The
Doctor and Donna arrive in the 51st Century to visit the
Library Planet. The Time Lord and his companion expect to
see the hustle and bustle of people trying to find their
favourite novel amongst every book ever written, but instead
the Library is completely silent. While you would expect
a library to be quiet, the Doctor and Donna discover that
they are the only ones on the book-filled planet until a
research team arrives, led by Professor River Song and industrialist
Strackman Lux to investigate why everyone has gone. Of course
The Doctor agrees to help out but as his investigates start
he discovers a deadly parasite, the loss of a friend and
a link to his future.
Ever
since Russell T. Davies brought Doctor Who back
to the small screen, fans young and old have been scared
out of their wits by the episodes written by Steven Moffat.
Everyone will remember the chilling question "Are you
my Mummy?" from ‘The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances,
the clockwork robots of ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’
and making statues truly terrifying in the brilliant ‘Blink.’
But
before he headed to the Whovian universe, Steven Moffat
was better know for writing the UK comedy hit ‘Coupling’.
Little did we know he would become a tremendous science
fiction horror writer, who could send a chill through the
oldest and youngest fans of the classic show.
For
his latest Doctor Who adventure, the writer takes
Donna and the Time Lord to the 51st Century and a visit
to the largest library in the Universe, but when they arrive
they find the planet filled with every book ever printed
completely empty. Of course this mystery intrigues the Doctor
and he and Donna are soon on the case.
Their
investigations are interrupted by the arrival of Professor
River Song and her archaeological team, here to see what
has happened on the planet. Joining forces, the Doctor discovers
that the library has been invaded by the Vashta Nerada,
a species that comes out of the darkness of shadows and
consumes any living thing that is unlucky enough to fall
into its trap. But there is much more to this investigation
than he first thought, and they have to survive while trying
to discover what is going on.
As with
all Doctor Who two-parters, the tension and the
peril builds in ‘Silence in the Library’ and
in ‘Forest of the Dead’ reveals what is going
on, but throws in something that could affect the Doctor
in the future. This comes in the space of Professor River
Song, played by former ER actress Alex Kingston.
The
character reveals that she knows the Doctor, but the 10th
regeneration of the Time Lord says he has never met her.
She has met him, but it is not the current version
of him or a past but a future, much older version. River
claims they were closer than close and proves it with a
(frustratingly unheard) word.
Moffet
and the rest of the Doctor Who team instantly create
an intriguing character and one that could reveal every
adventure to come, as she carries a diary full of ‘spoilers’
about the Doctor’s future and a secret that could
have tragic consequences for someone very close to him.
With
action, a twisting turning plot and another level of horror
that will make kids, and some adults, hide behind their
cushions, this is another great pair of episodes from future
Doctor Who show runner Steven Moffat. Revel in
this excellent two-parter, and know that the Doctor is in
safe hands.
