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glitter_n_goreGreetings! It's been a Hell of a week. Who could use a spooky, fandom-centered distraction? I sure could. So here I am with the next part of the Top 13 Scariest Who episodes! Now we're getting into the less obvious shoo-ins for a list like this, the ones that actually needed to be tallied and arranged after consulting the greater fandom. Well, at least those in the greater fandom who responded to my polls. (Speaking of, random shout-out to the one person who actually voted for "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" which did not end up making the cut--I see you, and I appreciate you!)
As before, there will be mild spoilers for the following episodes, although I will not give away the actual endings. Also, as a courtesy, I haven't seen the new one yet, so please don't spoil that for me. Also-also, by pure coincidence, these are all Steven Moffat episodes this time.
Onward!
Number 4: "The Impossible Astronaut" / "The Day of the Moon"
Have you heard of this phenomenon called "sleep paralysis?" It happens when you're not quite awake, but not fully asleep. There's a pressure on your chest. You can't move, you can hardly breathe, and you have a strong sense of some other presence in the room, watching you. This is the basis for many accounts of alien abduction and/or demonic possession. And it's what happened to me after I was introduced to The Silence. I'm not kidding.
What's scarier than a monster that kills you the moment you turn your back? Well, a monster that you completely forget exists the moment you turn your back, obviously. Moffat likes to revisit the same themes, not always to good effect depending on who you ask, but I was riveted by the Slenderman-like creatures in the Series 6 opener. The second half, "The Day of the Moon," is even more effective, because of how the POV shifts. No longer are you watching Karen Gillan as Amy see, and then forget, the monsters from one scene to the next. You are right there with her, watching hash marks appear on her skin seemingly out of nowhere and wondering if that room is really as empty as it looks.
Number 5: "Listen"
What if there really is something hiding under your bed? Childhood fears can always get under our skin, no matter how irrational and impossible we know them to be. That's the power Moffat tapped into with "Listen." It took me a long time to warm up to Peter Capaldi, but that is completely and emphatically not the actor's fault. I just really, really hated Series 8. A lot. I made a list. That said, there are a few gems buried in the rubble, and one of them is "Listen."
Fun fact: When I was looking up this exact clip to embed it here, there was a knock on my door. I could hear myself saying, "You are the character people are yelling at to NOT OPEN THE DOOR right now," every step of the way. (Obviously I'm fine, but still.) The most fascinating thing about fear of the dark, which is at the root of this episode, is how good we are at coming up with rational explanations. It's just the wind. It's the pipes clanking. It's the house settling. And yet, there's still that thing in the back of our minds that says, "But what if it's not?" I do have to compartmentalize when I watch this, much as I enjoy it overall. (That spiel about how nature never evolved a way for living things to "hide"--dude, your "Chameleon Circuit" is literally named after an animal that can do this. What is HAPPENING with the writing in this season??) However, the end result is solidly creepy, emotionally compelling, and explains a lot about how the Doctor views the world.
Number 6: "Silence In the Library / Forest of the Dead"
Librarians *LOVE* this episode. Honestly anyone who loves libraries will love this episode, because just picture it: an entire planet of nothing but books. It sounds like heaven to me. And I don't even mean that ironically, considering what happens in "Silence In the Library." The Vashta Nerada--shadow monsters that make everything go dark and then devour your flesh before you can even cry out--never showed up after this, but boy did they make an impression.
There's another wrinkle in this two-parter, and that's the introduction of Alex Kingston as River Song. It is heartbreaking when you know her whole story, and makes me appreciate the actor's performance on a whole different level on the rewatch. After you've gone past Series 6, it is impossible not to see this episode from her point of view. Cried real tears, I did. Blending terror with tragedy is one of Moffat's hallmarks. The end result is often bittersweet, and that's definitely the case here. If you want to be afraid of the dark again, come to the Library.
Next time: picks 7 through 9. See you then!
As before, there will be mild spoilers for the following episodes, although I will not give away the actual endings. Also, as a courtesy, I haven't seen the new one yet, so please don't spoil that for me. Also-also, by pure coincidence, these are all Steven Moffat episodes this time.
Onward!
Number 4: "The Impossible Astronaut" / "The Day of the Moon"
Have you heard of this phenomenon called "sleep paralysis?" It happens when you're not quite awake, but not fully asleep. There's a pressure on your chest. You can't move, you can hardly breathe, and you have a strong sense of some other presence in the room, watching you. This is the basis for many accounts of alien abduction and/or demonic possession. And it's what happened to me after I was introduced to The Silence. I'm not kidding.
What's scarier than a monster that kills you the moment you turn your back? Well, a monster that you completely forget exists the moment you turn your back, obviously. Moffat likes to revisit the same themes, not always to good effect depending on who you ask, but I was riveted by the Slenderman-like creatures in the Series 6 opener. The second half, "The Day of the Moon," is even more effective, because of how the POV shifts. No longer are you watching Karen Gillan as Amy see, and then forget, the monsters from one scene to the next. You are right there with her, watching hash marks appear on her skin seemingly out of nowhere and wondering if that room is really as empty as it looks.
Number 5: "Listen"
What if there really is something hiding under your bed? Childhood fears can always get under our skin, no matter how irrational and impossible we know them to be. That's the power Moffat tapped into with "Listen." It took me a long time to warm up to Peter Capaldi, but that is completely and emphatically not the actor's fault. I just really, really hated Series 8. A lot. I made a list. That said, there are a few gems buried in the rubble, and one of them is "Listen."
Fun fact: When I was looking up this exact clip to embed it here, there was a knock on my door. I could hear myself saying, "You are the character people are yelling at to NOT OPEN THE DOOR right now," every step of the way. (Obviously I'm fine, but still.) The most fascinating thing about fear of the dark, which is at the root of this episode, is how good we are at coming up with rational explanations. It's just the wind. It's the pipes clanking. It's the house settling. And yet, there's still that thing in the back of our minds that says, "But what if it's not?" I do have to compartmentalize when I watch this, much as I enjoy it overall. (That spiel about how nature never evolved a way for living things to "hide"--dude, your "Chameleon Circuit" is literally named after an animal that can do this. What is HAPPENING with the writing in this season??) However, the end result is solidly creepy, emotionally compelling, and explains a lot about how the Doctor views the world.
Number 6: "Silence In the Library / Forest of the Dead"
Librarians *LOVE* this episode. Honestly anyone who loves libraries will love this episode, because just picture it: an entire planet of nothing but books. It sounds like heaven to me. And I don't even mean that ironically, considering what happens in "Silence In the Library." The Vashta Nerada--shadow monsters that make everything go dark and then devour your flesh before you can even cry out--never showed up after this, but boy did they make an impression.
There's another wrinkle in this two-parter, and that's the introduction of Alex Kingston as River Song. It is heartbreaking when you know her whole story, and makes me appreciate the actor's performance on a whole different level on the rewatch. After you've gone past Series 6, it is impossible not to see this episode from her point of view. Cried real tears, I did. Blending terror with tragedy is one of Moffat's hallmarks. The end result is often bittersweet, and that's definitely the case here. If you want to be afraid of the dark again, come to the Library.
Next time: picks 7 through 9. See you then!