The Witch's Familiar

Last updated

254b –"The Witch's Familiar"
Doctor Who episode
Cast
Guest
Production
Directed by Hettie MacDonald
Written by Steven Moffat
Script editorDavid P Davis
Produced by Peter Bennett
Executive producer(s)Steven Moffat
Brian Minchin
Music by Murray Gold
Series Series 9
Running time2nd of 2-part story, 48 minutes
First broadcast26 September 2015 (2015-09-26)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"The Magician's Apprentice"		Followed by →
"Under the Lake"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Witch's Familiar" is the second episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who . It was first broadcast on BBC One on 26 September 2015. [1] It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie MacDonald, and is the second part of the story begun by "The Magician's Apprentice" on 19 September.

Contents

In the episode, Davros (Julian Bleach), the dying creator of the Dalek race, attempts to trick his enemy, alien time traveller the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), into using the Doctor's ability to regenerate to restore Davros and the Daleks on the planet Skaro. Meanwhile, the Doctor's former friend Missy (Michelle Gomez) and companion Clara (Jenna Coleman) attempt to enter the Daleks' city to save the Doctor's life. The episode received critical acclaim, with many praising Gomez' performance and the interactions between the Doctor and Davros.

Several different designs of the Daleks from across the series' history reappear in the episode, alongside their creator, Davros, and their home planet, Skaro. [2]

Plot

Clara and Missy are outside the Dalek city. Missy had rigged their vortex manipulators to make them appear to have died from the Dalek attack, a trick she learned from the Doctor; however, the manipulators have been destroyed. They make their way in through a sewer, which contains a number of decaying and insane Dalek mutants. They capture a Dalek using the mutants in the sewer and steal its casing, which Missy convinces Clara to help them re-enter the city. Once inside, Clara finds any spoken expression of emotion or individual identity is translated into only "Exterminate!" or "I am a Dalek". Once they access the city, Missy abandons Clara.

The Doctor does not believe Clara is dead. While confronting Davros and the Supreme Dalek, the Doctor is knocked unconscious by Colony Sarff. When he wakes, the Doctor is back with Davros, who is attached to numerous cables that provide life-support to him from every Dalek. Davros tempts the Doctor to kill all the Daleks using the cables, but the Doctor reveals he came to express compassion to Davros having abandoned him as a boy in the past. To give Davros enough life to see the sun rise, the Doctor provides some of his regeneration energy, but this travels through the cables to every Dalek, creating new hybrid forms.

The Dalek casing into which Clara is forced, on display at the Doctor Who Experience. Doctor Who Experience (30826691612).jpg
The Dalek casing into which Clara is forced, on display at the Doctor Who Experience.

Missy appears and saves the Doctor while killing Sarff. The Doctor, aware of Davros' plan, notes even the insane Daleks will regenerate. They arise and attack the city, seeking revenge. The Doctor and Missy escape and run into Clara, still within the Dalek casing and unable to identify herself. Missy tries to tell the Doctor that Clara was killed, but the Doctor is able to see through her lies, particularly when the "Dalek" asks for mercy. He frees Clara and tells Missy to run. Missy is cornered by a number of Daleks but suddenly claims to have a clever plan.

Using his new sonic sunglasses, the Doctor summons the TARDIS, which also had avoided destruction by its automated systems. As the Dalek city is destroyed, the Doctor recalls why the Dalek casing allowed Clara to express a plea for mercy, and realises what he must do. He travels to the battlefield that young Davros was caught in, and uses a Dalek gun to eradicate the "handmines" and escort Davros away. The boy asks which side he fights for, and the Doctor replies it does not matter as long as there is mercy.

Continuity

Missy and Clara teleport out of the city using the energy emitted by the Daleks, revealing how Missy survived after being shot by the Brigadier at the end of "Death in Heaven". The Fourth and First Doctors make brief appearances during Missy's exposition of her account of the Doctor's fight with 50 android assassins. [3]

Among the past Dalek designs shown in this episode is the Special Weapons Dalek that first appeared in Remembrance of the Daleks (1988). [3] [4]

The scene where Clara is being put into the Dalek mirrors a scene from her debut episode, "Asylum of the Daleks" (2012). [5] A similar tactic was used by Ian Chesterton in The Daleks (1963–64), the first Dalek serial of the original Doctor Who series, [4] and again by Rebec, a Thal, in the Third Doctor serial Planet of the Daleks (1973). [6]

