reviews. Even with the misfire of last week's Sleep No More, series 9 was head and shoulders above anything this show has given us before. If last week's somewhat weak installment left any viewers questioning whether the show's superb standard had been dropped entirely, Face the Raven should pick them up and dust their shoulders off. This was a simply transcendent piece of television. Not only did it transcend and exceed the standards set by any prior companion exit episode, but it managed to surpass every other stellar episode this season. The writer for this episode, Sarah Dollard, had never written for Doctor Who before, and I think I'm not alone in saying that she needs to become a series regular. Face the Raven was a beautiful, dramatic, heart wrenching forty five minutes that was as packed with smart, innovative ideas as it was with emotion. What an upsetting treat this was.
I'll tackle this episode in chronological order, I think. I will try my utmost not to discuss Clara's death until later in the review, but when this episode was so packed with foreshadowing and nice touches alluding to it, it'll be hard ti ignore it completely. Face the Raven begins with the Doctor and Clara returning to the TARDIS after another exhilarating adventure, before the TARDIS phone rings. Clara answers it to hear Rigsy, now a father to a young child, who informs Clara and the Doctor that he has woken up with no memory of his previous night and a strange tattoo of a number, that just happens to be counting down. The Doctor's investigation leads to the idea of a trap street, and the three of them set out to find the street in which Rigsy had this done to him. As set up, it all flows wonderfully. It doesn't last overly long as to force the episode into sketchy pacing, but isn't whipped through so fast as to leave viewers muddled. Once we enter the street, we remain there for the rest of the episode, giving the whole thing a powerful sense of claustrophobia, as well as the set design and costumes alluding to a wonderful feel of magic. The episode then runs its course nicely, the mystery deepens, Me is reintroduced (who is now Mayor of the trap street, which acts as a safe asylum for stranded aliens) and the Doctor begins to work out how to save Rigsy from his impending doom.
But then Clara does what Clara has been doing a lot of lately. She takes matters into her own hands. Clara acting like the Doctor has been a recurring theme this series, with warnings and indicators flashing up in almost every episode this year as to how much the Doctor dislikes this side of her. So it was only fitting that Clara should offer to take Rigsy's death sentence for herself, of course under the impression that she would be safe and that the Doctor would be able to keep her alive. Except, this time, he can't. Clara's reckless behaviour went a step too far, resulting in her inadvertently causing her own death. Everything that occurred in the final fifteen minutes of this episode was breathtaking. The cinematography changed; the framing became tighter as Clara slowly realises her own impending death, much like how the lighting grew darker as the episode progressed. We were treated to some foreshadowing of the upcoming two part finale, as Me tells the Doctor how she was ordered to trick him into being teleported away to an unknown location. Rigsy takes a back seat as the Doctor and Clara bid one final farewell to each other, Me watches from the sidelines. An episode loaded with characters suddenly becomes all about our Doctor and his wonderful companion. And it is utterly heartbreaking.
What sells this moment the most is the performances of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman. Both have already established themselves as the greatest in their respective positions in the show, but they took it to levels tonight I still didn't believe they were capable of. This series has seen a drastic increase in scripting, with many episodes more than prepared to drop action and spectacle in favour of elongated pieces of dialogue, and Face the Raven is no exception. Once the Doctor discovers that Clara took Rigsy's sentence, there is no action. There are no explosions, no time travel and no big spectacle. The Doctor and Clara simply talk to each other, and it hits harder than any companion exit thus far. The anguish on the Doctor's face tells us all we need to know about this situation. Whilst he understands what will happen almost immediately, Clara comes to her own realisation rather slowly, allowing us to watch as Clara's face progresses from contentment, to fearful, to sorrowful, before finally landing on courageous. After the Doctor says his goodbye to Clara, she walks away from him, tears in her eyes, ordering herself to be brave. Seconds later, she dies right in front of us, and drops to the floor lifeless. And with dialogue and acting this good, it makes for the most bravura companion exit this show has ever produced.
I'll tackle this episode in chronological order, I think. I will try my utmost not to discuss Clara's death until later in the review, but when this episode was so packed with foreshadowing and nice touches alluding to it, it'll be hard ti ignore it completely. Face the Raven begins with the Doctor and Clara returning to the TARDIS after another exhilarating adventure, before the TARDIS phone rings. Clara answers it to hear Rigsy, now a father to a young child, who informs Clara and the Doctor that he has woken up with no memory of his previous night and a strange tattoo of a number, that just happens to be counting down. The Doctor's investigation leads to the idea of a trap street, and the three of them set out to find the street in which Rigsy had this done to him. As set up, it all flows wonderfully. It doesn't last overly long as to force the episode into sketchy pacing, but isn't whipped through so fast as to leave viewers muddled. Once we enter the street, we remain there for the rest of the episode, giving the whole thing a powerful sense of claustrophobia, as well as the set design and costumes alluding to a wonderful feel of magic. The episode then runs its course nicely, the mystery deepens, Me is reintroduced (who is now Mayor of the trap street, which acts as a safe asylum for stranded aliens) and the Doctor begins to work out how to save Rigsy from his impending doom.
But then Clara does what Clara has been doing a lot of lately. She takes matters into her own hands. Clara acting like the Doctor has been a recurring theme this series, with warnings and indicators flashing up in almost every episode this year as to how much the Doctor dislikes this side of her. So it was only fitting that Clara should offer to take Rigsy's death sentence for herself, of course under the impression that she would be safe and that the Doctor would be able to keep her alive. Except, this time, he can't. Clara's reckless behaviour went a step too far, resulting in her inadvertently causing her own death. Everything that occurred in the final fifteen minutes of this episode was breathtaking. The cinematography changed; the framing became tighter as Clara slowly realises her own impending death, much like how the lighting grew darker as the episode progressed. We were treated to some foreshadowing of the upcoming two part finale, as Me tells the Doctor how she was ordered to trick him into being teleported away to an unknown location. Rigsy takes a back seat as the Doctor and Clara bid one final farewell to each other, Me watches from the sidelines. An episode loaded with characters suddenly becomes all about our Doctor and his wonderful companion. And it is utterly heartbreaking.
What sells this moment the most is the performances of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman. Both have already established themselves as the greatest in their respective positions in the show, but they took it to levels tonight I still didn't believe they were capable of. This series has seen a drastic increase in scripting, with many episodes more than prepared to drop action and spectacle in favour of elongated pieces of dialogue, and Face the Raven is no exception. Once the Doctor discovers that Clara took Rigsy's sentence, there is no action. There are no explosions, no time travel and no big spectacle. The Doctor and Clara simply talk to each other, and it hits harder than any companion exit thus far. The anguish on the Doctor's face tells us all we need to know about this situation. Whilst he understands what will happen almost immediately, Clara comes to her own realisation rather slowly, allowing us to watch as Clara's face progresses from contentment, to fearful, to sorrowful, before finally landing on courageous. After the Doctor says his goodbye to Clara, she walks away from him, tears in her eyes, ordering herself to be brave. Seconds later, she dies right in front of us, and drops to the floor lifeless. And with dialogue and acting this good, it makes for the most bravura companion exit this show has ever produced.
Never More
hellraiser723 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Warning do not read unless you've seen the episode.
This is one of the saddest episodes in the show, it's always one of the last things we ever want to happen but it's a reality. No matter how good a hero/superhero is or even how many adventures they've survived or how much experience has been acquired, death is never far away.
