Less than the sum of its parts

It's a funny old business this reviewing lark. You see, my instant reaction at the end of The Rebel Flesh was that it was a disappointing 45 minutes of Doctor Who. Yet, when I look back to type this there was a lot to enjoy about the first of Matthew Graham's two-parter.

Firstly there was the wonderful castle setting - an instant winner for a Doctor Who you'd think. Lots of spooky rooms and corridors. It was shot well too - the episode was dark and suitably frightening for the kids.

Then we had the 'gangers' - a macabre but intriguing concept that gave the story a three-dimensional 'monster' and moral depth. It's well trodden territory for Doctor Who but the, 'maybe they have a right to live too' stuff is what sets Doctor Who apart from being 'just kids telly'.

Performance wise, Raquel Cassidy was a superb choice as Cleaves - sinister, dogmatic and dismissive of the Doctor, she stole the show for the supporting cast. Rory also came to the fore again this week - continuing to step out of Amy's shadow as an excellent companion. In fact, this really has been Arthur Darvill's series so far - he's been excellent in an understated way and is rightly getting more of a share of the action.

So with all of this going on, everything was in place for another 8/10 right?

Well, no. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the whole episode built up to the big reveal of the 'ganger' Doctor. Yet the problem was I, and it seems many others as well, had guessed this from very early on. That left us with a cliffhanger that had very little impact and meant I wasn't quite feeling the suspense and tension I should have been.

That had a knock-on effect of making the episode feel sluggish. I actually like a good two-parter to give depth to a series and intriduce characters and scenarios who we can really explore properly, a bit like 'classic' Who, but, coming as it did after last week's episode, this felt slow and formulaic. Lots of running about and chasing after people (a Who staple from the old days I know but still...) and not enough actually 'happening'.

I don't feel the pace was helped by the fact we had a pause in the middle of the episode - when the storm arrives and knocks the not-so-happy campers out. This would've been a great way to end episode one of an old-school four parter but, coming as it did in the middle of 45 minutes it did little to help the pace and suspense.

Still, we're only at the half way point of this story and there is definitely scope for it to be saved. Interesting characters, concepts and a great setting could pave the way for a rip-roaring 45-minute conclusion. It's just a shame that this didn't quite deliver that in its own right.

6/10