Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S04E10 – Midnight

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Mark Oshiro

In the tenth episode of the fourth series of Doctor Who, the Doctor attempts to take a brief vacation from his hectic life, only to discover a sinister being after it takes hold of a passenger on his train. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Doctor Who.

If you’ll allow me to be a bit meta today, I’d like to talk about fandom.

What’s been really, really fun and fascinating about my experience so far with Doctor Who is becoming aware of what the fandom feels, in general, about specific episodes or story arcs, or about specific Doctors and their companions. Aside from when people like myself have felt a thematic distaste for the material or when something is problematic or offensive, I think it all essentially boils down to taste. Which tropes can you tolerate? Which ones excite you? Which ones bore you to tears? What types of characters send you into a tizzy? What storytelling mediums do you enjoy most?

I still read nearly every single comment these days (thank you iPhone!), but it’s rare (if nonexistent) that I’ll actually strike up a discussion and try to convince someone something I liked is actually great or it was horrible. If anything, it’s been a blast to see why you felt this particular episode was spectacular or lackluster or boring or trite.

This is all relevant to something I wanted to bring up and spark a discussion on. There are shows I will to defend to the death. Among those are The X-Files (ARE ANY OF YOU SURPRISED), The Wire, Six Feet Under, The Prisoner (UK version only, FUCK YOU AMERICA), Arrested Development, and Rubicon. There are a few more, but I’m getting pedantic. I’d like to thank the Internet for this, but over the last few years, I’ve learned that there are simply things I enjoy that I have no desire to defend. Because of the whole concept of Mark Watches, this style of blogging easily lends itself to fandom. I mean…to use a word I just wrote, it’s pedantic. It’s very specific, it’s detailed, it’s methodical, and it’s all encompassing. Because of that, I tend to attract people who have very polarizing opinions about specific moments of the show. “The Girl in the Fireplace” is awful. “Blink” is perfection. “Rose” is a subpar series opener. I could spend months recapping such things. That’s not the point. The point is that most especially with a show as erratic as Doctor Who, opinions fall all over the spectrum. But that goes to say with most things. What fandom ascribes as canon or acceptable stories or brilliant characterization constantly changes.

I’d like to think that by now, after over a year and a half of this style of “reviewing,” I’ve made myself clear about what I do enjoy, about what tropes I love and hate and what characterization twists I despise and what plotting devices I want to fellate on the astral plane. I’m certainly not leading to a point where I say HAY I AM ABSOLVED FROM DEFENDING MY IDEAS YAY!, I do want to open this review with this:

I am not going to defend “Midnight” to people who don’t like it.

There are a lot of things here to hate and to be irritated by. I am aware of this. Not only that, but I’ve found that things that exist in film and television that are off-putting or alienating, in terms of focus, structure, or pacing, tend to be things that I love so dearly. Maybe I think I’m some hipster, I DON’T KNOW. But I like movies like Funny Games or La Moustache (HEAD ASPLOSION!!!) or Dogville or Mulholland Drive or The Fountain or shows like Rubicon and LOST and Twin Peaks. All of those things I have listed are things PEOPLE HATE A WHOLE LOT. Like, murderous rage style hate.

When I watched “Midnight,” I immediately told a friend to watch it because I basically went HHHHHHHHNNNNNNNGGGGGGG for 45 minutes straight and I figured he’d like it. He found the dialogue grating and the concept unbelievably absurd. True story: He texted me about 20 minutes through and said WHY WON’T THEY SHUT THE FUCK UP. I couldn’t fight that.

And that’s the point. I am not interested in telling you that you should like “Midnight.” All I’m saying is that I liked it.

I expected, from the opening ten minutes, that we’d finally get an episode of Doctor Who where I could laugh most of the time, especially since shit has been unbearably bleak lately. BUT LOL, NO, AIN’T NEVER PREPARED FOR THIS SHIT.

“Midnight” terrified me. There are a lot of reasons why, but, for me, it all hinged on the way that this script, penned by Russell T Davies, managed to pull off what is, admittedly, an absurd concept. It’s the dialogue. I get why someone would hate it, but I’m a huge fan of dialogue being used to advance a plot. (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, anyone?) But Davies creates something twisted and horrifying here: What if dialogue was used as a weapon? What if something mildly irritating and childish could be the sign of something far more sinister? In fact, by focusing so much of the story on talking, Davies distracts us from the fact that we’re dealing with one of the most common tropes in science fiction: the Enclosed Space trope. Well…it’s also a hefty dose of Locked in a Room, as well, but you get it. We’ve seen movies and TV episodes before deal with this. (Obligatory The X-Files reference: “Ice.” Which is still one of the scariest episodes of anything ever.)

But, as far as I know, not one of these uses dialogue as the villain. Even scarier? WE NEVER EVEN FIND OUT WHAT IT IS THAT CAUSED THIS.

To make it all the more believable, the cast of actors who played the side characters are all believable actors and actresses who fully commit to the terror of the situation. Oh, and Merlin is there. Sorry, I couldn’t help it, that WAS kind of distracting. At any rate, the episode predictably sets up a lot of character archetypes we know well (the know-it-all professor, his assistant, the rebellious mother, the privileged/douchebaggy couple, the neutral employee) and then ALL OF THEM TURN EVIL. Well, at least at one point during the episode. It’s not until the end that we get a true voice of reason. And that was a TERRIFYING thing to realize, especially when there was a point where literally every character was turned against the Doctor.

But the two people who deserve the most praise are David Tennant and Lesley Sharp, who carry the dramatic weight of “Midnight” with a conviction that is rare for television. I can’t imagine being given a role on Doctor Who as one of the main villains facing the Doctor and finding out you’re first repeating everything all the characters say, and then controlling what the Doctor says. And yet Sharp does this with a horrifying determination in her eyes. God, every time that slimy smile was plastered on her face, I shuttered. For me, though, this was one of David Tennant’s best performances. There are any number of moments that stuck out to me, such as the second he realized the entire group had turned on him, and he begged them to recognize that he was scared. But before they all drag him off at the end, there’s a look in his eyes as he is frozen, tears brimming and about to fall down his face, where he knows he is losing. It is one of the most frightening things to me because the Doctor is never scared like that.

The real heartbreak comes during the moment after the entity and the Host have been sucked out of the train and the Doctor sits, dejected, knowing that, given the chance, he would have been murdered by these people. It’s especially hard to watch because of his speech earlier, wherein he told these folks that they had a choice: would they show themselves to be a species of murderers?

Yes. Yes, they would. And though we don’t find out what that thing was, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that the humans aboard that train are far more terrifying than that thing will ever be.

THOUGHTS

  • “Well, thanks, Dee Dee. That’s just what we needed.”
  • “I can’t imagine you without a voice.” Right? How scary is that?
  • I at least got the chance to laugh at the Doctor making Sky compliment him via repeating dialogue. Because I would totally do the same thing.
  • JETHRO WAS MY FAVORITE. “666!” Again, would do the same thing. I AM AN ADULT, I MAKE ADULT DECISIONS.
  • And finally: HOLY SHIT ROSE WAS ON THE TV YELLING AT THE DOCTOR OH MY FUCKING GOD

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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561 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Doctor Who’: S04E10 – Midnight

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  1. xpanasonicyouthx says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:14 pm

    OK WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN COMMENT???

    I am fixing this ASAP I SWEAR.

  2. kara says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    ive been waiting for you to get to this one, ngl – midnight was one of the first dr who episodes i ever watched, and the one that got me into the show to begin with. to this day i still love it to pieces.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:42 pm

      ive been waiting for you to get to this one, ngl – midnight was one of the first dr who episodes i ever watched, and the one that got me into the show to begin with. to this day i still love it to pieces.

  3. Guest says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:16 pm

    You did it! 🙂

  4. PeterRabid says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    WHAT. ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON’T LIKE “MIDNIGHT?” WHAT. IDON’TEVEN.

    AHHHHH, THIS EPISODE. I LOVE IT SO. IF IT WERE A PHYSICAL BEING, I WOULD MARRY IT. *cough cough* Sorry, we were having a capslock party on the spoiler blog. 🙂

    “Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight? What could possibly go wrong?”

    Doctor, you should know better. D:

    “Midnight” is such a completely terrifying counterpoint to “Voyage of the Damned.” In that the Doctor just had to make a mini speech and everyone trusted him. Here, that probably would have put him in even deeper shit. Just saying “I’m clever” turned all the humans against him for thinking he was better than them.

    Had Donna been there, I doubt the Doctor would’ve been demonized like that. The companion sometimes acts as a buffer between people and the Doctor, who can be really grating, let’s face it.

    This episode is claustrophobic and chilling. It’s made even worse by the fact that we never found out what the monster was . We don’t really know how it works. And it’s still out there. Gah.

    “The hostess… what was her name?” T_T YOU ARE ALL HORRIBLE PEOPLE.

    P.S. The guy playing Professor Hobbes is David Troughton, Patrick’s son. The resemblance is stunning.

    • Openattheclose says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:22 pm

      "“Taking a big space truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet called Midnight? What could possibly go wrong?”

      Doctor, you should know better. D: "
      Lol. I know! He's even said in the past that you should never say things like that!

      • MowerOfLorn says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:15 pm

        Honestly, I think he knew what he was saying, kind of in the vein of "geez, I'm bored. Hopefully something interesting will happen if Donna won't come with me, at least …"

        He won't be saying that again any time soon.

        • Openattheclose says:
          March 2, 2011 at 2:25 pm

          Man, if that's the case, then the Doctor really really is is glutton for punishment.

          • notemily says:
            March 2, 2011 at 11:02 pm

            They do mention that in this episode–that he actually gets excited by Shit Going Down. He's in his element when he's solving a crisis.

    • nanceoir says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:42 pm

      Yeah, I'm not sure I can comprehend someone not liking this episode. That's probably a very poor statement about me, but whatever. This is an amazing episode.

      • mkjcaylor says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:28 pm

        I can't either, don't worry. This is my favorite episode of Doctor Who ever. Over Blink and (yes I know) Love and Monsters which are my two next favorites.

    • maccyAkaMatthew says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:47 pm

      The guy playing Professor Hobbes is David Troughton, Patrick’s son. The resemblance is stunning.

      That's because his a really versatile actor, as was his father, and he's doing a version of the second Doctor. If you see other performances by the two actors the variety is amazing.

      David also played the king in The Curse of Peladon, and is completely different. Add in Bob Buzzard in A Very Peculiar Practice (a brilliant series by Andrew Davies starring Peter Davison) and, more recently, his recurring role as Ricky Hanson in New Tricks to get an idea of his range.

      With Patrick Troughton, it was his appearance in an early Inspector Morse that clued me in to his versatility. But you could also compare his Cole Hawkins in The Box of Delights and the priest in The Omen.

      They're both such consummate actors that you assume there's a lot of them in their performances – but if you see them in a lot of things, the differences and the sheer craft involved are amazing.

      Today I was listening to Mark Gatiss' Radio 4 programme about the Target novelisations and they had part of David's Troughton's reading of The Abominable Snowmen. He mimic's his dad's performance brilliantly and his Jamie isn't bad either. I'll have to look it out sometime (I have fond memories of reading it as a child).

      • mkjcaylor says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:29 pm

        That's so neat to know! I liked that character and now I love that I understand what was going on there. 2nd Doctor yay!

    • MsPrufrock says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:55 pm

      I totally agree with what you said about this being a terrifying counterpoint to "Voyage of the Damned." Actually, when I was watching the third season for the first time I was talking about Dr. Who with one of my friends, and she mentioned something about an episode where the Doctor was alone on a vessel, and how it showed that he really needs a companion as a buffer because if he's alone EVERYTHING GOES WRONG and the other passengers turn on him. When I got to "Voyage," I thought that was the episode she was referencing (which confused me because I thought, "hey, while it's a bad situation it wasn't that bad and she must have just been mistaken about others turning on him.").

      Then, of course, I was completely blindsided and traumatized when I got to this episode. This is the first episode I've come across where it's hard for me to re-watch, because seeing the Doctor that scared and unable to do anything is the Scariest, Most Unsettling Thing Ever ™. I thought Blink was great, but the weeping angels didn't scare me. Likewise with Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead.

      But here?

      TERRIFIED DOCTOR IS TERRIFYING

      • flootzavut says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:30 pm

        YES YES YES to more or less everything you, PeterRabid and Mark said about this ep.

        nd is it just me or is it really disturbing that two fun characters who came across very likeable (the driver guys) are just gone… just like that.

        And Scared Doctor. Me no like.

