The ninth series of the British science fiction extends to an adventure of Vikings, Ghosts and the Daleks. Meanwhile the Doctor is faced with Missy who is ready to plague him again.
It's not too often that we get to see the Doctor peer at himself from around the corner (mercifully - it would get tired quickly), which invoked the warm familiarity of the sci-fi of yesteryear.
What makes "Before the Flood" exceptional... is how it-like the best Who stories-marries complex, heady concepts with a rollicking adventure that can be enjoyed by anyone without a PhD. in quantum mechanics.
That moment, as people say on the internet, when an episode of Doctor Who strays so far into the weird that it becomes a classic, somehow despite itself.
It feels like the show is setting up a more permanent end for Clara than previous companions-which probably should have me concerned-but for now I'm mostly just pleased that she took action in the Doctor's absence.
Such a gimmick shouldn't work once, let alone twice, and yet here I found myself jumping around in my chair, punching the air with even more enthusiasm than last year.
"Before the Flood" should be commended for being willing to toy with certain ideas, and for exposing a confounding truth involving its protagonists that might afford the season an interesting avenue to explore.
The willingness of "Before the Flood" to play with the fourth wall and Peter Capaldi's performance in those scenes really brought the whole -- already good -- package together.
