Under the Lake
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"Under the Lake" is the third episode of the ninth series of the British
science fiction television Science fiction first appeared in television programming in the late 1930s, during what is called the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary ...
series '' Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 3 October 2015. It is the first part of a two-part story, the second of which is " Before the Flood" on 10 October; both were written by
Toby Whithouse Toby Lawrence Whithouse (; born 5 July 1970) is an English actor, screenwriter and playwright. His highest-profile work has been the creation of the BBC Three supernatural television series '' Being Human''. He also created the Channel 4 telev ...
and directed by Daniel O'Hara. The episode is set in a Scottish underwater mining facility in 2119, where alien time traveller the Doctor (
Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, writer and musician. He portrayed the twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker in '' The Thick of It'' (2005–2012), for ...
) and his companion
Clara Oswald Clara Oswald is a fictional character in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. She was created by series producer Steven Moffat and portrayed by Jenna Coleman. Clara was introduced in the Doc ...
(
Jenna Coleman Jenna-Louise Coleman (born 27 April 1986), known professionally as Jenna Coleman, is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jasmine Thomas in the soap opera ''Emmerdale'', Clara Oswald in the science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', Q ...
) arrive three days after the crew have unearthed an empty black spaceship. The crew members then start dying, and the survivors find themselves faced with an army of hollow-eyed homicidal ghosts. In the form of Prentis, played by Paul Kaye, this episode sees a return for the Tivolians, a race last seen in the 2011 episode "
The God Complex "The God Complex" is the eleventh episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', first broadcast on BBC One on 17 September 2011. It was written by Toby Whithouse and directed by Nick Hurran. In t ...
", also written by Toby Whithouse.


Plot

The crew of an underwater mining facility in Caithness, Scotland in 2119 discover an alien craft in the ruins of a submerged town. They bring it aboard only to find it is missing one of its two power cells, and four glyphs carved into the interior walls. Suddenly the craft's engines ignite, and Commander Moran is killed in the act of pushing another out of the way. Later, the crew finds two ghostly figures, Moran and an unidentified alien, roaming during the night cycle, soundlessly chanting before turning to attack the crew. The crew take shelter in the base's Faraday cage which the ghosts cannot enter. The
Twelfth Doctor The Twelfth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is portrayed by Scottish actor Peter Capaldi in three series as well as four specials. As with previous incar ...
and
Clara Clara may refer to: Organizations * CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization * Clara.Net, a European ISP * Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium People * Clara (given name), a feminine gi ...
arrive later via the
TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...
and are briefed by acting commander Cass, who is deaf and assisted by her interpreter Lunn. Suddenly the base's systems switch to the night cycle, and before they can restore the day cycle, the ghosts have killed another crew member, and soon the ghost of that crew joins the other two. The Doctor recognises the alien ghost as Tivolian, a cowardly, peaceful race. Cass calls for an evacuation shuttle only to learn one has already been dispatched. The Doctor orders it to turn around, believing the ghosts have a nefarious purpose. The Doctor is able to lure the ghosts into the Faraday cage, and with Cass's help, can read what they are chanting: "the dark, the sword, the forsaken, the temple". The Doctor determines these are galactic coordinates pointing to this location, and believes that the ghosts are killing the crew and trying to draw more victims to boost the strength of the broadcast of this signal; however, only those that have seen the glyphs in the ship are susceptible to the ghosts' influence. Using the base's remote drones, they find and collect a stasis chamber among the ruins, which the Doctor suspects is what the coordinates point to, but they cannot open it. The Doctor determines he must go back in time before the town was flooded to find the origin of the signal. The ghosts manipulate hatchways that separate Clara, Cass, and Lunn from the Doctor and crew members O'Donnell and Bennett. The Doctor promises Clara he will be back, and takes O'Donnell and Bennett with him to the TARDIS. Shortly after the TARDIS' departure, Clara, Cass, and Lunn witness a new ghost outside of the base – that of the Doctor.