      • mkjcaylor says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:31 pm

        seeing the Doctor that scared and unable to do anything is the Scariest, Most Unsettling Thing Ever ™.

        I definitely think this is part of why I like this episode so much.

        And yea, I am TERRIFIED by it. I think the things that scare me the most are not physical but psychological.

        But I rewatch it instead of avoid it and GLEE at the being terrified part just because I'm so rarely actually terrified like that.

    • Dani says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:51 pm

      The kid who plays Dudley Dursley is Patrick Troughton's grandson, but by his daughter, not David Troughton.
      Whatisface. Harry Melling! 😀

    • Annie says:
      March 2, 2011 at 10:56 pm

      If Donna had been there, I am fully imagining her being the one who gets taken over and convinces everyone to throw the doctor out.

      Which would freak me out SO MUCH. Because… Donna!

      • Mreeb says:
        March 3, 2011 at 9:35 am

        Oh. My. GOD.

        I always watch this episode thinking "It would all have been okay if Donna had been there!" though she would have gotten shouty at them, which the passengers wouldn't like, but she wouldn't let them turn on the Doctor! I never considered that, had she been there, Donna could have been the one who got possessed and the Doctor would be desperately trying to figure out how to save her and then when he got taken over and saving him means killing her and he would have no say at all in the matter and OH GOD THAT IS EVEN WORSE AAAAH HORRIFYING. D8

  5. arctic_hare says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINALLY

    No longwinded review today, just gifs. I WANT to talk loads about the episode, but I really think I'll just let the images do the talking. NORMAL REVIEW TOMORROW, I SWEAR.

    <img src="http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/5042/conanoverload.gif"/&gt;

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/308if0x.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2cyfdaw.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/vya0qb.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/29f82dy.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/ega62w.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    <img src="http://valhalla.antipyretic.net/11kw7te.jpg"/&gt;

    <img src="http://valhalla.antipyretic.net/1184629464174.gif"/&gt;

    But overall, in general:

    <img src="http://valhalla.antipyretic.net/2qute6ujpg.gif"/&gt;

    😀

  6. echinodermata says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    WE WERE FREAKING OUT ON THE SPOILER BLOG A LOT; THANKS A LOT, MARK. We should throw you off a bus for talking about how great discussion is and not letting us comment jfc.

    I easily consider this the best of RTD's writing that I've seen (which is basically only DW and spinoffs). Well, okay, the Doctor saying "what could possibly go wrong?" right before the intro credits is heavy-handed. But this is perhaps the episode with the most subtle monster yet, so I give it a pass.

    Before we really get into the episode, I just want to say hi Colin Morgan, hi! He wears black very well.

    Anyway, I really like Sky and the Doctor's silent communications at the beginning. And just her general reservedness compared to the rest of the party. So of course she's the first to get hurt.

    So this episode makes me uncomfortable in all the ways its supposed to – human beings in an uncertain environment, and we seem them start to panic and get riled up when the train (is it a train?) stops unexpectedly. The fear at the knocking felt very real, and everyone's reactions feel so very human. And then it escalates.

    We know very little about the monster and what it wants, only that it seems to prey on people's fears and wants to stir shit. So it took Sky first because she was panicking the most, then jumps to the Doctor because he's taking the leader's position and what better way to scare people than to take down it's most collected and helpful person.

    I love the progression of the monster. It starts entirely faceless, then possesses a body but doesn't look at anybody for a while, then we finally get to see Sky's face again and it's obviously not her.

    And then it starts repeating people's words, then gets faster until it catches up, and then it picks the Doctor only, and then oh my god it starts talking first.

    "All she's got is her voices" – that for me sums up the entire episode. It's not that the monster really does anything that physically threatens anyone (besides Sky and the Doctor), it's just that people, when faced with fear and uncertainty, exacerbate an otherwise tolerable situation. And of course, it's mob mentality at work. Pretty much every character except the Doctor at some point becomes or greatly contributes to the driving voice of "reason" for the rest of the crowd, so it's not even one person being worse than everyone else, it's just everyone collectively making things worse.

    So this is obviously a bottle episode, but it's always a testament to good writing when this sort of episode is one of the highlights of a season. I thought the writing was incredibly strong for this episode, and I thought the sound mixing was done very well for the voices when "Sky" is speaking simultaneously with everyone, and everyone's acting was entirely, fantastically, horrifyingly believable.

    I was pretty much entirely uncomfortable watching this episode, and that's exactly the point. In many ways, this sort of "scary" hits me harder than Moffat's nightmare fuel. It's a pretty different horror style, but Midnight is about humanity itself and humans being monsters, and I think that's generally a more terrifying thought than fictional monsters. In either case, I think it's pretty satisfying to have this episode come directly after Forest of the Dead given the juxtaposition between the two. Before, we had a more usual monster, and a more usual plot of people listening to the Doctor (for the most part) and letting him be a hero. Here, the Doctor's normal cleverness and routine makes him a target. It's a great contrast. So brava, Doctor Who.

  7. Minish says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    FUCK YEAH MIDNIGHT

    FUCK YEAH EMO COLIN MORGAN

    FUCK YEAH DAVID TENNANT

    FUCK YEAH RUSSELL T. DAVIES

    FUCK YEAH SCARY UNNAMED UNSEEN MONSTER

    FUCK YEAH UNNAMED HOSTESS

    FUCK YEAH ROSE

    I NEED A FUCK YEAH GIF

    /thoughtful, in-depth review

  8. Openattheclose says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    "That's how he does it. He makes you fight. Creeps into your head, and whispers. Listen. Just listen. That's him. Inside. Yes. Throw him out. Get rid of him! Now! Cast him out, into the sun, and the night. Do it! Do it now! Faster! That's the way. You can do it. Molto Bene. Allons-y. The starlight waits. The emptiness. The Midnight Sky!"
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/normal_Midnight_860.jpg>
    MIDNIGHT! I LOVE IT SO DAMN MUCH! This was my thought process the first time I watched this episode: "It's written by RTD, should be somewhat lighthearted since it's not the series finale. Oh, he's leaving Donna. I'm going to miss Donna. They're so cute, I wouldn't mind if it was a date. Doctor, don't say, 'What could possibly go wrong?' You're jinxing it. Oh look he's making friends on the bus. Surprise!Rose is surprising. Hey, that woman kind of looks like— WTF? #@%$^%*NOOOO!!!

    The best thing about this episode is how unexpected it was. Who would have thought RTD could out-creep the Moff? But he did, and he did it with a villain that you never see, and a group of "normal" humans that you do see right into the heart of, and wish that you hadn't.

    "Yes. Yes, they would. And though we don’t find out what that thing was, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that the humans aboard that train are far more terrifying than that thing will ever be."
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/normal_Midnight_782.jpg>
    "But before they all drag him off at the end, there’s a look in his eyes as he is frozen, tears brimming and about to fall down his face, where he knows he is losing. It is one of the most frightening things to me because the Doctor is never scared like that." The acting in this between David Tennant and Lesley Sharp is amazing.
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/10thdoctorclever.gif>
    "Because I'm clever!" Oh Doctor, bad move. I love how this episode takes *everything* that usually helps the Doctor save the day and turns it against him.
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/normal_Midnight_408.jpg>
    We must not look at goblin men; We must not buy their fruits; Who knows upon what soil they fed; Their hungry thirsty roots?

    The Hostess:"Fire exit at the rear, and should we need to use it, you first." Oh lol lol lol Hostess, I think you were first.
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/25qys2d.gif>
    I am so glad he has Donna at the end of this.

    This episode is the second of this series to feature the child of a former Doctor in its cast. David Troughton, who played the professor, is the son of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton. Did anyone else think that Claude the mechanic looked and sounded like Clyde from SJA? Oh, and speaking of lookalikes:
    <img src=http://i947.photobucket.com/albums/ad311/Chritter710/Doctor/129199009364757597.jpg>

    • Maddi says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:27 pm

      David Troughton also played a character in Classic Who! He was the King of Peladon, and he was goooooood lookin.

    • _thirty2flavors says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:29 pm

      YES I AM NOT ALONE RE: SKYE AND JKR

    • nanceoir says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:33 pm

      That "Because I'm clever!" moment? OH GOD I LOVE IT! The expression on Tennant's face (and the terrifed, desperate eyes) is so… ugh, it's like the Doctor's terrified that this is the only reason people should listen to him, and he knows it's not enough.

      Seriously, so much love for this episode.

    • Minish says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:41 pm

      I always thought Sky looked a bit like a parrot.

      NOT BEING MEAN, JUST AN OBSERVATION. SHE LOOKS VERY LOVELY.

    • flamingpie says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:45 pm

      Did anyone else think that Claude the mechanic looked and sounded like Clyde from SJA

      oh my god HE TOTALLY DOES.

      • Openattheclose says:
        March 2, 2011 at 1:53 pm

        It's the voice more than the face. I happened to be looking away from the screen and I just heard the voice and I was like, "Is Claude Clyde's older brother?"

    • bookling says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:03 pm

      Oh my god, that look on the Doctor's face when he's clearly terrified kills me. Part of it is exactly what the others pointed out – that he was enjoying it. And he kind of was! The Doctor does that, he loves discovering new things and yeah, he kind of enjoys the shit that scares us to death sometimes. But now he's SCARED and that says that this thing is bad and the Doctor has no idea what it is.

    • jennywildcat says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:13 pm

      I'm soooo glad you posted that JKR-Sky Sylvestry comparison. When I first saw this episode I was all – OMG THEY GOT JKR IN DOCTOR WHO THIS IS FANTASTIC!! Aaaaannnnd then I saw the closing credits. Yup… felt a little silly there for a while… -_-'

    • electric ashera says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:21 pm

      I think you've hit the heart of why I tend to prefer RTD's writing (on the whole) to Moffat's (on the whole): While Moffat tends to be about putting a concept out there and imagining how that concept would play out, I think RTD's always doing his damnedest to look into the hearts of people and see what's there, and sometimes that's WONDERFUL and sometimes it's TOTALLY FUCKING SCARY. His writing pushes my buttons SO HARD, even when I can see that mechanically, the story has problems.

      Anyway, yeah. Ordinary people can save the world. Or ordinary people can be the scariest thing EVER. Mad props RTD. MAD PROPS.

    • syntheticjesso says:
      March 2, 2011 at 6:25 pm

      OH THANK YOU, I'M SO GLAD IT WASN'T JUST ME THINKING SHE LOOKED LIKE JKR.

  9. xpanasonicyouthx says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    OH MY GOD COMMENTS ARE WORKING THIS IS BEAUTIFUL.

  10. kohlrabi says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    Oh man, this episode. Starting out I was a bit put off since the wonderful Donna was going to be absent, but boy did it deliver.

    I think one of the most horrifying things is an afraid, angry group of people. Otherwise sensible human beings are capable of some truly awful things when they are in a group motivated by fear so this episode was actually pretty scary for me. I liked how they made the passengers become just as, or more frightening than whatever was outside. It also spoke to me in terms of politics: using words to scare and manipulate people into doing awful things. Hmm, doesn't that sound familiar? A scary but very awesome episode.

    Oh, and the Doctor's face when Jethro turns on him too? Heartbreaking. Same with when they realize no one knew the flight attendant's name. Us poor customer service people, always overlooked. 😉

    P.S. The layout is nice, quite classy. I'm assuming it'll be a bit more lively when the photos arrive.

  11. Anon says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    The human race. Greatest monsters of them all.

    Sometimes The Master is right.

  12. Eric says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    I love this episode too.

    Probably because I’m, like, the biggest misanthrope ever.

  13. doesntsparkle says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    We must not look at goblin men,
    We must not buy their fruits:
    Who knows upon what soil they fed
    Their hungry thirsty roots?

  14. leighzzz31 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    One of my favourite Russell T. Davies’ stories. Even though the lovely Donna barely features in any of the episode it only made the story’s impact even more powerful, I think.

    The Doctor decides to go on a tour to see the Saphire waterfall on the planet Midnight. He tries persuading Donna to come along, she refuses but tells him to stay safe, and he says there’s nothing to worry about. So, obviously, some scary shit is about to go down.

    A fairly ordinary batch of people inside. The annoying and short-sighted (in many ways) professor and his much smarter assistant. A family with a typically frustrated teenager (MERLIN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN SPACE? ARTHUR NEEDS YOU!). A recently broken-hearted woman. The prim and proper hostess. And the Doctor.

