![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
annavereWatched the Doctor Who episode 'Midnight' and it may possibly be the creepiest episode of anything I have ever seen, and I already knew the major plot from reading the synopsis once. It was so horrifying, mostly for reasons I have not seen articulated, so here goes my attempt to exorcise this horror so I can sleep tonight.
What mostly gets discussed online is the whole 'humans are the real monsters' angle, which I disagree with. My opinion of humanity is not that high to be shocked by mob mentality, and the humans were not the monsters. That was the eldritch abomination on the bus with them. They were victims who panicked and made the situation worse (but then, so did the Doctor by nattering on endlessly despite the risks). What stood out instead:
1. The bus stops before it has been attacked, before the shadow reaches them, and with no given reason for failing. The Doctor does not diagnose anything out of the ordinary, all systems are go, and yet the vehicle...stops. The lack of technobabble rationale for this is what makes it so awful. I'm gonna go hide under my bed now.
2. The view out the blast shield is of a city. To my eyes, that looks exactly like a city. Squares, spires, monuments, the works. Nobody has mentioned this visual anywhere, because the official canon says that Midnight has never been inhabited. Can't fool me, I say. I've read At the Mountains of Madness. Some highly advanced ancient civilization, predating the known universe and the Time Lords and all that crap, lived and died on the planet so unbelievably long ago that it can be confidently declared "never inhabited." They lived there and then something terrible happened to the planet, poisoning the sun (or they did it themselves to prevent something worse from happening) and leaving the planet an irradiated prison for that...thing.
3. Yes, the mimicry and possession are terrifying but this is made infinitely worse by the violence of the original attack. It's super strong and super precise long before it does the second act.
4. That image of the city has a shimmer effect from the production house, and people online slow it down and enhance it and then argue with each other over whether or not they can see the shadow spoken of and if so, in which section of the frame. No two people agree with each other. Thanks for those nightmares.
5. Zero explanation is offered. This on a show which thrives, to ridiculous levels, at explaining away every single thing that ever happens.
6. There's no proof it's dead. The surface of the planet does not support any life, but it was out there to begin with. Not even a hint of happy ending here.
This is a great reason for why I very rarely dip my toe in the waters of actual sci fi, the space-faring black void variety. The scope is so enormous it leaves the realm of the uncanny (where I am deeply comfortable) and goes straight to cosmic horror. Simon clinging to the hull of the Serenity having a panic attack? That's me.
And that's definitely me today. Brilliant episode. I never want to see it again.
What mostly gets discussed online is the whole 'humans are the real monsters' angle, which I disagree with. My opinion of humanity is not that high to be shocked by mob mentality, and the humans were not the monsters. That was the eldritch abomination on the bus with them. They were victims who panicked and made the situation worse (but then, so did the Doctor by nattering on endlessly despite the risks). What stood out instead:
1. The bus stops before it has been attacked, before the shadow reaches them, and with no given reason for failing. The Doctor does not diagnose anything out of the ordinary, all systems are go, and yet the vehicle...stops. The lack of technobabble rationale for this is what makes it so awful. I'm gonna go hide under my bed now.
2. The view out the blast shield is of a city. To my eyes, that looks exactly like a city. Squares, spires, monuments, the works. Nobody has mentioned this visual anywhere, because the official canon says that Midnight has never been inhabited. Can't fool me, I say. I've read At the Mountains of Madness. Some highly advanced ancient civilization, predating the known universe and the Time Lords and all that crap, lived and died on the planet so unbelievably long ago that it can be confidently declared "never inhabited." They lived there and then something terrible happened to the planet, poisoning the sun (or they did it themselves to prevent something worse from happening) and leaving the planet an irradiated prison for that...thing.
3. Yes, the mimicry and possession are terrifying but this is made infinitely worse by the violence of the original attack. It's super strong and super precise long before it does the second act.
4. That image of the city has a shimmer effect from the production house, and people online slow it down and enhance it and then argue with each other over whether or not they can see the shadow spoken of and if so, in which section of the frame. No two people agree with each other. Thanks for those nightmares.
5. Zero explanation is offered. This on a show which thrives, to ridiculous levels, at explaining away every single thing that ever happens.
6. There's no proof it's dead. The surface of the planet does not support any life, but it was out there to begin with. Not even a hint of happy ending here.
This is a great reason for why I very rarely dip my toe in the waters of actual sci fi, the space-faring black void variety. The scope is so enormous it leaves the realm of the uncanny (where I am deeply comfortable) and goes straight to cosmic horror. Simon clinging to the hull of the Serenity having a panic attack? That's me.
And that's definitely me today. Brilliant episode. I never want to see it again.