Continuity

The Doctor says that the ghost in the top hat is from the planet Tivoli, first mentioned in the
Eleventh Doctor The Eleventh Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. He is played by Matt Smith in three series as well as five specials. As with previous incarnations of the Doct ...
story "The God Complex", which featured a member of its native species named Gibbis. When pondering what the ghosts actually are, the Doctor eliminates the possibility that they are Flesh avatars ("
The Rebel Flesh "The Rebel Flesh" is the fifth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on 21 May 2011 on BBC One and on BBC America in the United States. It is the first episode of ...
" / "
The Almost People "The Almost People" is the sixth episode of the sixth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', and was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 May 2011. It is the second episode of a two-part story written by Matthew Grah ...
"),
Auton The Autons are an artificial life form from the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and adversaries of the Doctor. They were originally created by scriptwriter Robert Holmes for Jon Pertwee's first serial as the Doctor, ' ...
s (''
Spearhead from Space ''Spearhead from Space'' is the first serial of the seventh season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 3 to 24 January 1970. It was the first ''Doctor Who'' ...
'' et al.), or digital copies in the Nethersphere ("
Dark Water Dark Water may refer to: Books * '' Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil'', 1920 book by American philosopher W.E.B. Du Bois * ''Dark Water'' (book) (仄暗い水の底から; ''Honogurai mizu no soko kara''; literally ''In the Depths of Dark ...
" / "
Death in Heaven "Death in Heaven" is the twelfth and final episode of the eighth series of the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 8 November 2014. The episode was written by showrunner Steven Moffat ...
"). One of the Doctor's "cards" has him offering reassurance that no-one, among other disasters, is going to be "exterminated/upgraded". This is a scripted response to potential
Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...
and/or
Cybermen The Cybermen are a fictional race of cyborgs principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. The Cybermen are a species of space-faring cyborgs who often forcefully and painfully convert human beings ( ...
encounters. Another is an apology for dropping someone off in
Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
, which refers to the Doctor mistakenly dropping off companion
Sarah Jane Smith Sarah Jane Smith is a fictional character played by Elisabeth Sladen in the long-running BBC Television science fiction on television, science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' and two of Doctor Who spin-offs, its spin-offs. Sarah Jane is a dogged in ...
in Aberdeen, rather than
Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...
in ''
The Hand of Fear ''The Hand of Fear'' is the second serial of the 14th season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 2 to 23 October 1976. The serial was the last regular appe ...
'' (1976) (as later revealed in " School Reunion" (2006)).


Outside references

When planning to abandon the base, Cass wants her superiors to send marines or "ghostbusters", an allusion to the 1984 film. She tells the Doctor that he can do the "whole ''
Cabin in the Woods Cabin may refer to: Buildings * Beach cabin, a small wooden hut on a beach * Log cabin, a house built from logs * Cottage, a small house * Chalet, a wooden mountain house with a sloping roof * Cabin, small free-standing structures that serve as in ...
'' thing" if he wants to stay, another film reference. The Doctor mentions meeting Shirley Bassey and reveals that he is not a fan of
Peter Andre Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea, 27 February 1973) is an English-Australian singer and television personality of Australian descent. Andre gained popularity as a singer, best known for his singles "Mysterious Girl" and " Flava". He is als ...
's "
Mysterious Girl "Mysterious Girl" is the second overall single and third British single from singer-songwriter Peter Andre's second studio album, ''Natural'' (1996). It was written by Glen Goldsmith, Philip Jackson, Ollie Jacobs and Andre, and produced by Ja ...
": after suffering a two-week
earworm An earworm, sometimes referred to as a brainworm, sticky music, stuck song syndrome, or, most commonly after earworms, Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI), is a catchy and/or memorable piece of music or saying that continuously occupies a person ...
of the song, he "was begging for the brush of death's merciful hand."


Production

The "Readthrough Draft" of the script for this episode, glimpsed in the online "Doctor Who Extra" focusing on Cass & Lunn, was titled "Ghost in the Machine".


