Doctor Who Recap: Dinosaurs on a Spaceship
Dinosaurs with a dash of foreshadowing.
Well, “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship” has come and gone, and we’re happy to report that it was more entertaining than Snakes on a Plane. Although a Samuel L. Jackson appearance on Doctor Who who might be kind of fun, now that I think about it. And while this week’s installment was primarily just a fun excuse or the Doctor and company to run away from dinosaurs, there were a few intriguing moments worthy of mention, as well as one thing the Doctor never tires of: a good, old-fashioned mystery.
Let’s get to it, shall we? SPOILERS BELOW!
A Blast from the Past
It’s always fun when the show brings back some of the creatures or characters from Doctor Who‘s long history, and this week’s episode involved a race first introduced into canon waaaaay back in 1970. The Third Doctor met the reptilian Silurians during an adventure appropriately called “Doctor Who and the Silurians.” They were reintroduced in 2010’s “The Hungry Earth,” albeit having undergone a significant redesign. The Silurians are at the center of “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” with the Doctor trying to learn what happened to the Silurian crew of a mysterious spacecraft he finds empty except for a cargo of dinosaurs. It was nice to see the lizard folk getting a callback.
The TARDIS of Damocles
Although this episode was primarily a lark, there were several decidedly non-goofy moments, most notably during a conversation between the Doctor and Amy. Commenting on the fact that the Doctor’s visits seem to be coming less and less frequently, she jokes that she thinks the Time Lord is weaning her and Rory off of him. He reassures her that “You’ll be there ’til the end of me.” When she responds with “Or vice versa,” the Doctor’s stung expression reminds us once again that he is destined to lose every friend he makes, as well as foreshadowing the Ponds’ impending departure from the show.
Rory’s Dad
Doctor Who has milked a lot of humor over the decades by showing the confused and terrified reactions of people discovering the seemingly impossible nature of the TARDIS. In “Dinosaurs,” we again get to see that process through the eyes of Rory’s dad, who goes from a brief visit to the Ponds’ flat to suddenly finding himself inside a magical time-traveling box that’s bigger on the inside. All things considered, Dad (Mark Williams) handled things quite well. He provided some easy humor and also set up one of the episode’s very best moments: a gorgeous shot of him sitting in TARDIS’ open doorway, staring down at the big, beautiful Earth below. The reveal toward the end that this adventure with the Doctor has inspired him to travel the world was a great little touch, further cementing the idea that sometimes it takes an immortal time lord to remind us short-lived humans to appreciate every moment we get.
Doctor who?
“Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” just like “Asylum of the Daleks” before it, once again references the Doctor’s faked death and attempts to erase his own myth, suggesting once again that this will be one of the season’s central themes. The ruthless trader Solomon (Harry Potter‘s David Bradley) is both confused and irritated when a scan to determine the Doctor’s identity comes up empty. There’s even a nice bit of misdirection when Solomon says that something incredibly valuable is on board — leading the audience to expect the valuable object is the Doctor — only to reveal that he’s talking about the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, who is tagging along during this week’s adventure. You can expect plenty more moments like this as the show foreshadows the answering of the question that must not be asked: Doctor who?
“I’m that kind of man.”
The show’s climax features a surprisingly dark moment that feels very much like a callback to some of David Tennant’s best moments. When Solomon realizes he can’t escape from some inbound missiles, he suggests that the Doctor won’t let him die. Instead the Doctor asks, “Did the Silurians beg to be spared as well?” And while the Doctor doesn’t directly kill Solomon, he unquestionably allows Solomon to die. It’s a reminder of why his enemies over the years have viewed the Doctor as an angry, avenging god. Tennant was brilliant at playing that darker side of the Doctor, and it’s good to see another moment reminding us that while the Doctor cherishes all life, his vengeance when unleashed is a thing of terror.
On that note, we’ll leave you with one of my favorite Who scenes of all time. We’ll be back next week to talk about “A Town Called Mercy,” featuring Farscape‘s Ben Browder!
