Doctor Who - "The Unquiet Dead"

WHOSCALE: 8.9 OUT OF 10

The third episode of the revived Doctor Who, this was without a doubt one of the best of Eccleston's run. Set in Victorian Cardiff, the episode paid enormous homage to the Tom Baker episode "The Talons of Weng-Chiang." Some of the scenes in this episode were practically parallel to scenes from Talons. Such scenes as the shots of the onlooking audience listening to Mr. Dickens on stage. Another large reminder was the design and setting of the theater in which Dickens was performing. It looked very similar to Henry Gordon Jago's theater in Talons.

Another wonderful scene is the conversation between the Doctor and Dickens as they rock from side to side riding in the carriage.

Eccleston once again portrays the Doctor very well, with some very memorable dialogue, such as the Doctor urging Rose to change clothes before she steps out of the TARDIS, noting that her 21st century attire would "start a riot." Another great moment is when the Doctor runs onstage with Dickens moments after the ghost appears, and he introduces himself...

The Doctor: "I'm the Doctor by the way!"

Dickens: Doctor?! You look more like a navvy!"

The Doctor: "What is wrong with this jumper?!" as he tugs his v-neck undershirt.

Yet another well-written scene is when a now teamed up Dickens/Doctor duo visit the funeral home at a late hour and are told "we're closed," Dickens abruptly replies, "Nonsense! Since when did funeral homes keep hours?! The dead don't die on schedule!"

As with any great Who episode, and frequently the case with classic Who, the story tried at best to spread the characters' activity evenly over the entire episode, so that the episode wasn't solely about Dickens' point of view, nor was it from the Doctor and Rose's point of view. The story was told as it really was, and the viewer was positioned "outside the box," seeing the plot unfold from both sides evenly. Namely the scene of Dickens brooding in his dressing room prior to his curtain time, before the Doctor and Rose had even discovered that something was wrong or even arrived at the theater.

I had few complaints with this one. In fact, my only issues were the scene with Rose and Gwyneth talked one on one (which I suppose was necessary to introduce the first hint of the "Bad Wolf" story arc element), and the CGI ghosts. Once again, the incidental music was subtle, contributing to a sense of realism and historical accuracy. Particulary during Dickens' performance - we listened in a silent theater as if we were actually there.

Overall, well written and well produced, and by far the best we had seen yet from the revived series.