Dear Gary—
The Return of Doctor Mysterio is some comic-book-lite fun.
It is pleasurable and forgettable. It is kick back and relax and enjoy for the
moment and then move on amusement. It is turn your brain off entertainment that
does not keep on giving. (I won't bring up the fact that the TARDIS has landed in New York and wasn't there something about the TARDIS never being able to land in New York again or it would tear open the space/time continuum or some such nonsense and therefore he can never go back for Amy and Rory?)
With broad strokes it paints a Clark Kent/Superman/Lois Lane
knock off for no particular reason other than it can. It can do so courtesy of
the Doctor and his conveniently magical and rare gemstone that he for some
inexplicable reason hands to a child. A child who is sick and who somehow
manages to swallow this valuable jewel thinking it to be medicine and who is
therefore imbued with all sorts of miraculous powers as the precious stone
feeds off of the child’s love of super heroes.
The child grows into Grant, our mild mannered Clark Kent
working as a nanny for his Lois Lane (AKA Lucy Lombard—or Fletcher as the case
may be). Grant’s Superman alter ego is The Ghost. Grant has known Lucy since
childhood and even set her up with his best friend, now Lucy’s ex-husband and
father to her infant daughter Jennifer to whom he (Grant) is now nanny. Grant
continues to call Lucy Mrs. Lombard despite their lifelong acquaintance and her
resumption of her maiden name of Fletcher. Grant’s disguise, similar to Clark
Kent’s, is a pair of glasses. Lucy never catches on to Grant’s alter ego.
“There are some situations which are just too stupid to be
allowed to continue.”
Except that this improbable and hackneyed scenario allows
for some good old fashioned Doctor Who fun. As with most Doctor Who, the actors
are agreeable and have some nice chemistry. And there are some unexpected
moments that surprise, such as Mister Huffle, Lucy’s squeaky toy interrogation
technique. (“This is Mister Huffle. Mister Huffle feels pain.”) The villain of
the piece is not worth much—a generic corporation (Harmony Shoal—in other
words, kinda sorta, Melody Pond?) of aliens with zipper heads intent on taking
over the world somehow; easily defeated and easily forgotten.
The focus of the episode is the love story, and that too is mostly
paint-by-numbers. Lucy’s infatuation with The Ghost slowly evaporates as it
dawns on her that Super Nanny is really the man of her dreams. A nice bit of
fluff to pass the time.
This is where, Gary, I tell Dad’s Superman joke.
If Lois Lane had a cat, and that cat one day walked in
wearing a pair of glasses, would Lois Lane ask, “What cat is this?”
The episode successfully riffs on this comic book trope as
the Doctor obtusely observes to young Grant (“Take a good long look. It takes a
moment to see it.”), “Superman and Clark Kent are one and the same person.”
With moments like this, Peter Capaldi’s Doctor succeeds in
lifting this trite tripe into something a little more than watchable. The Doctor has an easy and pleasant bond with
the kid, Grant. As a side note, Gary, the Doctor tends to interact well with youngsters—little
Amelia and young Kazran are two good examples. It is a shame that the show has
never taken advantage of this dynamic in the way of companionship beyond the
Classic versions of Susan and Vicki (although neither was hardly a tot).
This rapport translates well to the adult Grant and extends
to Lucy. These are affectionate acquaintances; a nice respite from the passionate
ties of recent companions. Add to the mix the welcome return of Nardole. The Doctor has rescued Nardole from out of
the previous story’s Hydroflax and the reconstituted Nardole takes on the role
of sidekick to the Doctor. Again, a nice respite from the intensity.
However those ardent feelings simmer throughout the episode;
the Doctor is not far removed from some
harsh losses and the wounds are still raw. Lucy and Grant both pick up on the
Doctor’s pain but he sidesteps their questions, as he does Nardole’s more
pointed remarks. Yet the sadness seeps through and is evident throughout.
Finally Mister Huffle brings out this from the Doctor: “Things end. That’s all.
Everything ends, and it’s always sad. But everything begins again too, and that’s
always happy.”