![]() ![]() If you're well-versed in Who, you'd have likely picked up the impossible camera angles, particularly those from Clara's POV. ![]() In Sleep No More, that's the whole point. Last series, I got annoyed by Deep Breath and, to a slightly lesser extent, Into the Dalek because they felt like they needed to be widescreen movie-esque pieces but instead their visuals were oddly stunted. They're important.Īll three feel rather restricted – in a positive way. The Edge of Destruction, Midnight, Sleep No More: these are stories that enrich the series and showcase how malleable the format is they will never become the norm but they still needed telling. (Similarly, audio adventures like Whispers of Terror and Dead Air also utilise their own format well, both incredibly effectively. It's why the show is celebrating its 52 nd birthday very soon. The two stories are poles apart, but the restrictions make them divisive and massively interesting. Both encapsulate the experimental nature of the show, sometimes by necessity and sometimes as the main purpose of the plot. I can't help but feel that its close cousins are The Edge of Destruction and Midnight. Sleep No More references Frontios (and I love Frontios!) and Doctor Who and the Silurians, once again bringing up Homo Reptilia's naming problem. Instead of carving the alien symbols on the minds of the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), and co., the electrical connections are forced onto the viewer.Īlthough there are many 'firsts' for Doctor Who in this episode, it nonetheless alludes to various other stories and definitely has a similar tone to adventures like The Impossible Planet/ The Satan Pit, 42, and even Image of the Fendahl. I loved the two-parter, but this arguably handles the notion more deftly. An argument could be made that there's a link between this episode and Under the Lake/ Before the Flood, just a few episodes ago. It blurs the definition of dreams and nightmares.Īh yes, an earworm. The La Verrier Space Station is now a dark, grim place to be and those cheery pop singers juxtapose with that and the supposedly cosy Morpheus Machine. There's also something eerie about the rendition – that only an earworm like that, first recorded in 1954, could still crop up in the 38 th Century and so completely at odds with the environment. Actually, it's a great representative of the Morpheus creature: you'll be singing this infectious song long after the credits roll. Sandman is a useful plot point throughout. It's not entirely without music, of course, and Mr. Gold's greatly experienced with adding layers of tension to tales, but here, you still get that effect because it feels more true to life. The makeshift title was a welcome one-off change, smartly executed, while the absence of Murray Gold's typically-wonderful tracks puts you on the backfoot. Thanks to a lack of proper titles and soundtrack, you really feel like this was salvaged and immediately aired. ![]() Why is it a found footage serial? Because that's the whole point. That's a fascinating conceit, giving a solid reason for the experimental nature of the story's presentation. That, in itself, is the monster, and on repeat viewings, we're still not party to what's 'real' and what's not. Because the whole point of this episode is. Sleep No More is a whole different layer of 'meta,' not content with blurting out "Doctor Who?" at given opportunities or wishing all of us at home a very merry Christmas. Gagan Rassmussen (Reece Shearsmith) – and thus writer, Mark Gatiss – is betting on this. Doctor Who, however, is something that you really need to keep an eye on dedicated fans especially won't turn away from the screen. They're too distracted by social media or the phone going off. It's a major bug-bear of mine that people complain they don't understand what's going on, but don't actually pay attention. ![]() In fact, Sleep No More relies heavily on you keeping your eyes wide open and paying close attention. Because whenever someone says that, the thing they're trying to warn you off suddenly becomes immediately compelling, certainly to the point where you have to watch it. That's a deceptively clever opening line. ![]()
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