Doctor Who (TV Series) In the Forest of the Night (2014) User Reviews

Whimsical Approach that wasn't great!

[masonbingley2000 · 7/10 · 28 October 2014]

Unfortunately, this episode didn't live up to my expectations and was quite dull for the majority of the episode. The characters in the story were great apart from Bradley who slowly began to wind me up. The amount of humor and real, school life problems mixed well with this episode giving it a more engaging approach for students. The storyline and plot was fantastic and imaginative with super realizations of London invaded by trees.

The episode started of very well with the Doctor and Maebh. As the episode went on, the worse the episode got with some dragged out scenes but some jumpy moments and the animals in the forest made up for a lot of these super long scenes. One scene was exceptionally heartfelt, I did think Clara was going to die but the episode resolved this problem and even if the episode wasn't as enjoyable as I would have hoped for, it still was watchable and engaging.

A weak episode in an otherwise still great series.

[ryanjmorris · 7/10 · 27 October 2014]

I have decided that is is tradition for every series of Doctor Who (bar perhaps the fourth) to feature a really poor episode. Series 1 had Boom Town, 2 had Love and Monsters, 3 had Daleks in Manhatten and so on. Series 8 had been pretty sublime, up until what we just saw with In the Forest of the Night, which probably ranks as the weakest episode since last year's diabolical The Rings of Akhaten. This series has been undeniably darker than anything we've seen for a while, which is why this episode feels so out of place. Loaded with annoying children and building on a story (and I use that word very loosely) that seems more like something from The Sarah Jane Adventures than from a series that also offered episodes like Listen and Kill the Moon. Here's hoping that first time writer Frank Cottrell Boyce does not return next year.

What's most annoying about this episode is that there are some genuinely nice touches littered throughout. The idea of an entire forest growing over night is a big set up, but the episode just doesn't commit to it properly. It's visually wonderful, from the overhead shots of the forest to the space view of a now green Earth, but there isn't really anything beyond that. The numerous fairy tale references all feel wasted and the plot falls apart not long after the opening sequence. Had the story delved a bit deeper into some more mature themes and ideas then maybe this episode could've been lifted a little, but it wound up a failed attempt at a fairy tale with not enough ideas to back up its aim. By the time wolves and tigers appear for about three minutes, and are then immediately forgotten, all hope just about seems lost.

But, somehow, both Capaldi and Coleman are great again. Even if the script fails them (though the callback to Kill the Moon was a nice touch), they pack the episode with enough life so that it never really feels boring. There's some more slight advances with regards to Danny, but he feels pretty wasted here. He just sort of marches around and shouts at children, but never really manages to do anything besides scare a tiger with a torch. But let's not go into that. There's a further little hint at what's to come in the finale with yet another seemingly random Missy scene, but with that, this episode feels more like a stepping stone to bridge us between Flatline and the series finale. Here's hoping it follows suit from the rest of the series, and not from In the Forest of the Night, as I'm not sure I could take that again.

Trying Too Hard

[tlfirth · 6/10 · 26 October 2014]

This, unfortunately, was my most-anticipated episode of the second half of Series 8, and it has so far turned out to be the worst since Robot of Sherwood. In all fairness, the story started out wonderfully, with child actress, Abigail Eames, turning out to be quite tolerable, and Peter Capaldi continuing to improve his own Doctor in all the right ways. There was even some spectacular music to accompany it.

But, soon after the opening credits, the episode deteriorated from there and seemed to stop halfway through. The Doctor became a teacher, and Clara and Danny were too engrossed in their own relationship to be looking after the kids. The episode also had one massive pothole, where are the 8million people (23million if you can't urban) who wander London everyday?

There were some intriguing elements, however, including Missy's reaction to the solar flare, the news reports swirling around the Earth was a nice touch, and the direction was top notch from newcomer, Sheree Folkson. Otherwise, whilst Frank Cottrell-Boyce did manage to capture some child-like spirit, there was no potential for this story to get off the ground. And it ended disastrously.

6.2/10

P.S. The next time trailer outshone the whole episode.

