Doctor Who: The Rebel Flesh Review (4.5/5)

The Rebel Flesh is a prime example of Doctor Who confined to corridors and a minimal cast of mostly unknown status where the show can make the best of what it's got and really get you thinking. Sharing similarities with last year's Silurian two-parter yet infinitely better, and written by the man who did Fear Her (Matthew Graham, also known for his Life on Mars work) yet infinitely more complex and thought-provoking, this was an intricately layered opening to a story just as dark as its predecessors, if not more so. Not for the first time this series, Graham's script allowed us to get intimate with the 'characters of the week', genuinely understanding the plight of the Gangers in that they shared the memories and soul of the 'originals', and subsequently the question arose as to which version had more rights and the reprecussions of the human boss taking the initiative and killing one of the clones. Of course, in doing so Cleaves provoked war, which again left this in a similar place to Cold Blood, but in reality I think that Graham has concocted a far more successful yarn with the help of director Julian Simpson, who really achieved a genuine fear factor in the look of the Gangers and the shots used for several of the dark monastery corridors. There was even time for more development in terms of the series arc, as Amy came close to giving away the Doctor's fate, the Eye-Patch Lady appeared once again and the Doctor found himself a Ganger in the ever-so slightly predictable cliffhanger, and from what Steven Moffat has been saying it seems next week's concluding part The Almost People will take the arc even further to the point of leading into the mid-season finale A Good Man Goes To War. My only real gripe was that in terms of the quality of acting while Rachel Cassidy, Mark Bonnar and the other additions to the cast were excellent as their Ganger counterparts, their portrayals of their human selves were somewhat forgettable and did make some parts of the episode feel drawn out. That said, The Rebel Flesh moved at a great pace, a genuinely thrilling Doctor Who story that I'm sure will have an interesting conclusion (to say the least) next week!