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217b – "The Almost People"
Doctor Whoepisode
Jennifer's Ganger transforms into a monster, which was CGI created in post-production.
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byJulian Simpson
Written byMatthew Graham
Script editorCaroline Henry
Produced byMarcus Wilson
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
Production code2.6
SeriesSeries 6
Running time2nd of 2-part story, 45 minutes
First broadcast28 May 2011(2011-05-28)
Chronology
←Preceded by
"The Rebel Flesh" 		Followed by→
"A Good Man Goes to War"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"The Almost People"is the sixth episode of thesixth seriesof the British science fiction television seriesDoctor Who,and was first broadcast on BBC One on 28 May 2011. It is the second episode of a two-part story written byMatthew Grahamand directed byJulian Simpsonwhich began with "The Rebel Flesh".

Following from "The Rebel Flesh", alien time travellerthe Doctor(Matt Smith) and hiscompanionsAmy Pond(Karen Gillan) andRory Williams(Arthur Darvill) are on an acid-pumping factory on a remote island in the 22nd century where the crew of the factory create "Gangers",the Flesh duplicates they control. However, a solar storm has caused the Gangers to become sentient, and the Doctor must prevent a war breaking out between the humans and Gangers.

"The Almost People" ends on acliffhangerwhich brings several plot threads of the series to a head. The two-part story was filmed from November 2010 to January 2011, mainly atCaerphilly Castle.The Gangers were achieved with the aid of prosthetics, as well ascomputer-generated imageryfor their contortions. "The Almost People" also features a Flesh double of the Doctor, which marked Smith's first time in prosthetic make-up. The episode was watched by 6.72 million viewers in the UK and received mixed reviews from critics, many noting that the cliffhanger overshadowed the actual story of the episode.

Plot

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Synopsis

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The "Gangers",duplicates of several workers at an island acid factory, have turned against their human counterparts, forcing the humans to take shelter in a secured commons area. There, they discover that a Ganger of theEleventh Doctorexists.Roryhas gone off alone to find the emotionally distraught Jennifer. The Ganger Jennifer kills the real Jennifer, and then stages a fight with another Ganger Jennifer to convince Rory that she is the human version. Ganger Jennifer leads Rory to a console, claiming it will restore power when instead it disables the cooling system for the acid, making it dangerously unstable. She then convinces Rory to lead the human group into the acid storage chamber and traps them inside; crewman Jimmy is killed trying to stall the acid release. After investigating the real Jennifer's corpse, Buzzer knocks out the Ganger Doctor, but he gets killed by Ganger Jennifer afterwards.

Using a video call for Jimmy's son Adam, the Ganger Doctor convinces the Ganger Jimmy and the other Gangers they are just as real as their human counterparts, with Cleaves bonding with her Ganger over ablood clotshe has in her brain, which her Ganger also shares. Ganger Jennifer becomes furious at this display and rages off; the other Gangers agree to work with the humans to escape the facility. They free the humans trapped in the acid storage room, and race off through the crypts below the monastery, chased by a savage Ganger Jennifer who has transformed herself into a monster. Ganger Cleaves and the Ganger Doctor hold the door to allow the Doctor,Amy,Rory, human Cleaves, Ganger Jimmy and Ganger Dicken to escape to theTARDIS.The Cleaves and Doctor Gangers together face the monster, triggering a sonic screwdriver at the right moment to cause them and the monster to dissolve back into liquid.

Aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor indefinitely stabilises the Gangers' forms to ensure that they remain human permanently and offers Cleaves a cure for her blood clot. Ganger Jimmy goes to meet Adam, and Cleaves and Dicken go to their headquarters where they plan to reveal the truth of the Flesh to humanity. As the TARDIS crew turns to leave, Amy starts feeling contractions. Back aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor admits his trip to the factory was planned: he wanted to investigate the Flesh in its raw form, as he has known for some time that Amy is a Ganger herself. He promises her that he will find her and then disrupts her form, turning her back to raw Flesh. Amy wakes up pregnant in a pristine white tube, observed by the "Eye Patch Lady",and starts entering labour.