'Never work with animals or children .' W.C. Fields (Also - Who IS 'Missy?" I'm willing to bet

[UNOhwen · 26 October 2014]

The full impact behind this quote is on display in this episode of Doctor Who.

The Forest Of The Night - the 8th episode of the 10th series - is one of the (I'm sad to say) worst stories (even including the other 'child' episode - Fear Her).

Let me say I am not some 'right-wing' person who doesn't believe in the detrimental impact we're having on this planet.

What I am saying is this story is a cheap cop-out - an easy excuse to bolster ratings amongst kids & their parents, but - for the rest of the viewers (who are the majority); adults, this story's attempt at making a natural solar event into a Who-story falls flat.

The only positives here - an excellent manic performance by Peter Capaldi as The Doctor.

I am of the mind thought that the relationship between Clara Oswald & Danny Pink is forced, & very unnatural.

For those who watched this evolve from this series beginnings, Clara always seem to be the one making the moves after Mr. Pink, but - there was never anything 'there' - that, we the viewer could see.

Yes, Samuel Anderson (who portrays Danny Pink) is a handsome fellow, but, the initial pursuit Clara does for Mr.Pink seemed pointless.

Why?

Yes, without being sexist, there's nothing wrong with wanting someone for purely physical reasons, but, as this 'relationship' has continued, she seems to weigh it's value much deeper than she, and he seems to be indifferent.

So, to have the possible end of the world about to happen, I would rather save myself - Mr. Pink and kids be damned.

This episode features another appearance by the 'mysterious' 'Missy,' and I'm willing to bet 'Missy,' is the Doctor - I propose her name is short for 'Mistakes.'

I do not have any inside word from anyone @ either BBC or on the series itself - it just seems to be quite obvious.

TIme will tell.

IF I'm right, buy me a beer.

The Forest of London

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 26 October 2014]

This episode opens with Maebh Arden, a young girl, running through a forest in fear; she comes across a familiar blue box and knocks on the door. When The Doctor answers she tells him Clara sent her. He is a little busy though; he wanted to land the Tardis in London not some forest. Maebh points out that the problem isn't with his navigation but with London; they are in Trafalgar Square! Meanwhile Clara, Mr. Pink and Maebh's class have spent the night in the Natural History Museum; when they come to leave they are equally surprised by the trees. Having got together with The Doctor they must figure out what caused the sudden appearance of the trees and more importantly what they should do about them.

After a couple of really good episodes it isn't surprising that this one isn't quite so good. That's not to say it was bad; the 'lost in the woods' setting gave the episode a nice degree of creepiness that most people can appreciate without needing monsters that might actually scare younger viewers. Indeed this felt like an episode more targeted at those younger viewers; the fact that most of the cast are young is more likely to appeal to them; older viewers may find the children a little irritating though; but not as irritating as Clara and Danny's bickering. Certain aspects of the story are best not thought about too deeply; most notably where is everybody else, trees or no trees it is still meant to be the middle of London; surely there would be lots of people about! The ultimate environmental message may not be the most subtle but it made a change for the doctor to be dealing with a benevolent situation. Overall a decent enough episode that suffers in comparison to the previous two.

Underrated

[pjgs200 · 7/10 · 29 June 2016]

I think that this episode was one of the strongest in this season. Kill the Moon, Mummy on The Orient Express, and this one, In the forest of The Night, were my favorite episodes. I think that they all deserve an 8 or 9. The acting was great here, especially on Maeph and The Doctors 's part. Really, really good. I loved the plot, and how Maeph really contributed a lot. Missy tormenting Maeph was very interesting, and how The Doctor helped her was very satisfying. The ending when Maeph found her Mom and sister was great, and very well written. Overall, Beautiful episode, and very nice ideas. I am thoroughly pleased with the acting in this episode. Great job! 8/10

A leisurely stroll through the woods

[dkiliane · 7/10 · 19 April 2019]

This episode gets a lot of hate for some reason. Some of it deserved, some of it not. Personally, I at least think it's a tad better than "Kill the Moon." Here, endless forests have sprung up covering the Earth. As the Doctor tries to discover what the trees want, the answers appear to lie in a supposedly schizophrenic girl named Maebh who can hear the trees. And of course Clara and Danny (and their school field trip) get caught up in the adventure.