The plot isn't really much it's simply a who dunnit but with aliens. I really like the hidden city aspect which looks like 17th century London, it's sort of like Middan in the movie "Nightbreed" as that underground civilization was a refugee for monsters this is one for aliens, most are ones we know from the show like Cybermen which I'll admit is interesting.
Really liked seeing Rigsy again whom I remember from an episode on Season 8, I'll admit when I saw the preview for the episode I almost thought he was going to be the next companion, which would of been awesome and a change of pace, but of course this wasn't true so oh well. I liked seeing that he's got his priorities straight that he's a father and he's got a job and house, which shows just because you grew up the wrong side of the tracks doesn't mean you have to stay there. But my only problem with this episode is his character doesn't have much to do.
However this episode by it's nature is more Clara's episode. I really like how death/fate is a big theme in this episode as there are many foreshadows of it in the episode from one moment when she was clearly in danger of falling out of the Tardis but she laughs while both Rigsy and the Doctor where concern on their faces which is the same as mine; fate/death didn't claim her then but what about tomorrow or the next minute. Let alone the Raven and of course if you remember the Edgar Alen Poe poem and it's content you sort of have a feeling what's coming.
Despite Clara being one of my least favorite companions, I did like her character which is part of what made the episode all the more painful. Clara despite her qualities unfortunately I always felt had a psychological Achilles heel, she's always carried this terrible delusion of becoming the Doctor as well as enjoys the lifestyle of the Doctor too much. This unfortunately made her become kinda reckless even delusional in thinking if she survived this she can survive the next one, but tours of duty never promise survival.
We then see Clara do a selfless thing without thinking it through, taking Rigsy's mark of death in order to guarantee Rigsy, buy time to clear his name, but also thinking the Doctor has an exit strategy for her. But as we see in the final minutes, Clara gets a rude awakening from reality as we hear once the mark of death has passed on to another it can never be undone. So Clara unfortunately got ahead of herself, she tempted fate and now she's finally paying the price. Granted what she did was a good deed but as an old saying goes good deeds don't go unpunished.
The final minutes with her and the Doctor were just heart wrenching, the Doctor didn't want her to die but there was nothing he could do it which makes it all the more painful. Some of the dialog both of them had and then seeing Clara face fate/death head on, really made my heard sink and put a tear in my eye. The last image was haunting and sad as we see Rigsy do some spray paint memorial on the Tardis and Clara's picture displayed, you know Clara is gone.
Farewell Clara, like a shooting star in the sky you burned bright and flew high, you'll be missed but never forgotten.
Rating: 4 stars
This is one of the saddest episodes in the show, it's always one of the last things we ever want to happen but it's a reality. No matter how good a hero/superhero is or even how many adventures they've survived or how much experience has been acquired, death is never far away.
The plot isn't really much it's simply a who dunnit but with aliens. I really like the hidden city aspect which looks like 17th century London, it's sort of like Middan in the movie "Nightbreed" as that underground civilization was a refugee for monsters this is one for aliens, most are ones we know from the show like Cybermen which I'll admit is interesting.
Really liked seeing Rigsy again whom I remember from an episode on Season 8, I'll admit when I saw the preview for the episode I almost thought he was going to be the next companion, which would of been awesome and a change of pace, but of course this wasn't true so oh well. I liked seeing that he's got his priorities straight that he's a father and he's got a job and house, which shows just because you grew up the wrong side of the tracks doesn't mean you have to stay there. But my only problem with this episode is his character doesn't have much to do.
However this episode by it's nature is more Clara's episode. I really like how death/fate is a big theme in this episode as there are many foreshadows of it in the episode from one moment when she was clearly in danger of falling out of the Tardis but she laughs while both Rigsy and the Doctor where concern on their faces which is the same as mine; fate/death didn't claim her then but what about tomorrow or the next minute. Let alone the Raven and of course if you remember the Edgar Alen Poe poem and it's content you sort of have a feeling what's coming.
Despite Clara being one of my least favorite companions, I did like her character which is part of what made the episode all the more painful. Clara despite her qualities unfortunately I always felt had a psychological Achilles heel, she's always carried this terrible delusion of becoming the Doctor as well as enjoys the lifestyle of the Doctor too much. This unfortunately made her become kinda reckless even delusional in thinking if she survived this she can survive the next one, but tours of duty never promise survival.
We then see Clara do a selfless thing without thinking it through, taking Rigsy's mark of death in order to guarantee Rigsy, buy time to clear his name, but also thinking the Doctor has an exit strategy for her. But as we see in the final minutes, Clara gets a rude awakening from reality as we hear once the mark of death has passed on to another it can never be undone. So Clara unfortunately got ahead of herself, she tempted fate and now she's finally paying the price. Granted what she did was a good deed but as an old saying goes good deeds don't go unpunished.
The final minutes with her and the Doctor were just heart wrenching, the Doctor didn't want her to die but there was nothing he could do it which makes it all the more painful. Some of the dialog both of them had and then seeing Clara face fate/death head on, really made my heard sink and put a tear in my eye. The last image was haunting and sad as we see Rigsy do some spray paint memorial on the Tardis and Clara's picture displayed, you know Clara is gone.
Farewell Clara, like a shooting star in the sky you burned bright and flew high, you'll be missed but never forgotten.
Rating: 4 stars
Review
filipejsp23 November 2015
Unlike reviews i've read, this was one of the best episodes of the season. Sure you can say there are betters, depends on the point of view. This season is a mix of great episodes with careless, too lazy written ones. As far as capaldi... please hardly the worst doctor ever... he gives the character a way more darker and ruthless tone. Overall good episode, and cant wait for more! Regarding people who don't like it,i have to say i understand, i respect but i don't agree. This season is better then the first ones... the classics. Again it depends on the age (yes age is important) and to what you are used to see in the doctor. Previously we had so many random episodes that were just introducing a single story with a random enemy. I enjoyed those, but im very happy to see that this season we have always got a continuation to the episode.
Farewell to Clara Oswald
Tweekums22 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
When Clara gets a worried phone call from Rigsy about a tattoo he has got she is initially a little irritated; that isn't what she gave him her number for
this is no ordinary tattoo though; it is a number and with each passing minute it reduces by one! When The Doctor sees it he is immediately interested
it is a 'Quantum Shade' and when it reaches zero he will die. The only chance to remove it is to find the person who put it there and that means finding a street that apparently isn't there. Inevitably they manage to find the street, which is inhabited by aliens disguised as humans. The people there start calling Rigsy a murderer
this is why he has been sentenced to death by none other than Ashildr. As they struggle to find evidence that Rigsy is innocent Clara learns that there is a way to save him; she can voluntarily take the Quantum Shade from him and surely Ashildr will remove it from her
except she can't! If that weren't enough as the episode ends the Doctor is teleported to goodness knows where.
This episode may not have been full of action but it was tense; when it was Rigsy with the tattoo there was a feeling that it would all work out but once Clara had taken it there was a sense that she had made a serious mistake; helped by the knowledge that this was her last series of course. The Quantum Shade itself was interesting; the way that the counter inexorably approached zero made it feel more threatening that most things The Doctor and his companions face even though it was just a number. If that weren't enough we see how it works when another person falls victim to it.
It was nice to see the excellent Maisie Williams return; Ashildr is an interesting adversary as she isn't obviously bad; her motives aren't all that different from those of The Doctor she sees him as the villain that needs defeating for the good of others. As expected Peter Capaldi impresses as The Doctor; especially when he is angry and threatens revenge for what is about to happen to Clara. Some companions get better send offs than most and Jenna Coleman's Clara gets one of the best, and certainly the most tragic of those in the new run of Doctor Who; she has done a fine job in the role and I'm sure she will be missed. The ending set things up nicely for the next episode which hopefully will answer some of the questions about who wanted Ashildr to trap The Doctor and why he has enough enemies to choose from.