Continuity

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While struggling with his past regenerations, the Doctor's Ganger alludes to several previous Doctors' words. He misquotes theFirst Doctor's line "one day I shall come back...yes, one day" fromThe Dalek Invasion of Earthas "one day we will get back"; quotes theThird Doctor'scatchphrase"reverse the polarity of the neutron flow";and speaks with the voices of theFourthandTenthDoctors (Tom BakerandDavid Tennant,respectively), the former expressing that Doctor's fondness forjelly babies.[1][2]Growing frustrated by the humans' distrust of him, the Doctor asks both Amy and Cleaves' Gangers to refer to him as "John Smith". This is an alias the Doctor has used on several occasions, beginning withThe Wheel in Space(1968).[3]

Production

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Writing

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Matthew Grahamwas originally scheduled to write a single episode for theprevious series,but withdrew because he did not have enough time to finish the script. ShowrunnerSteven Moffate-mailed him asking for him to write for the next series, and Graham agreed.[4]When the two met, Moffat said he would like the episodes to lead intothe mid-series finaleand that it should deal with "avatars that rebel".[5]After Graham had finished his script Moffat had the idea of what would need to happen at the end of "The Almost People" to lead into the next episode and gave Graham the premise for the cliffhanger, which Graham "loved".[4]With "The Almost People", Graham avoided creating similar situations that had happened in "The Rebel Flesh". He originally intended on setting "The Almost People" in a different location to "throw everybody", but decided that would be unnecessary.[5]

Graham found writing for two Doctors easy, asMatt Smith's Doctor had a constant "internal dialogue" and was always finishing his own sentences.[1]He wanted each character to be different and did not want all of them to become evil, and the Doctor would help them discover their humanity.[1]Graham wanted Jennifer to be the antagonist as he liked the idea of the quietest character becoming the most evil. The original script explained that she has a perfect memory, and so her Ganger was able to remember every terrible thing that had happened to the Flesh.[6]Several other sequences were cut from the final version of "The Almost People". In the original script, the Doctor quizzes the Flesh Doctor about the events ofThe Mind of Evil(1971) and mentions former companionsJo Grant,Sarah Jane Smith,Romana,Rose Tyler,Martha Jones,andDonna Noble.[2]There was also a montage of happy memories of the Doctor's life stored in the Flesh Doctor, which included flashbacks of previous episodes and serials of the show as well as events that had not transpired onscreen.[2]Also cut was the TARDIS providing the Doctor with another sonic screwdriver after he had given it to the Flesh Doctor, in a similar fashion to "The Eleventh Hour".[7]

The cliffhanger resolves several plot threads that had been seeded throughout the previous episodes of the series. According to executive producerBeth Willis,the Amy Pond Ganger has been acting in place of the original Amy Pond since the beginning of the series.[1]Amy claimed she was pregnant in "The Impossible Astronaut",[8]but denied this in the following episode.[9]Since then, the Doctor has performed several inconclusive pregnancy tests on Amy.[9][10][11]The Eye Patch Lady, who was later revealed to be named Madame Kovarian in the episode "A Good Man Goes To War",previously made brief appearances in"Day of the Moon",[9][12]"The Curse of the Black Spot",[10][13]and "The Rebel Flesh".[11][14]Gillan discussed the labour scene with her mother, and tried to make it "really horrific".[15]

Filming and effects

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Jennifer's monster was inspired by this drawing fromAlice's Adventures in Wonderland.

Theread-throughfor "The Rebel Flesh" and "The Almost People" took place on 12 November 2010.[3]It was then filmed through November and January 2011.[1][16]The cold temperatures at the time were a challenge and caused discomfort. The crew were concerned that the cast, particularly the three lead actors, would fall ill as their costumes were not designed for such weather conditions. Even so, the cast remained healthy.[16]Scenes outside and inside the monastery were filmed atCaerphilly Castle.[16]Other production problems included the director hurting himself and being snowed in.[1]The crypt where the acid container was held was filmed in the same set that had been previously used as theOval Officein "The Impossible Astronaut"/"Day of the Moon.[1]The actors each played their respective Gangers, with prosthetics applied to their faces for when the duplicates' faces reverted to the original material of the Flesh.[16]For the scenes in which both the character and their respective Ganger was in the same shot, a double for each of the actors was used. Most of the shots showed either the character or their Ganger speaking over their counterpart's shoulder, as only the backs of the doubles' head were made to look similar to the actors.[16]Smith had a voice double and a body double; the former would read the other Doctor's lines on set.[1]The episode also marked the first time Smith wore prosthetic make-up.[17]

The unique contortions of the Gangers were achieved throughcomputer-generated imagerydone byThe Mill.[18]It was originally planned that Jennifer would eat Buzzer, but The Mill decided only the shadows of the action would be shown on the wall. All of this was cut from the final episode, with the exception of Jennifer's elongated mouth as she advanced towards him.[17]The pile of discarded Jennifer Gangers was originally intended to just be a pile of bodies, but it was decided that would be "too grim". Instead, life-sized dolls were used and computer-generated Flesh was painted on it, giving it a more melted look.[17]The monster Jennifer transforms into at the end was created with CGI and a photo of pop singerMadonnawas used as reference, as in the image "here arms were...really sinewy, white, veiny, and fleshy".[17]Graham wanted the creature to have a real face and an alien body; he was inspired by a drawing inAlice's Adventures in Wonderlandthat depictedAlicewith a long neck.[1]Sarah Smartwas filmed in front of agreenscreenmaneuvering like the monster, which was used as reference.[1]

