Good gods, Clara in that outfit. I mean . . . Clara in that outfit. I could have watched this episode with the sound off--not just for Clara, all the 1920s stuff looked good but . . . okay, just for Clara. Holy shit. Eh. Yes, it was a good episode of Doctor Who in addition to that. "Mummy on the Orient Express", a supernatural murder mystery set on what looks like an old steam train but what is actually a space ship.
Oh, sorry, that's another screenshot of Clara. The spaceship--
There we go. It immediately brings to mind the classic manga and anime franchise, Galaxy Express 999. I don't know if it's a homage or if it's two writers independently having the same idea. In the Doctor Who continuity, it's not unlike the spaceship version of the Titanic in the Tenth Doctor story "Voyage of the Damned" or the race between spaceships made to look like various vessels from Earth's history in the Fifth Doctor story Enlightenment. People in the future really like elaborate costumed space travel, it seems.
In this story, an exquisitely gorgeous Clara is impeccably dressed in a little dress with fringe, except when she's in some adorable vintage jammies for one scene.
Even Peter Capaldi, who supposedly didn't want a hint of romance between Twelve and Clara, must have been moved because the chemistry between the two is fantastic in the episode. This more troubling pragmatic Doctor plays off a youthful idealism in Clara nicely. The idea of addiction is brought up and there's the tantalising ambiguity as to whether Clara is addicted to adventure or addicted to the Doctor.
I also love Capaldi's straight face as he offers a professor a cigarette case filled with jelly babies.
The episode was written by newcomer Jamie Mathieson who also wrote next week's episode which I am now very much looking forward to. Even if Clara won't be dressed like this in it.
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