S04E09: 'Forest Of The Dead'

Published Saturday, Jun 7 2008, 19:46 BST | By Ben Rawson-Jones | 36 comments

Talk about raising the bar. The brilliant 'Forest Of The Dead' taps into deep-rooted psychological fears lurking in the shadows of one's mind, brilliantly building upon the intricacies and visceral thrills established in the opening part.

Donna's journey in this episode takes the essence of that old sci-fi concept - the parallel world - and gives it a stunning twist. Donna has all her dreams come true, finding an ideal man who can't answer back, two lovely children and a strong sense of belonging. The fact that it's all fake allows Catherine Tate to deliver her strongest performance to date, as the rug is ripped from beneath her feet in harrowing style.

Quite a few Doctor Who stories have been wrapped up fairly unconvincingly, with some overly convenient plot contrivance rearing its head in the final few minutes. Not so here. The little girl's emergence as a computer hard drive and River Song's self-sacrifice and resurrection are all cleverly structured and realised, providing a satisfying conclusion to the complex plot.

Then, just when we breath a hearty sigh of relief as normality is restored, Donna's dream man cannot muster the voice to shout after his beloved one because of his stutter. That moment, as Lee is teleported away, is cruel, clever and utterly heartbreaking - as is the look on The Doctor's face as he stares, handcuffed, at River Song's corpse.

The sight is an emotional burden that he will have to carry all throughout his future relationship with the archaeologist, a twist that further shows just how clever writer Steven Moffat is at manipulating timelines to make compulsive drama. David Tennant and Alex Kingston have such a believable chemistry together that one hopes they'll be reunited at some stage in the future. Perhaps then we'll learn exactly why he told her his name.

Over the course of this two-parter, Steven Moffat has tapped into our physical fear of the darkness and our psychological fears about losing what's precious to us. Chuck in great performances all round, well-paced direction from Euros Lyn and a Murray Gold score that often evokes the scare-maximising sounds from Lost - and you have the most complete episode of Doctor Who for a long time.

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AJ, Kentucky, on February 28th, 2009
This episode was not as good as the previous one! BORING

james,london, on July 2nd, 2008
a disastorous second half sums it up nicely

bob scotland, on June 23rd, 2008
boring

Alex, Nottingham, on June 22nd, 2008
Absolutely brilliant. Once again Moffat proves his genius with this intricate gem of a two parter that has you back behind the sofa, the way Who was meant to be, the way I remember it from my early childhood, and my parents from theirs. But more than recapturing what has been lost Moffat continues to tug on the viewers heart strings to create something new and wonderful. Directing was a bit naff, but other than that superb.

Chris, Devon, on June 16th, 2008
Ooh... the Moffat strikes again. And to think that soon this man will be doing RTD's job... genius... Anyway, the episode. Of course it was confusing, but the tension built up in the first part was an added bolster. Cruel, clever and heartbreaking - that was what the reviewer said - and I have to agree. Tennant and Kingston have enough chemistry to rival the Oxbridge science labs. Moffat seems to dig himself into a hole that seems virtually impossible to get out of and effortlessly and nimbly just nips out of it again. Did I mention that Moffat, or the Moffmeister as I call him, is a genius? Yes? I'll mention it again. HE IS A GENIUS!

sam,lancs, on June 11th, 2008
This episode proves Moffat is a genius! His previous stories - Blink & girl in the fireplace are like one of my favs ever. The thing about Moffat is that he maybe writing for a sci-fi show but he understands his characters to be HUMAN. He understands them so well and knows how to portray them on screen. Behind all the scary monsters/aliens Moffat prefers to tell very human stories which is why his episodes are so thrilling and terrifying at the same time. This episode was no exception I think that he met the standard of his previous episodes and has really shown a depth to the Doctor that has been rarely ever witnessed before on screen. The fact that the topic of SPOILERS is also tackled i.e. time traveling and the future and possible relationships + a really scary alien = greatness. This episode is like a breath of fresh air because I was sick and tired of hearing that Rose was the 'love of his life' and professor river song seems to turn that on its head! It seems to me that she will become his closest companion & most loved as she is the only one to know his true name. Catherine Tate it appears didn't have much to do but in fact she was contributing greatly to the episode. Living in her fantasy world, the world she's always wanted BEFORE the Doctor came - she has to face up to reality that it may not exist - which like many to me was heartbreaking but a vital element to the episode. Overall a great job, dialogue great and chemistry - fantastic!

Hil, Darlington, on June 10th, 2008
It was good :) But I don't think it was worth five stars tbh... there has been better episodes =/ but I enjoyed it anyway. Didn't like River Song. Ugh.

Debbie, Manchester, UK, on June 10th, 2008
Absolutely brilliant! Fantastic plot filled with little twists and turns and definitely one to keep the little ones scared of the dark for further Who generations to come. Steven Moffat is a genius, and a fitting successor to Russell T...and yes, Alex Kingston was incredible. I once questioned Catherine Tate's appointment in the role of companion (I am not a fan of her comedy), but her comic moments throughout this series, and her acting on Saturday night, expelled those thoughts forever! She more than makes the grade - very gutsy performance. If I could give this more than 5 stars, I would. This episode is right up there with the best - kudos times one million million!

