And nope; it's not Jess. To the New Girl and Doctor Who fans who might vaguely understand the references, this is a post for the latter. The second half of the latest series (Series 7) of Doctor Who has been gracing our screens for a good month now, and we've been introduced to Mystery Girl Clara in her 21st century form. Oh, and if you don't watch Doctor Who and would like to in the near future, and would therefore not want anything ruined, look away now. Find another post and read that instead. Or, of course, if you watch it and aren't up to date...see the above. This beview/review by no means makes up for my shocking lack of posts in the whole of April (gasp!), but a lot has been going on lately and I'm hoping a review of 4 in 1 will make up for a little bit. (I'm counting from the second half of the series, meaning the first one is 1. instead of 6.) Here we go.

1. The Bells of Saint John 

In a bizarre but oddly intriguing storyline involving sinister Wi-Fi, soul-stealing and impossible motorbikes, we finally meet Clara (Version 3.0), and this is the one who's going to stick around for at least one episode. Jenna-Louise Coleman does a stellar job in giving viewers another fresh new character, when most people would be thinking, "not again!" She's not as flirty or feisty as her previous incarnations, and there are still so many questions left unanswered, but the chemistry between her and The Doctor takes centre stage and works well. Storyline-wise, the "solution" to this week's world-endangering scenario seems a little simple (but I still didn't see it coming!), and the whole "technology is evil" is a tad farfetched, but as the start of a new Who era, it's a strong start leaving you wanting more. (And for the record, in terms of the title and the relevance to the episode, I was left baffled! Poor title choice..)

2. The Rings of Akhaten

So, the viewer is left wanting more of Clara's adventures, and we're given a hugely disappointing second installation. Those who read Beview will know I don't tend to criticise harshly often in reviews, but I have no choice but to in this instance. Sure it has elements of heart-warming fuzzy stuff, like the importance of the leaf ("this is the most important leaf in the world". Or something like that) and the relationship between Clara and the cute little girl, aka the Queen of Years. But the episode, for me, just didn't seem to go anywhere. It's slightly cheesy and feels like a sci-fi version of Glee, and I sussed out the "solution" about ten minutes in. Still, it was nice seeing a new side of Clara and obviously Matt Smith effortlessly gliding into the shoes of the Doctor. I just couldn't help feeling quite a bit underwhelmed at the end of the episode.

3. Cold War

A Russian submarine + an Ice Warrior (from the old episodes) = a well-rounded, promising episode of Doctor Who. Clara sements her role as sidekick/kick-ass assistant, becoming peace diplomat between the alien and humans. It's eery and spine-tingling in places, reminiscent of old David Tennant episodes such as 42, and any other adventure with a large spacecraft/other vehicle heading towards impending doom. It feels like one of those films/TV shows where each trapped passenger/crew is killed one by one. (Not necessarily the case here.) Skaldak, as more of a "alien monster" than "evil alien", is scary but there is more to the story. I never watched the old-school series but I hear many who did were happy to see the return of the Ice Warriors. As an overall episode, it was satisfying (much more so than ep 2!) and thoroughly enjoyable from the opening to closing credits. 

4. Hide

I'll admit it; after watching the trailer the week before, I was adamant that I could not watch Hide alone. There were five of us in the room and I still had to Hide behind my hands. See what I did there? Ha. I wasn't laughing for long though - a haunted house and a ghost. Stuff of the freaky. And those photographs of the ghost? Truly terrifying! Thankfully, this is Doctor Who and not Most Haunted on LivingTV; there's a logical explanation ("logical" in DW terms; I found the pocket universe idea as convincing as "timey-wimey...stuff" but that's ok). The camera angles were of the stereotypical horror genre, but that stuff works on me, as we've clearly established. I felt, however, more and more at ease as the episode went on. The relationship between psychic Emma Grayling and Prof Alec Palmer was cute and subtle, and there were some clever twists going on, including the identity of the ghost, monster, and real reason behind the time-travelling visit.

5, 6, 7, 8! 

We've got a TARDIS exploration adventure coming this Saturday, and it looks like Clara will be going her own way for a bit. Then The Crimson Horror, bringing Madame Vastra, Strax and Jenny back into the picture (rumours of them getting a spin-off show..). Next, Nightmare in Silver says hello to our good chums the Cybermen again (can I hear an "OMG"?), and finally, The Name of the Doctor, sees the return of wifey River Song. Maybe it will set up the story for the special 50th episode? I don't about you, but I absolutely cannot wait for David Tennant to step back into his Converses and pinstripe suit. Eeeeee. (That was, for real, a fangirl scream. No joke.)

Right, this marks the end of me fully unleashing my shameless geeky love for Doctor Who onto the Web. No shame, guys.

Bev x