Contributor: Bronzethumb
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Douglas Mackinnon
It’s saying great things about this series of “Doctor Who” that the weakest episode is still a fun, exciting romp with great character beats. But it’s definitely the weakest episode, because for all the fun moments and an interesting perspective on the show’s usual formula, it feels like a re-tread of the Russell T Davies era, with all the baggage and weaknesses that come along with it.
The Ponds are already grappling with a tough decision — whether to keep traveling with the Doctor or commit to their lives on Earth — when billions of small, invincible cubes appear all across the planet for seemingly no reason. The Doctor is forced to hunker down with the Ponds to solve the mystery of the cubes, and in the meantime he gets a new insight into how Amy and Rory live when he’s not around. It’s a solid plot that succeeds in putting new spins on the old formulas, but there are problems peeking out from beneath the surface.
The mystery of the boxes is the most intellectually engaging of series 7, so strange and interesting that the audience can’t help but engage. The long timeframe only helps to distinguish this strange invasion from everything that’s come before, but as the episode goes on and the mystery is peeled away, it loses that fascination and becomes something by-the-numbers. The villain is weak and turns up far too late, and everything’s resolved by an RTD-esque deus ex machina. It’s a shame, because there’s such a great lead-up and a lot of genuine tension as viewers wait to see exactly what the cubes will do.
The great success is in providing a new perspective on Amy and Rory’s ongoing relationship with the Doctor. Fun details about their lives trickle into the episode and we get to see how they spend their Earth-bound time, while time-travelling shenanigans with the Doctor are kept off-screen with just enough amusing hints for viewers to imagine their own adventures. But more than that, we get to see how being an ongoing companion affects the Ponds in a way totally unique to RTD’s model, and it was far more interesting this time around. People with adventurous spirits are already going to struggle with a nine-to-five, so what happens to Amy and Rory when they’re whisked away every so often, and what do they come back to? Finding out is a genuine pleasure.
The titular Three are the focus of the episode, but there are some great supporting characters. Brian makes a return, with Mark Williams’ continuing to be utterly perfect in the role of Rory’s father. “The Power of Three” also introduces Kate, the new head of UNIT and hopefully a recurring character in the Moffat era because she’s absolutely fantastic. The actress marches into a scene with the main trio and is both commanding and wonderfully snarky, and between the great performance and a surprising connection to the classic series, she’ll go on the list of characters that deserve their own spinoff.
There’s a lot to like about “The Power of Three” and for its great new spin on the Doctor/companion dynamic, it’ll be one worth coming back to in future years. But the mystery of the boxes, for its intriguing and tense set-up, is a letdown that slides too far into the bad conventions of years past. It’s certainly not a bad episode, but it doesn’t compare favourably to the preceding episodes.
Score: 7/10