Davros informs the Doctor that he has been given 'the only other chair on Skaro...' This references the first Dalek adventure; the Doctor's companion Barbara comments that on the Daleks' world, 'there wasn't any furniture, now I come to think about it...' [4]

The Doctor lost his original sonic screwdriver when it was destroyed in the Fifth Doctor story The Visitation (1982). It wasn't replaced until the Seventh Doctor produced one in the 1996 Doctor Who movie. It remained a part of the Doctor's arsenal ever since, until this two-part episode. [4]

When Davros tempts the Doctor with killing every Dalek on Skaro, knowingly committing genocide, he asks "Are you ready to be a god?" This echoes the debate the Fourth Doctor has with Davros in Genesis of the Daleks (1975); when the Doctor asks him whether he would knowingly unleash a virus that would destroy all life in the universe, Davros is intrigued at the concept: "Yes... I would do it. That power would set me up above the gods!" It also refers back to the climax of Genesis, when the Doctor agonizes over whether he has the moral right to destroy the newly created Daleks, ultimately deciding against genocide. [4]

Davros' question to the Doctor – "Am I a good man? – is the same one the Doctor himself asks Clara in "Into the Dalek" (2014). [4]

The TARDIS' Hostile Action Displacement System has been referred to on prior occasions. In the Eleventh Doctor story "Cold War" (2013), it caused the TARDIS to leave the area. [4] The system was first used in the Second Doctor story The Krotons (1968–69), also making the TARDIS dematerialise to avoid destruction. [7]

Outside references

Missy tells a Dalek to inform the Supreme Dalek that "the bitch is back", an allusion to the Elton John song, "The Bitch Is Back". [8] [9]

Promotion

Cinema screenings

A screening for the opening two-parter took place on 10 September 2015 in Cardiff. [10]

Broadcast and reception

The episode was watched by 3.71 million viewers overnight in the UK, the lowest overnight figure of any episode since the show returned in 2005. The final consolidated ratings were 5.71 million viewers. [11] The lower-than-expected ratings were likely due in part to competition from the England-Wales match in the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which aired the same evening. [12] It received an Appreciation Index score of 83. [13] In America, the episode had 1.12 million viewers on the night. [14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)8.61 [15]
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)89% [15]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. Club A− [16]
Paste Magazine9.0 [17]
SFX MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [18]
TV FanaticStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [19]
IndieWireA+ [20]
IGN 8.9 [21]
New York MagazineStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [23]
Radio Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [24]

"The Witch's Familiar" received critical acclaim, particularly praise of Michelle Gomez's performance as Missy and the interaction between the Doctor and Davros. The episode received a score of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 17 reviews, with an average score of 8.6. The site's consensus reads "'The Witch's Familiar' is proof that Doctor Who is back on target, ending the two-part season opener with a revealing, meaningful, and twist-driven conclusion". [25]

Patrick Mulkern, writing for the Radio Times , called it a "shining example" of the series, praising it as "underpinned by emotional intelligence" and noting the "excellent" performances of the four leads in "protracted dialogue scenes that test their mettle and demand audience attention", awarding the episode a full five stars out of five. [26] Michael Hogan of The Daily Telegraph also enjoyed the episode, awarding it four stars out of five, commenting "plenty of twists and a brilliant Missy made for a very fun episode". In particular, he praised Michelle Gomez's performance – "[she] continued to excel as Missy, whirling around dementedly while chewing on dialogue with real relish", and closed his review by summarising that "it packed more ideas into 50 minutes than most shows manage in an entire series". [27]

Scott Collura of IGN also lavished praise on the episode, awarding it a score of 8.9, deemed "great". To him, while the episode "had the deck stacked against it", it succeeded and was "exciting and touching". He praised Missy as a character and her interaction with Clara within the Dalek as "amusing", though "actually quite dark", in addition to acclaiming the dialogue between the Doctor and Davros. [28] Alasdair Wilkins of The A.V. Club responded very positively to the episode, awarding it an A− grade. He especially praised the Doctor and Davros' exchange, finding it "by far the best use the TV series has made of the [latter] character since Genesis Of The Daleks". He also believed having Davros open his eyes "a particularly brilliant touch" and went on to praise the moment as "insightfully written, beautifully shot, and brilliantly acted". [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davros</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who; antagonist

