One of the most iconic Tenth Doctor stories.
Returning after his success with The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances (2005), Steven Moffat crafts an inventive timey-wimey adventure, combining period drama with pure science fiction. The script fascinatingly shifts between the deserted spaceship and the Doctor visiting different points in Reinettes life, building up a mystery and a connection between the two. It's an early example of Moffat challenging the expectations of the viewers. This is also a fascinatingly deep episode about the Doctor as a person.
David Tennant is lovely in this story, one of his better performances. Sophia Myles is the first truly memorable guest actor in the revived series, and one of the best overall. She puts in a soft but very engaging performance.
The Doctor is both funny and touching here, ready to help a wan he barely knows even if it means he gets separated from his companions.
Mickey is now officially a part of the TARDIS team, but still a bit of a comic relief character. He's cowardly and not very useful, but luckily he has Rose by his side, as she is pretty good at getting out of trouble by now.
The Clockwork Droids are a great concept, used pretty well but perhaps not as much as could have been possible.
This is one of the better-produced stories in the early revived series. The 17th century France looks incredible, the droids look realistic and the spaceship is also pretty nice. The sad music stands out the most.
This is a slower episode, but it's well-paced nonetheless, allowing the Doctor and Reinette to connect properly, which makes the ending feel properly satisfying.
Once again, Moffat manages to craft an atmosphere that effectively combines authentic period drama with dark and creepy scenes and plenty of sharp humour. There are also slower moments and touching scenes in this story, particularly in the strange way the Doctor and Reinette connect.
This story strengthened Moffat's position as one of Nu Who's strongest and most inventive writers.
This is still one of the best stories of the revived era and one of the best Moffat has ever written. Watch it, and watch it again many times!
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
The Doctor has fought clockwork androids before, In The Android Invasion (1976) and The Androids of Tara (1979), for instance, and will do so again in Deep Breath (2014).
Combining history with sci-fi isn't a new idea for the show. It has been done previously in Carnival of Monsters (1973) and Enlightenment (1984).
The drunken Doctor is one of the better Tenth Doctor moments, filled with quotable dialogue.
Score: 100/120
Rose: "That's the TARDIS, it translates for ya."
Mickey: "Even French?!"
Rose: "You're not keeping the horse."
The Doctor: "I let you keep Mickey!"
What a fantastic episode - I think this is easily the best one yet. Some great humour, a creative, fun, and intriguing plotline, and also some real hard-hitting emotional moments. Wonderful stuff.
The Girl in the Fireplace might be one of my favourite episodes from Series 2. Madame de Pompadour is such an interesting character and relationship to the Doctor, him popping into her life as she travels through "slow time" (a theme Moffat became infatuated with), is done really well here. Not only is Rinette an engaging character who earns her place as one of the top "Companions that should have been" but her connection to the Doctor as they meet through time was well done. There is a narrative short cut that facilitates their intimacy with her gaining access to his mind and seeing his loneliness. But that didn't bother me much because the compelling emotional drama that came from it was so well realized. A lot of that goes to Sophia Myles who knocks it out of the park with her performance. She has in instant rapport with Tennant that made me want to see more of them. Ever her brief interaction with Rose was fascinating.
But what makes The Girl in the Fireplace such a standout to me, besides its story of course, is its production design . When i first watched this episode I wasterrifed of the Clockwork Men; they may actually be the only Doctor Who villains to ever legitimately spook me. Since I'm no longer 12 and scared shitless I really appreciated the aesthetics of the automatons and the wider episode as a whole. Not only is the historical costume design impeccable (those Robe a la Francaise Rinette is in are delectable) but those beautifully horrific venetian masks were brilliantly designed. That contrasting delicacy and emptiness worked perfectly. I also adored the gilt gold gearwork encased in glass heads the the intricate knife swords. Just everything about how this episode looks was perfection, I honestly don't think I;ve ever loved the look of a Doctor Who episode as much as The Girl in the Fireplace.
What an amazing companion Madame de Pompadour would be! Still could. She and later Doctor faked her death and off they go after her world (and Doctor #10) believes she's gone.
One of the best new who episodes. Moffat you legend.
This is probably my favourite episode of Doctor Who ever. I think it really sums up what this show is about; it has 'monsters,' comedy, mystery, action, romance, history, sci-fi & heartbreak. If I had to show one episode to get someone interested in DW it would be this one.
David Tennant & the rest of the cast are superb. I think everyone's reactions are spot on. I loved the chemistry between Tennant & Sophia Myles, it was a shame that we could not see Myles as this character again, but I suppose this is why it makes such a great standalone story.
There is a slight possibility that I enjoy this episode so much because it reminds me of Casanova - the first show I can remember seeing Tennant in.
By the way, if you don't like DT by this point but are going to continue watching the series please stop moaning... there is just no hope for you
The Good: This episode had amazing period costumes, wonderful performances, and a gripping plot. Even though the premise seems weird, they made it work really well.
The Bad: Along with the usual (albeit slight and mild) profanity, there was a passionate kissing scene that I wouldn't have minded if it hadn't made my sister think I was watching a soap opera instead.
Review by CluisannaBlockedParent2018-05-03T22:38:06Z— updated 2018-12-28T01:47:46Z
I really didn't like this episode, and not only because I'm a Rose stan. Firstly, it feels like this episode, especially coming as it did directly after School Reunion, was meant to take Rose down a peg and show that the Doctor could drop her at any moment . It reminded me somewhat of the X-Files episode "The Field Where I Died" in that regard. Secondly, the love story was extremely unbelievable, at least from the Doctor's end. He's seen her, what, 6,7 times in the span of less than 24 hours, two meetings of which were with a literal child - oh and they had a brainmeld or something, and suddenly he's super in love?
But beyond all of that, and what makes me not only consider this episode average, but actively bad, is that there is absolutely no logical explanation for why he shouldn't be able to use the TARDIS to visit her - which means the entire "tragic" part of the story doesn't make any sense whatsoever and thus loses all its weight. I'm sure there are people who can look beyond that, but to me it just makes this episode extremely weak.
The costumes were amazing, of course, the villains were interesting (something Moffat is good at as evidenced by The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances) and there was some good humour, but all in all the actual plot is only worthwhile insofar as it symbolises the tragedy of the Doctor's lifespan as compared to his human companions; in the end, all his relationships must feel that way - one minute they're a child, the next you watch their coffin be carried off.