The entire planet has become covered with a continually growing forest, invading cities, deserts, and oceans. The Doctor (Peter Capaldi) accompanied by Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman), Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson), and a group of Coal Hill School kids are lost in the invading forest of London as they try to work out what is happening.

During TARDISblend 81, we send a group message to Tree Facebook and discuss the implications of this latest Doctor Who episode, and debate the possibilities after the preview for the two-part finale of Series 8.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!

Arriving in Bristol, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) discover something very wrong: the TARDIS exterior is shrinking, and people in the area are disappearing. The mystery becomes potentially deadly, as the two are separated, with the Doctor left in the TARDIS, and Clara left outside to play the role of the Doctor instead…

During TARDISblend 80, we examine the fabulous dimensional concept delivered to Doctor Who in this episode by writer Jamie Mathieson; a tale that will be remembered as a highlight of Series 8.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!

Doctor Who
Season 8, Episode 8 “Mummy On The Orient Express”
Directed by Paul Wilmshurst
Written by Jamie Mathieson
Starring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Samuel Anderson, Frank Skinner, David Bamber
BBC America
Air Date: Saturday, October 11th, 2014

This season of Doctor Who seems to keep turning back to the same question: “Clara, be my pal, and tell me: am I a good man?” Uttered in just the second episode of the season after a turbulent regeneration in the first, her answer of “I don’t know” seemed to echo and replay itself yet again this week. Now the question and the answer are not part of a conversational exercise, but have become central to the question of Clara’s continued friendship with the Doctor.

When Matt Smith’s Doctor said “Rule #1: the Doctor lies” more than once, it all seemed like a humorous technicality. With a pure heart, the Eleventh Doctor could be trusted to let the end justify the means, even if the means involved some purposeful misunderstanding. Now, Clara seems to ponder the full meaning of that statement since the less polished manner of Peter Capaldi‘s Doctor sometimes seems gruffly at odds with his inner intentions.

After reconciling, Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) decides on one final journey together with the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), which influences some major choices. The pair end up on the Orient Express in Space – a ship resembling the famed train, and first mentioned by the Doctor (when Matt Smith played him) many, many years ago.

During TARDISblend 79, we discuss the reminiscing, nods, and tributes abound throughout Mummy on the Orient Express, coupled with a plot first hinted at by Steven Moffat at the end of Series 5 in 2010! Later, we discuss the performances by the cast in this episode, from the primary players to the guest stars.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend!