Mark Gatiss Episodes In Retrospect (Part One)
Connor Johnston begins his look back on Mark Gatiss’ past episodes in anticipation for “Sleep No More”
In the lead up to this weekend’s “Sleep No More”, I thought it was only appropriate to rewatch the previous 7 episodes written by Mark Gatiss and attempt to gage what one could expect from his Series 9 contribution. In all honesty, it wasn’t a marathon that I was overly enthusiastic towards in my approach – which was due to the fact that I’d always viewed Gatiss’ episodes as ones that were incredibly average, not horrible but never delivering anything truly memorable. What followed was something I had not expected…
Personally, I’ve grown over this week to consider that one of Gatiss’ greatest challenges to overcome is his own reputation… But the more episodes that I revisited the more I discovered that possibly his reputation is not something he’s earned through the merit of his scripts, but rather through endless comparisons and discussions next to more ‘iconic’ stories and writers. However unsupported, it’s this humble contributor’s opinion that Mark Gatiss remains one of the most confident, reliable and underrated writers of the revived era. One thing that stands out for me in looking over these episodes as a whole is a strong sense of consistency in both the quality of stories but also Gatiss’ ability, bar a few shaky moments along the way.
The Unquiet Dead (Series 1 – 2005)
Where to start if not Gatiss’ very first script for the show, “The Unquiet Dead”. The episode truly is a hidden gem that too many people seem to mistakenly forget in their affections both towards Gatiss and the first series. A companion’s introduction to the Doctor’s impossible lifestyle is always something that occurs over their first few episodes aboard the TARDIS, in what I tend to label the ‘adjustment period’. Mark Gatiss completely nails his first of three successful attempts at depicting the emotional impact this can have on a companion with Rose and “The Unquiet Dead”. Her naivety and innocence is captured impeccably from the moment she steps out of the TARDIS, feeling the snow under her feet, and continues throughout the episode as she releases her contemporary personality onto the unprepared world of 1869 Cardiff.
“But, it’s like, think about it, though. Christmas. 1860. Happens once, just once and it’s gone, it’s finished, it’ll never happen again. Except for you. You can go back and see days that are dead and gone a hundred thousand sunsets ago. No wonder you never stay still.”
Similarly Eccleston’s Doctor shines with the material he’s given, fatally not hesitating in trusting the vulnerable and almost losing his sense of perspective when under the influence of his own grief. The Gelth are both chilling and malicious in their role as villains, manipulating both Gwyneth and the Doctor in their deception and imposing quite a real and effective level of threat throughout the episode. Of course aside from being an unorthodox tackling of a ‘ghost story’, the episode also fills the description of being a ‘celebrity historical’ with the inclusion of author Charles Dickens. Dickens is a character that is used exceptionally well throughout the episode and whose presence remains appropriate both thematically and narratively. Similarly, Eve Myle’s Gwyneth becomes one of the first and most memorable one hit wonders of the revived era – her gift of ‘the sight’ and selflessness aiding the episode in maintaining its suspenseful nature and energy. While it may be the very first Gatiss story, it has irrefutably remained one of the very best and vastly underrated episodes of his career.
The Idiot’s Lantern (Series 2 – 2006)
“The Idiot’s Lantern” is truly one of the most undervalued episodes of all time, and is one that I hold close to my heart for a number of reasons. The episode really showcases the ‘glory years’ of the Doctor and Rose’s relationship. Before Torchwood and the countless cheapening returns there remained two travellers, whose spirit for adventure was only matched by their care for each other. Gatiss captures their relationship beautifully, through both a feel-good opening sequence and the Doctor’s ferocity over Rose’s attacking towards the latter half of the episode. The Wire as a villain is hauntingly vintage… her presence a refreshingly original concept enhanced by a chilling portrayal by Maureen Lipman which undoubtedly maintains the tension of the episode throughout its entire duration.
However the real heart of the episode comes through its ‘domestic approach’ towards storytelling, funnily enough the same label the Doctor gives to Rose’s investigatory capabilities. Through the story of the Connolly family Gatiss presents a more sincere and moving narrative, that when married with the main plot of the Wire and the Queen’s coronation gives a fulfilling and sincere depiction of the society it’s set in. The entire family are also characterised quite impressively, as the audience finds its strength with Mrs Connolly and more substantially their voice and the ability to forgive with Tommy.