This episode may not have been full of action but it was tense; when it was Rigsy with the tattoo there was a feeling that it would all work out but once Clara had taken it there was a sense that she had made a serious mistake; helped by the knowledge that this was her last series of course. The Quantum Shade itself was interesting; the way that the counter inexorably approached zero made it feel more threatening that most things The Doctor and his companions face even though it was just a number. If that weren't enough we see how it works when another person falls victim to it.
It was nice to see the excellent Maisie Williams return; Ashildr is an interesting adversary as she isn't obviously bad; her motives aren't all that different from those of The Doctor she sees him as the villain that needs defeating for the good of others. As expected Peter Capaldi impresses as The Doctor; especially when he is angry and threatens revenge for what is about to happen to Clara. Some companions get better send offs than most and Jenna Coleman's Clara gets one of the best, and certainly the most tragic of those in the new run of Doctor Who; she has done a fine job in the role and I'm sure she will be missed. The ending set things up nicely for the next episode which hopefully will answer some of the questions about who wanted Ashildr to trap The Doctor and why he has enough enemies to choose from.
Emotional start to the three parter
tommyhawka21 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Doctor Who - Face the Raven has set the story for the next two episodes with an amazing cliffhanger. Clara dying by the tattoo that she took from Rigsy and then the doctor being teleported to a random spot which we do not know what it is yet (unless you watched the trailer). The episode started off on a happy sort of mood with the doctor and Clara come back into the Tardis but then they get a mysterious phone call. When Clara picks up the phone they found that Rigsey called, and he had a mysterious tattoo on his neck. The doctor quickly started to act by attempting to find a trap street. When they find it they meet Ashildr/Me. But this time she isn't the same as who she was before. She is now evil. She killed Clara and has put the doctor in a lot of trouble. This episode for me felt like an amazing start to the three parter but I didn't think the writing was perfect. I didn't like the way Clara died and I didn't understand why Ashildr couldn't takes it off her. But I'm guessing Ashildr wanted her to die so she pretended she couldn't help her even though before she said she can fix the tattoo. Here's some categories and what I gave them out of 10 then I simply found the average to give this episode. Writing: 7/10 Directing: 9/10 Visuals (for DW): 8.5/10 Tension: 8/10 Mise en scene: 8.5/10 Total: 7.8/10 (rounded to 8) I'm expecting the next episode to be very tense and scary.
Fabulous!
ben_wightman21 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This is the episode Clara dies. But what an episode to go out on. Capaldi offers a virtuoso performance, particularly scintillating when he tells 'Me' that the 'universe is a very small place' when the Doctor is angry with you. When I saw it wasn't Moffat who was writing the episode I was initially concerned but boy did Sarah Dollard provide a belter. The episode started with the return of Rigsy (who provided a much better performance than his previous performance 'Flatline'). The series had been hinting that Clara's recklessness may be her downfall but very discretely and it was beautifully set up. What was originally portrayed as a comedic moment as Clara hung out of the TARDIS above London there was a small conversation between Rigsy and the Doctor about Clara's recklessness but the majority of us just disregarded it. But it was a hint. Now, onto the main event Clara's death. Clara, being reckless once more, volunteered to take Rigsy's supposedly inevitable death however you can't cheat the 'Raven' and Clara had to die according to 'Me'. Cue a fantastically scripted scene between Capaldi and Coleman. I genuinely thought she wouldn't die but she was killed off, quite brutally I'd like to add. We saw her screaming. Tear-Jerking. And the to cap it off Capaldi threatens 'Me' with a fantastic the 'universe is a small place when I'm angry with you.' Fantastic!
Hoping Against Hope
Theo Robertson22 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The Doctor and Clara get an emergency phone call from Rigsy who they met last year . Rigsy tells them he has a tattoo that appeared from nowhere and worse still this numerical tattoo seems to be a countdown to something
Being a DOCTOR WHO addict rather than a DOCTOR WHO fan I'll watch it regardless of its quality . Truth be told it's something similar to torture under Moffat , something magnified a thousand-fold when you quickly realise the potential brilliance but unfortunately this often sabotaged by having a zany overload moment like the Doctor suddenly appearing on a tank while playing a guitar . Facing The Raven is perhaps unique in that for the first time this season the good outweighs the bad though there's still some bad that you can't help noticing
First the positive . We get a great and intriguing opening hook . A returning character has a problem and it's this problem that draws the audience in . The show has always been brilliant at this type of opening hook and it's great to see the show returning to its roots and for the first 15 minutes we have some of the most intriguing DOCTOR WHO we've seen in a long time . Best of all Capaldi is shown at his very best and here we see dark and gloomy Doctor for once instead of overblown zany clown . It's almost certainly the actor's finest hour in the show
The negative. Once the episode moves to Trap Street the episode loses momentum . Once again the major bugbear of exposition comes to the fore , the audience are constantly told what is happening and why it is happening . Ashildr returns and once again Maisie Williams shows herself to be a dreadful actress giving a distractingly wooden performance which is even more painfully noticeable when the rest of the cast are on top form
This brings us to the most divisive aspect - the departure of Clara . I didn't like the character and was never too keen on Coleman either though like Smith and Capaldi she's probably constantly let down by the writing . It's a very effective build up and execution to the departure . Except for one thing - is she actually dead ? After watching ten years of NuWho I did become wise to the fact that someone dying doesn't mean they're dead in its literal sense all the way back to the original companion of Rose . This means this viewer has on eye on the present but one cynical eye on the future . Here's hoping against hope Clara is gone for good
Being a DOCTOR WHO addict rather than a DOCTOR WHO fan I'll watch it regardless of its quality . Truth be told it's something similar to torture under Moffat , something magnified a thousand-fold when you quickly realise the potential brilliance but unfortunately this often sabotaged by having a zany overload moment like the Doctor suddenly appearing on a tank while playing a guitar . Facing The Raven is perhaps unique in that for the first time this season the good outweighs the bad though there's still some bad that you can't help noticing
First the positive . We get a great and intriguing opening hook . A returning character has a problem and it's this problem that draws the audience in . The show has always been brilliant at this type of opening hook and it's great to see the show returning to its roots and for the first 15 minutes we have some of the most intriguing DOCTOR WHO we've seen in a long time . Best of all Capaldi is shown at his very best and here we see dark and gloomy Doctor for once instead of overblown zany clown . It's almost certainly the actor's finest hour in the show
The negative. Once the episode moves to Trap Street the episode loses momentum . Once again the major bugbear of exposition comes to the fore , the audience are constantly told what is happening and why it is happening . Ashildr returns and once again Maisie Williams shows herself to be a dreadful actress giving a distractingly wooden performance which is even more painfully noticeable when the rest of the cast are on top form
This brings us to the most divisive aspect - the departure of Clara . I didn't like the character and was never too keen on Coleman either though like Smith and Capaldi she's probably constantly let down by the writing . It's a very effective build up and execution to the departure . Except for one thing - is she actually dead ? After watching ten years of NuWho I did become wise to the fact that someone dying doesn't mean they're dead in its literal sense all the way back to the original companion of Rose . This means this viewer has on eye on the present but one cynical eye on the future . Here's hoping against hope Clara is gone for good
A powerful farewell to Clara...
dkiliane28 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
... and then she comes back two episodes later. But that is a weakness for that episode, not this one. For this episode, what starts as a fairly run of the mill but solid episode builds in thematic poignancy to an amazing crescendo by the climax. The plot revolves around Clara and The Doctor receiving a phone call from a distressed Rigsy (remember the random grafiti artist from that one episode - - you know, the one with the 2-dimensional aliens in season eight?), who apparently they thought was an important enough character to randomly bring back. Anyway, Rigsy has a tattoo that is counting down, which to be fair is never good. So The Doctor and co retrace his steps to figure out how he got it (can't remember, of course) and how to stop it. Aside from the return of Rigsy feeling a bit random and not particularly called for, this first act of the episode is rather solid, with some decent intrigue and good Doctor and Clara moments.
