REVIEW: Doctor Who, Series 11 Episode Eight 'The Witchfinders'

 REVIEW: Doctor Who, Series 11 Episode Eight 'The Witchfinders'

With The Witchfinders Target novelisation releasing this week, and my recent rewatch of Series 11 having just crossed paths with this story, it seems an ample time to take a look back at my thoughts on this episode. So without further ado, here is my review on The Witchfinders from the time of broadcast.

I was really looking forward to seeing a Doctor Who episode based on the witch trials. The Sixteenth Century witch trials are an intriguing part of history, given how these often very intelligent women were accused of being witches, and that this immense cruelty was brought upon them as a result of this unfounded accusations. Their methods of 'punishment' for their supposed 'crimes' towards 'satan' were severe, and should never have been allowed to go ahead. So I was disappointed when there were only two actual witch trials in the whole episode.

That's not to say that I didn't like this episode (in actual fact, I enjoyed it very much), but as a journey into a difficult part of history it pales in comparison to 'Rosa' or 'Demons of the Punjab'. Joy Wilkinson could have easily made more this historical setting, and given us a third witch trial somewhere in the middle of the story. Instead only Willa Twiston's (Tilly Steele) grandmother Mother Twiston (Tricia Kelly) and the Doctor herself are put through the lose-lose situation, and as a result it has a direct impact on the story's overall pacing. Scenes start to feel unnecessarily slow and plotted, as there is no action or drama to divide them.

Having said that, the cinematography of this episode is perfect. It feels totally fitting for the rather bleak setting, and adds an atmosphere that befits the story nicely. Sallie Aprahamian does an outstanding job in directing this episode, and as with the previous directors this series her vision helps to make the episode feel like a truly cinematic piece of television. You could easily imagine The Witchfinders being shown in cinemas, and it not looking out of place on the big screen.

The Witchfinders also gives us arguably Jodie Whittaker's best performance of the Doctor so far this series. She shines brighter than a thousand suns in the eighth episode of this series, and provides what will in years to come be considered one of this Doctor's defining moments, in the scene near the beginning of the episode where she attempts to save a woman who is drowned as a witch. Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole and Mandip Gill give good performances also, and Alan Cumming is fantastic as King James but this episode is Jodie Whittaker's chance to showcase her talents - and she shows us exactly why Chris Chibnall picked her as the Doctor.

Indeed, The Witchfinders is the episode that most perfectly explores the Doctor's lack of authority in historical settings. In my review of 'Rosa' I mentioned how it was odd that gender politics didn't come into play; well here, it's given the exploration it truly deserves. It is also done in a way that is subtle, and doesn't make a big deal out of the Doctor now being a woman. We are simply shown the sexist attitudes of the time from Madame Savage (Siobhan Finneran) and King James (Alan Cumming), and writer Joy Wilkinson manages to avoid it becoming all about 'Girl Power' by having the Doctor simply lament about it then move on. It is without a doubt the best approach that Joy Wilkinson could have taken, and I am glad we finally see this issue addressed.

Unlike the previous historical episodes, the threat of the episode - the Morlax - are the actual main antagonists as opposed to humanity itself, and as a result they manage to avoid the feeling that they have been shoe-horned into the story. Once they appear on-screen, they provide a worthy foe for the Doctor - but the build-up is underwhelming, and comes across almost as though Joy Wilkinson is stalling for time in order to fill the fifty minute runtime. There is simply no way to make extra-terrestrial mud interesting, and I would much rather have seen the Morlax with their zombie-esque appearance earlier in the narrative.

Overall, this was an interesting delve into history. Ultimately, however, this episode is let down slightly by its pacing issues, and a surprising lack of witch trials for a narrative set during this historical period. Its attempt to make extra-terrestrial mud interesting also falls flat, with the Morlax's zombie-like appearance coming a little too late into the story.

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What are your thoughts on The Witchfinders? Let me know in the comments section.