DOCTOR WHO | ‘Knock Knock‘ S10E04 Review
‘Doctor Who’ is back with a terrifying formula this week, as Bill (Pearl Mackie) teams up with five housemates to move into an old, creaky house. But when the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) meets the landlord (David Suchet, of ‘Agatha Christie’s Poirot’), he suspects there’s something more sinister hiding in the walls.
As night falls, the group of friends are separated and the exits start to seal off. One by one, Bill’s housemates start to disappear.
With some fascinating and terrifying special effects, this episode manages to make what first appears to be a haunted house story into something quite different. The alien bugs are almost cute once they start scuttling around, though the swarming beetles are likely to give anyone nightmares.
The Doctor was like a big kid himself this week, joining in to ‘chill’ with Bill’s housemates and enjoying listening to British pop group, Little Mix. Bill seems to be the only one who is upset when he wants to stay and hang out with them.
Suchet is phenomenal as the landlord - creepy to begin with, and heartbreaking when his story is revealed. Mariah Gale plays the landlord’s daughter Eliza, and wears some incredible prosthetics, giving her the appearance of being wooden - a feat that could have appeared tacky, but instead is creepy and realistic.
While the idea of bugs that devour people is certainly creepy, the whole sentient house concept isn’t quite explained. ‘Doctor Who’ episodes usually end with a scientific or alien explanation for whatever had earlier appeared magical. The creatures’ ability to prolong Eliza’s life is never shown to be anything but magical, along with the automatic shutting and sealing of the windows and doors.
Even though the story itself isn’t quite rounded out, the tension is high throughout, and the acting superb.
The writers are certainly teasing viewers with the identity of the vault’s occupant! There are plenty of theories around as to who it might be, but how much longer will viewers be expected to wait to find out?
Next week, it’s back into space with ‘Oxygen’. Stay tuned!
Watch ‘Doctor Who’ every Saturday night at 7:20pm on BBC One; 9pm on BBC America; and Sundays at 7:30pm on the ABC and iView in Australia.
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