The Witchfinders
Story 284, Episode 848, Series 11 Episode 8
Doctor: The Thirteenth Doctor
Companions: Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan, Graham O’Brien
We head to an English witch trail, and a story that keeps us guessing isn’t as good as it could be.
The Review
This story has tons of twists. First we see it is a witch trial of obviously not a witch stalked by a masked man. That man turns out to be King James I, here to defeat the armies of Satan. But then a tendril of mud attacks a girl, Willow, who was burying her grandmother who was unjustly killed for being a witch. Then, the mud fills the bodies of the dead. They’re coming to kill the murderous witch-trying landlady Mrs. Savage, but when they get to her, they obey her instead. Turns out the queen of the imprisoned Morax has infected her, and she killed people out of fear. They capture the King to put the monstrous King Morax in him, but the Doctor stops it. The plot keeps itself interesting, but it could’ve been a lot more terrifying. Also, it is still weird that the King has so few bodyguards walking around. For some reason, we still aren’t getting the pulse-pounding drama of previous seasons.
The best part is the legend Alan Cumming as the King. He is a mass of contradictions, blatantly sexist, defender of male authority, obviously gay, doing God’s good works, and desperate to forget his past. The show lets him loose, and he has a wonderful heart to heart with the Doctor that is a highlight of the episode. Willow and Mrs. Savage are well-acted too. The Doctor being female is very important as the King thinks Graham must be the leader (and gives him a hilarious hat), and she is accused of being a witch and almost killed. The thing about a tree being the Morax’s lock isn’t foreshadowed as well as it could’ve been, but it all works. This episode does not ascend to the highs of the previous historical in heart-churning sadness, but does not compensate with pulse-pounding action. In some ways it’s the most Series 11 of Series 11.
I do love when a guest actor just gets to take over, even if the episode itself isn’t as good as it should be. King James I hitting on the ‘Nubian’ Ryan was great times.
7.5/10 A solid outing, with good twists and acting.
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