Davros is a fictional character from the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He was created by screenwriter Terry Nation, originally for the 1975 serial Genesis of the Daleks. Davros is a major enemy of the series' protagonist, the Doctor, and is the creator of the Doctor's deadliest enemies, the Daleks. Davros is a genius who has mastered many areas of science, but also a megalomaniac who believes that through his creations he can become the supreme being and ruler of the Universe. The character has been compared to the infamous dictator Adolf Hitler several times, including by the actor Terry Molloy, while Julian Bleach defined him as a cross between Hitler and the renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skaro</span> Fictional Planet in the Doctor Who universe

Skaro is a fictional planet in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was created by the writer Terry Nation as the home planet of the Daleks.

Remembrance of the Daleks is the first serial of the 25th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The serial was first broadcast in four weekly episodes from 5 to 26 October 1988. It was written by Ben Aaronovitch and directed by Andrew Morgan.

Revelation of the Daleks is the sixth and final serial of the 22nd season in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in two weekly parts on 23 and 30 March 1985. This was the final serial to be broadcast in 45-minute episodes; this format would return 20 years later when the series resumed in 2005. Revelation of the Daleks is the only time the Sixth Doctor encountered the Daleks in a television story.

Destiny of the Daleks is the first serial of the 17th season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 1 September to 22 September 1979. The story introduces Lalla Ward as the newly regenerated Romana.

The Daleks are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants from the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The mutated remains of the Kaled people of the planet Skaro, they travel around in tank-like mechanical casings, and are a race bent on universal conquest and destruction. They are also, collectively, the greatest adversaries of the Time Lord known as the Doctor, having evolved over the course of the series from a weak race to monsters capable of destroying even the Time Lords and achieving control of the universe.

<i>War of the Daleks</i> 1997 novel by John Peel

War of the Daleks is an original novel written by John Peel, published in 1997, based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It features the Eighth Doctor and Sam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twelfth Doctor</span> Fictional character from Doctor Who

The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi in three series as well as four specials. As with previous incarnations of the Doctor, the character has also appeared in other Doctor Who spin-offs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clara Oswald</span> Fictional character in the TV series Doctor Who

Clara Oswald is a fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. She was created by series producer Steven Moffat and portrayed by Jenna Coleman. Clara was introduced in the seventh series as a new travelling companion of the series protagonist, the Doctor, in his eleventh and twelfth incarnations.

Deep Breath (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2014 Doctor Who episode

"Deep Breath" is the first episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, first broadcast on BBC One and released in cinemas on 23 August 2014. It was written by showrunner and executive producer Steven Moffat and directed by Ben Wheatley.

"Into the Dalek" is the second episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was written by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat, and directed by Ben Wheatley, and first broadcast on BBC One on 30 August 2014.

Dark Water (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2014 Doctor Who episode

"Dark Water" is the eleventh episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 1 November 2014. The episode was written by showrunner and head writer Steven Moffat and was directed by Rachel Talalay. It is the first of a two-part story; the concluding episode "Death in Heaven", the finale of the eighth series, aired on 8 November.

"Death in Heaven" is the twelfth and final episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 8 November 2014. The episode was written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Rachel Talalay. It is the second of a two-part story; the first episode "Dark Water" aired on 1 November.

The Magicians Apprentice (<i>Doctor Who</i>) 2015 Doctor Who episode

"The Magician's Apprentice" is the first episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 19 September 2015. The episode was written by showrunner Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie MacDonald. It is the first of a two-part story; the second part, "The Witch's Familiar", aired on 26 September.

"The Girl Who Died" is the fifth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 17 October 2015, and was written by Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat and directed by Ed Bazalgette.

"Under the Lake" is the third episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 3 October 2015. It is the first part of a two-part story, the second of which is "Before the Flood" on 10 October; both were written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Daniel O'Hara.

"Face the Raven" is the tenth episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 21 November 2015, and was written by Sarah Dollard and directed by Justin Molotnikov.

"Hell Bent" is the twelfth and final episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay and first broadcast on BBC One on 5 December 2015.

