Doctor Who can be wildly uneven — we know this. Last month's midseason premiere, written by Sherlock creator Steven Moffat, crackled with energy and vitality. Other episodes, including last week's, have been more exhausting than enthralling.
Over the years, though, some of Who's best outings have been the quieter, simpler ones. And in this weekend's episode, Hide, Doctor Who does what it does best — take a time-worn story idea and turn it on its head.
Hide finds the Doctor (Matt Smith) and his new companion, Clara Oswald (Jenna-Louise Coleman) stranded in a haunted mansion in the English countryside.
Longtime Doctor Who fans know what to expect: The ghost is real, and possibly the vanguard of some hideous alien invasion from afar. What's truly wonderful about Doctor Who is the way it plays with viewers' expectations.
It brims with wit, too, even in its weaker episodes. When it's on strong footing, as it was in last month's midseason opener, it's as smart and clever as anything on television.
Clara, as fans will remember, was reluctant to join the Doctor at first.
"Come back tomorrow," she told him. "Ask me again. Because tomorrow I might say yes."
"Some time after seven OK for you?" she added, after a moment's thought.
"It's a time machine," the Doctor replied. "Any time is OK." (Saturday, Space)
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