    By the time the banging on the shuttle begins, I was starting to get a little frustrated, I admit. Was this going to be a typical monster-eats-the-pilot-and-everyone-has-to-run plot? I’ve rarely been more delighted I was wrong.

    Claustrophobia is one of my biggest fears and it kept growing throughout this episode. Having the creature not only possess Skye but do something as simple and as childish as repeat everyone’s words was genius. It was unnerving to the passengers as well as to me, the viewer, and when she began not only repeating but speaking in unison it became a very well-done OMG moment.

    I also loved David Tennant in this episode. There wasn’t that manic hyperactivity that we usually associate with Ten here; the Doctor is actually very frightened of this creature he doesn’t recognize and he is even more so when the humans he loves so much turn on him. By the end of the episode, there is almost no relief in his face for the rescue that is coming; all you see is his disappointment, not only in the human passengers but in himself. After all, not one of them could name the hostess who saved them.

    I really enjoyed the ending, too. There is no happy resolution, the Doctor still has no idea what happened and he is still scared. “Don’t do that. Don’t. Don’t.”

    P.S I spy with my little eye….ROSE WTF ARE YOU DOING HERE AGAIN???

    • Minish says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:12 pm

      "Even though the lovely Donna barely features in any of the episode it only made the story’s impact even more powerful, I think."

      It's a story without Donna about the importance of Donna. BRILLIANT, ISN'T IT?!

      "MERLIN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN SPACE? ARTHUR NEEDS YOU!"

      TRUFACTS. Something that I've always found curious about Merlin is how the HELL did Arthur manage to keep himself alive all those years without Merlin?!

      • leighzzz31 says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm

        "A story without Donna about the importance of Donna." I like the way you think! See, Donna? Never leave the Doctor alone!

        And about Arthur: he probably did the same thing he does now; bang his head on some stray tree or wall and wait for someone else to rescue him. Because, let's be honest, no matter how much I may love Arthur, it's always someone else saving the day while he's unconscious!

        • Minish says:
          March 2, 2011 at 2:38 pm

          Don't know how he's ever going to manage to reign as king. He'll be unconscious through most of it…

          • leighzzz31 says:
            March 2, 2011 at 2:50 pm

            …maybe that'll be a good thing? XD Merlin does most of the work anyway, I think ruling a kingdom will be a piece of cake after all he's been through!

    • PJG says:
      March 5, 2011 at 10:59 am

      "I really enjoyed the ending, too. There is no happy resolution, the Doctor still has no idea what happened and he is still scared. “Don’t do that. Don’t. Don’t.” "

      Even the brilliance of taking the usually comic relief moment of "Dont do that. Dont. Dont." into a return to the terror. Brilliant writing (and acting) is Brilliant.

  15. NB2000 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    OMG YAY A COMMENT BOX. I didn't even have anything I really wanted to say and yet I was worrying.
    I'M SO GLAD TO BE ABLE TO COMMENT WITH YOU GUYS OMG *may still be freaking out a little*

    This episode is just TOO CREEPY SCARY OMG for me to be rational about (and I forgot to rewatch it again so it's not fresh in my memory atm). I'll just say HAI COLIN MORGAN YOU'RE SO MUCH FUN IN THIS EP! and leave it at that.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      OMG YAY A COMMENT BOX. I didn't even have anything I really wanted to say and yet I was worrying.
      I'M SO GLAD TO BE ABLE TO COMMENT WITH YOU GUYS OMG *may still be freaking out a little*

      This episode is just TOO CREEPY SCARY OMG for me to be rational about (and I forgot to rewatch it again so it's not fresh in my memory atm). I'll just say HAI COLIN MORGAN YOU'RE SO MUCH FUN IN THIS EP! and leave it at that.

  16. flamingpie says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    THANK GOD THIS IS WORKING I ALMOST DIED AT NOT BEING ABLE TO COMMENT I MEAN JESUS THATS LIKE BREATHING. Ahem.

    FUCK YES MIDNIGHT.

    <img src="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a149/Dark_Horse64/doctor%20who/GIFS/ImageandvideohostingbyTinyPic-13.gif"&gt;
    <img src="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a149/Dark_Horse64/doctor%20who/GIFS/ImageandvideohostingbyTinyPic-5.gif"&gt;
    <img src="http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a149/Dark_Horse64/doctor%20who/GIFS/281y5uo.gif"&gt;
    <img src="http://i51.tinypic.com/2rfq6va.gif"&gt;

    Mark, meet my second favorite episode of Doctor Who ever, and the only one to actually scare me. And by scare me I mean terrify the ever living shit out of me.

    I love how this episode takes everything we've come to know about how an episode of Doctor Who works and turns it on its head. He does exactly what he always does: take control of the situation, declare to anyone will listen how clever he is, the exact same things that usually help him to get everyone through a situation alive. Here all any of that serves to do is make him different and different is not a good thing in this case. Different nearly gets him killed. And this very nearly breaks him. The closest we've come to seeing him that traumatized was in 42, and I don't think it even really compares. His lifelong habits were nearly his downfall, and that's enough to break anybody.

    I love the fact that we never find out what the monster is. This is the first episode so far during which we go out of an episode without any more understanding of the baddie of the week than we had when we went in. That makes it so much more terrifying.

    I love how claustrophobic it is. RTD here manages to create the scariest episode ever out of almost literally nothing. A tiny set and very good actors. That's less is more at its very best. The same idea that made Blink so scary, taken to its logical conclusion. I've always been a huge fan of the "Nothing is Scarier" trope, and this beautiful example truly, truly delivers. The little things, like the fact that throughout a large portion of the episode, Sky is literally talking exactly along with whoever is speaking? That's what makes this truly terrifying.

    Probably my favorite thing about it is the fact that really, it's not the monster that's the villain. It's the people. How quickly a mob mentality forms is horrifying, and so, so believable.

    Plus, huuuuge props to Lesley Sharp, the actress who place Sky. She is incredible.

    • electric ashera says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:28 pm

      I've always been a huge fan of the "Nothing is Scarier" trope

      YES. Although I think of it as the "monster in the closet" trope. If you're nervous and imaginative (as I tend to be) then all you need is the tiniest push from someone with a bit of evil mischief and cleverness to lose your shit over the scary.

  17. psycicflower says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    I can only really talk about my reaction in gif form because words cannot describe how I feel watching it.

    Oh this is nice. Doctor doing the tourist thing, taking a little trip and getting to know all the other passengers.
    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2dbno20.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    Mounting shock as the shuttle is attacked and Sky starts repeating what everyone is saying and everyone starts to freak out.
    <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/33z4vfp.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    Terror as Sky focuses in on the Doctor and then overtakes them.
    <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/4hts2h.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    Horror as Sky turns nearly everyone against the Doctor and tries to get him thrown out of the shuttle.
    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/xpxko.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    And by the time the Hostess saves the day
    <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2lk2rys.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

  18. Jenny_M says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Yay, comments!

    I really liked this episode, but I love bottle episodes. I even love when shows go meta in acknowledging their bottle episodes. Hi, Community.

    It was a nice little (terrifying) break of an episode between the epic two parter that came before and the fact that we're nearing the inevitable season ending extravaganza that is par for the course with any series of DW!

  19. CuriousApe says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    I can comment! Yay!
    I love Midnight. I love David Tennant's acting, I love Lesley Sharp. I love how incredibly scary mere repetition is made.
    And it terrifies me that the Doctor, the DOCTOR, was actually losing. That people were about to kill him and there was nothing that he could do and the thing that did that to him is still out there.
    Also, the end. "Don't do that. Seriously, don't." Poor Doctor 🙁

    Also: new theme makes me happy.
    <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/2gwtjiq.gif"&gt;

  20. Spugsy says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Aaaaagggh everything's changed!! (this is a good thing by the way! :P)

    But OMG this episode!! It's one of my favourites ever because it is just so awesome and horrifying in a very human way, the scariest things are what the people do, rather than the alien/monster. Not that the copycat thing isn't ridiculously scary and freaky anyway, and oh wow how long must that have taken to shoot!
    Yeah so Series 4 FTW!

    • FlameRaven says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:14 pm

      Watch the Confidential episode for this one if you can. It's all about the sound mixing– for most of the scenes they had to record each voice separately so they could layer the repeating dialogue in. And David Tennant and Sky's actress really did have to memorize pi up to 30 numbers for the scene.

  21. elusivebreath says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Mark, I'm with you on this episode. At first I thought it was going to be boring, even after they stopped and it was obvious something was going on but when the repeating began, so did the fascination. It was fascinating, creepy, and utterly terrifying to watch that thing, whatever it was, take the Doctor's voice. The look on his face was heartbreaking and I really have to give thumbs up to David Tennant for selling something that could have been horribly trite and ridiculous in someone else's hands.

    Bravo, NewWho, another one knocked outta the park!

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:44 pm

      Mark, I'm with you on this episode. At first I thought it was going to be boring, even after they stopped and it was obvious something was going on but when the repeating began, so did the fascination. It was fascinating, creepy, and utterly terrifying to watch that thing, whatever it was, take the Doctor's voice. The look on his face was heartbreaking and I really have to give thumbs up to David Tennant for selling something that could have been horribly trite and ridiculous in someone else's hands.

      Bravo, NewWho, another one knocked outta the park!

  22. Anon says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    I think midnight proves why The Doctor needs a companion, if Donna had been there she wouldn't have let them turn on him.

    • Openattheclose says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:34 pm

      I am afraid for what would have happened to Donna had she been there.

      • Anon says:
        March 2, 2011 at 1:42 pm

        I'm not she would have kicked ass.

      • MowerOfLorn says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:22 pm

        I've wondered about this, to. But one thing I do know it that she wouldn't have turned on the Doctor, not like that. And while I think she would have panicked in the earlier scenes, I think in comparison to everyone else she would have taken hold of the situation, and become more of a voice of reason.

        That being said- she might have been the one to jump out of the air vault.

    • pica_scribit says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:59 pm

      I think this is exactly why you couldn't have Donna in this episode. She would have changed everything, and the Thing would have had to kill her in order to make the Doctor as helpless as he becomes here.

    • bookling says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:06 pm

      I don't know if Donna could have stopped them, to be honest. I think they would have just turned on her, too, like they did on DeeDee when she tried to reason with them.

      • thiamalonee says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:13 pm

        See, I think that just her very presence would have made a difference. The companion humanizes the Doctor, and, in this case, Donna would have made him seem less mysterious. It's always easier to attack the loner.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:50 pm

      I think midnight proves why The Doctor needs a companion, if Donna had been there she wouldn't have let them turn on him.

  23. María says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    I find this to be the scariest episode of the new Doctor Who. Scarier than Blink, scarier than the Vastha Nerada (which seriously petrify me.) It's just, the Doctor is so helpless and alone here. He depends fully on the kindness of strangers, without even a companion to keep him company, and the strangers basically totally fail. And yeah, the Doctor without a voice? DISLIKE. I also find this to be one of the episodes most aimed at adults, rather than the whole family – not a whole lot of action, a LOT of dialogue, and scarier than the average episode. I'm with you, Mark. I love this one.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:44 pm

      I find this to be the scariest episode of the new Doctor Who. Scarier than Blink, scarier than the Vastha Nerada (which seriously petrify me.) It's just, the Doctor is so helpless and alone here. He depends fully on the kindness of strangers, without even a companion to keep him company, and the strangers basically totally fail. And yeah, the Doctor without a voice? DISLIKE. I also find this to be one of the episodes most aimed at adults, rather than the whole family – not a whole lot of action, a LOT of dialogue, and scarier than the average episode. I'm with you, Mark. I love this one.

  24. Guest says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    This is one of RTD's best whoniverse episodes for sure. But no "Children of Earth"…

    • Guest says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:25 pm

      Oh. I'm trying to say "You should really watch CoE as well", not trying to diss Midnight. Might have come across in a wrong way.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm

      This is one of RTD's best whoniverse episodes for sure. But no "Children of Earth"…

  25. Annemette N says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    This was the first episode I saw of Doctor Who, and it was because of Colin Morgan/Merlin. I love it. I’m no sure why exactly, but I do. After that episode I was hooked and started watching the series from the beginning. I’m so grateful that Merlin brought me Doctor Who.

  26. Ronni says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    Tennant's acting in this episode blows me away every time I see it.

    Also, I think the next Mark Watches should be Arrested Development.

  27. CharlieInWonderland says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    I loved Jethro for all of the time ever.
    He was some much needed comic relief however…
    Thanks Doctor Who for plunging my already diminished belief in the human race even further down. Seriously, fuck humans.

