Doctor Who - Recap: Into the Woods

I suppose I'll get the big reason out of the way: the threat this week isn't really a threat at all. At least not in the traditional sense of a threat being something the protagonists can fight against. Forests spring up around the world overnight, and not only are they resistant to fire, they're extremely aggressive in how they've spread, knocking down Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square and jarring loose the cages restraining the animals at the London Zoo. The Doctor and Clara (Jenna Coleman) see this as a problem that needs solving, and attempt to get to the root (no pun intended) of why these trees are here, and how they can make them disappear so they can reunite the Coal Hill children with their families.

Credit: BBC

Oh yes, did I forget to mention? This all happens after an overnight field trip with the children of Coal Hill, with Clara and Danny (Samuel Anderson) chaperoning a group of kids who range from charming to obnoxious. Granted, I don't mean "obnoxious" in a bad way, necessarily. That's how some of their characters were supposed to be written, to further distinguish each kid from the other (the boy who rolls his eyes every time Danny calls the group a "team" is different from the bully with anger management issues). Kids are necessary for a story like this, since grown-ups lost in the woods just doesn't have the same effect. And making each child distinct was a great touch, particularly Ruby ("I haven’t got an imagination. You can ask Miss Oswald!") and co-lead Maebh (a little girl emotionally traumatized by the disappearance of her older sister). The kids, as a collective, aren't as essential to the story as Maebh herself, who proves to be key in the resolution to the story. But I don't think the episode suffers for their presence.

Credit: BBC

However, I do have a problem with the total lack of awe and wonder from the kids. To have the kids immediately overlook the forest, the TARDIS, and even the abnormal, disembodied voice that possesses Maebh just left the threat feeling far less potent than it should have felt. Real kids would have been losing their damn minds, but these kids can't even muster up a "wow" for anything. It kind of harms the stakes of the story, especially since it never feels like the kids think of themselves as being in danger. It actually gets worse when we come to the climax and discover the big twist that the trees aren't there to harm humanity, they're there to protect it from an oncoming solar flare. In essence, we learn that everything was going to work itself out, no matter what The Doctor, Clara, Danny and the rest did. So why even have them in the story at all? I suppose the show tries to manufacture a threat at the end by implying that the government was going to chop the trees down and destroy them with pesticides, leaving The Doctor and the kids with the mission to warn the government that the trees are actually there to help, before it's too late. But by then, it just feels like a tacked-on conflict to an episode that didn't have much in the way of genuine peril, even as a solar flare bears down on the planet.

Credit: BBC

In fact, what works about the episode has less to do with the plot itself, and more to do with the beats between the characters. Clara forcing The Doctor to get in the TARDIS and leave Earth to save himself, once it seemed there was no way to stop the solar flare from destroying the planet, is a wonderful scene. As was the moment just prior, as Clara refuses to come with The Doctor because she doesn't want to be the last of her kind, like he is. Another solid moment was Danny once again confronting Clara about her dishonesty. It can get repetitive, but I think it's a necessary ongoing theme to hammer home, since that relationship is key to Clara's choice between a normal life and a life of travel with The Doctor. Her lies illustrate The Doctor's effect on her, in some cases, and it's an interesting character arc to follow. We also get another piece of the ongoing Missy mystery, as she once again observes Earth from the safety of...well, wherever the hell she is. It's a mystery that needs solving, or at least progress, yet I'm liking how creepy it all is, just the same.

"In the Forest of the Night" is an episode with its share of problems, yet I mostly enjoyed it for its whimsy. Capaldi is such an enjoyable, adventurous Doctor, and Clara has really grown on me as a companion. Whatever the final weeks of the season may hold, I'm excited to see the resolution for those two characters, and their journey together.