Doctor Who Episode #902: "The Witches Familiar"

Last week, Davros showed up and wanted the Doctor to visit him during his final days. Turns out it was all a trap and the Daleks got a hold of the TARDIS and plan to destroy it. The Daleks killed Missy and Clara.

On this week's episode, Missy tells Clara a story about the Doctor escape invisible androids. Apparently, both Missy and Clara teleported away while being shot at. They go onto a mission to save the Doctor who is in a standoff with the Daleks. The Doctor wants Clara back. Eventually, during a moment between Davros and the Doctor, Davros poses the idea of the Doctor killing all the Daleks. Once again, the Doctor is in the position to kill every Dalek, much like during the "Genesis of the Daleks" story line.

Meanwhile, Clara and Missy are teaming up and Clara is getting inside a Dalek outfit, which she quickly learns how important emotion is while inside the Dalek suit.

Davros wants to see the sun rise one last time but it dying, so the Doctor offers a little of regeneration energy to him, and Davros turns on him and steals it. The energy starts going into all the Daleks on Skaro, including the ones in the sewers, who turn on the rest of the Daleks.

The Dalek mythos is built on here but in some very different ways. We learn that underneath the city on Skaro is a sewer system for the Daleks. However, the waste contained within the walls of the sewers is actually decaying Daleks, and that knowledge comes in handy later on for Missy. Even in a state of decay, Daleks are still vengeful even against their own time. It's a really well done and bizarre concept that works for the story as well as for the mythos of the alien race.

While Daleks are extremely overused in the new series of Doctor Who, what is done with them here really works well because it's dealing with morality and what is or is not ethical, as Davros gives the Doctor the option to kill off all the Daleks. It's more than just an episode of the Doctor taking on an enemy. It's a smarter episode that may read as slow or dry, but this episode offers up a lot of character development and depth here.

The majority of the episode consists of a conversation between the Doctor and Davros about belonging to a people, protecting your people, and what is right and wrong. It's emotionally gripping to see Davros crying as he asks the Doctor whether he was a good man. It does feel a little bizarre to see these two arch-enemies talk to each other. As many fans would predict, Davros turned on him to steal his energy, to produce the Time Lord/Dalek hybrid.

Finally, Missy is the companion that you will love to hate. At every moment, she's looking for a way to turn on Clara or the Doctor. She's only in it for herself and the moment in the episode where she tries to get the Doctor to shoot the Dalek, which was actually Clara, was a pretty fantastic moment. There is an element of good inside the character and it pops up now and again, but it's weirdly refreshing to see a character on this show that is so self-serving.

There are a couple very minor problems within the episode, but they're more personal problems over anything else. I'm not too keen on the Doctor being able to use his regeneration energy and channeling it.

Overall, this was a fantastic start to this brand new season. Series 8 was an overall bumble of a season, and it's reassuring to see a series kick off with a bang, utilizing a heavily-used villain in a brand new way. Probably the best parts of the episode actually involved the character arc for Missy though, as the played by her own set of rules. On top of that, there's these great moments between The Doctor and Davros which actually make the viewer feel compassion for him, but alas, he's still evil to his core.

Questions of the Week:

• Although it seems most of the Daleks are destroyed, the survivors now have Time Lord energy inside of them. How dangerous will they be after this story?
• What's coming down the line for Missy?

Fun moments of the week:

• The Doctor moving around in Davros' chair.
• Missy poking Davros in his third eye.

I disagree, the Witches Familiar was an awful episode.

This was genuinely one of the best episodes In along time. Absolutely fantastic. The moment between Davros and the Doctor was spectacular.

Loved the bits between Davros and the Doctor. Overall I could have done without Clara and Missy but I didn't even dislike them as much as usual as they were used interestingly enough.

This was a fairly predictable, yet enjoyable episode. Also, Clara didn't annoy me at all, which is odd.

When is Missy getting her own show?

Awesome start to the series.

Guys.

Will I understand everything if I start watching the 2005 series ahead. Should I start with original series?

Start the 2005 one, you'll be fine.