  28. Albion19 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:23 pm

    This episode floored me. I had heard it was the "cheap" episode, so I was thinking enjoyable but filler. How bloody wrong was I? Holy shit!

    I'm glad that no one hyped this up for you, it's a gem.

    Also omg the layout, it's changed!

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:44 pm

      This episode floored me. I had heard it was the "cheap" episode, so I was thinking enjoyable but filler. How bloody wrong was I? Holy shit!

      I'm glad that no one hyped this up for you, it's a gem.

      Also omg the layout, it's changed!

    • Openattheclose says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:47 pm

      "I'm glad that no one hyped this up for you, it's a gem."
      Yes! I was so worried he would hear hype about it. The best part of this episode is that it surprises everyone.

  29. doesntsparkle says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Not to steal the thunder of fusionman and their wonderful trivia, but the thing that really impresses me about Midnight is trivial. RTD threw out another script and had to write this episode from scratch in a few days.

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:32 pm

      LIKE A BOSS.

    • Minish says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:45 pm

      AND on a low budget AND only had one of his main actors AND developed that as an important part of the story AND made it work FLAWLESSLY.

      The best of Davies comes when he doesn't get carried away trying to go all-out and just focus on what he does best: really, really amazing character work.

      • sabra_n says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:20 pm

        And it helped that he could call up his old buddy Lesley Sharp to play Sky. (She previously played lead roles in RTD's Second Coming and Bob and Rose.)

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:34 pm

      Not to steal the thunder of fusionman and their wonderful trivia, but the thing that really impresses me about Midnight is trivial. RTD threw out another script and had to write this episode from scratch in a few days.

      • doesntsparkle says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:43 pm

        3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679 8214808651328230664709384460955058223172535940812848111745028410270193852110555964462294895493038196
        4428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273
        724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609…

        • Anonymous says:
          March 2, 2011 at 2:44 pm

          3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146

        • PeterRabid says:
          March 2, 2011 at 2:44 pm

          That won't work. They can just copy and paste! D:

    • Fusionman29 says:
      March 3, 2011 at 1:56 pm

      I must thank you.

      I can’t do trivia right now. I’m so hyped for these episodes that speaking about this too much will lead to me screaming spoilers.

  30. E.L.S.O.S says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    I really really REALLY love this episode. The talking, while different from the average Who adventure, totally fits for this and sets up a ton of unease in a really cheap film-friendly way. I love the moment when everyone turns on the Doctor. He's so used to saving people and being respected that I think it really takes him down several pegs to realize that these people could come to think of him as such a threat that they'd murder him rather then try to save him. Ten needs to be taken down a couple pegs sometimes and I think it's good that he got such a humbling experience.

  31. 17violingirl says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:26 pm

    I love this episode so much! It's both fascinating and frightning at the same time. This is also one of my favorite David Tennant performances, he did such a good job. To lose control of my own voice like the Doctor did would just scare me too death. RTD turned something as simple as repeating something someone says into a horrifying situation of epic fright for me…..i love Doctor Who so much! 🙂

  32. _thirty2flavors says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:28 pm

    MIDNIGHT OMG!!

    Second best episode of the season for me (the best is ~yet to come OMG :O) and one of my very favourites. It's also by far the spookiest episode for me, or at least the scariest, because it is unnerving in a way that no other episode is. (But I am the kind of person who finds movies about genius serial killers way scarier than movies about ghosts, or whatever.) Taking the idea of repeated dialogue and making it creepy is really clever IMO, and then the ~THE REAL MONSTER IS HUMANITY!!!~ thing totally works for me, lol, idec. Plus, SO much of Doctor Who is about ordinary people being thrust into crazy scenarios and coming out on top and being noble and pure and good, and that's great and all, but it was nice to see it subverted here, just the once. I think it is also Yet Another example of why the Doctor/Ten doesn't work so well on his own; he needs someone there to humanize him or… bring him into the crowd, or what have you. And I totally agree re: the acting from the leads.

    Also, Lesley Sharp looks like JKR to me. I don't know why, but it bugged me the first time I saw this episode, lol.

  33. Jenny_M says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    This made me scream in my office when I clicked to the page.

  34. buyn says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    For some reason, Midnight seems less scary now, although I'm sure it's because I just spent the last hour and a half locked in my classroom, whilst some kid with a gun was running amok at the high school.

    I'm sure after the adrenaline goes away, Midnight will return with scariness…

  35. Neil says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:29 pm

    I don't like this story at all. I understand it's an accomplished, well written and well produced peice of TV and it's amazing something so strange was made for Saturday tea-time TV. BUt noting about it makes me want to ever watch it again. It grates and it annoys me. I'm gald it has it's fans though.

    FYI Colin was in this before Merlin was broadcast (Midnight was June 2008 and Merlin went out from September 2008.

    Now I'm looking forward to the end of the season…

  36. wahlee says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    Oh, yay! I can comment!

    Mark, you and I are friends on the astral plane, because I ADORE this episode and really hate having to defend my love of it. Probably Definitely my favorite episode of Doctor Who. But I'm an English major and enjoy things like traditional stage dramas, so a dialogue-heavy episode is a dream come true to me.

    The Doctor is always in control. Even when he's not, he is (if you know what I mean). He's the cleverest person in the room, the one that can do what it takes to make things go all right. He's the one who has to make the decisions, the one who figures out the problem, the one who saves the day. Sometimes his companions help, but when it comes down to it, the Doctor is the hero. He's the Harry Potter, the Luke Skywalker. It's not just what he does, it's who he is.

    This episode takes all that away from him. His instinct to discover new things, to protect life at any cost, nearly becomes his undoing. He protects Skye, he tries to help her, he reaches out to her– and she uses him, takes him over, leaves him helpless and terrified. I've said before that many of my favorite episodes are the ones where the Doctor has to admit he can't do everything, that even he is scared. And this is the ultimate expression of that. These humans, who the Doctor loves (as a species) and has risked everything for, time and time again, are willing to kill him. And there is absolutely nothing he can do. It's fabulous.

    David Tennant acts the hell out of this episode. His eyes when he's frozen are so incredibly expressive of all the horror going through the Doctor's head. So devastating.

  37. Pseudonymph says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:30 pm

    Oh! And I forgot to mention the importance of names! Interesting parallel there. They all think it's suspicious that the Doctor won't tell them his name. Then the hostess saves all their lives and not a single one knew her name.

  38. suspicious cookie says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    Funnily enough, this ended up being a fan favourite and is almost universally acknowledged as RTD’s best. Even the RTD haters loved it, grudgungly.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:44 pm

      Funnily enough, this ended up being a fan favourite and is almost universally acknowledged as RTD's best. Even the RTD haters loved it, grudgungly.

    • mkjcaylor says:
      March 2, 2011 at 4:02 pm

      It seems like everyone here minus a few seems to love it, and I am so GLAD because of how much I love it.

  39. jackiep says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:31 pm

    I was wondering what you'd make of this one. The Writer's Tale by RTD showed how he'd been noodling something like this for a long time and finally felt it had to be written (which it was, swiftly and he bumped another script already submitted into oblivion over a weekend).

    So often Doctor Who shows the Doctor bringing the best out of people, this showed him unable to do this, indeed when they realised he was an alien, they turned on him too. Even more scary when we saw him getting along really well with everybody first, but that's how crowds (even small ones) can turn isn't it? Very disturbing. Humanity at its worst!

    That last scene when they're all sitting in the Crusader as the rescuers appear. The impression given that they'd not been able to speak, even to apologise. The Doctor is still sitting with his back to the chairs, as though he's still trying to stop himself being grabbed by them all again.

    A factoid from the DVD commentary. David Tennant got his script one evening, the night before before a read-through of another script. Over breakfast he memorised the square root of Pi to however many decimal places were in the script and coolly recited them correctly to RTD the following day. RTD was mentioning this on the commentary (it clearly made an impression) and DT was breezily, "Och, no I just broke it down and memorised it over breakfast…" (He was also very funny over Merlin "his first tv job is Doctor Who, his second one he's the lead in a fantasy show going out at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night!").

    You might not have spotted that this was in fact companion light. The intensity seems to cover that up. Donna was barely there, but then if she had been there, the Doctor wouldn't nearly have got thrown out of the bus.

  40. NB2000 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    OH GOD IT SHOULDN'T BE FUNNY BUT IT IS!

  41. Lucy says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:32 pm

    The odd thing with this episode for me is that I thought it was really good, but I didn't love it as much as some, I will freely admit are less classy, episodes. I think what would have made me enjoy it more would also have lowered the quality of the script and drama, but I really missed having any likeable characters in there. (Jethro, so near yet so far.) I can never quite get past the fact that the Doctor just ISN'T going to die, so I only really feel frightened when there is someone else I like in danger – and frankly, that lot were hard to care about.

    One of my favourite things about Doctor Who is how they embrace such different atmospheres between episodes – it's hard to believe that Midnight and, say, Love and Monsters come from the same show (for me, anyway!) Russell T Davies is such a wonderful writer to take risks like this and have them pay off. This is precisely the sort of episode that makes me feel as though calling Doctor Who a 'children's show' is a massive undersell.

    • flamingpie says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:35 pm

      I really missed having any likeable characters in there. (Jethro, so near yet so far.)

      Part of what I like about this episode is some of the characters WERE likable to me. I liked Jethro, and I really liked Dee a lot. The Hostess, too. But what's so horrific (in a good way) about the episode is that even these likable characters succumb to the blind panic.

      • Openattheclose says:
        March 2, 2011 at 1:40 pm

        Even the parents seemed sweet at first, and I felt bad for them that Jethro was so against bonding with them, and they turned out to be the most staunch "Throw her/him out" people on the bus.

        • flamingpie says:
          March 2, 2011 at 1:42 pm

          Oh yeah, definitely. I think all of the characters were likable at first, those three just stayed that way the longest for me.

          • Lucy says:
            March 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm

            I guess I'm less forgiving! I had the grump big time with all of them! Even more so the ones I initially liked – it's so much worse when a character lets down your expectations. I'm so used to seeing improbably noble and heroic people on screen I expect everyone to CALM THE FUCK DOWN a minute and get their heads back on. (I mean, I totally wouldn't be able to, but then I'm a cowardly hypocrite :-P)

            I also possibly didn't quite feel their level of fear – it's weird that it could steal her voice like that, but I would be much more inclined to thrown someone out of a train (is it really not an aeroplane? That completely passed me by!) if they were spewing lava, or something. *Puts on horrible person hat*

            Still, though I think they're character flaws, they are very believable and excellently developed throughout the episode – to get away without a 'wait a minute, why are they suddenly freaking out' moment in a forty-five minute episode ranging from 0-flipout on the stress-o-meter is a hell of an accomplishment.

            • sabra_n says:
              March 2, 2011 at 3:24 pm

              Jethro, at least, you can sort of excuse as being partly the product of his upbringing. That boy needs to run away with his rock band (you know he has one) ASAP and become his best self.

    • arctic_hare says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:43 pm

      Part of what makes it scary for me is that I know I'd completely break down in such a situation. I might even end up like poor Sky. 🙁

    • thiamalonee says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm

      "I can never quite get past the fact that the Doctor just ISN'T going to die, so I only really feel frightened when there is someone else I like in danger -"

      I can see where you're going with this, but, for me, the fear wasn't so much about the Doctor dying, as the others killing him. There's a similar episode in Angel (which shall remain nameless, in case Mark decides to watch that with Buffy), about how groups can panic and react when they're driven from paranoia. Due to the nature of that episode, it's clear that there's no actual danger, but there's still fear that the group will be driven to violence, because then we would have to accept that people can react that way. It's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," a panicking group can reveal the darkest thoughts and feelings inside of an individual. Seeing the Doctor's faith in humanity get shattered is heartbreaking, and it was the worry that this would happen that kept me glued to the screen.

  42. kytten says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    You how way back last season I commented only one episode scared me more than blink? Yep, this one.

    You know how I said that while I like pretty much all DR Who episodes 9and the ten % I don't like I can find positives in) but there were a small amount I loved beyond all sensible reason? This is one of them.

    You know how I said there was an episode that was my FAVOURITE of NuWho in every single way? This one, again.

    A wonderful exploration of human nature in the face of fear, done in one small room with almost exclusively dialougue, impeccably acted. I know there are flaws, there must be, because nothing is perfect. But for me this is the closest to perfect NuWho has ever got.

