Shall We Play a Game

Here we are with the third episode of the 14th Doctor's run. Pitched as a three episode event, we now know that's not entirely true (some of that is spoilers which we'll address in a follow-up article, and some of that is because we're getting one more Christmas Special on Christmas Day, starring Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor). Whether you were tuning in just to see David Tennant's short return run, or because you were expecting a complete story in three episodes, this might feel like a little bit of a bait and switch. But whatever the case, we're not here (yet) to discuss the optics of what's the come (that's for that later article). Instead, let's look at this third special, "The Giggle", on its own merits to see how it works as an episode of Doctor WhoThe longest running sci-fi franchise (at least in terms of sheer seasons), Doctor Who has seen cancelations, relaunches, and reboots, but the core of the series remains the same: a madman in a box traveling through time and space..

The short answer is that it does and it doesn't, and, really, that's all thanks to Russel T. Davies. The producer, who came back to the series after 13 years away, has brought his distinctive storytelling style to the series once more. And by that I mean, that the series is already setting up big, pivotal storylines and then absolutely futzing the ending. It does feel like Davies prioritizes emotion over logic, feelings over set facts for the series. This can lead to episodes, like "The Giggle", that have a great premise, and great idea, but an ending that feels like it wasn't earned at all. Without spoiling anything, this episode does that once more, failing to give us the ending we really need, one that actually makes sense, deflating the whole vibe of the episode in the process.

But it's a great episode up to that point. In traditional Doctor Who fashion, it begins with just a little bit of historical fact. In 1925 John Logie Baird, inventor of the the first working television, needed a prop for his experiment. He sends his assistant, Charles Banerjee, to a toy story to grab a puppet that can appear on screen, and that toy story just so happens to be run (as we eventually learn) by the Celestial Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris). The puppet is setup, the broadcast is made, and television history is made... but an insidious little virus, the giggle of that puppet, is also planted.

Cut to 2023 and the Doctor (David Tennant) and Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) have just come back from an adventure beyond the stars only to discover that the people of Earth are causing total chaos. A signal, as the Doctor and Donna discover, is infecting their brains, making them all go crazy. That signal, the giggle of the puppet, is still living on in every screen across the world. Now active, the signal is driving people crazy, and there seems to be no way to stop it. But when the Doctor and Donna head back to 1925 they find the Toymaker, having planted his seed to destroy the Earth. Now he wants to play a game with the Doctor, and the Doctor will have to find a way to succeed or everyone on Earth could be doomed.

Let's put credit where it's due: bringing back the Celestial Toymaker, a character not seen since the third season of Classic Who 57 years earlier, was a masterful concept. This is a character with power and anger, the kind of villain that can stand toe-to-toe with the Doctor. He's like the Master, wanting to play with the Doctor and win at all costs, just without all the continuity and long history in between. He's someone that can really work opposite the Doctor, keeping him (and the audience) on their toes the whole time. It's great.

Casting Neil Patrick Harris in the role worked out so well. The actor -- hired because the role of the Celestial Toymaker is one that requires not just acting but also performing, dancing, singing, magician's skills, juggling, and more, everything Harris can do -- absolutely shines in the role. He's having more fun here, as the Toymaker, than in any role if seen Harris in. He's menacing, he's evil, and he's delightful. If they somehow decide to bring the Celestial Toymaker back, they really can't do the role with anyone other than Harris. He's too perfect.

Let's also mention (as it was expected as this is a regeneration episode) that we do get some short time with Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor and, man, and I looking forward to his full run. He absolutely has all the qualities I want from a Doctor in the current era of the show. He's fun, bringing lightness and delight to the role. He's charismatic, immediately drawing you in with his performance. He's fast on his feet and chaotic, just like I like from the Doctor in the best of his stories. Gatwa has already proven he's going to be great in the series, so long as the series doesn't fail him.

That is my concern because, well, Davies loves to be Davies. This episode has a great amount of fun with the Celestial Toymaker, going big and going broad. It establishes his threat early, setting it up just well enough that you do believe the Earth is in danger (Marvel Cinematic UniverseWhen it first began in 2008 with a little film called Iron Man no one suspected the empire that would follow. Superhero movies in the past, especially those not featuring either Batman or Superman, were usually terrible. And yet, Iron Man would lead to a long series of successful films, launching the most successful cinema brand in history: the Marvel Cinematic Universe. take note, this is how you do it on a budget), and then the series quickly sucks the Doctor (and Donna) into the Toymaker's web so it can constantly reinvent itself over and over through all of the Toymaker's magical charms. Hell, it even has a big, musical number that's just so chaotically delightful.

But then we get to the ending and, again without spoiling it, Davies lets out his worst impulses. He goes big, he goes broad, and he goes way too silly. The big fight against the Toymaker doesn't play nearly as well as it should, all devolving into a silly game. When it ends it hardly feels like a win for anyone is truly earned. And at the same time Davies does one of his dumb twists (as dumb as his twist in "Last of the Time Lords") and it sucks all the energy out of the story. Oh, the actors sell it all they can, but it simply feels like something is missing. Davies sucks at endings, full stop.

Depending on how the series plays out from here, with Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor in the lead, off having delightful adventures, maybe the ending here doesn't really matter so much. It's just a footnote to the next run, the next adventure, the next big swing. Perhaps we can forgive minor missteps when a transcendent actor is in the lead, giving it his all. And it does seem like Gatwa will do just that, wholly owning the role between his short appearance here and what we can see already from trailers for the Christmas Episode, "The Church on Ruby Road". I have faith that the actor can keep the series revving along pretty well.

But as for Davies and the hope for his run, well... we're already seeing the warning signs once more that we're going to have to accept some big swings and bad endings as the series chugs along. Hopefully the right writing team comes in and helps Davies fight his worst impulses. Once we have a full series going we'll just have to see how the showrunner does. As far as this episode, I give it strong marks until the ending. But, from there... well, we'll just have to see.