TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Doctor Who Season 10 Episode 4: Knock Knock

One thing I’m really loving about this season is each episode gives you new reasons to fear things you might not originally. “The Pilot” made you fear water, “Smile” made you fear your emotions, “Thin Ice” made you fear…well…ice, and then “Knock Knock” made you fear the very house you’re living in via the wood that made it up.

Unlike last episode, “Knock Knock” didn’t dawdle with personal interactions per se but rather the full-on mystery that was surrounding the place Bill and her friends were living in. And what a way to set things up than by showing six people trying to live in a place, together, on their own, and striking out everywhere they went. That’s the realism that shows sometimes lose in the process of making an interesting story, but here, it was perfect, and it showed why they would sign a “too good to be true” deal without a second thought, they were desperate.

Naturally, as this is Doctor Who, things were about to go very wrong. As it turned out, the house was alive, just not in the way you expected. With alien wood lice of a sort literally coming out of the woodwork and devouring Bill’s friends. But to what end you ask? Oh boy…

It honestly would’ve been enough to have the wood lice be the enemy here, but in true Moffat fashion, he put a twist in the tale via the landlord. One who was perfectly played to be both charming in one facet, and utterly creepy in the other. Yet it was totally believable when he talked about his daughter, and so when we met her, it was without a second blink. Enter Bill, who once again pointed out something the Doctor missed, and revealed the shock that it wasn’t his daughter, but his mother. One who was now a wooden shell via the lice.

It was a pretty cool scene, with twists and turns aplenty, and plenty of sadness to go with it. Yet through the sadness came a happy ending as the mother, Eliza, used the last of her power over the lice to resurrect Bill’s friends. The real tragedy though is…now they have to look for another apartment! “Better luck next time!”

And then, there was the ending scene. We got more clues as to who is behind the fault. But the biggest one may be something you missed. The Doctor was very friendly with this person, including giving them a piano to play in it. And when the Doctor arrived they began to sulk (as they stopped playing the piano), but when he mentioned a story with children dying…the music played again. So, who do we know that the Doctor is friendly to when he can be, and also enjoys pointless death. Can you say…the Mistress?

In the end, “Knock Knock” was a fun horror story of sorts with lots of good twists and turns. I’m glad Doctor Who bounced back, now let’s keep it going!