  43. Jenny_M says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    Taste the happy, Mark.

  44. eleventysix says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    This episode truly frightened me, and that doesn't happen too easily. I hadn't heard anything about it before hand, and I was looking for a bit of frolicking-through-open-fields Doctor after SitL/FotD (p.s. did you know this episode comes on a dvd with those two? How's that for all of the scary in one place), and then this happened – and all I could really do was hug a pillow, stare at my monitor and hope that everything would work out for the best.
    The other actors were all brilliant and I loved the story and how it was performed (here's me being defensive: I think this is a great episode…and I'm actually surprised that people don't like it). I also, in a weird way, loved that the Doctor almost lost. He's got this buoyancy about him based largely on his faith in his own convictions and rightness that in many ways is wonderful and carries him and his companions through some of the toughest, weirdest situations largely unscathed (I'm thinking specifically about tIP and tSP here); but now, some of those beliefs get shaken a whole lot and we see the Doctor start to doubt not only those around him but also himself and it's unsettling. Seeing Ten taken down a notch never quite has me saying 'you've had that coming' as vigorously as I thought I would.

  45. Marissa says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    My love for this episode knows no bounds. The writing is amazing, the acting is superb, and when you come to the end of it you feel ashamed of the fact that, had you been in their position and as fearful as they were, you might have ended up doing the same thing.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      My love for this episode knows no bounds. The writing is amazing, the acting is superb, and when you come to the end of it you feel ashamed of the fact that, had you been in their position and as fearful as they were, you might have ended up doing the same thing.

  46. Spugsy says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    I can't believe I still don't know the Hostess' name! So tragic! She was good, why did she have to die for them all and they don't even know her name!? Ugh.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      I can't believe I still don't know the Hostess' name! So tragic! She was good, why did she have to die for them all and they don't even know her name!? Ugh.

  47. Inseriousity. says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:36 pm

    Hmmm I always defend Harry Potter, Doctor Who and that's about it really. I don't grow too much of an attachment to shows that often.

    At the beginning, like your friend, I didn't really get this episode and wished there'd be more than just dialogue but now it gives me chills every time I rewatch it because I can just imagine being there and wondering what'd I do.

    I hope I'd be as brave as the Hostess but… that's the scary thing. With a 'monster' that copies your every word perfectly and appearing to grow stronger and stronger as time passes on, I don't know if I would be a 'I know it's wrong but I can't do anything' Dee-Dee, the brave hostess, the screaming mother or one of the three men getting rid of 'it' 🙁

    What would you guys do?

    • jackiep says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:21 pm

      The SECOND Doctor would have probably grabbed a chalk-board and get everybody to start writing down what they wanted to say. That's the only Doctor who they probably woudln't have tried to throw out of the bus!

  48. who_cares86 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    Midnight is probably the best Doctor Who episode RTD has written.

    You are not prepared.
    You are not prepared.

    • calimie says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:58 pm

      Agreed. I sometimes hate RTD a lot but then I remember Midnight. (And then I hate him more because I wish he'd write like this more often).

      • Anonymous says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm

        Agreed. I sometimes hate RTD a lot but then I remember Midnight. (And then I hate him more because I wish he'd write like this more often).

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:47 pm

      Midnight is probably the best Doctor Who episode RTD has written.

      You are not prepared.
      You are not prepared.

  49. xghostproof on phone says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    first things first! new layout is nice. easier to read w/my phone than the default (directly comparing since I just read the mockingjay review on my phone with the old layout up)

    second, dear lord I love this episode. it terrified me in a way than blink didn't (though I did scream aloud during blink the first time.) oh shit phone dying this is a shooort comment.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:43 pm

      first things first! new layout is nice. easier to read w/my phone than the default (directly comparing since I just read the mockingjay review on my phone with the old layout up)

      second, dear lord I love this episode. it terrified me in a way than blink didn't (though I did scream aloud during blink the first time.) oh shit phone dying this is a shooort comment.

  50. NB2000 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    rofl at us posting the same gif.

  51. swimmingtrunks says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:39 pm

    Me from the Boom Town review:

    If Moffat is the King of Scares, Davies is surely the King of um… Psychological Introspection or something like that.

    But then he goes and uses his powers of psychological introspection for EVIL and gets to be the King of Scares himself for a day. Seriously, RTD, THIS EPISODE. THIS. He can be such a freaking good writer when he writes to his strengths, and it's so frustrating that he seems to prefer not to. The confining nature of this bottle episode (and it's budget) is, I think, exactly what he needed. If he can't do big explosions or special effects then he can't be pulling TinkerBellJesusDoctorDobbys out of his ass, and he's forced to write better to provide the thrills. And he does, oh god he does.

    It's a wonderful exploration of group psychology, well written and beautifully acted. Over at the spoiler blog I was talking in another context (Family of Blood, specifically) about how David Tennant breaking down absolutely guts me, it really does. That face he makes when his words are taken over by the entity in Sky, you can see all his strain and his fear and his hopelessness– I don't think the episode would have been quite so powerful without it. Bravo, Tennant, bravo.

    I also appreciate that this is one of the few times RTD shows us that the Doctor's shit stinks. It's almost jarring in comparison to how the text usually reads, that I really don't know if we were supposed to find the others to be (more) unreasonable or if the Doctor was supposed to be seen as simply the victim of panicked circumstance. It does fit the series's theme of the Doctor "needing someone" though, so maybe the tone was adjusted for that? I don't know, I don't think I'll ever know, but thanks for this one, Rusty.

  52. gaeri says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    So nobody didn't like this episode? I have read so many people commenting on how bad it was for any number of reasons.
    I loved it. I love it so much I don't want to watch it again because of how it scared me the 2 times I watched it. I don't want to watch it again and realise it was not that good.
    When I first watched this ep I was so not expecting it to be scary. RTD doesn't do scary that well, he's not Moffat, and coming after the last double parter I was expecting something light so it hit me even harder. It's terrifying and Tennant does one of his best performances in the series IMO.

  53. pica_scribit says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:41 pm

    Not one of my favourite episodes, but I love what they've managed to do here with a small ensemble cast, minimal sets and minimal special effects. The pitch of realistic hysteria they manage to create is pretty amazing. Reminds me of the old Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", or the first Who series serial "Edge of Destruction" which takes place entirely inside the TARDIS with the central cast due to budget constraints.

    I can completely understand leaving Donna out of this adventure; she's got such a strong personality that the entire tone of the episode and the interactions of the characters would have been completely different. Hope she enjoyed her relaxing day at the spa.

    Oh, and I love Jethro. I just want to pinch his cheeks and ruffle his hair.

  54. always amy says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:42 pm

    Holy crap this episode!
    The reason it terrifys so well is in my heart I fear it is true.
    People will destroy you if you are different, and it is only luck that saves you.

    That being said David Tennant and Leslie Sharp just knocked it out of the park. They deserve ALL THE THINGS.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:35 pm

      Holy crap this episode!
      The reason it terrifys so well is in my heart I fear it is true.
      People will destroy you if you are different, and it is only luck that saves you.

      That being said David Tennant and Leslie Sharp just knocked it out of the park. They deserve ALL THE THINGS.

  55. doesntsparkle says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:43 pm

    I just started watching a slenderman series on youtube, so that freaks me out more than it used to.

    • calimie says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:54 pm

      Which one? I just did an archive binge on EveryManHYBRID and I love it, almost as much as Marble Hornets.

      • doesntsparkle says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:02 pm

        EveryManHybrid, I heard about it last week and caught up in about two days. I've been following Marble Hornets for about a year. It's close, but I think I prefer EveryMan a bit.

        • cjm62790 says:
          March 2, 2011 at 3:35 pm

          Slender man is so freaking creepy! I couldn't look out of a window for weeks D:

        • calimie says:
          March 2, 2011 at 4:28 pm

          It's the characters for me. I love Marble Hornets, but what do we know about Jay or Alex? Whereas the EMH guys have families, jobs, friends, even pets. I still find MH much more scary though.

          • doesntsparkle says:
            March 2, 2011 at 5:01 pm

            That's what I like, too. Plus the characters actually interact with each other and have relationships. EH does some really cool fan interaction stuff too.

  56. always amy says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:48 pm

    Children of Earth was excellently done. It is superb.
    However it is utterly hopeless and I will never rewatch it or anything by RTD again.

    • CuriousApe says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:57 pm

      That is probably a very very good plan. You know, unless you enjoy having your heart ripped out and trampled on repeatedly.

      • always amy says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:35 pm

        I don't enjoy it and RTD is too good at trampling.
        I don't know where COE falls on the spoiler scale so I am unsure what else I can safely say.

      • elusivebreath says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm

        I DO enjoy that, so I will check it out 😛

        • CuriousApe says:
          March 2, 2011 at 3:50 pm

          Yay, a Torchwood convert 😀
          Seriously, CoE is one of the best things I've ever seen on television, and I can't think of a more depressing one. (Still not sure if the latter is a selling point, but oh well)

  57. Hanah says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:50 pm

    Love this episode, can never ever watch it again. I made it through it three or four times after it first aired but I can no longer bring myself to sit through it again, it is too upsetting and terrifying for me! So I have to appreciate it from memory because oh god, can't do it. The Doctor being out of control and that god-awful woman who is so fucking sanctimonious…I can't remember the line but after the Hostess has dragged Sky out and she says something like 'I said it was her' and I just want to PUNCH HER IN THE FUCKING FACE. You almost dragged man to death. How dare you try and validate yourself.

    I did really love the fact that the Doctor finds a time he can't just talk himself out of a situation. He relies so much on wittering away and assuming control but this time he finds people who see through his bullshit and don't trust him. And he's totally screwed because of it. And I think that's a really important lesson for him to have learnt.

    (Apologies if this comment makes no sense, I'm sitting in a room with four incredibly drunk people yelling very loudly about how my name is a palindrome as though they are the first people to discover it. Bless them. Except not because I cannot be coherent when being yelled at drunkenly damnit!)

    • Miri says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:20 pm

      that god-awful woman who is so fucking sanctimonious…I can't remember the line but after the Hostess has dragged Sky out and she says something like 'I said it was her' and I just want to PUNCH HER IN THE FUCKING FACE.

      THIS, EXACTLY, FOREVER.

  58. Minish says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    "“The Girl in the Fireplace” is awful."

    I was under the impression that you enjoyed "The Girl in the Fireplace." The only episode I remember you passionately hating was "Fear Her" which also predominantly featured a little girl.

  59. jsh357 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    This was pretty much my favorite episode of Doctor Who. Absurd minimalism at its FINEST.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:36 pm

      This was pretty much my favorite episode of Doctor Who. Absurd minimalism at its FINEST.

  60. potlid007 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:52 pm

    dfjlsdkjflksdjflsdkfjlsdfjlsdfldsfldsfjlds
    <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b354/ScarMeLikeYouUsedTo/Buffy%20the%20Vampire%20Slayer%20and%20Angel/6c9fb081.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Tabula Rasa Buffy the Vampire Slayer gif Pictures, Images and Photos"/>

    Ok, so when I was a wee little tad (i.e. in high school…which wasn't that long ago…) I really disliked Donna (I don't know why. Probably because I don't like change. Why I didn't like 10 when he came aboard.) So i stopped watching Doctor Who about half way through the 4th season, AND I MISSED MIDNIGHT. So when I told my friends to watch Doctor Who, I started watching Donna episodes and came across Midnight. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. a;lsfl;skfalkfsld;fksl;fksld;f CREEPY ASS SHIT.

    oh, and Merlin, you are looking good for about 1,000,000,000 years old.
    <img src="http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w341/alba8613/Merlin/seeya.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Arthur Merlin gif Pictures, Images and Photos"/>

  61. Karen says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    What a brilliant episode. FLAWLESS. If you disagree, we can meet out by the flagpole after school. It’s scary, creative, and a wonderful exploration of human nature AND I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT.

    For me this is, without a doubt, the scariest episode of Doctor Who. Part of that is the deliciously creepy atmosphere the RTD creates: the knocking, the repetition of voices, the small enclosed space. But really, the reason that this episode is so terrifying is that for once, the monster is real. Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels? All only exist in our imagination. But the dark side of humanity? REAL. SO REAL.

    The way that the creature works is so scary. I’ve heard the theory posited that the reason that the creature becomes evil is because the creature is only learning/copying/reflecting what the humans are doing. So the creature becomes like a monster because the humans are. But even if you don’t subscribe to that theory, the creature is still creepy as all get out. The way that it repeats and then synchs and then finally gets ahead of you? SO UPSETTING. It reminds me of that episode of Fringe where the Observer does that to Peter.