The problem here, tho, is that it's not much of an adventure. It feels more like a short story fanfic brought to tv. It does have its good moments. Maebh is a delight and keeps the Doctor on his toes. Danny is a decent character in this episode but Clara, while still somewhat entertaining, not so much. I do usually like Clara as a character, but she does not shine in this episode. Almost to the point the audience questions what Danny sees in her (besides her looks). She's really just there to provide some comic relief and the majority of that falls flat too.

The other major problem is the entire class is super irritating. They are caricatures of stupid children (other than Maebh, who is endearing). I couldn't imagine a class getting away with being that disrespectful in an emergency situation. Also, many of the themes, environmental, mental illness, are muddled and have no clear cut message or stance. I'm really not sure what this episode is trying to say. Maebh's medication is detrimental to her understanding the trees. The forest saves mankind from the solar flare (the real threat) and can't even be burned. What is that trying to say? Schizophrenia is good? It doesn't matter what we do to the environment cause the trees will always be here? The episode is very whimsical and engaging and even has some touching moments (gonna ignore the return of Maebh's sister, tho, cause that's not even remotely explainable) but it's just not very well thought out. 7.5/10

An episode that feels like an uneventful stroll through the woods...

[zach-tiefling · 3/10 · 25 October 2014]

As much I want to like the 12th doctor, Capaldis entire season has been a massive up and down. Some episodes like "Flatline" are very good, while others descend to lows fans know from episodes like "Love and Monsters" or "Fear Her". Sadly "In the Forest of the Night" belongs to this bottom-category.

The story, although the premise itself had potential, offers nothing. There is no real plot, no real stakes and no real action except 'people being not-quite-lost in the forest, not sure what has happened'. The entire script could have been cut down to a fraction of its runtime and nothing would have been lost. This entire episode felt to me highly superfluous and like a waste of time.

The 12th Doctor handling British pupils got a chuckle or two out of me, but the entire rest of this episode was a long, boring tedium.

In the Forest of the Night

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 8/10 · 16 April 2021]

Before I even saw the IMDb rating I knew it would be lower than average, and boy was I unfortunately right. I liked this episode, I appreciate it didn't have a villain and the worst thing that happened was a lot of trees grew about the place (that's not strictly true, worse things happen but still) but this is still a solid episode, I think the rating of 6 is unbelievably low, and unfair.

End of the World?..... Hug a tree

[doorsscorpywag · 1/10 · 26 October 2014]

So the Moon is an egg and in the event of a major cataclysm trees will grow at a physically impossible rate covering the Earth overnight even in the oceans and save us. And not for the first time apparently. But so we don't dwell on it the trees magically disappear in a blaze of fairy dust and we will forget it happened left to wonder why Nelson's Column has fallen over.

Where do they find the clowns who write this crap? A shop doorway? Doctor Who is an enjoyable concept with a suspension of belief required as it is science fiction. But stories like this and Kill The Moon are too stupid for words and are killing a great TV programme. Peter Capaldi has done a great job in the face of idiotic tripe for scripts. Poor Matt Smith had the same problem as his tenure was ruined by useless writing.

The Clara/Pink arc is dull and boring and was shown for what it was in this frankly terrible episode. The kids were of more help to The Doctor than this pointless pair of pillocks.

She has gone from the Impossible Girl to the Pain In The Arce!

The trailer for next week looks promising and if we see the end of both Clara and Pink it will be well worth it.

Get some writers and give Capaldi something to act with. If he has to have a companion give him someone without a tedious back story and get back to Doctor Who rather than Doctor Who's companion.

Stop trying to be clever and just let the Doctor be The Doctor.

And did the trees protect the Moon because if not it would be a fried egg and conspicuous by it's absence. A truly pitiful story in what has turned out to be a truly pitiful series.

