TV REVIEW: Doctor Who S2E5: “The Girl in the Fireplaceâ€
With Doctor Who Day right around the corner as of this writing, it seems a good time to revisit an underrated gem of New Who. The Russell T. Davies era of Doctor Who is probably best renowned for episodes like “Dalek”“, “Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways”“, and “Human Nature/Family of Blood”“. Writer Steven Moffat may well be better renowned for his later episodes like “Blink”“ or his tenure as showrunner, especially Season 5 or his 50th anniversary episode, “The Day of the Doctor”“. However, “The Girl in the Fireplace”“ is an episode that is not talked up as much, while also a precursor to elements of the Moffat era of Who.
As is often the case with Moffat, “The Girl in the Fireplace”“ revolves around tragic relationships and complex time travel. Although Doctor Who is a show centered around the time-traveling Doctor, very often classic episodes would use the time travel as a set-piece. The Doctor would land the TARDIS somewhere in time, and then resolve the situation before leaving once more. “The Girl in the Fireplace”“ does operate by the basic formula, but there“s one significant departure. This is one of the first episodes to dive deeply into the Doctor“s complicated life as a time traveler and how that affects his relationships. This is something that Moffat would eventually take a deeper dive into, particularly with the Doctor“s relationship with his wife, River Song. Here, though, it“s presented as the Doctor as he travels down the life of Madame de Pompadour (played by Sophia Myles), mistress to King Louis XV of France. As the Doctor does, he does so while exploring a spaceship operated by clockwork robots obsessed with using Madame de Pompadour for some nefarious purpose. This is a Doctor Who historical adventure, but it“s also a science fiction story wrapped up in a love story that“s complicated by time travel.
The writing is some of Moffat“s best in this episode, even though it echoes recurring ideas that he would recycle later. For instance, the Dcotor becoming a young girl“s childhood friend shows signs of Amy Pond, while the tragic time-travel love affair is not much unlike the Doctor“s relationship with River Song. At the same time, this episode makes those elements work in its own right. The character of Madame de Pompadour holds the story, and her relationship with the Doctor is believable. The way their relationship is set up is a little rushed and glossed over to accommodate the limits of the episode“s run time, and it would have been nice to see more of the Doctor“s involvement with Madame de Pompadour as a young woman. Still, even though she exists as a character for the Doctor to save, she comes across as highly intelligent and a woman with her own agency. She is not content to wait for the Doctor to save her, and she comes across as a woman who
is ahead of her time while not unbelievably so. She“s insightful enough to see the Doctor in a way that takes him by surprise, and she“s driven enough to inspire Versailles to follow her in a crisis situation. It helps that Sophia Myles has strong chemistry with David Tennant, with a clear electricity between them on screen. We want the Doctor to save her, and her tragic fate is a sad moment in the history of the show.
Although David Tennant hadn“t yet reached his full potential as the Doctor by this point, this is one of his most powerful early-season performances. He“s always been a charismatic actor with a fair deal of range, and this episode allows him to push himself in his performance. In this episode, he“s very much the romantic lead, a position he falls into naturally. Tennant is also a physically expressive actor, and this lends itself well to physical comedy; the scene where the Doctor rescues his Companions from the clockwork droids gets this across well. Still, this is also an episode that balances comedy with tragedy, and Tennant bears the loneliness and the pain of an immortal Time Lord in his darker moments. This is apparent in the end particularly, where the script doesn“t have the Doctor emote; his feelings are carried purely by the acting, and it conveys the weight of loss on the Doctor“s mind. Billie Piper and Noel Clarke deliver good, solid performances, though they“re relegated to the sidekick role and don“t do very much. This is a slight disappointment given that Rose should have more to say about the Doctor“s growing feelings for Madame de Pompadour and remains silent, but Billie Piper does well with what she“s given to work with. However, beyond Tennant, Sophia Myles is a standout actress in this episode, and her realization of the character“s strength, intellect, and wit makes Madame de Pompadour captivating to watch on screen. This is a character study with the space adventure as a background element, and the focus is clearly on Tennant and Myles and their interactions on screen.
One point that doesn“t get stated enough is how beautiful this episode looks, and that is likely the work of director Euros Lyn and his crew. The shots of Versailles 
are full of splendor and grandeur, capturing the flavor of Louis XV“s France. The sets are full of color and they“re visually captivating, but never to the point where they distract the eye away from David Tennant“s Tenth Doctor. The costume designs are exquisite, looking period-accurate and stylish. Sophia Myles as Madame de Pompadour looks every inch a king“s mistress, and the costuming brings the best out of the actress in her scenes. Moreover, the clockwork droids are visually fascinating monsters even if the robots themselves are not deeply interesting beyond their role in the episode. They look creepy and frightening while also garbed in the pageantry of Versailles, and the crew deserves credit for such a striking villain design.
“The Girl in the Fireplace”“ remains one of the high points in New Who, although it“s been overshadowed somewhat by Moffat“s later work. There are small concerns that hold it back, mainly the shuffling aside of Rose and the points that the script glosses over. However, these weaknesses are the result of compromises made in the creation process, and this episode is still golden even with those slight blemishes. If you“re looking for a good historical Doctor Who adventure that focuses on romance and character while being everything a Doctor Who episode needs to be, “Girl in the Fireplace”“ will deliver that. If you“re a fan of the Tenth Doctor, this is an episode that still holds up and is worth revisiting.
Score: 4.8/5
Director: Euros Lyn
Writer: Steven Moffat
Cast: David Tennant, Billie Piper, Noel Clarke, Sophia Myles
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- Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).
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