    But the real stars of this episode are the characters. The characters here are so thoughtfully written. In this one episode, RTD establishes each character and their role in the group. I feel like you could practically write a thesis on the group psychology in this episode. I love things like this that explore group think and paranoia, and just the way that humans relate to each other (e.g. 12 Angry Men or Inherit the Wind- both great movies that deal with similar themes).

    First we’ve got the professor. He’s so desperate to not lose face and to maintain his status. He needs to be right, so he constantly corrects and puts down DeeDee. He’s reluctant to help with the scheme to throw the Doctor out, but it is Vel’s admonishment to “be a man!” that gets him to help drag the Doctor off.

    Then you have DeeDee. She young, smart, but not really sure of herself. And because of that you get her knowing the truth, trying to make her voice heard, but lacking the confidence to actually do anything to prevent the rest of the group from throwing the Doctor out. Also I love it when she quotes “The Goblin Men”. I once wrote a paper on that poem as an undergrad.

    Dee Dee Blasco, Sky Silvestry: We must not look at goblin men.
    Biff Cane, Sky Silvestry: What's that supposed to mean?
    The Doctor, Sky Silvestry: It's a poem. Christina Rossetti.
    Dee Dee Blasco, Sky Silvestry: We must not look at goblin men / We must not buy their fruits / Who knows upon what soil they fed / Their hungry, thirsty roots?
    The Doctor, Sky Silvestry: Actually, I don't think that's helping.

    • Karen says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:55 pm

      Skye is a bit of a mystery. We know that she was recently dumped, and from the way that she’s so afraid of the creature (and therefore an easy target), it seems like it ended badly or maybe she just has some demons from her past.

      <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/281snjd.jpg"&gt;
      And then you have the family of Val, Biff, and Jethro. They are a realistic family with the sullen teen and his embarrassing parents (just look at the way that Jethro rolls his eyes and recites the punchline to his dad’s story along with his dad). Val and Biff are the ones leading the charge against the Doctor. And then Jethro just doesn’t know what to do. He seems so torn like he doesn’t feel like it’s the right thing to do, but at the same time, he feels like he can’t do anything about it. But then he joins in. Even though he appears to struggle with the choice, he joins with the professor and his father in throwing the Doctor out.

      <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2jfknsz.jpg"&gt;
      The Doctor is just fabulous in this episode. He hates that mindless, isolating entertainment, so he takes out the entertainment system, forcing these humans to talk to each other. . He was having a wonderful time talking to them just a shore while ago, but they’ve all turned on him so suddenly. The look on his face when the humans turn against him is just heart breaking.. This is why the Doctor needs companions. They help to humanize him. Without Donna around his alien-ness shows through and it’s what leads the others to turn against him.

      <img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2mze6tj.jpg"&gt;
      And finally we come to the Hostess. The Hostess is an interesting character because she’s the first one to suggest throwing Skye out. So as an audience, we’re inclined to side with the Doctor and give the Hostess some major side eye for that. But then in the end, she’s the one who sacrifices herself, in order to save everyone else.

      <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2hwhe2d.jpg"&gt;
      To me one of the most poignant moments is after the crisis has past and everyone else is left waiting for rescue. It is just so beautifully framed and shot. Everyone is having to deal with what they just did or almost did. They have to face that darkness that was inside of them that caused them to almost kill another person. None of them are sitting anywhere near each other. And then the Doctor speaks.

      <img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/51c45l.jpg"&gt;
      The Doctor: The hostess… what was her name?
      Professor Hobbes: I don't know.
      P.S. ROSE SIGHTING! And TWO Rose references. 😀 Another reason why this episode is so brilliant, if I do say so myself.
      <img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/smwto8.jpg"&gt;

    • Minish says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:00 pm

      "But the real stars of this episode are the characters. The characters here are so thoughtfully written. In this one episode, RTD establishes each character and their role in the group. I feel like you could practically write a thesis on the group psychology in this episode. I love things like this that explore group think and paranoia, and just the way that humans relate to each other."

      This SO MUCH.

      DAVIES HOW DO YOU DO IT?!

  62. WingedFlight says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:55 pm

    This is probably my absolute favourite Doctor Who episode ever. I can't even count the number of times I watched the second half. Bwaaah Dooooooctorrrrrr!

    Also, I don't think anyone has linked this yet, so here's a fanvid I found recently that deals with this episode and is quite possibly even creepier than the episode itself: Midnight [DW] – We must not look at goblin men http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzCT5uxA-dI The person who made this has a bunch of other beautifully fantastic vids, but the others all contain spoilers, just so you know.

    • Openattheclose says:
      March 2, 2011 at 1:58 pm

      That was awesome! Thanks for sharing it.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm

      This is probably my absolute favourite Doctor Who episode ever. I can't even count the number of times I watched the second half. Bwaaah Dooooooctorrrrrr!

      Also, I don't think anyone has linked this yet, so here's a fanvid I found recently that deals with this episode and is quite possibly even creepier than the episode itself: Midnight [DW] – We must not look at goblin men http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzCT5uxA-dI The person who made this has a bunch of other beautifully fantastic vids, but the others all contain spoilers, just so you know.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm

      This is probably my absolute favourite Doctor Who episode ever. I can't even count the number of times I watched the second half. Bwaaah Dooooooctorrrrrr!

      Also, I don't think anyone has linked this yet, so here's a fanvid I found recently that deals with this episode and is quite possibly even creepier than the episode itself: Midnight [DW] – We must not look at goblin men http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzCT5uxA-dI The person who made this has a bunch of other beautifully fantastic vids, but the others all contain spoilers, just so you know.

  63. blis says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    I got so mad at the episode when after the hostess and Sky are ejected from the plane and it stops, the mom Val Cane stars saying " I said it was her"
    i can understand the fear but still to just switch over so quickly like that.

    • kytten says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:07 pm

      people tend to rewrite things in their head so they seem like the hero and can justify their actions. And when it;s something that awful…

      In a way, it's like an abusive partner telling themselves that you flirt with other people, burn the dinner and can't keep a clean house so what they do is OK- hell, necessary! People almost never see themselves as the villains, and will perform incredible feats of mental acrobatics to tell themselves they are a good person.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:38 pm

      I got so mad at the episode when after the hostess and Sky are ejected from the plane and it stops, the mom Val Cane stars saying " I said it was her"
      i can understand the fear but still to just switch over so quickly like that.

  64. prideofportree says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:56 pm

    I can't say anything, because I am so happy about the reason for something in this episode which was kind of bahaah but I can't say anything because of spoilers BUT jhvsdiuhggdsjkcnhdjkjhcbniuhjfnbc

    You. Are. Not. Prepared.

    (I hope this isn't considered too spoilerish)

  65. Fusionman29 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    Again people. Combination of life and other things makes me unable to post.

    Can someone do trivia for me?

    • doesntsparkle says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:34 pm

      Copy/Pasted from TARDIS

      # Working titles included Crusader Five and Crusader 50.

      # This is the first episode in Series 4 in which the Doctor was present when Rose Tyler appeared on screen, although he did not see her.

      # This episode was originally intended to be episode 8, before Steven Moffat's two-parter, but was pushed back to episode 10. The name of the shuttle bus, Crusader 50, was a reference to it originally being in the 50th episode of the new series to be screened and David Troughton was going add symmetry as he was in the 50th story of the classic series. It was however the 50th episode of the 'New Series' to be filmed.

      # This is the first televised story since Genesis of the Daleks not to feature the TARDIS.

      # This is the second episode in which the Doctor has not had a companion to assist him. The first episode without a companion was The Deadly Assassin, although the earlier story remains the only one in which no companion appears at all (as opposed to Donna's appearances at the beginning and end of this episode).

      # For the first time ever in Doctor Who history, the villain in this episode is never actually revealed.

      # David Troughton, who plays the professor, is the son of Patrick Troughton, who played the Second Doctor. Episode director Alice Troughton is not directly related. David Troughton appeared in his father's final story The War Games, and also in the Third Doctor story The Curse of Peladon and is a veteran contributor to the Big Finish Productions audio dramas.

      # Sky Silvestry mentions to the Doctor that 'I found myself single recently, not by choice… she needed her own space', implying that she was in a lesbian relationship.

      # Sky also says " A different galaxy in fact" The Doctor's response is " I had a friend who went a different universe". This is referencing Rose Tyler being trapped on a parallel Earth.

      # Months after the episode aired, the story element of having two characters speaking the same words at the same time, and one character trying to throw the other off by spouting random references, would be duplicated in "The Arrival", an episode of the American series Fringe.

      # This story was written, at short notice, to replace a script called Century House by Tom MacRae which Russell T Davies felt was too similar, in terms of plot, to The Unicorn and the Wasp.

      # Colin Morgan who plays Jethro, appeared along side Catherine Tate in The Catherine Tate Christmas Show as a guest star; however, Morgan did not have any scenes with Tate in this episode.

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm

      Again people. Combination of life and other things makes me unable to post.

      Can someone do trivia for me?

    • nyssaoftraken74 says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:49 pm

      Well, I'll make a start from off the top of my head.

      A. (As mentioned earlier) This episode is the 52nd episode of New Who but the 50th to be filmed, hence Crusader 50.

      B. It was rated #43 in the Doctor Who Magazine Mighty 200 Poll, which is an indication that while many fans loved it, there significant numbers who didn't buy into it.

      C. This is the first episode to not feature the TARDIS at all since 1975's Genesis of the Daleks.

      D. David Troughton, besides being son of Second Doctor Patrick, also starred in the Jon Pertwee story, `The Curse of Peladon`, as King Peladon. This makes him (I think) only the 2nd actor to appear as different characters in both Classic and New Who. The other being Pauline Collins who played Queen Victoria in `Tooth and Claw` and a character called Samantha Briggs in Patrick Troughton story, `The Faceless Ones`.

      I'll now pass the baton to anybody who wants to share any other significant facts.

  66. GoddessMER says:
    March 2, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    Okay, SO GLAD this isn't just me. I HATE this episode! I just HATE IT. I love the writing, I love the acting, I love the characters, but I HATE this episodes.

    Because it just scares the living bejeezus out of me.

    Just the thought that the passengers were not only so easily manipulated, but it was such a good way to show a mob mentality. How once they all started ganging together, there was nothing stopping them – not even common sense, or reality.

    I watch this episode very – very little. And always from behind the couch.

  67. Caroline says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    I'm one of those who do not care for this particular episode. I don't hate it, but for me it's just… meh. Don't get me wrong. I think the acting on David Tennant and Lesley Sharp's parts are amazing, but really, by the end of the episode I was ready to chuck them all out of the airlock.

    OK, so I'm really just commenting because I'm OMG SO EXCITE for tomorrow's review because it is my Most Favoritest Best Episode of All Time EVER. Can't wait! 😀

  68. nyssaoftraken74 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    First of all, the new layout…is it actually smaller or do need glasses?

    Anyway, I find this episode creepy as hell and totally terrifying. Wonderful, immaculate performances, especially from David Tennant and Lesley Sharp. (Also just need to point out David Troughton, son of Doctor #2.) But my experience of getting a friend to watch it was just like Mark's: he just didn't get it at all.

    Russell's inspiration for writing this story was a response to Voyage of the Damned. The Christmas special had shown a disaster scenario where ordinary, innocent people were imperrilled and had demonstrated the best in human nature. For this new story, Russell wanted to focus on the darker side of human nature, the way people turn on each other.

    It becomes a mob mentality, where people get caught up in each other's fear and things escalate to the point where people are willing to commit horrendous acts, collectively, that they would never consider individually. They stop thinking, stop listening and just react.

    The bus was designated Crusader 50, because this was originally intended to be episode 8, which would have made this the 50th episode of 21st Century Doctor Who. When the run order was changed – for reasons I can't discuss – the bus was changed in the script to Crusader 52. But then it was pointed out that Midnight was still the 50th episode to *enter production* so the name reverted to Crusader 50.

    I'm sure I was going to say something else, but I'm dakned if I can remember what it was, so bugger it, I'll leave it here. 🙂

    • Mauve_Avenger says:
      March 2, 2011 at 6:52 pm

      The font type definitely changed; it looks like it was something like I-don't-know-what-font-but-it-kinda-sorta-looks-like-Times-New-Roman-but-not-really* changed to Arial. I'm guessing that the font size was decreased, because normally if you have TNR and Arial side-by-side in the same font point, the Arial actually looks bigger, whereas this font definitely looks smaller than the one over on Mark Reads.

      As for the comment boxes, they're still the same size, but they look smaller because there's less of a visual boundary between the comment box and the margins now that the grey sidebars are gone. Which does make it a bit harder to tell if something is an OP or a reply. (I'm guessing its absence might make it easier on people who are reading this through their phones, though?)