Writing is much better than most reviews

[macgyvershe-62943 · 9/10 · 19 September 2015]

Maybe because I'm an older person, but I found the writing imaginative, whimsical and very satisfying. The fact that the forests are out to save the world...well many cultures believe that the earth is our father/mother that it is non-local consciousness which literally watches over us and protects us. (As well as tries to obliterate us with weather and earth quakes. Tough earth love!) So this whole episode was marvelous. I know it goes against the majority of reviewers. But be more trusting. Happy endings do happen.

I found a majority of the episodes good to great. Dr Who, is to me, one of the most consistently well written and entertaining shows from across the pond. I love the Dr's quote. 'forgetting, the human's superpower.' That is a truism that cuts to the heart of the human condition.

Possibly dumber than killing the Moon

[voyou-703-655350 · 3/10 · 26 October 2014]

Warning: This review is nothing but a big spoiler. It describes the entire plot in all its glory.

A forest grows over London overnight. All vehicles have disappeared, except for one empty taxi and one empty bus. The entire population has also vanished, except for a small class of kids under Clara Oswlad's supervision. They walk around Trafalgar Square, looking for one of them, a little girl who is of course at the centre of the mystery.

We learn that the instant forest covers the globe, including the Sahara, Australia, the Poles, etc., and of course the oceans. (Since the land masses make only 30% of the surface of the planet, it wouldn't be green enough.) We don't see the trees that grow on the sea waters, unfortunately, only a general view of the green globe.

Since there is nobody to stop them anymore, three wolves and a tiger climb trees to escape their zoo cages, and rush from wherever to Trafalgar Square because it's the only place where they can find human meat. Mr Pink approaches the tiger with the group of kids he is seriously protecting, and scares the beast away with a bit of light from a small mirror.

We learn that the forest was instant-grown by a race of fairies as old as the planet. They can talk when pointed at by a sonic screwdriver, using the mouth of a little girl to do so, but with the voice of Darkness from the movie Legend. They explain nothing though.

The Doctor discovers that the end of the world will occur in a few hours, due to a solar flare. He leaves the planet, alone, because every kid suddenly remember that they have parents somewhere and no mobile phone. As soon as he is in the quiet, he realises that the forest is actually there to save the Earth. He comes back and explains it to the kids.

Meanwhile, with their usual speed and efficiency, governments have decided to use their ultra-massive reserves of defoliant to eradicate the fire-proof trees from the globe. Knowing that a few hours is more than enough for them to succeed, the Doctor proposes that the kids write them a global message, informing the world of the solar flare and asking everyone, especially the enlightened leaders, to trust the trees and the fairies to save them. The little girl reads the message aloud on every cellphone in the world, and so no tree is destroyed.

The flare comes and is absorbed. When all danger is gone, all the new trees dissipate back into golden fairy dust, except for one copse of chrysanthemums in front of the little girl's house. When she and her mum arrive home, the flowers go all fairy dust as well, revealing her resurrected dead sister, who was hiding underneath. She doesn't seem to be a sparkling vampire.

The end.

If You Want To Send A Message An Email Will Suffice

[Theo Robertson · 4/10 · 25 October 2014]

The Tardis has made a planned journey to London in the present day and the Doctor is very puzzled to find himself in the middle of a vast forest . He is even more puzzled to discover that the vast forest is London !

There's a seed of a good idea in there somewhere but unlike the world wide forest it doesn't grow in to anything significant and remains underdeveloped . Let me get this right - the forest has suddenly sprouted overnight because there's going to be a solar flare ? Have I got that right ? In that case if the planet is going to save itself why is there any need whatsoever for the story to include the Doctor ? This was the major problem with Kill The Moon earlier in the season of the Doctor being a literal spectator . I guessing everyone is too young to remember the good old days when people and civilisations were saved by the title character of this show ? The hero is called the Doctor and not the Watcher and there might be a good reason for this

But the problem isn't just the Doctor's lack of involvement but the entire lack of any type of internal logic to anything . Greater London has a population of over 10 million but how many people do we meet in this green new world ? A bunch of military types who disappear as promptly as they arrived , a mother looking for her kid and a bunch of school kids led by Danny Pink and that's it as far as ten million people go . As k yourself this what would you do if you found your local city covered in trees ? Hide under the bed or rush out and film it on your I-phone ? Yeah me too , but then again I'm not a character in a TV show