Of course he’s an idiot. Like I said, he’s your dad. But you’re clever. Clever enough to save the world, so don’t stop there.
“The Idiot’s Lantern” is a simple, textbook episode of Doctor Who that – much like a hybrid – fuses together a touching story about family with a compelling plot of an alien attack in only the way Doctor Who can. However ‘textbook’ it is, it’s an episode that isn’t short of charisma and wit, remaining one of the stronger episodes of David Tennant’s first series.
Victory of the Daleks (Series 5 – 2010)
Every now and again, when discussion turns to Matt Smith’s first series, a minority emerge that vehemently maintain that “Victory of the Daleks” is essentially a fairly strong episode. Despite considering myself a more optimistic viewer, I had never shared this opinion. Heading into my marathon this week, I really did want to enjoy the episode and find reason to appreciate the episode in the way that others do. Unlike the majority of Gatiss stories however I just wasn’t able to.
Structurally, “Victory of the Daleks” is quite a weak episode – leaving far too many boxes unticked in a list of what a Doctor Who story craves to be a success. Ironically, the sense of threat and danger is totally absent from the narrative – ironic because the monster allocated to fill this space, the Daleks, have remained the Doctor’s ultimate foe for over 50 years. Whatever your opinion of the monsters, the fact that one can walk away from a DALEK episode wondering where the tension and menace was, really shows both what a great injustice the script was towards their legacy, and how overused and worn out the Daleks had become following the RTD era. While the design was initially condemned, the concept of the ‘New Dalek Paradigm’ in my opinion worked incredibly well – and if given the chance to excel in a stronger episode might have been one of the more successful experiments of the revival, however this wasn’t meant to be.
The one highlight of the Daleks involvement in the episode is the fact that they come out victorious – though regardless how refreshing the idea is, it’s a victory that feels empty and superficial rather than truly earned. One of the greatest strengths of Gatiss’ historical stories is that the setting is always narratively and thematically relevant to the episode– where as in “Victory of the Daleks” there is no point as to why Daleks and Churchill’s Inter-War London were married together. In saying that the contextual setting is where the best parts of the episode lie – with both Churchill and Bracewell characterised and performed impeccably, the former being the episodes saving grace. I don’t think it’s extreme to say that the first five minutes and the last ten minutes are the strongest sections of the narrative – funnily enough the sections where the Daleks are completely absent from the plot. It’s in these scenes where the Doctor and Amy’s dynamic is also at its best, notably in a beautifully written scene in which they work together to convince Bracewell of his humanity. By far the weakest Gatiss story, “Victory of the Daleks” isn’t exactly a bad Dalek story – It’s a WW1 Churchill story with the ability for greatness spoiled by the Daleks shoehorned and insulting involvement.
Night Terrors (Series 6 – 2011)
“Sleep No More” promises to be one of Gatiss’ scarier contributions to Doctor Who, and while it may hopefully be blessed with some truly horrific moments – it definitely has some solid competition coming up against his Series 6 contribution “Night Terrors” which delivered some of the creepiest imagery of the show’s history.
Set in an eerie apartment block, the atmosphere that the episode establishes is mundanely disturbing. The main threat of the episode, the Peg Dolls, are remarkably well realised – products of a refreshingly original concept and haunting design. Though he’s received a fair amount of criticism from some fans, I must confess unashamedly that I absolutely love little George. The bond that he shares with the Eleventh Doctor is one of the undoubted highlights of the episode, showing once again the Doctor’s sympathy towards children in distress.
At its centre, the episode revolves around the relationship between George and his father Alex – which indirectly pays tribute to all men that aren’t necessarily biological parents to the children, and shows that this in no way cheapens their feelings for their child or makes their rights to the title void. “Any man can be a father, however it takes a great man to be Dad.” While some father’s might have balked at the fact that their only son was in fact an alien, Alex refused to let a little thing like biology get in the way. His unconditional love for his son was enough to save the day and allow George to be released from the grip of his fears and his doubts that he was ever not treasured.
Join us tomorrow for a look back at the 3 most recent Gatiss contributions
