Perhaps it’s because the “witch hunt” story has been told ad nauseam, even within Doctor Who. Perhaps it’s because the terrifying new aliens barely have a presence until the very end. Or perhaps it’s because nothing substantial ever seems to happen for the duration of the 50-minute episode. Whatever the reason, “The Witchfinders” is a dull, tired and often even obnoxious episode of Doctor Who, devoid of the new life and energy the the show kept since the beginning of the season.
Written by first-time guest writer Joy Wilkinson, “The Witchfinders” sees the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and team TARDIS land in 17th century England in the midst of a series of witch trials. The Doctor being herself quickly steps in to stop the trials, but instead finds an alien menace to be causing the unnatural phenomena.
Along the way, they run into King James (Alan Cumming) himself, whose appearance and behavior match the eccentric and arrogant nature of the historical figure. Although King James is full of character, the rest of the supporting cast falls flat, a surprise for a season celebrated thus far for a focus on the characters of all levels of importance. The Doctor herself has her usual charm and character, but even her companions, who at this point are nearly fully developed, don’t serve much purpose in the story.
Though the theme of a witch trial might be rote, the actual concept and design behind the aliens had actual potential. Acting as parasites in mud that appear to “reanimate” corpses with new consciousness, the zombie-like aliens are truly unsettling. But this concept is squandered by their inaction throughout the duration of the episode, threatening world domination but never doing much to actually strive for it.
Although the episode has its usual length, it is so bereft of character, motivation and originality that it too is a husk of an episode. And much like the corpses of “The Witchfinders,” the episode is filled by a repetitious, circular dialogue going back-and-forth between the townspeople believing the phenomena are magic, while the Doctor and companions insist they are alien.
There are some episodes of Doctor Who that are so bad they’re good, with wacky concepts and characters that are even too alien for Doctor Who to be taken seriously. “The Witchfinders” is not that. It is an episode that plays everything too safe, which paradoxically is one of the most dangerous things possible for a show that depends on new and exciting times and places. One charming guest character and some creepy aliens aren’t enough to prevent “The Witchfinders” from being dead in the water.
Doctor Who airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on BBC America.
