After last week’s heart-pumping series opener that saw the debut of Jodie Whittaker’s fierce and eccentric Doctor, we finally see her and the rest of the cast settle into the groove of the show in ‘The Ghost Monument’. The episode is another fairly straightforward story that holds a lot of implications for the direction of series 11, and also continues to push our main cast forward in their own personal journeys.
After being zapped into outer space at the end of ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’, the Doctor and her new fam find themselves drawn into a galaxy-spanning competition à la The Amazing Race. Two finalists, one shifty game master, and a large sum of money waiting for them at the end, if only they can reach the Ghost Monument—a mysterious structure that fades in and out of existence every 1000 years. And as it is revealed fairly quickly, this so-called Ghost Monument turns out to be the TARDIS.
After losing her main method of transportation in last year’s Christmas special ‘Twice Upon a Time’, Chibnall could have easily resolved this problem as an afterthought in the premiere episode. But by holding back on the solution for a while and then basing an entire story on the hunt for it, he offers weight to the complication. The Doctor feels limited without her TARDIS, and so its absence has served to remind us how integral it is to her character and the show itself.
The new interior is perhaps one of the most alien designs we have seen yet, and indeed the moment she discovers it she is in as much awe as her new companions. Similar to Tennant’s coral pillars, Whittaker’s TARDIS uses crystal structures surrounding the main console, and a strong brown and yellow colour scheme running through it with hints of blue. At this point it appears a little too darkly lit, but this would hopefully be something future directors take into account when shooting on the set.
Yasmin is sadly kept in the background for this episode, with the emphasis still dwelling on Graham and Ryan’s stunted relationship. All three are shaping up to be incredibly likeable characters though, with Ryan’s Call of Duty battle scene and Graham’s aversion to alien antics providing comic relief.
For the second week in a row, Chibnall has proven his remarkable ability to write engaging minor characters that feel completely real. Despite only filling in as guest stars, Shaun Dooley and Susan Lynch respectively play Epzo and Angstrom with grit, determination, and hints of tragedy. Both are given backstories that show us why they are worth caring about, even in spite of Epzo’s sometimes insufferable flaws. Art Malik is a little under-used as Ilin, but he still fills in the role of dubious game master well enough. His intentions seem to be a little shady, and given the hints of a broader story arc it may be possible we will see him again.
And finally, Whittaker continues to define herself as the Doctor with similar shades of joyfulness we saw last week. This time round though we also see in her a very humanistic understanding of empathy, curiosity, and even despair. She says “Sorry” and “Thank you”, she looks at the bigger picture while others are caught up in the details, and she is depressingly close to giving up when she believes she has let her friends down. As brilliant as Capaldi was, it is wonderful to see Whittaker head in the opposite direction to keep the show feeling fresh and dynamic.
‘The Ghost Monument’ is another strong entry into series 11 of Doctor Who, and with it the show is already starting to feel like it is falling into a new but familiar rhythm. Director Mark Tonderai does a fantastic job realising the most real-looking alien planet we have seen in years, with the grand, sweeping cinematography capturing its beauty. Chibnall’s writing continues to hold up with its focus on characters rather than plot, but as this series progresses it will be important for us to see that he can tackle both effectively. However now that we can see hints of story arcs emerging that involve the return of the Stenza and a mysterious Timeless Child, it is looking hopeful that this is how series 11 may unfold.