      *I just realized that it's Georgia, which actually looks a little smaller than Arial. I just didn't realize that with Georgia the 'g' changes from double-story to single-story when italicized.

  69. rys says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:06 pm

    I don't enjoy this episode but I DO respect it. It is well-written, it has a really clever concept and it is acted very well. And most importantly, it has a bunch of ordinary humans showing their selfish, baser selves — there's no heroes in this bunch, except for the hostess. Such a lot of sci-fi glorifies 'humanity' and how it is something good that sets us apart from other species, but the awful, ordinary, scared humanity on display here rang more true.

    I also spent the episode just wanting everyone to shut up though!

  70. Anseflans says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    Oh, my god. I want to say so much about this episode, but I can't. I cannot. What. I can't.
    For me, it tops Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead on the Scare-O-Meter. When the Hostess sacrifices herself to kill the 'being', and everyone that's left realize what the fuck they were doing? That is something they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. They were willing to kill someone.

    And the scariest thing of all? If I were in a situation like that, and there was no Doctor to be a voice of reason, I don't know if I wouldn't do the exact same goddamn thing.

    This episode. Fuck.

  71. feanna says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:12 pm

    I loved this episode! I watched it before I started actually watching new Who. (I think somebody recced it for Colin Moragn, though it was before Merlin started airing, so maybe more for Jethro?)

    Also, totally unrelated: When the Observer in Fringe started repeating what the girl he'd kidnapped was saying, this episode was TOTALLY what I thought about! And then he told her not to say anything. It was a bit different, but he preserved his own voice by telling her to be silent, so we never really find out what would have happened, other that that it was dangerous. And the reapeating thing has happened a few times since. (I think the kidnapped girl was the first time?)

    It's probably not even related, but seeing how we never find out what the monster in the episode is/wants and as we don't actually know much about the observers, I find it fascinating to speculate on potential meanings and similarities!

  72. Hypatia_ says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    Ah, "Midnight". The only episode of "Doctor Who" that has ever genuinely scared me. "Blink"? Scary in a fun way. "Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead?" Not a bit scary to me. "Midnight"? SCARY AS FUCK.

    At the beginning of the episode, the Doctor immediately starts trying to engage with everyone. He's such a social guy, he really loves people, and we're talking about Ten here, who adores humans and thinks they're wonderful. Somehow, that makes everything worse, because Ten expects the best of people, unlike Nine, who tends to expect the worst of his "stupid apes".

    These lines are interesting, because they kind of turn "Doctor Who"'s normal premise of "people are generally good" on its head.
    The Doctor: “You decide, you decide who you are. Could you actually murder her, any of you? Really? Or are you better than that?” When he says it, the Doctor clearly thinks that yes, they're better than that. In a normal episode, he'd be proved right. Here it’s inverted, they aren't better than that. It's an incredibly dark view of humanity, which, because I am cynical, I tend to think is warranted.

    Which is why this episode scares the shit out of me. Minus the death planet and the Entity (or whatever you want to call it), people really do freak out and do horrible, irrational things when they're frightened. They blame innocent people, use them as scapegoats. People are killed for no reason other than that other people are scared and need someone to blame. Although the means by which the story is told are fantastic, the basics are all too true to life. Sometimes it's said that real life is stranger than fiction. It's scarier too.

    • sabra_n says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:15 pm

      I think the "stupid apes" line haunts Nine perhaps a bit more than it should. He only said it once! And he wasn't a total cynic, or he wouldn't have placed so much hope, again and again, in humans like Gwyneth, Dr. Constantine, Nancy, Mickey, Jack, Cathica, the couple getting married in "Father's Day", etc. It is true that Ten is more of an extrovert, though, which does give an extra knife's-edge to the pain of the mob's rejection of him.

      • Hypatia_ says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:34 pm

        True, he did only say it once, so maybe I shouldn't have used that quote. What I meant is, Nine obviously love humans, the Doctor always does, but he seems to have a fairly realistic view of us. Whereas Ten generally thinks humans are completely, totally awesome and expects the best nearly all the time, which makes it kind of worse when the worst of human nature puts in an appearance.

  73. Miri says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:18 pm

    I actually think this episode is the scariest one to date. And yes, that includes Moffat's Big Scare Top Three (Empty Child/Doctor Dances/Blink). And Blink had me hiding behind a pillow, okay. This one had me clinging to it in wide-eyed horror.

    It's scary in an entirely different way than Moffat's scary, I think. Moffat does monsters that hit you right in the childhood, RTD is the king of Humans Are Bastards. Midnight is so scary for two reasons:
    1) the main bad guy is just….other people. Regular, scared, so very human people. And they turn. They're ugly. And it's all under their own minds. They're not being controlled, there's an alien presence but all it does is egg them on – it's the same reason why way back in The Idiot's Lantern, the actions of the 50's father were so awful. We don't like being shown what humans can be, under pressure, and fiction likes to show HUMANITY RISING TO THE CHALLENGE!!!!! and PEOPLE BEING HEROES!!!!! when really, the people on the train are probably a more truthful example of how most people would end up being in that situation.
    2) The Doctor. We're so used to seeing him be in control, or if he's not in control then at least he's dynamically out of control. He's actively stopping what's going on, even if it's running away with him, and he's charming and charismatic and cracks jokes and gets everyone on his side…..and in Midnight, that falls apart so quickly. It's horrifying to see the Doctor so out of control, it's horrifying that it's humans doing it to him (given how much especially this regeneration extolls humanity's virtues) and it's deeply terrifying to see the Doctor so scared. Eccleston once said in an interview that it was the Doctor's job to help the kids watching not be so scared, by being the smiling confident hero even when the situation is bad (paraphrased, but i can't remember the exact words) and we don't get that this episode. When the danger starts, with Midnight, it's just EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE FOREVER.

    To be fair, it probably doesn't help that I'm claustrophobic, either. :'D

    Also, Donna repeating his words and the Doctor's voice when he tells her not to….yeah.

    tl;dr anyone who says RTD can't write needs to sit down, shut up, and watch this episode again.

  74. Spugsy says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:22 pm

    Hmm, but they did just try to throw him out, you can understand why he might want to make them feel a bit guilty…

    • illusclaire says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm

      Making them feel guilty about that, maybe (and even then.. it's a survival mechanism, it's hard to blame people for those). Making them feel guilty about some random thing that he's bratty about anyway

      Sigh. That is so Tenth Doctor. What a stroppy dick!

      • nyssaoftraken74 says:
        March 2, 2011 at 2:53 pm

        I actually think he felt guilty himself. He'd spent so much time socialising with the passengers beforehand and even talked to the driver and mechanic, but hadn't bothered to include the Hostess.

  75. MsImpertinence says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    When I first saw Midnight it was at the urging of my older brother, and I was watching it on my laptop at, you guessed it, midnight. I was so wigged out at the end of the episode that I had to go back and watch "The Shakespeare Code" again to relax.

    I love how tense the whole episode is! The opening has a lot of charm, because it reminds me of an Agatha Christie Whodunnit (just with more, er, "Who"). We get the the cast, there's a great raport, and I'm expecting there to be a crime for the Good Doctor to solve… then it all goes to hell.
    The rest follows more like a trippy version of Alfred Hitchcock, where things are so surreal and out-of-control that we can't find any source of reason to set us right.

    Was I the only one who was absolutely gutted when the hostess died and they couldn't recall her name?

    I know an episode is brilliant when I stil try to see whatever the shadow was on that planet with every viewing. My imagination still tries to conjure up an image of what the creature was.

    Tap, tap.

  76. Kaci says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:25 pm

    This episode, man. I have very strong memories of it. The day I first watched this–I can't remember why now for the life of me–I was having one of those "losing faith in humanity, one person at a time" days. And then there was this. And it fed into everything I was feeling that day, every awful thought I had about what human beings are really capable of.

    The friend I watched it with tried to convince me otherwise, that the hostess sacrificing herself to save them should show me good things about humanity, and what people will do for other people, but to this day, I can't see it that way. I just see it as this huge treatise on why human beings suck.

    That said, now that I've had time to get away from that day, and everything I was feeling, I genuinely love this episode (though I didn't at the time, due to the whole…spiraling depression thing), but I still can only see it as deeply depressing, in the end.

    Well, that, and it has Merlin and a Ricky Gervais look-alike.

  77. Matt says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:26 pm

    Does anybody else find themselves wanting to say the words "The Lost Moon of Poosh!" over and over again like a song that gets stuck in your head?

    Just me then?

    (gets coat…)

    • Anonymous says:
      March 2, 2011 at 2:30 pm

      Does anybody else find themselves wanting to say the words "The Lost Moon of Poosh!" over and over again like a song that gets stuck in your head?

      Just me then?

      (gets coat…)

    • CJBadwolf says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:40 pm

      Not at all man. I've said it aloud four…five times now and my officemates are getting a bit concerned.

    • DBeR says:
      March 3, 2011 at 4:26 pm

      Nyah. I just want to say "Poosh!". I guess I'm a minimalist. Poosh!

  78. Narcissaa says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    OMG YOU WATCH MERLIN? ONLY MY FAVOURITE THING EVER. UTHER IS SUCH A DICK AND I LOVE HIM.

    Colin Morgan is my buddy [he studied in my city and I've been to three premieres that he's attended so we're obv tight.] but you're right. SO distracting to have Merlin there not actually BEING MAGICAL AND HELPING DAMMIT.

    I adore this ep just because I love watching the scenes where Sky and The Doctor speak in sync. RECITING PI OMG THE GEEK IN ME GETS SO EXCITED.

  79. lizvelrene says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:28 pm

    I was really getting tired of RTD by this point in the show, with the bombast and the loud and the shoutiness and the starting amazing two-parters that fall in their face. Sort of the same with David Tennant and the yelling. I totally changed my mind at this episode. This is just a masterpiece, I am convinced. As a piece of writing, it is air-fucking-tight. RTD can really knock it out of the park when he's not trying to make the BIGGEST THING EVAR. And David Tennant is so spectacular and he plays out all of the doctor's flaws and fears beautifully.

    Top five episodes, easily.

    (is it spoilery to say that Torchwood: Children of Earth also surprised the hell out of me by being amazing?)

  80. ScarecrowCeno says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    I adore this episode. I sort of think its RTD showing the kind of individually terrifying episode he can do. he gets a lot of unfair criticism and the like, and as show runner he focuse son the arcs, the big crowd pleasing episodes.. so it's fantastic to see him let loose to do soemthing else. Because he proves again why he is such an amazing writer. for me, this is the msot terrifying episode of S4, and far surpasses Moffat's two-parter.

    And I *adore* the end twist on the Doctor's usual "no.. don't do that".

  81. pica_scribit says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    As someone else pointed out, there's a sort of parallel between the fact that they cared *so much* that the Doctor didn't tell them his name, and yet they never bothered finding out the Hostess's name. There's also the fact that it seems like a lot of people treat anyone in the service industry like robots, without names or any sort of individuality.

  82. lacunaz says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    Managed to tear myself away from FSCMM to say:

    EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS EPISODE IS FUCKING FLAWLESS.

    EVERY TIME I WATCH IT I'M LIKE "I WONDER IF IT WILL WEAR OFF THIS TIME?"

    FALSE

    IT NEVER DOES

    we must not look at goblin men / we must not buy their fruit / who knows upon which soil they fed / their hungry thirsty roots

    I HAVE REALLY INTENSE FEELINGS ABOUT THIS EPISODE OKAY

    <img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/2l9yko.gif&quot; />

    • Karen says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:40 pm

      HOW CAN YOUR TEAR YOURSELF AWAY FROM FSCMM???

      I totally just took a screencap of one of the polls that I know you and I are invested in because we were actually in the lead for once! We haven't been in the lead all day!

      • lacunaz says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:58 pm

        I DON'T EVEN KNOW KAREN. But this popped up on my feed and I needed to flail around on behalf of Midnight because it's one of my favourites forever and ever.

        YES! 16 votes ahead at my last count! This is going to be a cutthroat battle to the very death, but hopefully the opposing sides will play nice once there's a winner and help him smash the competition.

        • Karen says:
          March 2, 2011 at 4:12 pm

          Lol. I just made a macro that I think is super funny in anticipation of victory tomorrow.

          But if we don't win, I'll probably post it on my lj anyway because I DO WHAT I WANT. And I spent like 2 whole minutes making on it and I don't want my work to be in vain.