Oh dear those kids and they're appearing in a BBC show . Sometimes you wonder if the producers should just commit commercial suicide and execute a no holds barred cynical black comedy where the children are being surrounded by a race of Australian sounding monsters called " The Rolfies " or cigar chomping blokes in peroxide wigs and gold track suits but in its favour there is an innocence to DOCTOR WHO no matter the situation . However these children never react like children would in the real world and are intellectually astute to the point you're unable to accept that there is any realism involved and you're merely watching a not very good television fantasy show . I'm afraid I've got to mention for the hundredth time that if you want to see how the most fantastical scenario should be developed in a credible dramatic way go and watch QUATERMASS AND THE PIT which is the be all and end of British telefantasy and also has subtext which doesn't need to bludgeon the audience . Here in this DOCTOR WHO story there's no subtext whatsoever except screaming " IF you kill the trees you're killing the planet " Please no need to shout , Peter Jackson only had to whisper very loudly in his environmental propaganda trilogy LORD OF THE RINGS . When you start , shouting , ranting and raving the normal reaction is for the audience to put their fingers in their ears

This is probably the weakest story of season 8 of NuWho . The Sherwood episode was silly but at least it realised it was silly . Kill The Moon despite the laughable and stupid ending had a first half that worked as out and out horror . This episode feels like total unrealistic whimsy similar to what we'd expect in the Christmas specials mixed in with a rather pompous , patronising tone and the problem is compounded after following a couple of very impressive episodes . Would it be cynical of me to suggest we're getting this episode at the tail end of the season so that Moffat's two part finale will seem even better in comparison ? Time will tell but I'd be happy to see the Moff replaced by Jamie Mathieson after this season

Fun while it lasted, not everybody's cup of tea

[Callen-Ryan-97-301030 · 10/10 · 28 October 2014]

It may not have been as good as the last three episodes, yet, in my opinion, 'In the forest of the night' was enjoyable in its own right. PC was excellent as usual, Gold was in top for and the direction, well, to put it quite simply, magical. In fact, the whole episode could be described as magical, with an excellent script by newcomer Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Not everybody will enjoy this episode, obviously the fantasy aspect can be jarring. But those who do will enjoy this one. I love my hard sci-if eps as much as the next man, but it is nice just to take a Deep Breath (pun intended) and just unwind. Plus the kids enjoyed it.

But that next time trailer, oh boy...

Capaldi great, All others grate.

[prowler0000-2 · 4/10 · 25 October 2014]

An eco-mess with almost nothing to contribute to the recent improvement of the new series.

Trees take over the world, There's some CGI wolves & a Tiger. Singular.

Literary culture-vultures expecting some William Blake will be left wanting, and to be honest there doesn't appear to be much 'night' here. Misleading much..? Having just re-read the poem, I can see some tenuous links to the majestic source material, but not enough to warrant stealing 25% of the 1st stanza!

Plaudits to Mr Capaldi, Though. An acting masterclass: just the right amount of unhinged. Ms Coleman & Mr Anderson still make an incompatible couple, but I have to admit he's a bit more likable after this episode. & altogether too many kids in this one.

But the next ep looks hopeful.....

Everything I Want From Capaldi's Doctor

[M10dS6lence · 9/10 · 5 November 2021]

I've been rewatching Doctor Who starting with "Day of the Doctor" and it's been a somewhat underwhelming journey from that starting point. "Day of the Doctor" has it's problems just like this episode does, however both are such strong examples of what the show does so well they still stand out.

I've been waiting for an episode that really let me get invested in the Twelfth Doctor since I remembered loving Capaldi's portrayal as his seasons were coming out. However, I feel a lot of this run has been Capaldi's weakest up until this installment.

There were definitely glimpses of brilliance in "Mummy on the Oriental Express" and the episode immediately before this had some great scenes for both the Doctor himself, but especially Clara.

This however takes the cake, between the Doctor's arrogance, an incredibly unique and engaging plot, and some very strong character moments, this episode alone makes me happy I've taken a trip down memory lane.