Ashley, North Lincolnshire, on June 10th, 2008
This episode had everything: a complex plot that keeps you guessing, yet is not too much of a stretch to believe, great development of characters' and their relationships with some profound and touching moments, and a clever ending which actually turned out quite happy, not to mention a really cool set and visual effects and well cast actors. Bring on series 5, Steven Moffat will make a brilliant show runner - he is pure genius. I'm looking forward to more episodes as awesome as this one. =]

Julie, Sussex, on June 10th, 2008
Terrible, Terrible, Terrible!! What are they thinking of? Didn't enjoy this at all. I can't possibly let my son watch Dr.Who ever again!! I feel very cheated and angry having invested in ALL the hype, toys, books, stickers, DVDs, you name we have it! But now! I'll have to censor each episode before letting him watch it, something I have not done since The Empty Child! Mmmm, Steven Moffat, Say no more.... Try telling a 7yr old they can't watch their favourite program anymore. Thanks a lot BBC!!!!

Jonjoseph, London, on June 10th, 2008
This episode was brilliant, every year i get asked what episode i enjoyed the most? and i always answer 'the episode that Steven Moffat wrote' and i think he will make it for a 4th year. This is just pure excellence!!!! probably one of the best stories in the whole of its 45 year history!!!!!

Brendan Weybridge, on June 10th, 2008
I thought as usual, the story was rushed. They should go back to the four part format which would have given them two hours instead of an hour and a half. Even in two parts this one was like it was rushing for the last train, over scored too. At least they had decent CG this week, the last few episodes had been almost laughably bad as regards FX. David Tennant's gurning "been there seen that done that" Dr is becoming annoying too. There's never any threat that he'll come to any harm.

Chris, Leicester, on June 10th, 2008
How ANYONE gave this a 'one-star' rating I just don't understand! DW the series has come of age and is a tour de force. Moffat's writing is un-parralleled and I look forward eagerly to future episodes. If I had one criticism it would be that it ended!

G*, Manchester, on June 9th, 2008
Loved it, although it was hard to follow at times. Sci-Fi is meant to be imaginative and a little different than normal drama out there. Big thumbs up. However I think the theory of River Song being a future wife or companion is a little too obvious and probably a massive red herring. The Doctor said that there was only one time he would ever give his real name.... Just a hunch, but as Steven Moffat wrote this, and as he is the new showrunner of the series once RTD leaves, it's possible he's setting his stall out for future episodes. Most fans know that the Doctor only has 13 regenerations, which technically only gives SM chance to work on the series for a duration of 3 more actors once DT leaves. It's quite possible that the event that allows the Doctor to give his real name is some kind of event on Gallifrey which bestows him new life. Up till now we've been led to believe that Gallifrey and all the Time Lords are gone.... But what if they are not? What if they too are in an alternate universe? My hunch is that Steven Moffat wants to put things in place now to allow for plot devleopment later down the line, rather than one rushed expose in a two parter. Oh, and nobody so far has asked where Professor Yana/the Master left his TARDIS yet!

Chris Bournemouth, on June 9th, 2008
Steven Moffat knows that DW is at its best when taken seriously and this is as good as television gets.His familiar theme of doomed love woven into what would of been a great script anyway was heartbreaking.A rare glimpse into the pain and complex nature of the Doctors life.How can you give this anything less than 5 stars?

Craig, Bangor, on June 9th, 2008
Fantastic episode!!! Alex Kingston needs to be the next assistant, but only when Catherine Tate decides to leave, she is BRILLIANT!!! Well done guys!

Dan M York, on June 9th, 2008
Brill.By the way i wonder why Donna isnt in the Doctors future(cough probbally dies)May not have been as good as blink but has set the stage for future shocks.By the way who thinks its Dalek Caan in the mid series trailer at the end.I think it's Darvros because why would they keep Caan in the shadows because everyone already knows about him whereas nobody has a clue about Doctor Darvros. Soz if i rambled on.Can't wait for Moffat to take over.

Gemma, Woking, on June 9th, 2008
What an amazing episode, I was hooked till the very end!!!

Katie, London, on June 9th, 2008
Probably the worst episode of Who I've ever seen. Totally against everything that is Doctor Who. It's rapidly becoming a soap opera. More plot holes that a block of Edam, one minute if all that's left of you is a faint echo then all that'll be left of you in the virtual world be be a poor copy, the next oh it's alright, you'll be perfectly fine. The description of the Doctor in the future wasn't how the Doctor would ever be, The Master then fine, but not The Doctor. And how many more times! He's had a wife and child, he's not bothered by it! Much less would he take some woman claiming to be a Professor when in all reality she'd barely get a GCSE in archaeology. Tate 's acting was sub standard, as normal. Tennant seems to be going through the motions now, all he's asked to do is flail his arms, do some shouting and eye bulging and look attractive. Gets boring, even for a fangirl like me. :(

Rob, Plymouth, on June 9th, 2008
Very clever, moving and adult, this is a startling detour and one of the most sophisticated ideas and plots in the series history, but one that would have actually benefitted from being longer in order to iron out the exposition, bolster some characters and resolve the Vashta Nerada plot a little more satisfyingly. Still, ruddy great though (teh 21st century'Mind Robber'?)!

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