The Doctor: David Tennant
Rose Tyler: Billie Piper
Mickey Smith: Noel Clarke
Reinette, Madame de Pompadour: Sophia Myles
King Louis XIV: Ben Turner
Young Reinette: Jessica Atkins
Katherine: Angel Coulby
Manservant: Gareth Wyn Gtiffiths
Clockwork Man: Paul Casey
Clockwork Woman: Ellen Thomas
Synopsis:
The Doctor arrives in 18th-Century France to find Madame de
Pompadour being stalked by clockwork automatons from the 51st-Century...
The Girl In The Fireplace is a quite wonderful love story, courtesy of
writer Steven Moffatt, who knows exactly how to mix science-fiction with
powerful emotion. The story finds The Doctor, Rose and Mickey aboard a
spaceship in the 51st-Century that has various "time windows" -- all
entrances to various moments in the life of Reinette, the Madame de
Pompadour, in 18th-Century France. But for what purpose were these windows
constructed, and why are a gang of clockwork robots travelling back in time
this way?
I've often complained about the lack of imagination in recent Doctor Who.
Too often the episodes are quite hokey adventures that just so happen to be
set in the future, or the recent past, with little credible sci-fi to back
it all up. Moffatt is a writer with the type of imagination best suited to
Who, with some very original ideas used to layer an imaginative plot packed
with big emotions. It's rare that an episode can genuinely chill (an early
sequence with a robot "monster" under the bed is a highlight), make you
laugh ("I didn't want to say magic door..."), and also produce deep emotion
(the final moments are knockout stuff.)
David Tennant is finally given a half-decent plot to chew on, and rises to
the occassion magnificently. Finally his wild streak is tempered with a
romantic foil, played to perfection by Sophia Myles as the glamorous
Reinette. Billie Piper takes a backseat for once, but has a few interesting
things to play -- particularly because this episode marks the second time
she's been usurped by another woman interested in The Doctor. Noel Clarke
has little to do, but his glee at being involved in an adventure hits the
right mark, and it's a pleasure to see his character taking another step
away from annoying sidekick.
The production design is excellent throughout, particularly the 18th-Century
setting, but even the futuristic designs of the spaceship are more
believable than recent examples. The CGI is generally good (I particularly
liked an "eye-ball camera"), although a sequence with The Doctor bursting
through a mirror on horseback is a little ropey.
But The Girl In The Fireplace isn't really about the visuals, it's about
an engaging story sold magnificently by the cast. In many ways this is the
perfect Doctor Who episode, managing to bring multiple facets of the show
together into a delicious whole. A heatbreaking story that brings laughter,
adventure, epic themes, a few chills, and great character interplay.
NEXT WEEK: An alternate Earth... with the Cybermen...
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Series 1 Boxset:
Synopsis:
The Doctor arrives in 18th-Century France to find Madame de
Pompadour being stalked by clockwork automatons from the 51st-Century...
David Tennant is finally given a half-decent plot to chew on, and rises to
the occassion magnificently. Finally his wild streak is tempered with a
romantic foil, played to perfection by Sophia Myles as the glamorous
Reinette. Billie Piper takes a backseat for once, but has a few interesting
things to play -- particularly because this episode marks the second time
she's been usurped by another woman interested in The Doctor. Noel Clarke
has little to do, but his glee at being involved in an adventure hits the
right mark, and it's a pleasure to see his character taking another step
away from annoying sidekick.
