2nd Opinion: Extremis
Connor Johnston & Gustaff Behr give their verdicts on the sixth episode of Series 10.
Connor’s Verdict
If there is one thing that a Steven Moffat script never fails to include, it is a long list of the most creative and impressive concepts known to man. With Extremis, the showrunner’s second episode of the series, we see an adventure stitched together with the premises of a secret Vatican text, mass suicide, a planet of executioners and race so far advanced and built on destruction that they have the physical capabilities to run world-sized, aware simulations in order to perfect their invasion. Extremis is a script that is witty, dark, sophisticated and packed with ingenuity – a script that is quintessentially Moffat.
A natural addition to a quintessentially Moffat script is a Moffat conclusion: one that typically invites the audiences out of their comfort zone, and one that requires a slither more brain capacity than normal episodes to both process and understand. The revelation that the majority of the episode takes place within a simulation is both unexpected and incredibly clever, ensuring that the audience – much like the episode’s characters – are challenged by ‘The Veritas’ by having everything they know to be true compromised so flippantly. The episode’s twist also allows for somewhat of an emotional appeal with the pseudo-deaths of both Nardole and Bill – who form an unlikely double team during this week’s episode. Meeting each other both in terms of comic timing and shared horror, the pair have countless opportunities in which to assert the uniqueness and success of the current TARDIS team and make tremendous use of each and every one.
Driving the Doctor throughout all aspects of the script this week; be it in saving Missy, risking his future to regain temporary sight or even finding a way to warn reality of the Monk’s plan – is this overwhelming mission the Doctor sets for himself to never give up. Moffat uses Extremis as one of his final opportunities to explore more of the Doctor’s own psyche; that belief is all he is. Belief that virtue is only virtue when there is no hope or chance of reward, that Virtue is only virtue in Extremis. By effortlessly motivating such a revelation with continuity references to the Doctor’s past and current relationships, specifically with Nardole, River Song and Missy, Moffat implies a certain reverence to this character exploration, establishing an unparalleled significance to his script that transcends one episode.
Finding ties both thematically and narratively, the main plot of Extremis is also mirrored a long a set of flashback scenes that chronicle an event set directly after The Husbands of River Song but before The Return of Doctor Mysterio: Missy’s execution. In said scenes, Michelle Gomez produces some of her best work to date in a plea for life that is sincere, vulnerable and just slightly twisted enough to allow for Moffat to award his character a level of loyalty and continuity that is incomparable against a number of modern era villains.
With Extremis, Moffat delivers an episode with a stunning premise, tantalising script and thought-provoking conclusion. However, given how saturated it is within the series’ greater narrative – both in terms of revealing existing mysteries and setting up future events, there is a slight sense that the way we reflect back on this script will be completely dictated by upcoming episodes, and as such may dampen the episode’s on-going appeal. Regardless: Extremis achieves at the current moment a certain depth and complexity that’s been slightly missing in the series thus far, and at the risk of alienating the more casual viewer, marks a rewarding change that ensures audiences have to engage with a script on something a bit more comprehensive than face value.
Gustaff’s Verdict
Is it just me or is the idea of the Doctor spending an entire episode watching an episode of Doctor Who just the most meta idea ever? So does this mean the Doctor is a Whovian?
Extremis is no Heaven Sent, but it still feels like a proper Steven Moffat romp, akin to his time under Russell T Davies’ reign. Setting up the episode to be one big warning to the real Doctor might not be timey-wimey in the traditional sense, but as typical of a Moffat script, it has the potential to throw you through a loop.
This week sees the Doctor trying to read the secrets of the Veritas. How unfortunate that this also happens to be one week where he’s blind. I’ll be honest and say that a part of me expected the Doctor to get over his blindness by the end of the episode. After all, you can only keep the Doctor in the dark for so long (pun intended) so I applaud Moffat for biting the bullet and sticking with it for a couple more episodes. More than that, it’s wonderful to see the Doctor actually hindered by the fact that he can’t see, unlike last week. Mistaking Cardinals for Monks is an excellent way of highlighting the Doctor’s increased vulnerability and even with tensions riding high; it’s still funny to see the Doctor asking his enemies to tie him down.
There are only two pieces of Steven Moffat’s wonderfully trippy episode that failed to impress me this week. The first being that I predicted the Doctor would use text-to-speech software to learn the contents of the Veritas. Normally this wouldn’t bother me…except I predicted this one week before I watched this episode. And secondly, not only does Nardole possessing River’s diary create something of a continuity snarl with Silence in the Library, but incorporating River Song into the episode feels lazy, undermines her arc and reduces her to a spotlight-stealing character.
On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve had plenty of time this series to see the Doctor and Nardole interacting and building their relationship as responsible sidekick and irresponsible hero and so far this pairing has worked wonders for both characters. Naturally it’s only fair that Bill gets Nardole to herself for an episode. And yet again, the dialogue and chemistry between these two works wonders for both. Bill’s impressed by what she sees and probably wonders if Nardole’s really just a crouching moron, hidden baddass, while Nardole on the other hand wears the fact he is licensed to kick the Doctor’s ass as badge of honour. I said it last week and I’ll say it again; this TARDIS team is a winner.
It’s a little uncanny just how well Steven Moffat balances the light and darkness in his script. While the Veritas storyline goes down some psychologically disturbing routes as the episode approaches its crescendo, the wit and levity is remarkably strong and doesn’t infringe on what the former is trying to accomplish. From waking in on a group of monks in your date’s bedroom (what must Penny think of Bill) to Missy’s comically-serious execution (“show a little respect”).
For the first week, the strength of the script prevented me from caring about just how much Steven Moffat incorporated ideas from his previous works, most notably from The Day of the Doctor: Being summoned by a famous historical figure, long since dead, who he also sonic-ed, and led into a secret room guarded by a painting of said person and asked to take on a dangerous mission. Need I say more?
The Missy parts felt very disconnected from the rest of the episode at times, but I can accept this as the plot for the Veritas storyline isn’t very long, nor are the scenes showing Missy’s execution. It makes sense to paste these two stories together. Steven Moffat also subverts expectations and even throws in his own brand of cheek by not even bothering to do a big, climatic reveal of who is inside the Vault (ala The Pandorica Opens)…almost like he knows the audience already worked it out two episodes ago.
Upon first viewing, the methods of the Fatality Index seemed really convoluted and overkill…until I remembered the Master survived maximum extermination and being cremated. But why is Missy being executed when the Doctor’s entry in the Fatality Index has everyone running for the hills? While removed from the A-plot, Michelle Gomez’s performance is still amazing and Missy is afforded some of the wittiest dialogue in the entire episode.
All in all, Steven Moffat not only maintained the high bar set by Jamie Mathieson last week, but with Extremis, he has raised the stakes for the next couple of episodes considerably.