Compost

[Xstal · 4/10 · 28 December 2021]

Just when you thought the Moon Egg couldn't be beaten. Most of the people of London (the world) seem to vanish assumed eaten. By an arboreal infestation that sprouts forests overnight. With a canopy so dense you could not fly a kite. The Doctor plays as Tarzan and Clara plays as Jane. Mr. Pink as Doolittle and the kids a complete pain. Maybe there's a beanstalk amongst all of these plants. That leads to a Victorian Cyberman, taller than giants.

A Fearful Symmetry

[boblipton · 4/10 · 25 October 2014]

When the Doctor lands in London, he discovers a young girl at the door and the entire world covered in a forest that has grown overnight. Why has this happened? Only the girl seems to have an inkling.

As this season of Doctor Who heads into its final lap -- the next episode bids to be the first half of a two-part season concluder -- we have an intriguing episode that starts out with some great set dressing (bus stop, tube signs and Nelson Column are scattered throughout a secondary forest), fine acting from all hands (the children are believable in their line readings) and the usual bright, amusing lines (the Doctor has no more idea of how to deal with a crowd of children than I do).

However, while the details of the production are excellent, the story reduces everyone to an observer. There is no sense of story overall, although there is a lot of excellent character exposition.

That seems to be a commonplace of new Doctors. The first season seems to consist of showing who the Doctor is this time. Despite these issues, there have been several excellent episodes in the middle of the season. As for this one, it's done engagingly, but the resolution is, for my taste, sappy. Here's hoping the two-parter coming up is well written and that the Christmas special and the next season are solider.

Heavy Handed and not Good

[helli0n · 4/10 · 27 October 2014]

After a season where Clara takes the lead in most episodes, now the Doctor finds himself upstaged by a little girl and its more than a little bit embarrassing. As the episode progresses seemingly major character plot points that were built up as important in previous episodes fizzle away. Then the episode ends with the Doctor actually doing seemingly nothing worthwhile to save the world. This is also leading into a final that the end trailer makes look exciting, but this episode's bland badness leaves a linger stench that poisons any joy one might have for the final episode. No matter if you are enjoying this season or plodding through it just barely hanging on like me, you can just skip this one all together as it does nothing but bring this season down.

Excellent Premise Delivered Poorly. A Disappointment.

[zacpetch · 1/10 · 7 January 2015]

Series Eight is truly wonderful but there are two episodes that are letdowns. The first was Kill The Moon and this is the second. That previous episode had terrible science, bad kid actors and a very ham-fisted preachy attitude. This takes those things further and adds a complete lack of threat which was the only thing Kill The Moon did right. That makes this episode, by default, even worse than that and that's saying a lot. The only other weaker episode of this series was Robot Of Sherwood because it was trying too hard to be lighthearted which really doesn't quite suit the character of the Twelfth Doctor but sadly this episode hasn't learnt from that either.

The plot is about trees growing out of nowhere overnight (...) that have that ability to control the oxygen around them (?) and there's a girl who can hear from brightly-coloured unexplained insects (!) that warn her about an incoming solar flare (?!) which the Earth is ultimately saved from by the trees (!?!?!?). There's also some hungry zoo animals that have got loose and are threatening to hunt for people exploring the forest; It's a problem when these creatures are as close to a proper villain that we get.

Backtracking a little... are you trying to convince me that NOBODY was awake overnight to see the trees spring up? Nobody out late? Nobody working a night shift? Nobody who simply couldn't get to sleep? Nobody in ANY of these categories anywhere on the entire surface of the Earth? Seriously?! If the science wasn't bad enough already then this plot hole that is never explained must be enough to ruin the episode for you.

Capaldi, Coleman and Anderson are all excellent as ever but the supporting cast entirely of children and a very weak story are enough to ruin the episode. Sadly, the three of them, though excellent, are not enough to save the episode. Here's hoping that either Frank Cottrell Boyce is not invited back to Doctor Who or if he is he has with him a better story to tell. He deserves one more shot at it to redeem himself, I guess.

Moffat has said that this story will grow in stature over time because it is beautifully written. I don't disagree that this is well written but it takes more than that to make it worthwhile. The lack of any real threat or believability let down an episode that has a great premise and should have been really interesting. This episode is the definition of a wasted opportunity.