    • Vicki_Louise says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:46 pm

      *Just sits there staring at that GIF, completely forgetting that she has to go to bed soon*

  83. kohlrabi says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    I was under the impression that he felt guilty himself that he didn't know her name, not that he was shaming everyone else.

  84. virtual_monster says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    I love this episode. Admittedly, that's not saying much, I love a lot of episodes, but this one is kinda special. I find it Amazing. And yet it's so brilliantly uncomfortable, I'm not sure if I enjoy it exactly.

    No, I'll tell you what it's like to me. It's like something with a really strong and offputting flavour that mellows into a really brilliant aftertaste. The actual watching of it is on the edge of the seat, nail-biting terror laced ith uneasiness and skin-crawling horror of the kind where I'd normally get up and go make a cup of tea (I'm English, it's compulsory) just to break the tension. BUT I CAN'T. I CAN'T STOP WATCHING… ARGH…

    And at the end, when it feels more like I've been put through a mangle, which is quite an achievement gioven that no one owns a mangle any more, than I've watched an episode of my favourite show, which is also TARGETED AT KIDS, I'm not at all sure that enjoyment is quite what I've experienced. It was brilliant, certainly. And I'm definitely glad I saw it, but I'm not wuoite sure that fun is meant to have an aftermath.

    But then I go away, and mt hearts slows down from something approaching a continuous tone, and I get to thinking about it now that my brain is actually capable of something more than engaging an fight-or-flight response. And I find that I really, REALLY like it a lot. It's an amazing episode. It really is.

    Especially a couple of hours after the fact.

  85. Anonymous says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    I hate this episode. Know why? BECAUSE IT IS TOO FUCKING SCARY FOR ME!
    Seeing the Doctor completely helpless and out-of-control makes me cringe uncomfortably for some reason. It also gives me the creeps in a big way.

    I am such a wimp.

  86. Pea Pie says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    Midnight IS the surprise awesomeness, but nevertheless, I can never stop myself from saying…

    Hallo accidental momentary pre-credits green screen!!

  87. Anonymous says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:40 pm

    "didn't even know her name"

    I hate that trope. I really do. Especially when someone's judging someone else for not knowing someone's name after they saved them – it's not like they aren't going to appreciate what they did. It's not like not knowing their name makes it not matter. It's so smug, to guilt people for not knowing people's names. Especially when, normally, you wouldn't anyway.

    And dude, you're "The Doctor". You wet yourself when River knew your actual name. Give it a rest.

    Now I am talking to the show as if it is its own main character. NEVER MIND

  88. EmmylovesWho says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    This episode is #winning, haters lack Adonis DNA etc

  89. Alexander says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:46 pm

    Why didn't anyone warn me about this episode!!!! It was horrible but by the time I realized that, Ihad to keep watching.

    I'm feeling terrible right now, urgh. I'm sitting alone in my dorm, all of my friends are out of town so I don't even have someone to talk to. I have to get this off my chest so I might as well post it here.

    When i was 18 I was in a plane crash. All in all the crash itself wasn't so bad, there were mostly cuts and bruises and only a few casualties. The pilot steered away from the airport and the surrounding city and crashed into a forest. It took rescue workers about twenty minutes to get to us. I mostly remember the smoke, jagged metal and above all the absolute madness of frightened people. The first thing anyone did was search for a scapegoat, in this case a Muslim couple. They were just as hurt and scared as anyone else but within seconds everyone 'knew' they were the cause of the crash. I tried to calm them but they wouldn't listen to reason, I tried to appeal to their good nature and they just ignored me. When the first guy started talking absolute nonsense about 'getting back at the terrorists' I practically ordered him to take a hike. He wasn't thinking straight, he shouldn't be trying to take decisions in such a state, but nooo! I was only a kid therefor it was impossible for my arguments to hold any truth compared to his almighty adult wisdom. I'm sure they were all perfectly good people had I met them any other day but they just went berserk, just lashing out out of fear and anger. They were hurt and wanted to hurt someone in return, anyone.
    By the time the rescue workers arrived I had gained a broken arm, a black eye and a concussion for my troubles, the couple had been severely beaten but lived.

    Now if you excuse me, I'm going to need a bottle of whiskey while I lose faith in humanity.

    • calimie says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:41 pm

      Oh, that's terrible! I wish you had been warned about this episode, enjoy your whisky.

      You were incredibly brave there. *hughs* I'm sorry that couple and you had to live through that.

    • kaleidoscoptics says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:57 pm

      Oh god, I'm so sorry. You get all the hugs in the world.

    • ThreeBooks says:
      March 2, 2011 at 4:02 pm

      Oh god… what, it just, I mean… no words for that level of stupid. none.

    • electric ashera says:
      March 2, 2011 at 4:15 pm

      Oh my god. You've lived Midnight. All the hugs for you.

    • Hotaru-hime says:
      March 2, 2011 at 4:21 pm

      Oh my God.
      Thank you for defending that couple. You give me faith that there are good people in this world.

    • __Jen__ says:
      March 2, 2011 at 4:31 pm

      That is so completely horrible. I'm so sorry. 🙁 It's brilliant that you were willing to step up and defend them. At least there's someone out there to still have faith in. *hugs*

  90. Anon says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    Is everyone else seeing replicated comments all over the place?

  91. Tauriel says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:47 pm

    Midnight is one of my top 5 NuWho episodes and it's FUCKING BRILLIANT. It's so fantastic that I literally couldn't believe it was actually written by RTD (don't kill me for this; I'm not particularly fond of him as a writer, I think most of his episodes are decent average at the best and bloody awful at the worst; Utopia and Midnight are shiny exceptions).

    The mass psychosis element (multiplied by the claustrophobic effect of enclosed space) has been handled excellently. And I think David Tennant gave his second best performance here (the first place being held by Human Nature/Family of Blood).

    It's fantastically creepy.

  92. Anseflans says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    "Aah, taking a big space-truck with a bunch of strangers across a diamond planet at midnight? What could possibly go wrong?

    Really, Ten? REALLY.

  93. Starsea28 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    I think this episode is brilliant. But I don't like watching it because it is very bleak and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I often dislike the Tenth Doctor but what happens to him this episode? Terrifying and heartbreaking.

  94. xpanasonicyouthx says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:52 pm

    I'm working on fixing the duplicating comments! Hold tight!

  95. Ali says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:54 pm

    I didn't hate this episode, but it didn't make much of an impression on me because THE NEXT EPISODE IS MY FAVOURITE EPISODE EVER IN ALL OF DOCTOR WHO.

    :D:D:D:D:D:D

    I am SO excited for you to watch it!

  96. nyssaoftraken74 says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:55 pm

    Oh very good! Molto Bene!

  97. t09yavorski says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:57 pm

    The people really bothered me in this episode when they turned on the Doctor but what made it worse was the change from the beginning. The Doctor intentionally sabotaged the "entertainment" and then made an effort to TALK with everyone. He was the only one who was social but in the end their logic for getting rid of him was that they didnt know who he was and he had 'just appeared out of nowhere'.

  98. sabra_n says:
    March 2, 2011 at 2:58 pm

    Oh, Mark. I so wanted to comment on your lack of preparation yesterday, but a big part of the impact of "Midnight" when it aired is that no one expected it to be…well, this. It was just this little RTD episode wedged between two-parters, and I fully expected it to be a throwaway despite the presence of Lesley Sharp, who's one of my favorite actresses ever. And instead we got the most pants-wettingly terrifying episode ever produced by New Who.

    I mean, I really have to give it up for Davies – he beat Moffat soundly at his own game of no-budget horror this season, and he did it in a companion-lite episode with no hype whatsoever. But "Midnight" is the kind of episode you can only do once, because it turned Doctor Who upside-down and inside out in order to work. All of the Doctor's tools – his psychic paper, his brilliance, his overbearing confidence – were turned against him in this story, and his ability to inspire the best in others failed him utterly.

    And as people have been saying, maybe this is another reason why the Doctor needs a companion – to give him cover and credibility. There is simply no way this story would have happened the way it did if Donna was present. Which isn't to say it was the Doctor's fault! See, that's why the whole thing hurt – Ten has never been more kind, empathetic, accessible, and yes, heroic, than in this season. You don't want to see bad things happen to him, but oh, they do. This was a level of helplessness far beyond being turned into Gollum and caged – because under the Master's thumb, he was still the Doctor. But in that shuttle, he had no credibility at all, and without it he couldn't save himself, let alone anybody else.

    Seriously, poor Doctor. He just wanted to make friends and have fun for the course of the journey, and he ended up as totally isolated as we've ever seen him. I've jibed the show for trying to feed us stupid lines about how he's a "lonely angel" and all that bollocks, but at the end there, when he was sitting in the aisle of the shuttle with the others refusing to look him (or each other) in the eye – that was loneliness. A lack of friends, a lack of kindred spirits. That hurt. If RTD wanted to write an ode to why the Doctor needs a companion, he couldn't have done any better.

    Finally, I just want to devote one mini-paragraph to singing the praises of Lesley Sharp, who started off playing a pretty typical Sharp character and then turned on a dime into territory I've never seen her enter before. With just a change in posture and a certain look in her eyes, she became utterly terrifying. Oh, and she learned everyone's dialogue. Why so awesome, Lesley Sharp? (If you want to see more of her awesomeness watch The Second Coming, Bob and Rose, and the first series of Clocking Off.)

  99. Minish says:
    March 2, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    Ultimate philosophical question:

    Do the events of this episode make these people evil? Are they good people who've made bad decisions under extreme pressure, or bad people who's true inner natures were revealed?

    I expect a 5 page essay on my desk by Monday.

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:10 pm

      but
      but
      but
      but

    • Anon says:
      March 2, 2011 at 3:36 pm

      I want to say good people don't turn on each other but mob mentality is a big thing. They call it group think and it can lead to smart people doing stupid things because they question each other. I'd like to think i'd be different but when your in a crazy situation who knows.

      • Anon says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:36 pm

        Meant to say people do stupid things because they don't question each other.

      • Minish says:
        March 2, 2011 at 3:44 pm

        Yeah, I remember hearing about a thing where when people are in groups and they don't know what to do, they assume that someone else has the information they don't. But they don't want to ask because they'd be revealing that they DON'T have the answers and fear of looking stupid, so they sit quietly and wait for someone else to do something. But, of course, everyone is on the same page all not knowing something but thinking someone else knows something they don't. It's all very fascinating stuff, really.

        • mkjcaylor says:
          March 2, 2011 at 4:22 pm

          This episode is so amazingly beautiful for raising this question and allowing such a complicated answer.

          I'd like to think that I would never do anything like that, but it IS so hard to not fear looking ridiculous or stupid in front of other people. The biggest part of learning to be yourself is to learn to ask the questions when you don't know and no one else is asking. I think this is a big part of being a scientist and why I chose this profession. But unfortunately even as a scientist you get laughed at for asking questions we don't really know the answers to because we think we do.

        • notemily says:
          March 2, 2011 at 11:12 pm

          Bystander Effect, yeah? Or something similar.

      • Mauve_Avenger says:
        March 2, 2011 at 8:05 pm

        I think that in cases like this it's almost impossible not to resort to some level of groupthink, because generally speaking no one would even know what questions needed to be asked, much less what the answers to those questions are.

        And because it's such a high stakes, high pressure situation, people are more likely to make Type I errors (acting on "the Doctor is possessed" when he's really not) because the alternative Type II error (acting on "the Doctor is not possessed" when he really is) is a lot riskier for everyone (well, everyone except the Doctor).

        So people are more likely to see patterns where there really aren't any, and to think that people who aren't seeing those patterns are either being idiots or trying to put everyone at risk, which naturally would lead to dissenting opinions being silenced.

    • sabra_n says:
      March 2, 2011 at 5:41 pm

      I think it's pretty reductive to call people "good" or "evil". Their actions may be good or evil, certainly, but people exist in dimensions other than that binary. The passengers of that shuttle all did very, very bad things that day, things they should be ashamed of for the rest of their lives. I have no problem calling at least some of the passengers self-involved, shallow, cowardly, annoying, petty, or any number of other derogatory terms. But I do have a problem putting them on "naughty or nice" lists.

    • echinodermata says:
      March 2, 2011 at 6:40 pm

      I say "evil" doesn't exist, and thereby circumvent the question itself. I also propose moral relativism, so define "good" and "bad."

  100. electric ashera says:
    March 2, 2011 at 3:06 pm

    Midnight is so scary that, despite planning to rewatch it last night, I couldn't bring myself to do it. Glad you liked it Mark!

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