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Written by: Steven Moffat
Directed by: Euros Lyn
Rating:
THE ONE WHERE
With Donna “saved” in the💛 Library’s hard drive, the Doctor, River and the archaeologists try to avoid becoming the main course on the Vashta Nerada’s dinner menu.
VERDICT
Less the second half of a two-parter than a sequel to the previous episode, “Forest of the Dead” is a beautiful contradiction: both a direct continuation and something brand new. While the threat of the Vashta Nerada remains, this shifts away from last week’s monster plot to expand on the story’s “other” world – a Matrix-style computer construct where virus software Dr Moon protects CAL (AKA Charlotte Abigail Lux), the little girl whose essence is at the heart of the machine.
That ev💟eryone should survive at the end (albeit some in virtual form) is a break from the norm for Who, but that doesn’t mean this has a happy ending. River’s self-sacrifice to save the Doctor (the man she clearly loves) is a beautifully played tearjerker of a scene, made all the more tragic by the fact he doesn’t re🐽ally know her, even though it's clear she’s going to be a major part of his life. At least it’s certain he’ll meet her again - hopefully we will too.
VASHTA NERADA
So, spores in book pages brought the forest🎐-dwelling shadow creatures toꦉ the Library. Now kids'll be petrified of paper as well as the dark…
SPECULATION
The Doctor says there’🥀s only one reason he’d have told River his name, but what is it? Could she be a future wife - there's certainly an awkward moment when someone says they're like an old married coupleও. If only River wasn’t so damned spoiler-phobic!
SPECULATION 2
When the Ood told the Doctor his "Song will end soon", were they re🧔ferring to River?
CHARACTER
Donna gets a family in the Library’s hard drive, and looks completely at home in her alternative life. Seeing it taken away from her - particularly 🐟when it’s revealed at the end ꦛthat her “husband” isn’t just a computer fabrication - is heartbreaking.
DID YOU SPOT?
Moffat used a similar “everybody lives” happy ending💖 for “The Empty Child”/”The Doctor Dances”.
BEST LINE
The Doctor: “I’m the Doctor and you’re in the biggest library in the universe. Lo🌌ok 🧸me up.”
Richard Edwards
SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and afici🥀onados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX 🐻Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.