The second act is a little shaky for me. They discover a "trap street" that is basically an alien refugee camp run by "Mayor Me." While her return is slightly more deserved, I was not particularly pleased with her introductory episodes and the character herself tends to still be tediously irritating at times, but at least she isn't the crybaby she was in "The Woman Who Lived." Any rate, there's some convoluted nonsense about a supposed murder by Rigsy and a Nightshade, but it is at least well acted and successfully sets up the climactic third act as the Doctor and Clara go about trying to prove Rigsy's innocence so Mayor Me/Ashildr will remove the Nightshade's (the titular raven) chronolock from Rigsy (cause you die when that thing hits zero).
And the third act is downright beautiful. Clara's ego gets in the way, having put herself in Rigsy's place as she tries to force Ashildr into a stalemate. It all backfires of course and dooms poor Clara in one of the best scenes written in all of Doctor Who. The Doctor's fury with Ashildr is spine tingling and genuine as he says "The Doctor is no longer here; you're stuck with me now!" Clara talking him down and ordering him not to take revenge in wonderful Clara fashion is beautifully written and heartbreaking as she 'faces the raven,' literally and figuratively in the climax of the episode. Going into the third act I was on the fence if I was going to give the episode an 8 or 8.5 (both respectable scores) but this scene in and of itself elevated the entire episode before segueing into the next one, making it a must watch. 9/10
The second act is a little shaky for me. They discover a "trap street" that is basically an alien refugee camp run by "Mayor Me." While her return is slightly more deserved, I was not particularly pleased with her introductory episodes and the character herself tends to still be tediously irritating at times, but at least she isn't the crybaby she was in "The Woman Who Lived." Any rate, there's some convoluted nonsense about a supposed murder by Rigsy and a Nightshade, but it is at least well acted and successfully sets up the climactic third act as the Doctor and Clara go about trying to prove Rigsy's innocence so Mayor Me/Ashildr will remove the Nightshade's (the titular raven) chronolock from Rigsy (cause you die when that thing hits zero).
And the third act is downright beautiful. Clara's ego gets in the way, having put herself in Rigsy's place as she tries to force Ashildr into a stalemate. It all backfires of course and dooms poor Clara in one of the best scenes written in all of Doctor Who. The Doctor's fury with Ashildr is spine tingling and genuine as he says "The Doctor is no longer here; you're stuck with me now!" Clara talking him down and ordering him not to take revenge in wonderful Clara fashion is beautifully written and heartbreaking as she 'faces the raven,' literally and figuratively in the climax of the episode. Going into the third act I was on the fence if I was going to give the episode an 8 or 8.5 (both respectable scores) but this scene in and of itself elevated the entire episode before segueing into the next one, making it a must watch. 9/10
Face the Raven
Prismark104 November 2018
There is a touch of Harry Potter in the depiction of Trap Street and a really wooden performance from Maisie Williams. It seems she was on tranquilizers as she is so sedate.
The Doctor and Clara gets a phone call from Rigsy who had been given the number by Clara. He has a tattoo and it is counting down. The Doctor is immediately to the rescue as he discovers that Rigsy has a quantum shade. When the countdown reaches zero he will die.
Rigsy cannot remember what he did the previous day because he has been retconned. All three go looking for a trap street, something that is there but out of your perception filter.
They find the street and discover it is a safe space for alien refugees. Rigsy has been accused of murder but when they encounter Ashildr again, the Doctor knows that Rigsy is not some random victim. The Trap Street is a trap.
The episode is all about Clara. She has got used to the risks of travelling in the Tardis, thinks she has the wits of the Doctor to outwith her foes or buy time. In Face the Raven her luck runs out.
Actress Letitia Wright (who found fame in the Black Panther film) gives a more beguiling performance than Williams. The idea of a Trap Street that is a refuge for stray and lost aliens is intriguing but is not fully formed. Ashildr is the mayor who runs it along her own rules where people do not have enough medical rations. No wonder the whole street looks a little Victorian.
The ending might be a little slow, but as a character remarks. If you do not run from the raven, you have more time to say goodbye.
The Doctor and Clara gets a phone call from Rigsy who had been given the number by Clara. He has a tattoo and it is counting down. The Doctor is immediately to the rescue as he discovers that Rigsy has a quantum shade. When the countdown reaches zero he will die.
Rigsy cannot remember what he did the previous day because he has been retconned. All three go looking for a trap street, something that is there but out of your perception filter.
They find the street and discover it is a safe space for alien refugees. Rigsy has been accused of murder but when they encounter Ashildr again, the Doctor knows that Rigsy is not some random victim. The Trap Street is a trap.
The episode is all about Clara. She has got used to the risks of travelling in the Tardis, thinks she has the wits of the Doctor to outwith her foes or buy time. In Face the Raven her luck runs out.
Actress Letitia Wright (who found fame in the Black Panther film) gives a more beguiling performance than Williams. The idea of a Trap Street that is a refuge for stray and lost aliens is intriguing but is not fully formed. Ashildr is the mayor who runs it along her own rules where people do not have enough medical rations. No wonder the whole street looks a little Victorian.
The ending might be a little slow, but as a character remarks. If you do not run from the raven, you have more time to say goodbye.
I am sorry
AzSumTuk11 December 2015
Warning: Spoilers
There will be spoilers.
I loved "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived", and I liked "The Zygon Invasion" and "The Zygon Inversion" quite a lot. Of course, I hated "Sleep No More" (who wouldn't?), but I expected to like "Face the Raven" at least a little. Seeing the glowing reviews here made me firmly believe it would be at least good, and, naturally, I was looking forward to Clara's death.
And, sorry, but this episode wasn't good at all. Although well acted and somewhat visually appealing, it was so mind-blowingly idiotic it made me question my own sanity.
OK, so where should I start? Perhaps saying that I didn't like Clara's death at all would be a fine beginning. It is no secret that many of the show's fans hate her, and her death shows all of the reasons for that pretty well. She is presented as someone who is impossibly perfect, she is the one giving advice to the Doctor, she is the one giving ORDERS to the Doctor, she is willing to risk her life for someone she had met once a year or two ago... As anyone would expect, there was a metric ton of forced drama - that has always been a huge part of the show, but this time it just didn't ring true. Not to me, at least - I just wanted it to end.
