I wish I had reams of things to say about this weeks, but unfortunately there was very little there to hook me. Bugger.
This was the chill out room of episodes. Not even the threat of the world being set ablaze by solar flares could stop you from thinking, ‘Everything is going to be okay.’ Which is a bit of a problem when you’re trying to create tension, isn’t it?
As I sit here typing, I’m struggling to think of anything to say aside from ‘fine.’ The performances were fine, the script was fine, the denouement was fine. It was all just… fine. At the time, I was caught up in it all. London had succumbed to tree squatters. There were wolves. There was a tiger. Nelson’s Column nearly crushed some kids. But in the cold light of day, I’m thinking there wasn’t much else to it. It wasn’t a bad episode of Doctor Who. It was just… and episode of Doctor Who. Something I imagine the Fifth Doctor getting involved in. ‘Oh look, Tegan. Trees. Is it nap time yet?’
A large part of why I stuck around was because of Sheree Folkson’s direction which was magical. Often positioning the camera to look up to the Doctor, we were reminded how daunting he must be to children and how much he is just like one of them.
In the Forest of the Night was very much like getting trapped in a forest of wonder – bear with me – in that whilst it was fun to get lost in and appreciate everything that was going on around me, once I’m was back in the real world, I’m not sure I want to go back.
About The Author
My name is John Noonan. I’m a freelance writer that specialises in arts and entertainment. From genre flicks to chick flicks, I love the stuff. So much so, I started a film review blog at earlybirdfilm.wordpress.com. I also contribute to online and hard copy press, including FilmInk magazine.
If you like what you see, I am available for hire. You can contact me via the social media channels above or the form on my home page.
John Noonan 