Fancy Things Friday: Doctor Who; Robot of Sherwood

Welcome to Fancy Things Friday, where I talk about things on a Friday that I think are fancy!!

**** BEWARE!! THERE ARE SPOILERS EVERYWHERE! FOR AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. ****

 

Naturally I have put the Doctor as my Fancy Thing this week. Especially as they have combined two of my favourite things. Doctor Who and Robin Hood.

Doctor Who is the king of serious and awesome plot lines. However, occasionally it throws in the awesome light hearted episode and this was what this episode was all about. It's what we need in amongst the Doctor's ongoing angst. This episode does not disappoint.

I was naturally excited as the episode is written by Mark Gatiss, co-writer of Sherlock. A series we can all agree is one of the best things we Brits have brought out in years. Fact is, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are the best writing duo our country have produced in a long time. So when you have a series lead by the Moffat with an episode written by the Gatiss, we can't go wrong. And we don't... it's awesome. It funny and light hearted; granted, there's nothing more than that, but that's all we need for this. Especially as the next episode promises to be dark and deep, it serves a need to lift to mood at just the right point in the series.

I won't lie, as much as I love the series as a whole, there have been Doctor Who episodes where their light hearted episodes have fallen short in standards, but this one works amazingly in the way that it keeps the fun whilst also keeping the standard. It lives to the hype of this duo. Gatiss and Moffat should write together for the rest of their career and we will always be entertained.

As mentioned in my last review, this is the series where I have started to get in line with Clara Oswald; a woman who I had previously not been that fussed over. I'm warming to her a lot. She provides character and is continuing to represent the voice of the Doctor Who fan as she goes along. It's almost as if fangirls are mediating through her. She's one massive fangirl who is lucky enough to travel with the one Timelord we all wish we could travel with.

There has been a common plot repeated in this episode, regardless of the light hearted fun. Clearly the Moffat wants us all to be intrigued by the plot of robots. There is something in it that will be carried through the series. Although this seems a simple light relief episode from the overall canon, I do think there is more to this episode in conjunction with the rest of the series than meets the eye. This series is screaming an underlying plot of robots all the way through. Although there is no Missy in this episode, it still hints at something she might possibly be planning; especially with the repeat mention of the 'promised land' as mentioned in the first episode. It was a place the clockwork robot inspired to go to and a place Missy promised he was in. It gave reference to her without her actual appearance being necessary.

In amongst this, there was genius writing written throughout. Quotes that made me shiver with delight. Seeing the Doctor fight Robin Hood, refusing he is real. All to find out that Robin Hood is 'just as real as he is.' (Best line in the series so far.)

Sure, things are slightly ridiculous in certain aspects. The idea that an alien spaceship can be crashed by a single arrow in its side takes a lot of imagination, but I don't care, because it makes the episode and creates the same fun plotline. You don't care because, quite frankly, it's Doctor Who, and there's always a certain degree of distension of belief to go along with the series; it comes hand in hand with being a fan. It's about the drama and fun, rather than belief that it could actually happen... after all, let's face it, as far as I know, time travel is not something that is possible as of yet... so if that's possible in this series, then a UFO crashing from the skies from a single golden arrow must also be possible.

Overall, I loved this episode. It's fun, exciting and loveable. This is what Doctor Who is at it's core. I think was also intentional because this next episode coming up seems absolutely terrifying, so it leaves us all feeling safe and happy in the eve of the intense episode coming our way...

Get ready for it, peeps. It's gonna be a stonker.

Peace out my lovelies.