You may have noticed that, on occasion, I will make an irrational plea for you, gentlereaders, to watch Doctor Who. You never listen, and that’s ok… except you really should today. Before you go out on the town this evening to do god knows what, you owe it to yourself to DVR tonight’s episode.
Once a season, the filming schedule of Doctor Who becomes too rigorous for star David Tennant and whoever is co-starring with him at the time, and we get a stand-alone episode that, for the most part, doesn’t feature the regular cast. Last season this episode was disastrous and boring, but this season, it’s one of the most unique hours of television you’ll likely come across all year.
Much in the vein of Buffy’s silent episode, “Hush”, Doctor Who’s “Blink” is a stylized creepfest not unlike something you’d read in a twisted fairy tale and much more suspenseful than anything currently available in theaters. The premise: statues with the power to drain the life from those who close their eyes their presence stalk a young woman named Sally Sparrow. As the dire situation unfolds, Sally realizes that she’s being sent messages through time (and DVD Easter eggs), and it is her responsibility to make things right.
Tennant and Agyeman quickly established a great deal of chemistry in the third season, but their absence is not troubling. Sally Sparrow is played by British actress Carey Mulligan (Bleak House; Pride and Prejudice), who is developing an impressive résumé abroad, but remains painfully underexposed stateside. On a show where guest stars are frequently (and justifiably) cheesy, Mulligan’s skill carries an episode that could have gone either way.
As should be the case with episodes of this nature, previous knowledge of Doctor Who is unnecessary. All you really need to know is that this dude and this girl can time travel.
Doctor Who airs tonight at 8pm on Sci Fi
I just started watching Doctor Who and this episode scared me oodles. It was great fun.