To top it all, there were plot holes so huge even the TARDIS wouldn't be big enough for them. OK, Ashildr used Rigsy to lure the Doctor in her refugee camp. Fine. So tell me something. How did she know who Rigsy was? How did she know he had the Doctor's number? How did she even know that the two knew each other? Also, why didn't she just contact the Doctor herself? In one of the previous episodes we were shown that she could easily get in touch with him if she wanted to. Why would she even risk two lives? Why would she frame an innocent man for murder? Why... Also, Ashildr said she had enjoyed reading about her conversations with Clara. Well, how many conversations did they actually have? In "The Girl Who Died" they barely talked to each other, and Clara was not even in "The Woman Who Lived", for F-word's sake. Then there was the refugee camp. Ashildr's street of peace, or whatever she called it. Well, sorry, but this was just not a peaceful place. It was a Gothic horror-influenced concentration camp. Quite literally, I might add. Ashildr was its all-powerful master, who would brutally murder anyone she wanted, and nobody would even try to stop her. Really, a man who had stolen some medication to save his dying wife was sentenced to a horrible death. And nobody protested. Nobody would tell her, "Hello, if you, miss Mayor, had done your job, he wouldn't have to steal the medication in the first place. And no, stealing a few pills is not a crime worthy of a death sentence. What kind of a leader would kill someone for that?" Would you stay under the rule of such a person if you had a choice? I know I wouldn't. No sane person would. And yes, the refugees had a choice. That was explicitly said. Why would they stay there? They were clearly not happy. They were treated like cattle. Some of them were forced to hide their abilities. Why would they stay there? And, by the way, there were many more problems. Again, I am sorry. I like the show a lot. Or may be I should say I used to like it. Because now I am not sure I will waste my time with it anymore.
I loved "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived", and I liked "The Zygon Invasion" and "The Zygon Inversion" quite a lot. Of course, I hated "Sleep No More" (who wouldn't?), but I expected to like "Face the Raven" at least a little. Seeing the glowing reviews here made me firmly believe it would be at least good, and, naturally, I was looking forward to Clara's death.
And, sorry, but this episode wasn't good at all. Although well acted and somewhat visually appealing, it was so mind-blowingly idiotic it made me question my own sanity.
OK, so where should I start? Perhaps saying that I didn't like Clara's death at all would be a fine beginning. It is no secret that many of the show's fans hate her, and her death shows all of the reasons for that pretty well. She is presented as someone who is impossibly perfect, she is the one giving advice to the Doctor, she is the one giving ORDERS to the Doctor, she is willing to risk her life for someone she had met once a year or two ago... As anyone would expect, there was a metric ton of forced drama - that has always been a huge part of the show, but this time it just didn't ring true. Not to me, at least - I just wanted it to end.
To top it all, there were plot holes so huge even the TARDIS wouldn't be big enough for them. OK, Ashildr used Rigsy to lure the Doctor in her refugee camp. Fine. So tell me something. How did she know who Rigsy was? How did she know he had the Doctor's number? How did she even know that the two knew each other? Also, why didn't she just contact the Doctor herself? In one of the previous episodes we were shown that she could easily get in touch with him if she wanted to. Why would she even risk two lives? Why would she frame an innocent man for murder? Why... Also, Ashildr said she had enjoyed reading about her conversations with Clara. Well, how many conversations did they actually have? In "The Girl Who Died" they barely talked to each other, and Clara was not even in "The Woman Who Lived", for F-word's sake. Then there was the refugee camp. Ashildr's street of peace, or whatever she called it. Well, sorry, but this was just not a peaceful place. It was a Gothic horror-influenced concentration camp. Quite literally, I might add. Ashildr was its all-powerful master, who would brutally murder anyone she wanted, and nobody would even try to stop her. Really, a man who had stolen some medication to save his dying wife was sentenced to a horrible death. And nobody protested. Nobody would tell her, "Hello, if you, miss Mayor, had done your job, he wouldn't have to steal the medication in the first place. And no, stealing a few pills is not a crime worthy of a death sentence. What kind of a leader would kill someone for that?" Would you stay under the rule of such a person if you had a choice? I know I wouldn't. No sane person would. And yes, the refugees had a choice. That was explicitly said. Why would they stay there? They were clearly not happy. They were treated like cattle. Some of them were forced to hide their abilities. Why would they stay there? And, by the way, there were many more problems. Again, I am sorry. I like the show a lot. Or may be I should say I used to like it. Because now I am not sure I will waste my time with it anymore.
Not 10/10 worthy but good all the same
warlordartos24 April 2021
This is The Doctor I grew up with, can and will do absolutely anything when you piss him off.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Capaldi really reminds me of Eccleston's Doctor. While Capaldi has had some absolutely horrendous episodes let down by the writers and especially the scripts, when given the right opportunities like this one, he does great. Still the man wrecked by war......well kinda yeah, He did fight at the battle of Trenzalore for about 1000 years, so that's why I enjoy these darker episodes, like what you got from the 9th Doctor. They are both damaged by wars and you get to truly see it.
I have said it before and I will say it again. Capaldi really reminds me of Eccleston's Doctor. While Capaldi has had some absolutely horrendous episodes let down by the writers and especially the scripts, when given the right opportunities like this one, he does great. Still the man wrecked by war......well kinda yeah, He did fight at the battle of Trenzalore for about 1000 years, so that's why I enjoy these darker episodes, like what you got from the 9th Doctor. They are both damaged by wars and you get to truly see it.
The end of the Clara era
DCSassyQueen7 May 2017
8.7
...and it is about time because I need a new companion. This was the best episode of the season & I am not sure if that is saying much because this was not the best season. Even though I was ready for Clara to go, it was sad to see The Doctor so broken about her about to die. Clara's & The Doctor's goodbye was great.
Peter Capaldi's acting was superb.
...and it is about time because I need a new companion. This was the best episode of the season & I am not sure if that is saying much because this was not the best season. Even though I was ready for Clara to go, it was sad to see The Doctor so broken about her about to die. Clara's & The Doctor's goodbye was great.
Peter Capaldi's acting was superb.
Fake the Raven
A_Kind_Of_CineMagic10 May 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is a strange one to rate because within itself this episode is entertaining, well acted, well made and quite powerful with the death of companion Clara, however writer Steven Moffatt YET AGAIN flips this apparent death and has an improbable get out 2 episodes later that returns Clara to life. Moffatt has reused the plot device of apparent deaths of main characters which he then undoes and has the characters return over and over again. As a result, even when Clara seemingly died on first broadcast, I thought there may well be yet another get out coming which lessened the emotional impact for me. Sure enough Moffatt did indeed undo the death which is disappointing for me. However, taken on its own this is a very good episode.
This story was interesting, intriguing and had suspense and drama. Peter Capaldi was, as always, superb. Jenna Coleman does an excellent job as Clara. There is a welcome return for Riggsy as a guest companion. The hidden street is a neat idea and the tattoo countdown is different. The return of Ashildr/Me is again very ambiguous and dark and Maisie Williams performs her role well.
Clara's apparent demise was as a result of her reckless and power crazed personality that had kept popping up annoyingly throughout her time as companion. Clara seemingly wants to be the Doctor - yet often hypocritically tells him off for his behaviour - and frequently acts as if she is invincible and superior. This causing her downfall is interesting but does not bring about sympathy or sadness for me as a viewer.
I give credit for all the good stuff in this episode and also will not judge this episode too much based on the return of Clara 2 episodes later. The acting, particularly of Capaldi shines through. If only Clara had actually been allowed to die in this episode it would be more emotional and would be 9/10 minimum.
My Rating: 8.5/10.
Series 9 Episode Ranking: 6th out of 14.
This story was interesting, intriguing and had suspense and drama. Peter Capaldi was, as always, superb. Jenna Coleman does an excellent job as Clara. There is a welcome return for Riggsy as a guest companion. The hidden street is a neat idea and the tattoo countdown is different. The return of Ashildr/Me is again very ambiguous and dark and Maisie Williams performs her role well.
