A Doctor Who a Day - Day 24 - Review: Fear Her
- Matty James
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Doctor Who Series 2, Episode 11, Fear Her
Original Air Date: 24th June 2006
"It's more than a flame now. It's more than heat and light. It's hope, and it's courage, and it's love."
I have been fearing reviewing this one and I might struggle to defend it. If there is one episode I would never watch in front of anyone, it would be this one. I would protect this show with my life, and I don’t want anyone thinking Doctor Who is shit by watching this.
I am a firm believer that every Doctor Who episode has some good going for it, but straight from the start this is a struggle. The acting feels a little off, and if I am honest, I am getting Beniiiiiiii vibes, and not in a good way! I struggled.
This one has not aged well either. That is partly down to it being set in a future that we have already lived through. If anything can make a guy feel old it is watching an episode talking about events that are 6 years in the future, but that are now 12 years ago. 18 bloody years. I feel like the boy who waited!
This episode has my number one pet peeve in spades. I know you have to suspend your disbelief when you watch the silly blue box show, but is it too much to ask that humans in the show react how humans would in reality. I know humans are a bunch of wankers, and everyone is different, but blimey… Not a single human reacts normally.
"You just took a council axe from a council van and now you’re digging up a council road! I’m reporting you to the council!"
Case in point, the council man. I honestly don’t think he would care if everyone on the street disappeared, as long as he was left alone with his road. God knows what he would be getting up to with his council axe on his council road. Calm down mate, it’s just tar!
This episode has the ultimate moment though. The moment when this pet hate actually became my pet hate. The moment that started it all off...
"Not you too, Bob!"
That was it, that was the line. Huw Edwards (of other fame these days!) commentating on an empty Olympic Stadium. The drama completely sucked out of it for me. Doctor Who can be cheesy, it can be corny, camp, but this was another level! You've got to laugh at it really.
Things got even worse later on when the bloke carrying the torch randomly collapsed. What followed was Edwards calmly telling us that the Olympic dream was dead. Let’s not be dramatic here. Firstly get the poor bloke some bloody help, and secondly, someone else can take the flame. Don’t just sit there saying the dream is dead when a load of people are just standing around doing nothing. It is such a weird moment.
In a way, the shit commentary from the disgraced BBC news reader was the best bit. It has been replaced now, but it doesn’t hit the same. Keep hold of that physical media people. Especially in this day and age.
"There’s something in the air. There’s something coming. A storm's approaching."
The episode is actually a lot darker than I remembered as I look at it with my weary old eyes. Chloe’s dad was obviously an evil fucker, and I must have ignored this point the first time I watched it.
Let me try and find some good in this episode? If I ignore my pet peeve, some ropey acting, and all the cringe… Ah, Billie Piper looks very hot and there is a cat in it. There, some good.
Do you think this was a shit as I do? Do you cringe when you watch it? Or have I got it all wrong, and this is an underrated gem? Let me know in the comments below.
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