Following on from that game-changing two-part premiere, this week's Doctor Who provides us with a real change of pace, with a moody and atmospheric pre-titles sequence setting the scene for a far more traditional adventure. The decision to reel back on the epic revelations and twists was definitely a wise one on the part of the Who team, giving viewers a chance to catch their breath in between last week's shocking cliffhanger and what is sure to be another controversial episode, Neil Gaiman's 'The Doctor's Wife'.
Having arrived unannounced on board a pirate vessel, The Doctor, Amy and Rory are taken below deck and are introduced formally to the ship's captain Henry Avery - a fun creation brought to life delightfully by Hugh Bonneville. The Downton Abbey star not only makes for a convincing pirate, but also manages to be both funny and warm in the role. The scene on the ship's star-lit deck, where The Doctor reminds Avery of his noble past and implores the pirate to change his ways, is a particular highlight, being both well-written and superbly performed by Bonneville and Matt Smith. Another great moment is Avery's take on The Doctor's own craft. Finding a new spin on the 'character enters the Tardis for the first time' scene is always tricky, but Sherlock's Steve Thompson pulls it off here, as Avery takes the ship's futuristic controls in his stride.
It's a shame that this episode's other big guest star, Lily Cole, isn't really given much to do except float around and look ethereal, but the English model certainly looks the part, with well-judged special effects aiding her performance as the beautiful yet unsettling Siren. The rest of the guest cast is also given rather short shrift, though former EastEnder Lee Ross stands out as a suitably grim and sinister Boatswain.
On the run from the Siren, The Doctor, Avery and company take refuge in the ship's armoury, but soon discover that there is more than one stowaway on board. Introducing a "cute" child character is often risky, but former Emmerdale actor Oscar Lloyd acquits himself well as Avery's plucky young son Toby and, in the episode's quieter moments, shares a number of touching scenes with Hugh Bonneville.
Toby's apparent death at the hands of the Siren, and Rory's soon after, soon indicates that all may not be as it appears. In the episode's big reveal, The Doctor, Amy and Avery surrender themselves to the Siren and find themselves transported to a space craft caught in a temporal loop. The twist is well-played and the alien ship is just as impressively realised as Avery's own craft, but it's perhaps a shame that this final act loses much of the historical atmosphere that had made the first half of the episode so enjoyable. The revelation surrounding the Siren's true nature is also slightly disappointing - the idea of an alien medical programme becoming confused and running amok is not a new one, with Doctor Who itself having employed it relatively recently in 2005's 'The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances' two-parter.
With the Siren's control over Rory revoked, the Doctor and Amy rush back to the recovered Tardis in a desperate attempt to save him. As a final salvo, Amy's revival of Rory is certainly well-acted by both Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, but was it really necessary to play the 'Rory's dead' card again? One of the key elements in Doctor Who is obviously the sense of danger and the lingering presence of death, but Rory's repeated demises and resurrections are now becoming so frequent that comparisons to South Park's Kenny seem almost inevitable.
As the episode concludes, Captain Avery and his crew remain on the alien craft with the Siren, soaring off into deep space on a new adventure - so who do we have to talk to about a spinoff series? Meanwhile, back on the Tardis, we get the episode's only real reference (brief 'Eyepatch Lady' cameo aside) to the events of the series premiere, with The Doctor's death and Amy's pregnancy dilemma. After complaining last week about the lack of resolution, it's certainly nice to see these these issues addressed, but this final scene's standalone nature means that it does feel just a bit tagged on - perhaps a consequence of this episode's late addition to the series run?
There's a danger that, coming after such a bold two-part premiere, 'The Curse of the Black Spot' could be considered slightly underwhelming, but that would be doing the episode a disservice. It certainly has its flaws, but this instalment is nevertheless a fun romp and provides the series so far with a welcome sense of variety. That's always been a strength of Doctor Who and, though it might ultimately get somewhat overlooked in this current run's plethora of big events and controversial twists, it's comforting that there's still room for an adventure that's as fun and traditional as this. Next up - Gaiman, junkyard planets and The Doctor's wife!
