My favorite episodes so far this season! As I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of the Doctor's big fan, Osgood. She was my favorite from the
50th anniversary. I was heartbroken when she died. And thrilled when I saw her in the
series 9 trailers. I had been waiting for these two episodes all series, and they did not disappoint. Here are just some of the things that made
The Zygon Invasion and
The Zygon Inversion so great:
The Doctor-Clara Relationship
I've been going on and on about how much I love the development of the Doctor and Clara's relationship. They've moved to yet another level with this two parter. The Doctor usually falls into battle situations while with his companions and they work together to avoid war. I've always assumed that if the Doctor ran across a situation while the companion wasn't there, he'd take care of it himself. It was great to see that in this crisis, while the Doctor was presented with the crumbling of the ceasefire, the Doctor actively reached out to Clara, asking for her help. Just shows again that he needs her as much as she needs him. Isn't that what we all want?
We also saw a bit of what he'd be like upon her death. It really is heartbreaking, and I will probably cry when the time comes at the end of this series. Not just because we're losing my favorite companion but also because of how it will hit the Doctor. Maybe this preview was a way to help soften the blow later on.
Peter Capaldi's Brilliance
Part of why the Doctor-Clara relationship is so compelling and the impending end so devastating is because of Peter Capaldi's brilliant acting. He is incredible at getting us to feel everything the Doctor feels. His monologues have such depth, and his long monologue in the Inversion takes the cake. He should be the peace envoy to everything. And everyone in the world should be a Whovian. The world would be a much better place. Forgiveness.
Jenna Coleman as a Baddie
I can't wait to see Jenna Coleman play a baddie in future projects. It was great to see a different side of her acting abilities in these episodes. Everyone knows Doctor Who is great for actors because they get to be in different genres of stories pretty much every week, but Jenna Coleman has also had the opportunity to play more characters than probably anyone in Doctor Who history. All of her characters have been the altruistic hero until Bonnie. Who would've thought that sweet innocent face could be so intimidating? And even better was seeing the guns-blazing hell-bent evil dictator maturing and having the change of heart, all in one episode. Credit to the great team effort by Jenna and the writers.
Storytelling Marvels
Everything about the storytelling in these two episodes worked, especially the writing, editing, and sound. The openings of the episodes immediately drew you in. The use of the Osgoods and their videos. There was just the right amount of deception and foreshadowing. My favorite bit was something so small but carried so much weight - the sound of the text message being sent to the Doctor. That entire sequence of Clara forcing Bonnie to text without her knowledge was amazing, but the best part of that sequence was how they cut away visually and the swoop of the text is all we need to know that everything would turn out alright.
Concept of Osgood
Why do I love Osgood so much? It's hard to pin down. Of course she's fun and clever. From the 50th, she represented good - the person you could trust that would do the right thing, like not revealing who was human or zygon even though she knew. Steven Moffat has
talked about her representing us, the fans. She's not only a fan but the fan that has become the Doctor's friend and been asked to join him in the TARDIS. After this last episode, she's also just Osgood. No species or labels. Who she is, is more than good enough. We don't need to know "what" she is. People will always want to categorize you, but as Osgood would say, "I'm me."