In the Night Garden

[Sleepin_Dragon · 5/10 · 19 September 2015]

The Doctor and Clara return to Earth to discover it is now full of trees and greenery everywhere, Mother Natures has literally taken over. Danny and Clara are out with their classes, and all face natural dangers, Tigers, Wolves etc. A natural disaster is impending, can the Doctor save the day?

Anyone that has had to sit through episodes of In the Night Garden will understand when I say in this episode I kept expecting to see Makka Pakka, Upsy Daisy and the Ninky Nonk, it felt like it was made for audiences under 5.

More positively I loved some of the imagery, London (Nelson's Column) covered in greenery looked fantastic. My favourite bit was seeing Missy once again, site of her made me sit up and wake up.

It's a nice episode for children I guess, it's a sweet, casual episode, it just doesn't do it for me. I love the concept of waking up and the Earth being amassed in trees, so clever, but as it was set in London why no sirens, no Army, no widespread panic, they missed a trick as it could have been really good. As far as the conclusion goes, it they'd all stayed in doors they'd have all been safe, and that Annabelle moment, just too much. zzzz 5/10

Good idea, shame about the children... and the plot

[trevor-mcinsley · 3/10 · 29 October 2014]

The forest growing overnight all over the world was an interesting idea and something quite new. Unfortunately the plot was dreadful after that and the episode was made rather painful to watch by the amount of screen time given over to the kids. Perhaps its just me but the over the top acting, high pitched voices, screaming, laughing and so on was very annoying.

The girl running about and flapping her hands actually made me have to avert my gaze from the screen and when the glowing things started talking through her I had to mute the programme and stick on subtitles. I could neither understand what was being said not tolerate the two voices at once. I'm sure most people probably wouldn't care all that much but I am also sure I am not totally alone in this.

Really though that was the least of the problems. The main problem can be summed up in two words: the plot. Just to pick a random starting place for my list of criticisms... trying to clear a path through the forest using fire... in the middle of a city. Even the screechy little children in the episode would know that London doesn't exactly have a great historical record when it comes to fire...

How the trees extinguished themselves wasn't made especially clear with just some lazy statement about them controlling oxygen. Yes, trees do output oxygen but they can't very well suck it all back in and create some kind of localised vacuum. Might as well just have said it was magic rather than come up with a clumsy idea like that. Would have made sense to say they were exhaling CO2 to put out the flames though of course that wouldn't stop a chainsaw... which was the logical way to remove them in the first place. Especially given how easily one of the children snapped off a thick branch.

Oddly not a single character bothers even touching on the idea of simply cutting the things down and instead they jump right to dropping poison on the entire planet. Did one of the Bond villains get voted into number 10 earlier in the series or something? Yes going at them with axes and saws would take a hell of an effort but given the constant talk these days about the enormous rate of logging operations in the rainforest it is hardly infeasible. Then again there are only about ten characters in the episode anyway. Somehow it seems that not a single one of the millions of other people living in London decided to go look at the incredible forest that appeared overnight. I guess all the night workers, clinical insomniacs and roving street gangs must have all fallen asleep that night too.

Seeing Trafalgar Square and familiar landmarks overgrown with trees was the best part of this episode and quite well executed. It is a shame then that they didn't bother actually setting the scenes in the Natural History Museum inside the Natural History Museum. For anyone who knows London that just completely destroys the illusion. The scene was actually shot in a museum in Cardiff apparently though I cannot fathom why.

Finally the conclusion of this whole episode... the trees are producing more oxygen to shield the planet from a solar flare. So... more oxygen and yet they are somehow less flammable. Right. The explanation with the Tunguska impact is incredibly flimsy and seems to be predicated solely on the fact that it happened to flatten a forest as a result of the airburst. It doesn't matter though... the Earth's magnetic field is what provides the best defence against solar flares, not the atmosphere. An increase in oxygen in the atmosphere would just make everyone high shortly before the entire planet caught fire. Which frankly sounds like a better ending.

