Sleep No More
(Season 9, Dr 12 with Clara, 14/11/2015, producer/showrunner: Steven Moffat, writer: Mark Gatiss, director: Justin Molotnikov)
Rank: 289
In which, ironically, we'll never sleep again after the living nightmare of seeing The Sandmen take over everyone who don't get enough sleep...
As a viewer with m.e. who has to nap multiple times a day I have a mixed relationship with sleep. Unlike some fans who found the whole thing preposterous I find the idea that an alien gets you if you don't sleep enough actually more plausible than what's actually happening to my body. Additionally, sticking people in pods to speed up the sleeping process sounds so plausible as something future capitalist societies would do I almost don't want to give our future leaders ideas. I kind of like the audacity of making this episode 'found footage' too, a Blair Witch style raggedy camera documentary where the Dr and Clara are just other characters that come and go rather than the people we always follow. However, much as I stick up for this one, the jump cuts make it really hard to watch and whenever I watch this one it's really jarring, as if I've fallen asleep and missed half the plot (gulp...maybe I have and I've been possessed?!) The supporting cast are also one of the more forgettable ones in DW history, with no real sense of loss when one or other of them snuffs it. Not a complete nightmare then, but still something of a bad dream.
Positives + No other episode looks like this one. The final twist that the transmission has turned 'us' into sandmen is a great idea too. For context the last time DW broke the 4th Wall it was Xmas Day 1965.
Negatives - The fact that this episode looks and feels like no other also means it stands out a mile in the middle of an otherwise fairly bland season. Also, the Sandmen do look more like Snotmen rather than the bits of 'sleep' you get in your eyes when you've just woken up.
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