Clara's apparent demise was as a result of her reckless and power crazed personality that had kept popping up annoyingly throughout her time as companion. Clara seemingly wants to be the Doctor - yet often hypocritically tells him off for his behaviour - and frequently acts as if she is invincible and superior. This causing her downfall is interesting but does not bring about sympathy or sadness for me as a viewer.
I give credit for all the good stuff in this episode and also will not judge this episode too much based on the return of Clara 2 episodes later. The acting, particularly of Capaldi shines through. If only Clara had actually been allowed to die in this episode it would be more emotional and would be 9/10 minimum.
My Rating: 8.5/10.
Series 9 Episode Ranking: 6th out of 14.
Face the Raven
MrFilmAndTelevisionShow5 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I remember watching this when it came out, and I was shocked that they killed her off, truly shocked by it. And while upon a rewatch almost six years later it doesn't have the same umph to it (give I knew it was coming), the fact I remember this scene so clearly from the first time is testament to how well done it was. A bold writing decision (i.e. Killing off the companion so soon) is what a good show needs every now and then to keep it fresh.
Do you remember the 30 minutes before Clara died? Didn't think so!
Robinson251124 November 2015
After the polarizing Sleep No More, everyone was highly anticipating Episode 10: Face the Raven (what a cool title). I, after seeing the second trailer for the episode, was highly looking forward to this episode, when it finally aired, I didn't know what to think.
First things first, Rigsy's back. Rigsy's was one of the best things about last years brilliant Flatline, and he's back, but sadly, his character's been toned down quite considerably, to the point of just being a dull, hollow character who serves simply as a plot device for the story to get itself going with.
Talking about that plot, why is it so rubbish? Rigsy's wakes up with a number tattoo on his neck and no memory of the day before. The tattoo seems to be counting down and the Doctor realizes he's going to die when the number reaches zero, so the Doctor, Clara and Rigsy decide to spend the next 10 minutes blindly looking for a hidden street, known as a trap street.
After wasting ten minutes of the episode's time, they find a trap street which is full of aliens and, get this, Ashildr, played by Maisie Williams. Bringing Ashildr into the episode is a cool idea, but a completely unnecessary one none the less. Her character could've been played by any character who claims to have come from the Doctor's past and it would have had the same effect.
Ashildr tells the Doctor that Rigsy is believed to have killed someone in the street and the number is a death sentence, when the number runs out, he will be killed by the Raven. The Doctor and Clara set about trying to prove Rigsy's innocence when Clara gets the "brilliant" idea of taking the death sentence for herself. Then after another 10 minutes of time wasting, talking to creatures and asking an alien that can see into the future, things finally, finally get interesting.
Ashildr reveals that she knew Rigsy was an associate of the Doctor, so put the death sentence on him as a way of luring the Doctor to the street, to, um, yeah. When Clara reveals she has the death sentence, Ashildr regretfully informs Clara that there is nothing she can do to save her because... Clara accepting this tells the Doctor not to take his anger at her death out on anyone, but just to accept it.
Clara steps outside and is killed by the Raven in a rather poetic death scene. The Doctor delivers one last threat to Ashildr, and teleports using the bracelet Ashildr gave him earlier.
Face the Raven doesn't get interesting for a good 20 minutes, and spends a lot of it's time just meddling about with nothing really happening, watching it a second time is draining, because you're constantly waiting for something interesting to happen. The only thing that makes it interesting the first time is the tension of the countdown and knowing that when it hits zero, our beloved companion is going to die, a second time, that tension is no longer there, and everything moves as slow as mud.
The scene with Clara hanging out of the TARDIS having the time of her life is a similar scene to Day of the Doctor, but Rigsy's about to die, this scene really takes away from the tension of the plot.
The trap street is just pants, why couldn't we have a street like the Rings of Akhaten, with all alien stalls and a real personality, this is just a typical Victorian village, and it's boring.
On the up side, with exception to explaining the plot, the writing is rather solid, and the direction is good, despite some boring set design, the acting is one of the best things about this episode though, everyone gives a great performance and Clara's death scene is played to perfection by everyone.
Face the Raven may be one of the lowest scoring of the season, but I feel there's enough to avoid it going beyond the 7/10 mark. It's dull, but it's well done, if there'd been a bit more... well, more to it, then it would be better, but Face the Raven doesn't keep me interested for long.
For those who have called this one of the best episode's and one of Clara's best episodes, that's fine, just remember to take the 35 minutes before Clara's death into account as well, otherwise, you're opinion means squat.
First things first, Rigsy's back. Rigsy's was one of the best things about last years brilliant Flatline, and he's back, but sadly, his character's been toned down quite considerably, to the point of just being a dull, hollow character who serves simply as a plot device for the story to get itself going with.
Talking about that plot, why is it so rubbish? Rigsy's wakes up with a number tattoo on his neck and no memory of the day before. The tattoo seems to be counting down and the Doctor realizes he's going to die when the number reaches zero, so the Doctor, Clara and Rigsy decide to spend the next 10 minutes blindly looking for a hidden street, known as a trap street.
After wasting ten minutes of the episode's time, they find a trap street which is full of aliens and, get this, Ashildr, played by Maisie Williams. Bringing Ashildr into the episode is a cool idea, but a completely unnecessary one none the less. Her character could've been played by any character who claims to have come from the Doctor's past and it would have had the same effect.
Ashildr tells the Doctor that Rigsy is believed to have killed someone in the street and the number is a death sentence, when the number runs out, he will be killed by the Raven. The Doctor and Clara set about trying to prove Rigsy's innocence when Clara gets the "brilliant" idea of taking the death sentence for herself. Then after another 10 minutes of time wasting, talking to creatures and asking an alien that can see into the future, things finally, finally get interesting.
Ashildr reveals that she knew Rigsy was an associate of the Doctor, so put the death sentence on him as a way of luring the Doctor to the street, to, um, yeah. When Clara reveals she has the death sentence, Ashildr regretfully informs Clara that there is nothing she can do to save her because... Clara accepting this tells the Doctor not to take his anger at her death out on anyone, but just to accept it.
Clara steps outside and is killed by the Raven in a rather poetic death scene. The Doctor delivers one last threat to Ashildr, and teleports using the bracelet Ashildr gave him earlier.
Face the Raven doesn't get interesting for a good 20 minutes, and spends a lot of it's time just meddling about with nothing really happening, watching it a second time is draining, because you're constantly waiting for something interesting to happen. The only thing that makes it interesting the first time is the tension of the countdown and knowing that when it hits zero, our beloved companion is going to die, a second time, that tension is no longer there, and everything moves as slow as mud.
The scene with Clara hanging out of the TARDIS having the time of her life is a similar scene to Day of the Doctor, but Rigsy's about to die, this scene really takes away from the tension of the plot.
The trap street is just pants, why couldn't we have a street like the Rings of Akhaten, with all alien stalls and a real personality, this is just a typical Victorian village, and it's boring.
On the up side, with exception to explaining the plot, the writing is rather solid, and the direction is good, despite some boring set design, the acting is one of the best things about this episode though, everyone gives a great performance and Clara's death scene is played to perfection by everyone.
Face the Raven may be one of the lowest scoring of the season, but I feel there's enough to avoid it going beyond the 7/10 mark. It's dull, but it's well done, if there'd been a bit more... well, more to it, then it would be better, but Face the Raven doesn't keep me interested for long.
For those who have called this one of the best episode's and one of Clara's best episodes, that's fine, just remember to take the 35 minutes before Clara's death into account as well, otherwise, you're opinion means squat.
