Rewatching Doctor Who: Mummy on the Orient Express

[vivdunstan]

Recently rewatched this, and enjoyed it again, though perhaps not as much as the first time.

The Golden Age style whodunnit aspect is fantastic. Though I found it frustrating that the Doctor already knows about the Foretold, making me feel one step removed from the story at that point. Writing about (fictional) past legendary things can be tricky, but I think a smoother bit of sleight of hand could have improved this. Taking the viewer along with the Doctor on the journey of discovery can be an important element.

I still find the split between the Agatha Christie esque train setting and the futuristic lab to be extremely jarring. This is a longstanding problem I have with Doctor Who stories that have an atmospheric opening setting, sometimes historical, and then relocate to a different much more scifi setting. Think "The Stones of Blood" for example.

Yet there is a good resolution, and the guest cast is strong. Not least Frank Skinner as train chief engineer Perkins, who has an unnerving ambiguity about whether he's an ally or not. Nicely done.

Comments

[watervole]

Maybe it kept the cost of sets and location shooting down?

[vivdunstan]

The split setting technique? Perhaps, but as a not very big fan of scifi (which probably boggles people, given what I watch!) I'm never happy with it.

[greenwoodside]

I remember enjoying the episode when it was released, especially the setting/atmosphere and Frank Skinner being ambiguous and slightly sinister.

But I remember nothing whatever of the action or denouement, so it's clearly time to revisit it!

[vivdunstan]

Yes I'd forgotten a lot of it! It was fun to rewatch. I'm currently working my way slowly through the Peter Capaldi TV stories.