Cast notes

Colin McFarlane, who plays Moran in this episode, had previously featured in the 2007 Christmas episode, "
Voyage of the Damned ''Voyage of the Damned'' is a 1976 drama film directed by Stuart Rosenberg, with an all-star cast featuring Faye Dunaway, Oskar Werner, Lee Grant, Max von Sydow, James Mason, and Malcolm McDowell. The story was inspired by actual events co ...
", in which he voiced the Heavenly Host, and additionally appeared in spin-off series ''
Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growin ...
'', in four episodes of '' Children of Earth'', as General Pierce.


Broadcast and reception

Overnight viewings for this episode were 3.74 million, a small improvement from the episode broadcast a week beforehand,
The Witch's Familiar "The Witch's Familiar" is the second episode of the ninth series of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 26 September 2015. It was written by Steven Moffat and directed by Hettie MacD ...
. However, the final consolidated ratings were 5.63 million, the second-lowest of any episode of ''Doctor Who'' since the show was revived in 2005. Much like the previous episode, the lower ratings were possibly due to the England v Australia match in the 2015 Rugby World Cup airing simultaneously. The episode received an
Appreciation Index The Audience Appreciation Index (AI) is an indicator measured from 0 to 100 of the public's appreciation for a television or radio programme, or broadcast service, in the United Kingdom. Until 2002, the AI of a programme was calculated by the B ...
score of 84.


Critical reception

"Under the Lake" received positive reviews from TV critics, with many praising the episode's creepy atmosphere and old fashioned style. The episode received a score of 83% on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, with an average score of 7.6. The site's consensus reads "Part one of two, "Under the Lake" scares up a good, old-fashioned ghost story, which may remind viewers of the original series – for better or worse". Morgan Jeffery of Digital Spy praised the episode, labelling it "atmospheric". He further went on to say "It's this sense of claustrophobia that is among the episode's biggest selling points – watching a crew's camaraderie crumble as the pressure gets to them never grows old. Gloomy visuals and a haunting score from Murray Gold also do much to generate atmosphere and tension" and closed his review stating "Chills, action, adventure – this is old-school Doctor Who given a modern sheen and, most of all, it's enormous fun". Michael Hogan of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' acclaimed the episode, awarding it a perfect five stars. He said "This rollicking, hair-raising romp demonstrated that the sci-fi franchise still has the power to thrill and chill in equal measure". He closed his review by claiming "Forty minutes flew by and the credits rolled too soon, leaving on a creepy cliffhanger that left me baying for more. If next week’s conclusion of the story – and the 12-part series as a whole – can keep up the standard set by the opening three episodes, we’re in for a treat. Doctor Who will have regenerated once more". Alasdair Wilkins of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' also enjoyed the episode, awarding it a B+ grade. Calling the episode "impeccably structured", he further stated that it "has a tightness of narrative focus that often eludes the first episodes of Doctor Who two-parters". He closed his review by saying the episode "works beautifully as a propulsive monsters story" and stating "A simple, focused first episode figures to set up a twisted, sprawling second half. But even without seeing the payoff, it’s hard to imagine more efficient narrative construction for whatever that conclusion might be". Jon Cooper of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' lavished praised onto the episode, calling it "spooky with a sci-fi slant" and saying that "while the show has tackled this sort of narrative countless times before, it has rarely been done with such palpable tension and slow-burning dread". He further stated "As secrets were uncovered and deductions made, the plot rattled along with a pace that ended up as satisfying as it was intriguing", and closed his review by saying "in terms of wonderfully solid and spooky TV there’s nothing to moan about here". Scott Collura of
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
was also highly impressed with the episode, awarding it a score of 8.5/10, deemed by the site as "great". He particularly praised the episode's cliffhanger ending, stating "But oh, the ending of this episode! So great", and summarised his review with "I always welcome the creature-feature Doctor Who episodes, and "Under the Lake" does that tradition proud. The shimmering, ghastly specters are scary enough, but the apparent fate of the Doctor in this cliffhanger is the real shocker".


References


External links

* * * {{Twelfth Doctor stories, selected=Television Twelfth Doctor episodes 2015 British television episodes Television episodes written by Toby Whithouse Doctor Who stories set on Earth Television episodes set in the 22nd century Television episodes about ghosts Television episodes set in Scotland Underwater fiction