Doctor Who has drawn inspiration from the writings of Agatha Cristie before; our wandering Time Lord has even met the author! But Mummy on the Orient Express feels like the most authentic use of her work and approach to date. There have been many trains with the name “Orient Express” it seems, but only one of them was in space. Reuniting with Clara for one last trip, he brings her aboard secretly knowing something odd is happening, passengers are dying under mysterious circumstances. An ancient Egyptian relic is on board and passengers are being killed by a Mummy only the victims can see. Once glimpsed, you have 66 seconds before you die.It’s up to the Doctor and Clara to solve the mystery before they themselves become victims.
As is often the case in Doctor Who, there is more going on. What starts as a glamorous and cultured train journey actually turns out to be some nefarious ploy by a unknown character who has schemed to bring together some of the greatest scientific minds in the universe to unravel the mystery of the Egyptian curse. A beautifully realized 20s-esque interior of the train functioning as a initial setting, allowing for classical plays off the drawing room gatherings so often used in Hercule Poirot but this time with the Doctor attempting to unravel the mystery. Costume design and general mannerisms further echoed the 20s and was capped off by having musical band Foxes guest appear with a 20s Jazz version of Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” giving the episode a great injection of flair.
But the key to the episode is the fear factor, the train itself with its cramped quarters helping feed the claustrophobia and terror. An unstoppable decomposing mummy stalks through the carriages, a creature that feeds on people’s physical or emotional trauma and drained their energy) and potentially their own deaths. Others were simply holograms, there to add a sense of normality. The stylish Twenties saloon car transformed swiftly into a laboratory — adding a slick and thrilling change of pace. It all combined to produce an episode full of invention, fun, energy and even squeezed in a jelly baby reference.
The Doctor now seems reminiscent at times of a certain cold blooded alien, sacrificing a person he’s sure he can’t save to help others — “the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few… or the one”, being hFis approach to solving a crisis. It is a cold but logical approach and one that makes sense to a 2,000-year-old alien, clearly not to a twenty-something young girl though, again this contrast being the source of much friction in the episode. The supporting cast was solid, Frank Skinner as chief engineer Perkins was good but his use as a red herring was a tad clunky, they even seemed to leave you with some unease about the character even after the resolution of the mystery. David Bamber was superb as the valiant Captain Quell, a sterling performance lent beautiful poignancy towards the end.
Quibbles? While Mummy works great as a standalone episode it largely seemed to diffuse/resolve a lot of the tension built up between the Doctor and Clara in the last few episodes. Seeing how well that was developed and over so many episodes it felt like it was building to something more important. It remains to be seen if Clara’s lack of trust in the Doctor is revisited in later episodes but here it seemed to be swept under the rug somewhat as the life of excitement and adventured was deemed to outweigh the iffy ethical choices the Doctor had been making of late. There also seemed to be more pronounced tension between he pair, it was made clear there would be no flirtations in the TARDIS in this iteration of the show but the build up of friction and possible fracturing of the pair seemed to push them into a slightly more awkward place. Danny Pink made a fleeting appearance, a character who the writers seem to have given up on after such a strong start, but it seemed more like he was inserted to placate Clara’s guilt at continuing her adventures with the Doctor. Again, we had no sightings of the Nethersphere or Missy, being the key arc of the season it is a little odd that nothing has been done with it in three episodes now.
Mummy on the Orient Express delivers an episode that fulfills all the remits of Doctor Who, mystery, adventure, fun and scary. Fantastic production work on the effects and train itself make for a stunningly beautiful setting rooted by the most assured performance of Capaldi to date in the titular role.
Next Time:
Flatline — “Separated from the Doctor, Clara discovers a new menace from another dimension. But how do you hide when even the walls are no protection? With people to save and the Doctor trapped, Clara comes up against an enemy that exists beyond human perception.”