When an underwater base comes under attack, the Doctor and Clara must save the frightened crew and defeat an impossible threat. But what is behind these terrifying events? And can they really be haunted by ghosts?

As it's now late in the week (and no-one else has dared the wrath of salad ), I thought I'd create the official episode thread this week.

Well, someone had to do it...

Looking forward to an adventure that's about something new and not about who-mythology inward looking stuff. Ghosts on an underwater base that has appropriate mood lighting is a great set-up and it has two episodes to let its story breathe and get the most out of it, so yeah promising.

I'm really looking forward to this episode mainly because the alien ghost that was in the first episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures (Invasion Of The Bane) is in the episode! Whether it is a small cameo or one of the main ghosts i'm really hoping for at least a Sarah Jane message (with Toby Whitehouse being the man who penned her return to Who episode

Seems like it will be an old-style "base under siege" type story with a new threat, a new location and probably little or no fan service.

And none the worse for that.

I have a feeling that the second episode to the two parter "Before The Flood" is Before the Flood (genius aren't i)

No but on a serious note, this episode is set underwater in a flood ship. And the episode after is set on earth, so this episode would be set before the flood stuff and we'd see how they got there etc?
So in order it would be 4 then 3

EDIT
I don't think i've made any sense

I love the enthusiasm though!

"The Wrath of Salad"

Preview Clip # 1

Preview Clip #2

It also appeared in Torchwood! I think that makes it the only alien to make an appearance in all three shows.

So, there is some "fan service" in this story after all?

It's probably just a cheap way for them to use the CG model for the alien rather than coming up with an all new one. The alien in question played a significant role in Torchwood but we didn't really learn anything about the species, and the SJA appearance was just a cameo. I suspect this means it won't be demanding of viewers - it's just a nice nod for anyone who notices.

Looking forward to this. Whithouse is a favourite of mine, and the story has room to breathe - it feels substantial for being a two-parter alone. I'm perhaps just glad to finally have a non mythology-heavy story that's got two-parts... fully shaking off that Series 7 'b-movie' vibe now!

And The Wrath of Salad?! That needs to be a future episode title!

Wouldn't want to risk George Lucas's wrath.

Looks interesting but I wish they would turn down the music, its suppose to enhance the experience not dominate it.

Toby Whithouse is probably my favourite Doctor Who writer so I'm really looking forward to the next two episodes.
I've heard people say that he's never written a really stand-out episode, but I have to disagree with this. He doesn't go for spectacle. He doesn't go for shocks. He doesn't try to be really clever or witty.

Instead, he tries to tell a solid story. They're often ones which are more low-key, but which have depth to them. He isn't afraid to explore certain themes and to raise questions.

I couldn't agree more. He's not flashy very often, but he makes every scene count. His dialogue is decent, and it is stuff that is often worth talking about. He brings morality and faith to the front a bit more often, and has a real grasp of writing consequences with actions. His characters seem to be distinctive, rather than slaves to tropes (as is true of some writers the show has).

And I don't know how far his input goes as to the variety of the stories he writes, but he really offers something different each and every time. School Reunion had a real sentimental slant to it, The Vampires of Venice was more or less a traditional historical, The God Complex was a welcome kind of abstract story full of great new ideas, A Town Called Mercy was a wonderful blend of the shows historical elements and it's sci-fi elements, whilst Under the Lake/Before the Flood look to be a bit more of an edgy, gritty, future-set concept. His one contribution to Torchwood, Greeks Bearing Gifts, was decent too - and focused on perhaps the most interesting character of the team at the time for me (Toshiko) who was also too often sidelined. His ideas have variety, they have depth and somehow also simplicity. Above all else they're remarkably solid adventures... not without flaws but generally satisfying. It's these reasons why I'd be very happy to see him take a senior position on the show after Moffat.

For me, 'The God Complex' is the single best episode the show has produced since 2005. Everything works, the script, production, performances. It's a real 10/10.

Agreed - and vastly underrated.

It's definitely up there amongst the best for me too, but then there's not one of his episodes I haven't really enjoyed - and I don't think I can say that for any other writer whose written more than a couple of stories. His track record by my own personal preferences at least, is remarkably strong.

I'd say his weakest was The Vampires of Venice. Though even then that wasn't weak, and its biggest problems were that I simply didn't care much for Amy or Rory, and that some of the CGI was a little bit shaky... not necessarily a fault of his as both these problems affected the whole of Series 5 for me.

I'd actually give both The God Complex and A Town Called Mercy 10/10. ATCM is easily my favourite in Series 7. The God Complex would probably be my favourite in Series 6 if it hadn't been preceded by The Girl Who Waited which is one of the finest things I've ever seen on television.


I'd agree that Vampires of Venice was his weakest, but even then I think it's an excellent example of a classic "Monster of the week" story.
I used to be fairly ambivalent towards it, but I now have quite a lot of nostalgia for Series 5 (which is easily my favourite series) so Vampires of Venice is affected by that. I remember it with bit of a rose-tint.

Jumping in on the Whithouse praise. I loved both Vampires and The God Complex, for me the former was one of the strongest episodes of Series 5, a really fun and enjoyable romp that had some lovely meaning behind it and ditto God Complex about Series 6 it has a lot going for it including an excellent central theme and a great monster and I think Toby understood the Amy/Doctor dynamic really really well.

A Town Called Mercy is in my bottom 2 for Series 7 and I really don't like it but I think it's more of a failure in execution than a bad idea, it's an awesome idea for an episode that just for me fell a bit flat.

And School Reunion is one episode that I like but don't love, although it's clearly one for Classic Who fans and I am not one.

I'm just hoping we get the Whithouse of The God Complex and not ATCM.
The God Complex is one of the smartest and bravest episodes the show has ever done and it works on every level. The basic story is fairly simple in concept but well executed from beginning to end and it just works with no silly plotholes or gaps in logic or sense. The dialogue is first class. The supporting characters are as well fleshed out and likeable as you could possibly manage in the time available. And the pacing is superb. Never feels rushed and never feels padded. Not many episodes pack so much into a single episode and leave you wanting neither more nor less. That's quite a feat in New Who. And I love how it feels truly spooky. Like Tales of the Unexpected or Twilight Zone or Hammer House of Horror. There are some truly memorable/horrifying visuals and two of the best Doctor/Amy scenes of all time. Its just brilliant in every way.

One of the best for sure, surprisingly though it never seems like its held up as such, I think its the best episode/story from the Moffat era.

The only problem I had with Mercy was the voice of the Gunslinger... but then Doctor Who often struggles to give convincing voices to robots that are either not a little tonally off or annoying - and it was nowhere near as bad as the two robots in Dinosaurs on a Spaceship a week earlier. Perhaps the only other slight issue I had with it is that it felt like a bit of a waste of Ben Browder, who is amazing but deserved more of a role than he got with Sheriff Isaac.

My problem with ATCM is that its too generic and functional. It could have been written by any of ten writers. The God Complex feels like a personal episode...a passion project. Something Whithouse dreamt of writing. ATCM contains very little of anything that has marked him out as a great writer. More like a writer for hire and its a waste of his talents. Alas the 'Blockbuster' structure rather lent itself to that sort of thing.

It's like T-Mac and the difference between the Cyberman episodes and The Girl Who Waited.