What if when you thought someone was there, when nobody was......somebody really was?
We open to the Doctor sitting on top of the TARDIS in Earth's orbit. He's meditating. He suddenly awakens and says "LISTEN". The opening has got me hooked already.
Cut to the Doctor walking around the TARDIS pondering a question "Why do we talk out loud when we know were alone?". "Conjecture.. because we know we're not" "Question, why is there no such thing as 'perfect hiding'?" "Answer...How would you know?" "......except in those moments, when for no clear reason, it chose to speak aloud. What would such a creature want, what would it do?...............WELL, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?"
The chalk the Doctor had been writing with during his lecture mysteriously disappears, and re appears rolling toward him on the floor. He picks it up, turns, and on the chalkboard someone has written "LISTEN"
The Doctor is obviously setting up a 'terrifying' new episode.
Intro
Clara enters her flat, apparently dejected by something that happened, while flashbacks of her date with Danny Pink come and go. As expected its a romantically awkward first date. Something we've been wishing for Clara for a long time. The date goes from awkward, to cheerful, to argumentative to an abrupt end.
Clara leaves and finds the Doctor and the TARDIS in her bedroom. He gets her to come along for yet another journey. the Doctor ponders "what if were never really alone when we talk to ourselves". He goes on bantering and we see one the creepiest scenes ever in Doctor who. Scared boys and girls waking up, thinking they're not alone, only to be grabbed by a hand from under their bed!!! WHAT!!!
The Doctor takes Clara back to her childhood, to straighten out this FREAKY DAMN EPISODE. They arrive in Gloucester, mid 1990's. Clara has never lived here. We soon learn we are in Danny Pink's timeline and whaddyaknow, Danny Pink thinks there's someone under his bed. Clara meets Danny in his room in a boarding home to find him scared to sleep. Clara tries to reassure him theres nobody under his bed as they both get under. Suddenly there's someone 'SITTING ON THE GOD DAMN BED'!!!!!!!!!!!! They get out from underneath to find someone under a blanket sitting on the bed. The Doctor is in a chair, trying to calm Danny, telling him his fear is like a superpower, speeding his heart rate and making him run faster, jump higher and time appears to move slower. They turn their backs to the figure, trying to remove its power. It approaches them, the blanket drops, we can't see who it is,(brilliantly blurred) and it suddenly leaves the room. This is one of the creepiest and most brilliantly written episodes I've ever seen!
4. Oswald Pink
This episode is so off the wall, it jumps from time period to time period. One of those time periods is 100 years into Clara's future. We meet Oswald Pink. He resembles Danny. We learn he's the last survivor in the universe. Stranded alone, on a vessel on the last planet left. Oswald hints at being the great grandchild of Clara and Danny. Danny's is alone and wants only one thing.... to return home. the Doctor tries to explain to him that there is nobody left, but being a time traveler he can return him to his time, but only after the TARDIS recharges. Obviously a lie since the TARDIS doesnt need recharging. The doctor simply wants to know what Danny is so afraid of...he's obsessed with finding out. Danny's timeline is extremely well written. He the culmination of the Doctor and Clara. We got our first look at the telepathic link within the TARDIS. Clara uses it and it's supposed to bring them to time within Clara's subconscious timeline, but as we find out, its not that easy. What the viewer has to determine is that Danny's timeline isn't 100% real but a mix of Clara's future and the Doctors past.
3. The person under the blanket
As Clara and young Danny crawl under the bed to prove there's nobody there, somebody sits on top of the bed. As they crawl out, they see a figure, draped in a blanket sitting on the bed. The creepiest scariest thing I've seen on Doctor Who. I can't even write about it... it's that freaky. Just watch the episode
2. Timey Whimey
One of the highlights of this episode is it doesn't just park itself in one time...It can't. well it could, but it wouldn't be as good. The fact that this episode goes from the Doctor, to the first date between Clara and Danny, to mid 1990's, back to the dare with Clara and Danny, to 100 years in the future, to 2100+ years in the past is simply brilliant. It's goes everywhere and it makes a world of difference. While the last two episodes have been pretty disappointing, they both stayed in one time and stayed put. This episode is nowhere near as cut and dry. Mixing childhood phobias, the subconscious aspect involved and the genius of time travel to glue them all together is downright enjoyable. Then again maybe its just me, but I like things you REALLY have to think about. This is one of those episodes.
1. The writing of Mr. Stephen Moffat
I hate to admit it but the writing of Stephen Moffat makes a HUGE difference. There have been 4 episodes so far this season and the only two good ones were solely written by Moffat. 'Into the Dalek', which wasn't as good as it could have been was only co-written by Moffat, and last weeks 'Robot of Sherwood' was written by Mark Gatiss. Its no coincidence that Moffat makes all the difference. 'Listen" is undoubtedly the best episode of the season and that's thanks to Moffat. As the episode progresses, we learn that the things that go bump in the night might actually be real. A cold hand reaching out from under the bed can torment a child for a long long time. This episode tackles this lore BRILLIANTLY. I could have easily been written that there are hidden people all around us when we think were alone, and they're just an alien race... Moffat doesn't think in this cliche and I'm SOOOOO grateful for that. His ability to move a story along while jumping around 'supposedly' aimlessly, and make it all fit is fantastic. There's no wonder he won an Emmy for writing. He's astounding at it. More praise has to be given to his writing of the Doctor in this one. He comes off as a concerned and stern father figure, and once we know why it makes it all that much more appeasing.