Doctor Who Online have seen 6.5: The Rebel Flesh and have put our spoiler-free preview together:
If you thought following Episode Two was difficult, put yourself in Matthew Graham's shoes as The Rebel Flesh has to carry the baton that the unbelievably popular The Doctor's Wife left behind.
Fortunately, you have no time to reminisce and compare, as you are immediately drawn into the adventure, which pulls you in from the opening shot. In fact, so different is this story in contrast to its precursor, that it's literally impossible to compare.
It's no secret that the story is centred around clones - a subject matter that Doctor Who history knows only too well, but this time around there is so much more to the concept that plunders emotional and moral depths in such a way that will have you questioning who you feel for most.
Perhaps most of all, this is a story about consequences and trust - something that not only echoes the plot, but the entire Steven Moffat era of Doctor Who to date.
Matthew Graham has carved his name into addictive and gripping drama; two elements that sum up this adventure perfectly. Those of you who have seen Life on Mars or Ashes to Ashes, will also know just how much life he can breathe into characters in just a few lines of dialogue. And its no different here.
Rory has so much more to do in this adventure, and it's rewarding to see so many more facets of his character that enable Arthur Darvill to really sink his teeth into the role. In fact, in this first portion of the two-part adventure, Amy very much seems to take a bit of a backseat, which leads to a refreshing change of dynamic.
As with all the episode previews for Series 6 thus far, don't expect us to cater you with plot details, as even the tiniest morsel might give away too much. What we can tell you is that there are lots of corridors, a little bit of running and several cases of mistaken identity, that will leave you wondering who's who. There's also a cliffhanger that will have you on the edge of your seat, and devoid of fingernails.
Graham's rather understated previous Doctor Who outing, Fear Her, may not have hit the right notes with certain circles of Doctor Who Fandom, but The Rebel Flesh, is set to secure his place in Doctor Who lore as a master storyteller who bridges the classic series with the new, seamlessly.
Something is building here, you really feel it, and as we make our way to the centre point of the series, you cant help feeling if we are halfway out of the dark, or halfway out of the light.
5 things to look out for…
- The unforgettable sound of Dusty Springfield.
- "Behold! A Cockerill! I love a Cockerill!"
- The TARDIS gets that sinking feeling.
- A lot can go wrong in an hour.
- We find out The Doctor's shoe size!