@kcomicfan: Mmmmmmmmm...... Yer wrong.

BATTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@theacidskull: Thanks

Mmmmmmmmm...... That's my opinion

I'm sure the other guy is tired of these clashes as much I am.

By the way, what'd you think Don?

The first 2 episodes have been amazing so far.

@ultra_beleco: You don't need too, mostly due to the nature of the classic show, but you should definitely check some of it out

Questioning the reviewer saying "Although it seems most of the Daleks are destroyed, the survivors now have Time Lord energy inside of them. How dangerous will they be after this story?" The Daleks have not been a threat for years now.

These past three episodes (including the Christmas special) have already been better than the entirety of season 8

I don't see your point.

Loved the episode. Kinda got a killing joke vibe of the Doctor and Davros sharing a laugh :)

The callback on Clara in the Dalek was also really cool, and I could really relate to her being afraid of being stuck in there and not being able to show the doctor that it's her that is stuck in that shell

Overall I think this was a solid episode, although I could have done without the sunglasses trick at the end :) ...the doctor riding davros' chair was really amazing, and seeing how capaldi obviously enjoyed shooting this scene was also great.

Really loving this season so far!!

It was good episode but I preferred the Magician's Apprentice mainly due to the question it posed i.e would the Doctor kill a child to save Clara. And the Witches Familiar while being a strong episode ran away from that question.

@dondave: Moffat will leave questions unanswered, he doesnt care for continuity so dont expect him to tie up any loose ends unless he feels like it.

No more sonic screwdriver?? Now we have a sonic glasses??

I'm not real keen on that idea either.

Also not real sure of the idea of the Dalek/ Time Lord Hybrids out there to be forgotton about either. But it was still an ok episode.

Sonic Shades are a no. That's a new concept that I would really like to see not-exist.

Other than that gripe there, I was actually genuinely surprised by Davros' emotional side. And also surprised by his betrayal. 10/10 surprisingness. Missy is starting to become one of my favorite characters on the show. Overall, I give it a 9/10.

Better than the premiere at least

3/5

Was let down in the second half by this episode. They added a bunch of things to the storyline, and then just as quickly pretty much retconned them out.

Status Quo is God, apparently.

Great episode, never thought I would ever feel bad for Davros and right when I feel like he's just a poor old man ashamed of his mistakes, similar to The Doctor himself, BAM! His true colors show and you're mad because you fell for it. Awesome snag on the viewers emotions.

I also liked Clara being inside a Dalek, it's one place no Doctor Who fan would ever want to be, so seeing Clara in one and remembering her first appearance on the show, it was hard not to feel terrified during those scenes, even with the thought that The Doctor would save her.

Seems like Missy is going to team-up wit the Daleks, possibly with Davros as well. That's not going to end well. Maybe she'll help lead Davros to the rest of the Time Lord's?

Not a fan of the "Sonic Shades." I'm not against changes, but that's like The Doctor trading in the TARDIS for the Vortex Manipulator for a whole season... it takes away from show as it's one of The Doctor's iconic tools. Hopefully this will just lead to him getting a new Screwdriver later in the season.

Pretty good episode. As expected the Doctor and Davros interaction was spectacular. Also Missy is just a treat. Can't wait to see what happens next.

This and the previous episode have been two of the most self-indulgent, insulting episodes to come out in quite a long time. Moffet desperately needs to go as he has proven himself time and again a lazy writer.

Need proof? Rehashing Genesis of the Dalek's is pretty much the definition of lazy writing (aka someone creative already did all the work!) Sure, Moffet can just play the 'this generation hasn't seen that story before' card but "this generation" can stream the original (Genesis of the Daleks) and have a far better experience. If they are too lazy to do that then their life can go incomplete, the rest of us should not have to suffer for their lethargy.

Moffet actually went on record saying something to the effect of he wanted an opening episode that felt like a season finale. It is great you want to "play" with scripting conventions but contrary to what you may think, 5 or 6 DECADES of TV have taught writers what works and what doesn't, follow that lead and stop playing!