In the end the forest magically goes away leaving everyone oblivious to it ever being there. Even more miraculously the trees all vanish without leaving massive potholes and extensive property damage all over London. These magic glowing things say something about grass growing through cracks in the pavement at one point. They didn't bother mentioning that after growing it they go and fill the crack with cement. I always suspected that road maintenance people don't actually do anything...

Ultimately just another Kill the Moon episode. A good idea, executed dreadfully and which didn't actually require the Doctor to be in it.

Flight of the Na'vigator

[GameAndWatch · 5/10 · 27 October 2014]

How do you save the Earth from a whopping solar flare? Perhaps get the Doctor to fetch the Moon dragon. Or; leave it to Gaia to take care of herself. How so? By growing an entire forest overnight (seeded by the magic faeries) that will be sacrificed as a bush fire. All resulting in leaving the Earth unscathed and the Hydrangeas intact.

A well written and filmed episode. Let down by a few silly moments. Perhaps it tried too hard, shoehorning in, too many concepts.

Did we even need the faery possession or the 'missing' sister? Was the latter just a red herring?

Clara and Pink's relationship is a little one-dimensional. Three's a crowd has been done time and time again. The Doctor fails to respect Pink (P.E.) as a mathematician, I'll take a punt that Pink will get the Doctor's respect at the Tardis chalkboard. Perhaps Pink will help the Doctor navigate towards Galifrey.

The kids were great in this. It's a children's show! They deserve a go on the Tardis. There is some nice dialogue throughout, but it is quite tricky to hear at points. (Capaldi twitching into Baker mode.)

"When a child is speaking, listen to it."

Others suggest that this episode is pushing an environmental agenda. I didn't feel that, and the trees frankly deserve a nod or two more often. If only more towns and cities could get a green makeover. Or we could sit back and do nothing.

John Smith really was in deep cover as not one of the children recognized the caretaker.

The parting shots of the Earth returning to normal were unwarranted.

I'm not looking forward to a cataclysmic Cyberman episode. I like the idea of Missy being the Mistress/Master. Or being stuck on the Tardis. Perhaps her name stands for Missing. Maybe, and this is a long shot; she is Handles stuck on the Tardis. That might weave in well with the season finale.

Pointless filler

[mjplysaght · 1/10 · 23 August 2017]

Trust me, I understand that TV shows have filler episodes and the previous examples of filler Doctor Who episodes have been standard, if only a little below par.

With that said, what we are presented with in this episode is the most pandering, ridiculous excuse for an episode I've ever seen. There are no stakes, nothing potentially threatening and some subplot shoehorned in about a little girl being the sole communicator with these random aliens, used as a painfully obvious metaphor to signify the grief of the loss of her sister. Not done very well, I should add.

Clara and Danny, the blandest, most disengaging characters in this series are chaperoning a group of schoolkids on a school trip to the history museum, even though Clara is an English teacher and Danny is a maths teacher. Simple logic, guys.

Through some bizarre phenomenon, the planet gets overgrown by a dense forest and the school group spend the majority of the episode wandering around the forest, looking generally bewildered and being irritating throughout.

There's some 'potential danger' thrown at the wall about a solar flare heading towards the Earth but the trees and forest protect the planet, taking the full impact, returning the Earth to its original state. So there was no point to any of this, essentially.

Who the hell greenlit this? I'm looking at you, Moffat!

Cool Idea, Done Wrong

[journeyjohnson-53486 · 5/10 · 17 July 2021]

This episode is one of the worst Doctor Who episodes I've watched. But I don't completely hate it, like in kill the moon The Doctor doesn't matter there's really no stakes. It's just hey there's a whole bunch of trees, oh they're protecting us from the sun ok. I feel like the episode started fine with the tree thing but the big reveal that the trees did it because of the solar flare was so disappointing. Also children in doctor who episodes just annoy me for some reason. Like the class goes into the Tardis with the doctor, and have like no reaction. They just went into a blue box that's bigger on the inside and not one of them is freaking out. That puzzles me, this episode could be taken out of the season and mean absolutely nothing so my final analyze. This is not a good doctor who episode witch is a shame because season 8 has some damn good ones.