Okay so. Everyone knows I am no s2 lover. But I do need everyone to explain why this episode is so universally hated. Is it an instant classic? No. Is it a bit lumpy around the edges? Sure, but this is Dr Who. I can forgive that.
Perhaps this is a case of āthis is one of the episodes I got weirdly attached to as a childā, because I did - I watched this one a lot. I think the idea of a lonely little girl possessed by a lonely alien is a compelling one, and I think the resolution is quite lovely. Itās been a long while since I last watched it, so I may well be misremembering it a little, but I truly do not believe it deserves the universal panning it gets
I know itās not great but I also donāt get the hate. I do think itās one of those situations where everyone was expecting something amazing because itās by Matthew Graham and he was hugely popular because of Life on Mars. I think fan expectation hindered this one. I do like the Scribble Monster and think the underlying themes of domestic abuse are important and handled fairly well. That said, i havenāt seen it since broadcast so it could be clunkier than I remember.
KEL: No! You, stop! You just took a council axe from a council van and now youāre digging up a council road! Iām reporting you to the council!
Only memorable part of an otherwise pretty poor episode, the concept is good, but itās not executed well at all and the child acting is far from great
I am not a fan of the episode. It runs into the common problem of stakes feeling artificial because you know kids are going to be ok in Doctor Who. Iām not going to be too harsh on a child actor not really carrying the role of Chloe, but it is a bit of an issue. Scribble creature doesnāt hold up. Didnāt really do enough discussion on how Chloe was struggling with the death of her father and the trauma of his abuse of her prior. Itās quite repetitive with the Chloe draws something, someone disappears, they take away her pencils, she finds more pencils, and repeat just with bigger numbers or more important things being drawn. Odd that a creature known for being together with many of its kind is called āIsolusā as in isolated, and it was rather on the nose with how it identified with a kid who was feeling lonely and isolated, itās like Terry Nation naming a planet. And donāt get me started on all the stuff with the Olympics and the torch. TARDIS landing turned the wrong way and council man are the two main highlights of this one. There are still far worse episodes, so this one scrapes a 4/10 from me.
Well, itās not the worst episode ever (that one contains large walking ants), but itās not a very good one either.
Rewatching it today made me think of one thing:
Ten and Rose are unbearably smug; the setting is forgettable; the Olympics angle is unnecessary and makes for a very melodramatic ending; the faraway future year of 2012 doesnāt feel like 2012 at all; the scribble creature and wannabe Malus are some of the worst Doctor Who monsters; the abusive father angle is important but badly handled; Chloe is an annoying kid and poorly performed.
The failed TARDIS landing is a fun gaga as is the council van jike.
The biggest crime is that the Doctor claims heās not a cat person! Thatās an instant dislike from me!
Like @sircarolyn, this episode is important to me and I was quite attached to it as a kid. I really donāt understand the hate.
I was a very lonely, artistic kid with undiagnosed autism. I could really relate to Chloe. Her getting a happy ending made me feel better about my own situation. Yes, itās not the pinnacle of good television, the child acting isnāt great, and the resolution is a little meh, but it has heart. And isnāt that what Doctor Who is all about?
I donāt totally get why this Episode is hated? Donāt get me wrong, itās far from great or even good, but there are some great bits to it, and Iād argue at least this one didnāt totally waste its Potential, looking at you, Idiotās Lantern.
I do really like the core idea of this Episode quite a lot, itās ambitious and while the ambition canāt be done too well with its execution, it does offer some fun (but admittely) clunky moments. The Idea of a lonely girl getting possessed is one that is done fairly well, especially when get to see some moments with the Mother of the Child, she does a splendid job in my opinion.
The Child Actress from Chloe does an okay at best, a āmehā at worst job. I donāt want to be too harsh, because even great stuff does struggle with some lesser good child performances and thatās fine, at the end those are children after all! Not everybody can be the Kid from A.I (a Movie I recommend highly for anybody, who hasnāt seen it yet!)
The whole deal with her Drawings effecting the real world is done decently, it gets repetitive fairly quick, which is disappointing.
Ten and Rose are at their worst here, perhaps? I do go as far as saying that Tennant might deliver his very worst performance in the role of the Doctor here. Piper does a bit better, but her and Tennant combined just doesnāt work at all for me (how shocking!!! Me not liking TenRose?? Happens so rarely!!!)
I would comment on the angle about Chloeās abusive father, but itās been a while since I saw that Episode and I donāt feel qualify to comment on that at all.
Kel is one of the greatest Character in Fiction, so that gives that Episode a 10/10.
But on a serious note: One of the biggest mixed bags. There are good bits here and there. There are some great Ideas, but I feel like the execution just doesnāt work and dare I say it couldnāt, at least as a televised story. A Character such as Chloe is one hell of a task for any child actor, so I donāt blame the actress for giving a rather bad performance. Its ambition make it interesting, but also hinders it from being something really special. At least this one made me roll my eyes a lot less, last time I rewatched Series 2!
Also, I totally forget the whole Olympic Aspect of it until it got mentioned here, so I think that says enough about my opinion on those scenes.