In its 50+ years of being on the air, the show has seen The Doctor venture into a “undercover investigation” several times, in fact he has an alias (John Smith) all ready to go for such an event. It’s a guarantee for at least a few laughs, a 2000 year old alien with mastery of time and space trying to pass himself off as an average bloke. The Caretaker takes this trope and actually turns in a rather decent effort as well as rolling forward the season in regards to character development and the introduction of a new companion on board the TARDIS — no mean feat.
Scripted by Gareth Roberts, who has visited this theme before in The Lodger and Closing Time, The Caretaker sees the Doctor going undercover to investigate an alien threat at Coal Hill school, ironically the place where Clara works and, unbeknownst to her, a site with which the Doctor has a lot of history. While trying to blend in as the school caretaker, Clara must juggle the two aspects of her life, one in the real world with her job and blossoming relationship with fellow teacher Danny Pink, and the other, where our Time Lord is trying to capture a remorseless alien killing machine.
Wisely, the more action orientated plot involving the alien is reduced to the background this week, up front it is character work, exploring the relationship between the Doctor and Clara and the new factor in this equation, Danny Pink. The episode opens with a beautifully constructed sequence which highlights how complex a balancing act Clara has in her life, it perfectly recaps the situation and sets up the eventual collision of the two later on.
Capaldi seems to be settled now, his Doctor not as erratic, the brilliant, quippy, acerbic man fully formed. Much comedy comes in the episode from the Doctor’s interaction with school kids, correcting history lessons and his refusal to believe that ex-soldier Mr Pink could teach maths, instead holding on to the idea that he must be a PE teacher. The harder edge is still there, he is basically a jerk to Danny but with us knowing he is an alien, he’s able to get away with his acerbic condescending attitude. Clara is at the core of the episode, again functioning as a extended conscience for the Doctor, a harder task as she tries to keep the two men in her life apart. The more adult relationship aids both characters, the lack of flirtation has in a sense set Clara fee to establish herself as a much stronger character. There is clearly affection between the two, but it is more akin to bickering members of a family than anything intimate.
Danny continues to impress, proving to be a intriguing character, clearly brave with his former career in the military and throwing himself into the foray here, but there is a flawed vulnerability about him too. These are the most detailed and relatable characters the show has given us in a long time, as such the relationship between Clara and Danny has a very natural feel. Danny makes some logical, reasoned points, we know from the past how the Doctor pushes back against new faces so it’s likely this outspoken quality is something that will garner a less hostile response as the show continues. Danny’s evaluation of the Doctor is pretty on point though, there will be some friction here and should make for great viewing and story opportunities. The Doctor shows something of a protective quality in his questioning of Danny. It is refreshing to see the juvenile flirtation of a Doctor with his companion so prevalent during the Davis era has been put to rest. A highlight of the episode is the Doctor’s assumption that Clara’s boyfriend is a young, bow-tie wearing man, whatever the incarnation, that hint of arrogance is a staple for our Time Lord.
We get another peek into this seasons ongoing arc, as a deceased policeman finds himself, as so many have this season, in the Promised Land/Nethersphere. This time a bureaucratic figure welcomes him to the “afterlife” with only a glimpse of Missy. Nothing solid to help advance any theories but it is consistent with past episodes. People who die from the Doctors lack of timely intervention seem to be getting collected together in one location. For what purpose is still unknown, but it can’t be good. What is interesting in this episode is that the Doctor does cite the aliens’ presence in the school as being probably due to “all the Artron energy in the area”. He neglects to add that energy is a result of his/the TARDIS’s presence. He is responsible for the whole scenario even when proclaiming to be the savior. The recurring theme this season seems to be accountability for your actions.
The Caretaker breaks off the shackles of a typical episode and instead places the larger welfare of the show at the forefront, taking time to really push the characters and in shaking them up, make space for new companion Danny Pink to slot in more naturally. It is a fun, fast paced and enjoyable outing and achieves with flair everything it sets out to do.
Next Week: Kill the Moon — “In the near future, the Doctor and Clara find themselves on a space shuttle making a suicide mission to the Moon. Crash-landing on the lunar surface, they find a mining base full of corpses, vicious spider-like creatures poised to attack, and a terrible dilemma. When Clara turns to the Doctor for help, she gets the shock of her life.”