Less than the sum of its parts
pee_bee29 June 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The story of this episode is great. Sadly, the episode itself is not.
The biggest problem is the character of Me/Ashildr. She was pretty interesting in her first episode, a bit annoying in the second, and actively terrible in this one. I haven't seen Maisie Williams in enough roles to judge her acting, but in this she is, well, not great.
By the time this episode takes place Me/Ashildr is around 1200 years old yet she's the dumbest whiny teen around. No growth in over a millennium, still pouty about the Doctor, still stupid enough to betray him like an idiot. It would be far better if they had introduced a monster of the week as antagonist for this episode, instead it seems the writers have simply decided that Williams being a well known name means she has to be in used as much as possible.
The trap street concept with a hidden world of various alien refugees is honestly a great one, and the Janus species who can see into peoples' past and futures would make a really fascinating story. Unfortunately these elements are just used as scaffolding for the purpose of the episode, which is Clara's death and the Doctor's capture. The chronolock death sentence and transferring it across is interesting, and Riggsy was a good character so nice to see him again. But the weakness of Me/Ashildr, and the fact the interesting parts of the story are mostly rushed over mean what could have been a great episode is only adequate.
The biggest problem is the character of Me/Ashildr. She was pretty interesting in her first episode, a bit annoying in the second, and actively terrible in this one. I haven't seen Maisie Williams in enough roles to judge her acting, but in this she is, well, not great.
By the time this episode takes place Me/Ashildr is around 1200 years old yet she's the dumbest whiny teen around. No growth in over a millennium, still pouty about the Doctor, still stupid enough to betray him like an idiot. It would be far better if they had introduced a monster of the week as antagonist for this episode, instead it seems the writers have simply decided that Williams being a well known name means she has to be in used as much as possible.
The trap street concept with a hidden world of various alien refugees is honestly a great one, and the Janus species who can see into peoples' past and futures would make a really fascinating story. Unfortunately these elements are just used as scaffolding for the purpose of the episode, which is Clara's death and the Doctor's capture. The chronolock death sentence and transferring it across is interesting, and Riggsy was a good character so nice to see him again. But the weakness of Me/Ashildr, and the fact the interesting parts of the story are mostly rushed over mean what could have been a great episode is only adequate.
Good, but spolit later on
studioAT7 September 2019
This is an utterly forgettable episode other than the final few moments where Clara 'dies'.
Testament to how dull it is comes when you watch the behind the scenes feature of the DVD and even that makes it sound dull.
Peter Capaldi soldiers on with weak material, but I never fully buy into the moments where they try to make his Doctor jovial, I don't know why.
Jenna Coleman is great in the climatic moments that pull at the heart strings, but ultimately everything does here is ruined by what is to come.
Testament to how dull it is comes when you watch the behind the scenes feature of the DVD and even that makes it sound dull.
Peter Capaldi soldiers on with weak material, but I never fully buy into the moments where they try to make his Doctor jovial, I don't know why.
Jenna Coleman is great in the climatic moments that pull at the heart strings, but ultimately everything does here is ruined by what is to come.
Woeful!
doorsscorpywag23 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I agree with the reviewer who noted that nothing really happened in this episode. Threadbare is complimentary to the writer. Obviously it was there to give Clara an epic send off but even that was so devoid of any decent writing to be nothing more than ordinary.
The writers did it so much better with Rose, the Pond's and Donna and tapped into the emotion of Doctor Who very well. This was just a bit of dragged out soap drama as Clara hung around for what seemed an age before popping her clogs like an aged Shakespearian drama queen who refused to leave the stage unless dragged off.
The interesting bit of what plot there was involved Me who is a much more interesting character than Clara who outstayed her welcome by several series. Me trapping the doctor and sending him somewhere that may well save what is a truly awful Series 9 with a couple of really good finale episodes. Hopefully not involving Missy or the Cybermen.
The lazy writing in the Moffat era is undoing all the good work of the first 2 new Doctors and this great British Institution is in danger of becoming irrelevant once again.
Capaldi is a good actor and his Doctor has had its moments but the writing is utterly awful. The Moon is an egg, trees growing overnight to cover the Earth, that abysmal Pink character, Robin of Sherwood, Skovox Blitzer, that abysmal Pink character, The Fisher King. Sadly I could go on and on.
The fun element has been taken to the extremes and comes off as more Benny Hill than Doctor Who. The drama has become tired and stale due to lazy writers who come up with ideas an idiot would disown.
Yes it's SciFi and yes Doctor Who has always had silly plots but it managed to do silly well because it had good writers who could combine silliness with good drama. This lot are just people who write daft ideas on the back of a fag packet and then produce that as an episode without any thought to the logic of the situation such as the Egg-Moon.
I keep watching as I am a fan and have been through the period when Doctor Who had its darkest times but fear for the Doctor as Moffat and his crew of writers are killing this programme. The next companion needs to be chosen carefully and not become another Clara who began well but became the worst ever companion in my eyes and that is saying something for this programme.
Let's see Doctor Who not the story of a sidekick. Let the programme be about The Doctor not his companion.
The writers did it so much better with Rose, the Pond's and Donna and tapped into the emotion of Doctor Who very well. This was just a bit of dragged out soap drama as Clara hung around for what seemed an age before popping her clogs like an aged Shakespearian drama queen who refused to leave the stage unless dragged off.
The interesting bit of what plot there was involved Me who is a much more interesting character than Clara who outstayed her welcome by several series. Me trapping the doctor and sending him somewhere that may well save what is a truly awful Series 9 with a couple of really good finale episodes. Hopefully not involving Missy or the Cybermen.
The lazy writing in the Moffat era is undoing all the good work of the first 2 new Doctors and this great British Institution is in danger of becoming irrelevant once again.
Capaldi is a good actor and his Doctor has had its moments but the writing is utterly awful. The Moon is an egg, trees growing overnight to cover the Earth, that abysmal Pink character, Robin of Sherwood, Skovox Blitzer, that abysmal Pink character, The Fisher King. Sadly I could go on and on.
The fun element has been taken to the extremes and comes off as more Benny Hill than Doctor Who. The drama has become tired and stale due to lazy writers who come up with ideas an idiot would disown.
Yes it's SciFi and yes Doctor Who has always had silly plots but it managed to do silly well because it had good writers who could combine silliness with good drama. This lot are just people who write daft ideas on the back of a fag packet and then produce that as an episode without any thought to the logic of the situation such as the Egg-Moon.
I keep watching as I am a fan and have been through the period when Doctor Who had its darkest times but fear for the Doctor as Moffat and his crew of writers are killing this programme. The next companion needs to be chosen carefully and not become another Clara who began well but became the worst ever companion in my eyes and that is saying something for this programme.
Let's see Doctor Who not the story of a sidekick. Let the programme be about The Doctor not his companion.
Who would've thought the death of Clara would make for such underwhelming TV?
foleyjd25 November 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes I can be a little harsh on Doctor Who and I accept that, but looking around at the reaction from this episode I really can't believe that people liked it. For me Face The Raven is the weakest episode of the season by a bit and a massively underwhelming send- off for Clara.
I think why people like it, is that people are inclined to like an episode in which a major character dies on any show. Now in general big deaths can make for good TV and quite often the best episodes of shows include major character deaths, because usually a show is at its best when big events are happening and killing off characters tends to represent the biggest of events. But at the same time an episode isn't just good for a big character dying and in the case of Face The Raven so much of the rest of the episode is a complete and utter mess.
