Not Fading

So, another series of Doctor Who draws to a close, and the Time Lord's inevitable death is inevitably avoided. I must confess that, despite the circulation of rumours about the next series, I was beginning to harbour doubts. Perhaps it had been cancelled because of all those cries of "it's too complicated!" Perhaps Mr Moffat had decided to go out on a high, safe in the knowledge that even the worst episode under his control was better than the best RTD ever oversaw (even ignoring the fact that the best episodes under RTD's control had been written by Moffat).

But no.

He'd been playing us all along. Misdirection is one of his favourite tools. When a 'clone' Doctor was created and later destroyed in one two-part story, and the Doctor hinted that his 'ganger might yet be 'reconstituted', it seemed logical to extrapolate that the Doctor killed on the shores of Lake Silencio was the fake one... but that was just Moffat setting us up for a complete sucker punch of a finale.

It seems amazing to me that the story of River Song, a character introduced way back when David Tennant's Doctor was shouting and generally being an arrogant twat, was a thread woven deeply and subtly into the very fabric of this new Doctor. Some parts of her story - as presented in this series - could have used some fleshing out, but I suspect she's not done yet, even if we have seen her beginnings and her very final end. The long running question was whether she had been married to the Doctor (as was strongly hinted by her first appearance) or whether she was (very loosely) imprisoned for killing the Doctor. While it seems that the answer is "both", there's still some mileage in explaining the specifics of their relationship.

But, brilliant as all that is, there's obviously far more to come because, while we've learned more about The Silence, their story is far from over... we've heard dark hints about a question that must not be asked, and it's even been explicitly stated that just such a question is going to be asked. We even know what that question - hidden in plain sight - actually is, thanks to the last few moments of this series' final episode: "Doctor who?"

Quite a long wait for the next series, maybe... but there's always the Christmas Special...

Meanwhile, we have reached the halfway mark in BBC3's new 6-part supernatural thriller, The Fades, and it's still very impressive and enjoyable. Admittedly part of its charm is the geeky interplay between the protagonist, Paul, and his best friend, Mac. There are perhaps some alarming plot holes (at least, things which have not been explained yet), but I actually find myself thinking "so what?" because it's such a brilliant piece of television, not least because it's on the BBC.

It also speaks volumes for the writing of the show that, when it decided to show two of its characters, Paul and Jay - a member of his sister's high school clique - having sex, it wasn't the typical, distasteful, gratuitous grind-a-thon that has become de rigeur in contemporary television (I'm looking at you, Torchwood, Camelot, and almost anything by Starz, among other US companies). It was a sweet, tender and, above all, honest presentation of an awkward first-time experience. It didn't go on any longer than necessary, and showed far more character than the sweaty close-ups and demonstrations of coital gurning favoured by other shows.

Even the subsequent conversation between Paul and Mac about 'the deed' was more genuine in its heartfelt awkwardness than is typical for television.

It's almost unheard of for me to be left reeling and speechless by a mere TV show, but the end of episode three accomplished just that: with the protagonist in critical condition in hospital and a 'ghost' emerging - in living human form - from a fleshy cocoon, I just haven't a clue where the story is going to go from here.

That's a new feeling...

...And I like it.