Doctor Who: The God Complex Review (4.5/5)

I read a description of this second half of Doctor Who recently stating that the show is going through something of a "golden age", and once again based on this episode I'm more than inclined to agree. Toby Whithouse gave us a barnstormer with The Vampires of Venice (4.5/5) last year, yet rightfully takes The God Complex off in a very different direction, entering more thought provoking territory as the Doctor, Amy and a bunch of unlikely allies face their personal nightmares in a shifting hotel as they are stalked by a fearsome minatour. There are creepy moments aplenty throughout, with cackling puppets, Weeping Angels and mind control elements adding to the suspense of the silent corridors, and although these scenes could hardly be placed in the same region of fear as Blink or Paranormal Activity, they're every bit as chilling and effective as the earlier Mark Gatiss episode Night Terrors. It was great too to see Steven Moffat allowing his fellow writer a chance to expand and develop upon the main season arc in a way that didn't feel as shoehorned in as it did in Matthew Graham's clone two-parter: the denoument featuring Matt's Doc leaving Amy and Rory on Earth with the haunting message "What's the alternative- me standing over your grave, over your broken body?". I'm sure the Ponds will return to help the Time Lord solve his impending death in the finale, not least as Amy seems intrinsic to the plans of the Silence, however it was a dark scene to end on that really left a harrowing impact. I did have a couple of gripes, my main one being that Whithouse seemed to (perhaps unintentionally) steal from Richard Curtis' Vincent and the Doctor and Steven Thompson's The Curse of the Black Spot with his use of a monster acting not out of anger but instinct and a location turning out to be a sci-fi program respectively, which made parts of the story feel rehashed. The other problem I had was that Murray Gold's soundtrack seemed a bit too upbeat at times for what could have easily been the scariest episode of the season, detracting from the dark visual atmosphere somewhat. I haven't mentioned David Walliams yet, but it goes without saying that his casting (despite a more restrained portrayal for a PG/12 audience) makes for comedy gold, icing on the cake for another great Who romp!
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