More or less each and every episode of Doctor Who consists of characters (in general the Dr and his assistant) narrowly averting death, so when the show does actually kill a character off it is almost quite difficult to sell. Yet at the same time, when assistants have been departing in the past, the show has been able to construct there ends so much better (not that Clara is the first to actually die.)
The way in which Clara dies is really quite silly. Firstly they rely on a character whom I didn't even recognize for being in it before, who Clara must save and secondly her death is based around her not listening very well.
Now okay they don't try to push her death as her sacrificing herself for the love of her life, Rigsy. Yet at the same time couldn't they have found a better reason for her to die I mean even if the show isn't pushing a relationship that we have no investment in, it is still Clara sacrificing herself for a glorified extra.
And while they sort of hint at the idea that Clara kind of wanted this anyway, they don't flesh it out enough to make her death feel like anything but the result of a trivial error. I mean for God's sakes Clara they said that the Raven would get you no matter what.
Then there was the actual death sequence itself, I mean a raven killing someone is pretty tough to dramatize in a cinematic way. Couldn't they have had her fall off a cliff Hannibal style. I mean all the shots of Clara with her arms out looked pretty ridiculous, I guess this is partially the fault of Jenna Louise Coleman, who as an actress has become less and less of a screen presence as her time on the show has gone along, but her performance here was thoroughly underwhelming.
Outside of her death I think the episode is a bit of a mess. The pacing is all over the place, I mean we are thrown into this plot about, as earlier alluded, a character most of us couldn't remember being in it before (just in case you are wondering he appeared in last year's brilliant episode Flatline), where characters are jumping from stupid conclusion to stupid conclusion on the basis of nothing.
Then we are in some knock-off Diagon alley in which Ashildr is the mayor? To a certain degree I don't mind any of this stuff, or at least I can right it off as Doctor Who being Doctor Who but there are other things I find less excusable. Ashildr was the center of one of the best episodes of Doctor Who in the Moffat era, yet her presence her is so besides the point it is questionable why Maisie Williams is in this episode at all.
I also think there is an issue in the number of narrative shifts this episode undergoes. At one point it appears to be a standard story of the week episode, then they start introducing more characters (again what was the point of the two-headed girl disguised as a boy) and then all of a sudden the last ten minutes are totally devoted to Clara and her imminent death.
I'm fine with them devoting the last ten minutes to Clara, but they do in such a way that the previous 35 minutes feel pointless, as the episode was all about getting to this point and everything in the episode that didn't propel us further toward Clara's demise, the writers are not concerned with.
I have been very critical of this episode, maybe overly so but I can't see how or why people are arguing that this was a great episode of Doctor Who.
(for more reviews go to donheisenberg.tumblr.com)
I think why people like it, is that people are inclined to like an episode in which a major character dies on any show. Now in general big deaths can make for good TV and quite often the best episodes of shows include major character deaths, because usually a show is at its best when big events are happening and killing off characters tends to represent the biggest of events. But at the same time an episode isn't just good for a big character dying and in the case of Face The Raven so much of the rest of the episode is a complete and utter mess.
More or less each and every episode of Doctor Who consists of characters (in general the Dr and his assistant) narrowly averting death, so when the show does actually kill a character off it is almost quite difficult to sell. Yet at the same time, when assistants have been departing in the past, the show has been able to construct there ends so much better (not that Clara is the first to actually die.)
The way in which Clara dies is really quite silly. Firstly they rely on a character whom I didn't even recognize for being in it before, who Clara must save and secondly her death is based around her not listening very well.
Now okay they don't try to push her death as her sacrificing herself for the love of her life, Rigsy. Yet at the same time couldn't they have found a better reason for her to die I mean even if the show isn't pushing a relationship that we have no investment in, it is still Clara sacrificing herself for a glorified extra.
And while they sort of hint at the idea that Clara kind of wanted this anyway, they don't flesh it out enough to make her death feel like anything but the result of a trivial error. I mean for God's sakes Clara they said that the Raven would get you no matter what.
Then there was the actual death sequence itself, I mean a raven killing someone is pretty tough to dramatize in a cinematic way. Couldn't they have had her fall off a cliff Hannibal style. I mean all the shots of Clara with her arms out looked pretty ridiculous, I guess this is partially the fault of Jenna Louise Coleman, who as an actress has become less and less of a screen presence as her time on the show has gone along, but her performance here was thoroughly underwhelming.
Outside of her death I think the episode is a bit of a mess. The pacing is all over the place, I mean we are thrown into this plot about, as earlier alluded, a character most of us couldn't remember being in it before (just in case you are wondering he appeared in last year's brilliant episode Flatline), where characters are jumping from stupid conclusion to stupid conclusion on the basis of nothing.
Then we are in some knock-off Diagon alley in which Ashildr is the mayor? To a certain degree I don't mind any of this stuff, or at least I can right it off as Doctor Who being Doctor Who but there are other things I find less excusable. Ashildr was the center of one of the best episodes of Doctor Who in the Moffat era, yet her presence her is so besides the point it is questionable why Maisie Williams is in this episode at all.
I also think there is an issue in the number of narrative shifts this episode undergoes. At one point it appears to be a standard story of the week episode, then they start introducing more characters (again what was the point of the two-headed girl disguised as a boy) and then all of a sudden the last ten minutes are totally devoted to Clara and her imminent death.
I'm fine with them devoting the last ten minutes to Clara, but they do in such a way that the previous 35 minutes feel pointless, as the episode was all about getting to this point and everything in the episode that didn't propel us further toward Clara's demise, the writers are not concerned with.
I have been very critical of this episode, maybe overly so but I can't see how or why people are arguing that this was a great episode of Doctor Who.
(for more reviews go to donheisenberg.tumblr.com)
Why does no one mention the music?
mgl-9203721 November 2015
I created an account specifically for the purpose of reviewing "Face the Raven", the worst episode of the new-Who era (except possibly---no, probably---next week's). I won't bore you with me-too-ing all the criticisms of the other newest-Who haters. I want to point out a couple things I haven't seen mentioned. First off: Peter Capaldi has a horrible voice. I don't care that he's ugly and old, but that spitting, raucous brogue of his grates on my ears like nails on the blackboard. Please let the next Dr who be a real actor with a not unpleasant voice, not someone who looks and sounds like a drunken bum from off the street.
This is a minor criticism. Of course if the writing were decent, I wouldn't care. The newest-who writing team is awful in every way, but particular as regards pacing. The drawn-out death scene of whatshername was so painful I had to down a second bottle of scotch to get through it----and still it went on and ON an ON. But the music---oh god. The MELOdrama of it all, as subtle as a piano dropped on one's head. The worst opera doesn't milk the score as much as the newest-who composers. I do find an analogy with current pop-music styles, where melody is replaced by formless, melismatic mush.
I have been a Doctor Who fan for ages, but I would rather see the show canceled than drop any further. Maybe in another 15 years, BBC can try again.
This is a minor criticism. Of course if the writing were decent, I wouldn't care. The newest-who writing team is awful in every way, but particular as regards pacing. The drawn-out death scene of whatshername was so painful I had to down a second bottle of scotch to get through it----and still it went on and ON an ON. But the music---oh god. The MELOdrama of it all, as subtle as a piano dropped on one's head. The worst opera doesn't milk the score as much as the newest-who composers. I do find an analogy with current pop-music styles, where melody is replaced by formless, melismatic mush.
I have been a Doctor Who fan for ages, but I would rather see the show canceled than drop any further. Maybe in another 15 years, BBC can try again.
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