"The Pilot" is the first episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Steven Moffat and broadcast on 15 April 2017 on BBC One. "The Pilot" received mostly positive reviews, with praise on the introduction of Pearl Mackie, and how the episode served both as a soft reboot and as a series premiere.

"World Enough and Time" is the eleventh and penultimate episode of the tenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was written by Steven Moffat, directed by Rachel Talalay, and was broadcast on 24 June 2017 on BBC One. The episode was the first part of a two-part story, concluding with The Doctor Falls.

References

  1. ↑ @DWMtweets (18 August 2015). "The new issue of Doctor Who Magazine, out this week, has a six-page preview of the new series... we can't wait!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ Mulkern, Patrick (19 September 2015). "Doctor Who 'The Magician's Apprentice' Review – Steven Moffat plays new games with very old toys". Radio Times . Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 Nick Setchfield (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who S9.02 – "The Witch's Familiar" review". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "BBC One – Doctor Who, Series 9, The Witch's Familiar – The Witch's Familiar: The Fact File". BBC.
  5. ↑ Dan Martin (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who series 35, episode two: The Witch's Familiar". the Guardian.
  6. ↑ "BBC – Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide – Planet of the Daleks – Details". bbc.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "BBC One – Doctor Who, Series 7 Part 2, Cold War – The Fourth Dimension". BBC.
  8. ↑ Michael Hogan (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who Series 9, Episode 2, The Witch's Familiar, review: 'full of sly wit and surprises'". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "The Witch's Familiar: The Good, The Bad and The Nerdy". doctorwhotv.co.uk. 2 October 2015.
  10. ↑ @bbcdoctorwho (27 August 2015). "At 1700 BST, buy tickets to an EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW of #DoctorWho SERIES 9 in Cardiff!!! » http://bbc.in/1MQpGaW" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ "Doctor Who Series 9 (2015) UK Ratings Accumulator". doctorwhotv.co.uk. 18 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Lee, Ben (27 September 2015). "UK TV ratings: Doctor Who falls to 3.7 million, as Rugby World Cup dominates with 8.4 million". digitalspy.co.uk. Digital Spy. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  13. ↑ "The Witch's Familiar – AI:83". Doctor Who News. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Doctor Who Ratings – TVbytheNumbers". zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010.
  15. 1 2 "The Witch's Familiar". Rotten Tomatoes . 18 November 2015.
  16. ↑ ""The Witch's Familiar" · Doctor Who · TV Review Doctor Who argues compassion is the best incurable disease · TV Club · The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club . 27 September 2015.
  17. ↑ "Doctor Who Review: "The Witch's Familiar"". pastemagazine.com. 27 September 2015.
  18. ↑ Nick Setchfield (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who S9.02 – "The Witch's Familiar" review". GamesRadar+.
  19. ↑ Elizabeth Lang (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who". TV Fanatic.
  20. ↑ Kaite Welsh (27 September 2015). "Review: 'Doctor Who' Season 9 Episode 2, 'The Witch's Fam – Indiewire". Indiewire.
  21. ↑ Scott Collura (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who: "The Witch's Familiar" Review". IGN.
  22. ↑ "Doctor Who Recap: Mercy Mercy Me". Vulture.
  23. ↑ Michael Hogan (26 September 2015). "Doctor Who Series 9, Episode 2, The Witch's Familiar, review: 'full of sly wit and surprises'". Telegraph.co.uk.
  24. ↑ Patrick Mulkern. "Doctor Who review: series 9 episode 2 The Witch's Familiar". RadioTimes.
  25. ↑ "The Witch's Familiar". Rotten Tomatoes. 29 September 2015.
  26. ↑ "Doctor Who The Witch's Familiar review: "Michelle Gomez reminds me of a young Maggie Smith"". radiotimes.com. Radio Times. 26 September 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  27. ↑ Hogan, Michael. "Doctor Who Series 9, Episode 2, The Witch's Familiar, review: 'full of sly wit and surprises'". The Telegraph. Michael Hogan. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  28. ↑ Collura, Scott (26 September 2015). "DOCTOR WHO: "THE WITCH'S FAMILIAR" REVIEW". IGN. Scott Collura. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  29. ↑ Wilkins, Alasdair (27 September 2015). "Doctor Who argues compassion is the best incurable disease". The A.V. Club. Alasdair Wilkins. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.