Things I've Learnt from Watching My Favourite Doctor Who Stories: Part 39 - Blink

 39: Blink 

Don't Blink...

Blink is brilliant. A clever subversion of the series format, a Doctor lite episode that introduces one of the modern series most popular villains, the Weeping Angels. 

Although they are a great creation they've also felt like a case of diminishing returns. They're never better here (or Village of the Angels!) 

So if Blink is so brilliant, why is it conspicuously lower than many others would rate it. (ie not at the top!) OK this might be petty, but my reason is it introduced something that is a pet peeve of mine. Those four words that set my teeth in edge... 

Yes, it's "Wibbly Wobbly timey wimey!" 

I can't stand it and as much as I admire Steven Moffat as a writer, it's the worst thing he's ever done for the show (even worse than commissioning In the Forest of the Night!) Unfortunately it caught on like the plague and everyone was saying it. It was the Doctor Who equivalent of "whassup!" So, in the words of David Tennant, "No, no don't say that... Just don't!" 

Right got that off my chest! 

Blink features one of the best guest turns in the series ever, by an actress destined for stardom. Carey Mulligan was a relative newcomer when cast, but soon became a Hollywood star, in movies such as the Great Gatsby. Modern Doctor Who has always had a good record for spotting up and coming talent such as Andrew Garfield, Felicity Jones, Daniel Kaluuya, and of course Freema Agyeman who's role in this as Martha is quite limited unfortunately. 

Mulligan's performance as Sally Sparrow is charming and surprisingly light on the Moffat sassy quips that his later companions Amy and Clara seemed to suffer. She's basically the lead in this and much of the success of the episode depends on her performance. Both she and Finlay Robertson have great chemistry and Larry feels like he's a prototype Rory. Their first meeting where he's not wearing any pants could be straight out of Moffat's sitcom Coupling. With all the horror and complex plotting, their relationship is simply but effectively depicted. 

Hattie Macdonald's direction is superb, the tension in the later scenes in the house is nail-biting, especially that jump cut! The sequence in the cellar with the TARDIS is frankly terrifying and rightly regarded as a proper behind the sofa moment. I'm contrast the scene with Old Billy is touching and done with such stark simplicity of the rain stopping. Louis Mahoney as old Billy is only in it for a few minutes, he doesn't get as much credit as he should for such a brilliant performance. 

If there is problem with Blink it's possibly almost too good. It's so tightly plotted and scripted, which is let's be honest, a rarity for Doctor Who. Come on, we need plot holes to pick over, bad dialogue to point and laugh at (although Billy's "Because life is short and you are hot" is a terrible chat up line!) dodgy performance to affectionately ridicule. But there's none of that here at all. Everyone is tonally perfect in their performances, the script is polished and shiny like new. It's just too good. 

Which is why for me, it felt as though Steven Moffat would never better it and I felt a slight disappointment in the following year's Silence in the Library. His time as showrunner had highs that were the highest the show had ever seen and lows that made me wonder why I was bothering to watch! But I'm here to to celebrate Blink, and thanks to Carey Mulligan and Steven Moffat, it's a finest example of Doctor Who as you'll ever find. 

Just don't say you know what, no just don't... 

Next Time : Stay away from snakes...