When your writing meeting contains ideas like 'Peter Capaldi used to play in a band, let's have him play guitar in an episode' it is time to find new writers who aren't that lazy or self-indulgent.

Moffet needs to realize that willing suspension of disbelief only goes so far. Yes, this is sci-fi and yes, this is apparently for "kids" but insulting the intelligence of your viewing audience is the express route to cancellation (see the late half of the 5th and all of the 6th and 7th Doctor runs!) Ignoring or outright ret-conning established lore and canon does nothing more than cheapen in the product (and of course, turn off long-time viewers). If you can't write something that follows from A to B to C with logic then stop writing.

Here is the basic concept of Dr. Who that was somehow been successful for 30 years or so - The Doctor is "daddy". He is strong, confident, wise and ALWAYS protects his kids. The companions are like kids (or more accurately, pets). There is NO romance between the Doctor and his companion. Let me repeat that - there is NO romance between the Doctor and his companion - not even a hint! (it is the equivalent of a Human being attracted to an insect). The Doctor ALWAYS makes sure the companion gets home safe and he ALWAYS does the right thing for the right reason. He is an archetype that we the audience, through the eyes of the companions, strive to be. The Doctor is the focus of the show, NOT the companion. Sadly this requires repeating,The Doctor is the focus of the show, NOT the companion. There, you now have your framework, go write something interesting.

I thought the planet Skaro was destroyed during the Sylvester McCoy era Doctor.

The 11th doctor used his regeneration to heal River's hand in the angels take Manhattan

@deitydeity: the way I see it is this: Doctor who is the longest running science fiction show ever, and one of the most enduring and likable tv programs of all time, specifically because it can pull off PIS, and it not matter in the overall context of the show. Is it lazy witting? Yes. But it's at this point where I would point out that Genesis of the Daleks, whilst undoubtedly one of the greatest pieces of science fiction ever put to the screen (IMHO) is an extremely shoddily written tv episode, rehashing the exact same "Journey" across Skaro as was featured "The Daleks" Terry Nation's first script for Doctor Who, and was chock-a-block full of over the top acting. What made it special was the interactions between the characters and the concepts brought up. Why I love "The Witch's Familiar" is because these concepts and interactions have evolved over the 30 something years since Genesis first aired, and are now new and refreshing, not just a rehash. Some of the dialogue between the Doctor and Davros was mind blowing in how well it delved into their relationship, despite it all all turning out to be nothing but a play on both of their parts. (Lazy writing yes, but made sense in the context of who these peaople are). I still loathe Missy though and wish she would shut up for once, though that's a different topic.

Good episode.

@unlondun14: No show "can" pull off PIS. PIS is in and of itself and an indicator of bad / lazy writing. There is no excuse for it in any capacity. Rehashing an old conversation between the Doctor and Davros (including direct quotes) is not new and refreshing, it is stale and boring. To add extra insult to injury, wouldn't it make sense for either one of them at one point to say 'We've had this discussion before' and then move on? I'll even give you that the interactions between Davros and the Doctor were great. However, they were not the only part of the episode and the rest was patently offensive in its PIS. The episode must be judged on a whole and the good does not even come close to outweighing the bad. The real issue is that there is no reason for the rest of the episode to be so bad if the writers had just an ounce of creativity or cared for login and removing all plot holes. Instead, good writing is sacrificed for the ability to "tidy" everything up and make sure things on the "good guy side" are pretty much exactly the same as when the story started - or if not exactly, the status quo is maintained with minor adjustments (with the exception of episodes of regeneration or companion swapping).

I don't like the "sonic shades" i don't think they're practical at all and until i see further uses that help establish they are pratical i really am disappointed the screwdriver is gone, at least for now. I was hoping for a new design for the screwdriver instead, and even though not every doctor has had one, and this will be the first time that in new Who that a doctor won't have one, i would have hoped that they wouldn't get rid of it so hastily. its like they want to change everything from last season, when they should have started making these types of changes when Twelve was introduced.

Clara should come out of this episode with a vendetta against Missy....also against the British education system for failing to teach "Fool me once, fool me twice" in it's curriculum