There’s a great Jim Gaffigan joke about what it must be like to have gone to school with the future Pope. What’s it like to be an average guy with a Time Lord for an acquaintance? This week’s episode of Doctor Who answers that question in a fantastically messy way.
Craig Owens (James Corden), last seen in “The Lodger” where The Doctor was his roomie, has moved to a new house in Colcester with his girlfriend and son, only to find Eleven on his doorstep and later working in a shop (with a name badge that says “The Doctor” even). In short order, he’s told his baby prefers to be called “Stormageddon,” glimpses his first Cyberman and nearly gets arrested. It’s all downhill from there, as he finds his new house visited by a Cybermat and nearly becomes not just a Cyberman himself, but their potential leader…
So not an average day in the neighborhood. At least Craig gets through it okay. Better than okay, even, as The Doctor restores his house for him as a parting gift.
When “The Lodger” first aired last series, I wasn’t as excited about it as many others were, but a few rewatchings later it started to grow on me. It has a certain charm to it, and so does this episode – principally because of Corden, who plays a profoundly average bloke that we can’t help but love. He’s naive, but not stupid; scared, but not whiny. He’s also a good match for Matt Smith, balancing out The Doctor’s exuberance and energy. These two could have their own sitcom if they wanted.
“Closing Time” makes me smile in particular because I used to daydream about having fantastic adventures as a kid. Now that I’m older, I can completely understand where Craig is coming from. They’re still fantastic, but there’s that part of me that just wants to be home with the contents of my fridge, and not being converted into a Cyberwoman.
Yet there’s a somberness near the end of the episode, as The Doctor blames himself for all the trouble. Even though Craig points out that he’s saved the planet, he can’t be dissuaded from feeling responsible for all that’s happened to those around him. There’s no mistaking the sadness in Eleven’s eyes as he tips his hat to a group of children in the street as he returns to the TARDIS.
While I love Doctor Who for its fun and humor, there’s always been a darker, serious side to it, and that’s something Smith has nailed in his performance as The Doctor. The duality of the character — wisecracking and hyper one moment, grim and sometimes harsh the next — has really shone through in Eleven.
That’s something he’s been able to bring to the table all series, and it only enhances the episode’s final moments, where a recently-anointed Dr. River Song is told by Madame Kovarian that she’ll kill The Doctor – and rages against it only to wind up underwater in that spacesuit, waiting for the fateful moment we saw in “The Impossible Astronaut.” There’s a big old sense of dread hanging over the last five minutes. It’s uncomfortable and it’s awesome, because I really do care about The Doctor.
It’s an episode that puts a smile on my face and yet, there’s a little sadness at the end.
And now, a few words from my Companion in Who-Analysis, Katie…
Katie: Big thanks to Brittany for letting me jump in for a few thoughts. First of all, I’m really curious about the timeline of this season. For instance, what year does this episode take place? Is the Amy and Rory we saw in the shop after last week’s episode or before the season started? I want to say this Amy and Rory are a couple years after “The God Complex,” but I would really love for BBC to put out a timeline for this whole season just so we can keep track.
I was really anticipating Craig getting turned into a Cyberman, but my heart still broke as the helmet sealed shut. The power of love might have saved the day (Rowling-style), but I was expecting a heartbreaking episode. How adorable was the megalomaniac infant, by the way? I’m super excited for next week, mostly just wondering how it’s all going to play out. Also, a question … why did the Silence need to breed a time-headed human to kill the Doctor? Honestly, why this super-specific, convoluted plan with River? Stay tuned, Whovians …
The timiest-wimiest quotes:
“Oh, you’ve redecorated! … I don’t like it.” — The Doctor
“It’s a different house. We moved.” — Craig
“Yes, that’s it.” — The Doctor
“I can’t cope on my own with him! I can’t, he just cries all time. I mean, do they have off switches?” — Craig
“Human beings? No, I believe me, I’ve checked.” — The Doctor
“No, babies.” — Craig
“Same difference.” — The Doctor
“He’s called Alfie. And what are you doing here anyway?” — Craig
“Yes, he likes that … Alfie. Though personally, he likes to be called Stormageddon, Dark Lord of all.” — The Doctor
“I’m sorry, what?” — Craig
“That’s what he calls himself.” — The Doctor
“And how’d you know that?” — Craig
“I speak baby.” — The Doctor
“It goes up, tiddily up, it goes down, tiddily down! And only for 49.99, which I personally think is a bit steep. But then again, it’s your parents’ cash, and they’ll only waste it on boring stuff like lamps and vegetables. Yawn!” — The Doctor
“People like it when you’re with a baby. Babies are sweet, people talk to you. That’s why I usually take a human with me.” — The Doctor
“So I’m your baby?” — Craig
“You’re my baby!” — The Doctor
Clacked by Brittany Frederick 
on Sep 24, 2011 @ 22:53 EST5EDT
This episode was heart-breaking, whether Craig became a Cyberman or not. The entire episode the Doctor was in battle of helping and knowing his help might bring peril to those he helped, or running away. And he’s facing his death, and coming to terms with the worst possible version of the reality of himself, and all he wants is to help and connect.
The best part of this episode was the Pond appearance. The scene solidified my faith in the writers. At that point in the episode, I was thinking, I miss the Ponds. The Doctor was melancholy, which Amy usually would have addressed, and Craig, while endearing,was a more boring Mickey. And then, there the Ponds were. The Doctor got a boost, the audience was reminded that it was not the end of the Pond/Doctor journey, the Doctor’s decision to leave them behind was still heroic, and there was a hint, just a hint, that maybe the Pond’s and the Doctor were destiny, and there is more to it than we think. To do that in less than 60 seconds is magic.