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Forest of the Dead Format Reviewed: TV Review Forest of the Dead concludes the excellent Silence in the Library story about a carnivorous race that inhabit shadows. There is a general impression that this two part story is more one for the adults, a story that will appeal more to the older generation of fans than some of the other stories. Moffat's work is often noted for the intelligent way in which it is written, and this two part story is certainly in that mould. I have heard suggestions that some of the dialogue is trying to be a bit too clever, but this should be taken as a somewhat picky comment. The Doctor and party escape the Vashta Nerada by River Song using a square field gun. Donna meanwhile finds herself in a place where she is tended to by Dr Moon, the strange thing is about this place is that once a decision to do something is made, the scene fast forwards to the outcome of that decision. Dr Moon reassures Donna that everything is normal though. Donna then meets Lee McAvoy, and begins a fast forwarded relationship. The Doctor questions River Song as to their relationship, and she reveals snippets of their future travels and closeness. It is then revealed that the computer controlling the library is monitored by a moon, called a doctor moon. Donna meanwhile has been married and had kids, and is visited by Miss Evangelista, who is distorted but tells Donna to break out of this world back into reality. The mysterious girl is watching everything play out on television, and becomes frustrated and turns off everything, the people with her, Dr Moon etc. The Doctor negotiates with the Vashta Nerada through the already devoured Dave, and gets 1 day to save everyone and leave the library. It is revealed that the Vashta Nerada live in trees, and infested the library through the books. He and his party then go to the control room, where the mysterious girl is revealed to be a relative of Strackman Lux, and she is fixed by River Song, causing her death, and all of those who were 'saved' are returned to the library, including Donna. Donna world disolves around her. The Doctor later realises that the sonic screwdriver he has from her has a further purpose, and he returns to the control room to 'save' River Song, and she and her dead crew are recreated in the fantasy world that Donna lived in. Donna narrowly misses out on re-acquainting herself with her fantasy husband, Lee McAvoy before she and The Doctor leave. The main thing I like about this story is the intrigue of having a future companion with greater foreknowledge than The Doctor. River Song is an excellent character and marvellously played by Alex Kingston. This immediately gives the story a whole new dimension, and one that is previously unexplored. I also like the dynamic of the characters in the situation, as the Humans clearly know each other very well, and how The Doctor fits into that is interesting. The negative side is the slightly Hollywood ending, whereby everyone survives in one form or another, even the Vashta Nerada have their forest of books to live happily in. Donna comes into her element here, and Tate deserves full credit for this. She doesn't do indignant very well, but everything else she does is wonderful. Tennant as The Doctor is much better when interacting with River Song, played by Alex Kingston, who is herself excellent. The small cameos by Colin Salmon as Dr Moon, Jason Pitt as Lee, Steve Pemberton as Strackman Lux, Jessika Williams as Anita and O-T Fagbenle differ in their successfulness, but none cause great alarm. All in all the cast do a good job, even the child actors that I am often critical of. This story will be one of the better ones in this series of Doctor Who, perhaps even in the whole 'New Series' since it returned to our screens. I like the fact that the viewer is given more credit for intelligence rather than the soap opera that seems to be customary in many other stories. I also like the fact that there is genuine mystery and a very tight, well thought out plot that is drip fed to us in small sections so as to keep the tension in the story. Monsters have their place in Doctor Who, but it is nice to have a real story and escape from the families to something you can really lose yourself in for 45 minutes, well done all round really. Overall, Forest of the Dead is a great story where, despite the obvious lure in giving kids playground catchphrases, we have a psychological tale rather than either a soap opera or a monster tale. The story operates on many levels, and at no point do you really think you disagree with where the story is going. All in all a thoroughly commendable effort here, and one that should stand up well to repeated viewing and in time. Rating:  |