WRITER: Steven Moffatt DIRECTOR: Hettie MacDonald
CAST: David Tennant (The Doctor), Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones), Carey Mulligan (Sally), Thomas Nelstrop (Ben Wainwright), Lucy Gaskell (Kathy Nightingale), Michael Obiora (Billy Shipton), Louis Mahoney (Old Billy), Finaly Robertson (Larry Nightingale), Ian Boldsworth (Banto), Richard Cant (Malcolm Wainwright) & Ray Sawyer (Desk Sergeant)
In an old, abandoned house, a young woman begins to find cryptic messages bleeding through from 1969 –- from a stranger called The Doctor...Steven Moffat has earned himself a huge reputation in fan circles, after writing season 1's most tonally-correct adventure (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances) and season 2's sublime The Girl In The Fireplace. It's a reputation well-deserved and Moffat refuses to put a foot wrong with his fourth effort for Doctor Who, the wonderful Blink...
As with last year's Love & Monsters, The Doctor and his companion barely feature in this episode beyond a few scenes, with most of their work consisting of recorded "one-way" interviews on DVD footage. The story really belongs to Sally Sparrow (Carey Mulligan), a young woman who enters an abandoned building with "Weeping Angel" statues scattered about in the grounds outside. She also discovers cryptic messages behind wallpaper from someone called "The Doctor", before her friend Katherine is later zapped back in time to 1920 by one of the freaky sculptures...
The plot is fairly complex for a typical Who episode, perhaps a little above younger viewers' understanding. Blink's use of time-travel logic, predestination paradoxes, single it out as one of the most stylish and intelligent episodes of the revived series.
Carey Mulligan is superb as the intrepid Sally; attractive, intelligent and plausible in all her reactions. She's such a strong character it actually crossed my mind that she could handle her own Buffy The Vampire Slayer-style series, as she's an immensely likeable presence on-screen.
The supporting cast are quite perfunctory to events, with most vanishing into the past shortly after their introduced, but none hit a wrong note. Michael Obiora makes a good impression as Detective Inspector Shipton, as does his older incarnation played by Louis Mahoney.
Blink is also one of the most stylish Doctor Who episodes, which usually means the crew have done a great job with a period location, but Blink is actually mostly in a contemporary setting. The editing and directing are brilliant throughout, particularly in the scary abandoned house with its greenish tint and some beautiful rain-soaked exteriors.
However, it's clear that Steven Moffat is the man to worship for Blink's success. He's written a marvellous script, not only for its sharp and logical plotting, but with some genuinely funny lines (The Doctor's hen joke) and sparkling dialogue. Above all else, it's just a wonderfully imaginative story that combines old-school spooky houses and sinister statues with the world of DVDs "easter eggs" and time-travel.
The Weeping Angels are a marvellous creation and it's incredible to realize they're actually make-up effect and not genuine stone! Their modus operandi and back-story is unsettling and effective, particularly in the final moments with our heroes having to resist blinking (as the Angels are only inanimate when being looked at). Marvellous stuff and, for once, we have a story where The Doctor's eventual resolution to crisis is solved by genius-level intellect -- not coincidence, luck or his bloody sonic screwdriver!
Overall, Blink is one of Doctor Who's greatest episodes and a textbook example of the intelligence and tone Russell T. Davies' staff should be aiming for more often. If there's anybody you know who doesn't rate Doctor Who's output, just show them this.
Blink is imaginative, compelling, exciting, scary and clever.
