Doctor Who Review: So that's Who...

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We were treated to another super fun episode of Doctor Who in "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" and got to see, no surprise here, the center of the TARDIS. 

It seems like Clara's arrival the TARDIS itself has become much more of a character than a vessel. Yes, I know it's always had a life of its own and been responsible for a great many things, but we've learned an awful lot about it in fairly short period of time.

I had no idea it held a book on board entitled "The History of the Time War" that referenced The Doctor's name. It would seem others would have found it by now. More on that below.

Trying to Save the TARDIS

The salvage brothers were kind of a pointless device to give someone for The Doctor to run around with so he didn't have to talk to himself, but other than that, I really enjoyed with the premise. To think of marauders coming on board to steal parts of the TARDIS is almost ludicrous.

It was also pretty cool that the ship was even willing to turn against The Doctor to protect itself if he wasn't able to contain the guys himself. For as much as he does to protect the TARDIS, the TARDIS has to look out for itself first. I can understand and respect that.

I knew the monsters were going to turn out to be someone or something that was known to Clara, had no idea one of them was Clara. Honestly, that was a pretty cool twist.

Was I the only one who expected her to reach out to herself and try to make some sort of connection? Clara is so inquisitive and wants to help everyone and everything - it shocked me The Doctor was able to keep her from helping herself.

The Eye of Harmony, an exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole - just your basic bit of time lord engineering - was just one of the many other groovy things on the TARDIS that I didn't know about. The seemingly never ending swimming pool, the rocket; it made sense that The Doctor thought bringing Clara to the TARDIS would keep her safe.

Even in the face of so many dangers, the TARDIS has everything. When she realized she was the crispy creature chasing herself, and asked what he meant about bringing there to save her but she died again, I thought - oh no - we're getting into the she's going to start dying a lot part. They've just kept it from us until now.

Thankfully, I was wrong! But, it was enough to tip the scales of The Doctor's noggin in the direction of finding out just who the hell Clara was. He asked her flat out, told her about their previous encounters and her deaths. She wasn't overly frightened like a normal girl would have been, but instead kind of intrigued.

That's when she admitted she knew his name from reading the book, and when I knew that his relief at her not knowing anything about what he was saying was a ruse. She will be somebody special and his expectation that she would know, that anyone would know but him, was just crazy. Whoever she is, she's known only to Doctor Who. The reveal will be amazing. 

There has been so much in this short second half of Doctor Who Season 7 that I know the finale is going to be killer and full of mind blowing information. I'm excited to see how they incorporate more than one Doctor and companion, whether it will be through a time rift or parallel universes, but I don't care. 

Who wouldn't want to be The Doctor's companion? Even if it meant dying and coming back to life every few decades, it just seems worth it for all the fun and adventure.

What did you think about the adventure inside the TARDIS and The Doctor's continued quest to discover who Clara really is? It's your turn - hit the comments!

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS Review

Editor Rating: 4.4 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.2 / 5.0 (46 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

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Doctor Who Season 7 Episode 11 Quotes

The TARDIS is special. She has her own gravity. I'd explain if I had a chart and a board pen.

The Doctor

No, listen, right behind those doors is the salvage of a lifetime.

The Doctor