Broadcast and reception

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"The Almost People" was first broadcast in the United Kingdom onBBC Oneon 28 May 2011.[19]In the United States,BBC Americadelayed broadcast of this episode until 4 June, one week later than it was aired in the UK, due to expected low numbers of TV viewers during theMemorial Dayweekend.[20]In the UK, overnight figures showed that "The Almost People" was watched by five million viewers on first broadcast.[21]Final consolidated figures rose to 6.72 million, the sixth highest viewing figure of a programme on BBC One for that week.[22]It is the lowest figure forDoctor Who'ssixth series.[22]The episode received anAppreciation Indexof 86, considered "excellent".[23]

Critical reception

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Dan Martin ofThe Guardianthought that it "feels a bit uneven, though it's worth saying that it's one of those where everything makes more sense on second viewing".[24]He also felt that the cliffhanger may have overshadowed the episode itself. However, he went on to describe the Gangers as "memorable" and "an exercise in moral dilemmas".[24]He later rated it the ninth best episode of the series, thoughthe finalewas not included in the list.[25]Gavin Fuller ofThe Daily Telegraphdescribed it as a "taut, claustrophobic, sci-fi thriller", and as an "impressive episode with its neatly realised psychological and body horror".[26]Both Martin and Fuller were less generous of Jennifer's monster transformation. Martin commented "this dark, thoughtful story is restored to camp running-for-your-life-around-some-corridors",[24]and Fuller called it "something of a pity".[26]

Neela Debnath ofThe Independentparticularly praised Smith, stating that he "excels in his acting, managing to be reassuring and threatening, hilarious and sinister all within the same few scenes". However, though she praised the cliffhanger, she thought it "eclipsed" the episode.[27]Radio Timeswriter Patrick Mulkern thought that there were "points of logic" which might be questioned, but they were "minor points to wrestle with in a largely polished production".[28]Keith Phipps, reviewing forThe A.V. Club,gave the episode a B and called it a "pretty good follow-up".[29]

IGN's Matt Risely rated "The Almost People" 8 out of 10, noting that "As a traditional two-parter, Matthew Graham wrote a tight and coherent but not entirely scintillating script that managed to 'flesh' out the themes of morality and humanity with a couple of interesting touches". Though he called the cliffhanger a "perfectly pitched WTF moment", he too believed that it "detracts from the episode as a whole".[30]Richard Edwards ofSFXwas more critical of the episode, giving it three out of five stars. He stated he did not feel any "genuine threat" and considered the Gangers to be "uninteresting" and "predictable". However, he did praise Smith's performance and the cliffhanger.[31]Digital Spylisted the cliffhanger among five best ofDoctor Whosince its revival in 2005, explaining, "it changes everything you thought you knew about the latest series, and it's damn creepy".[32]

References

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  1. ^abcdefghij"Take Two".Doctor Who Confidential.Series 6. Episode 6. 28 May 2011.BBC.BBC Three.
  2. ^abcHickman p. 80
  3. ^ab"The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People – The Fourth Dimension".BBC.Retrieved7 August2011.
  4. ^abBrew, Simon (18 May 2011)."Matthew Graham interview: on writing Doctor Who".Den of Geek.Retrieved6 March2011.
  5. ^abGolder, Dave (19 May 2011)."Doctor Who" The Rebel Flesh "Writer Interview".SFX.Retrieved6 March2011.
  6. ^Hickman p. 81
  7. ^Hickman p. 116
  8. ^Steven Moffat(writer),Toby Haynes(director), Marcus Wilson (producer) (23 April 2011). "The Impossible Astronaut".Doctor Who.Series 6. Episode 1.BBC.BBC One.
  9. ^abcSteven Moffat(writer),Toby Haynes(director), Marcus Wilson (producer) (30 April 2011). "Day of the Moon".Doctor Who.Series 6. Episode 2.BBC.BBC One.
  10. ^abStephen Thompson(writer), Jeremy Webb (director), Marcus Wilson (producer) (7 May 2011). "The Curse of the Black Spot".Doctor Who.Series 6. Episode 3.BBC.BBC One.
  11. ^abMatthew Graham(writer), Julian Simpson (director), Marcus Wilson (producer) (21 May 2011). "The Rebel Flesh".Doctor Who.Series 6. Episode 5.BBC.BBC One.
  12. ^Martin, Dan (30 April 2011)."Doctor Who: Day of the Moon – series 32, episode 2".The Guardian.Retrieved7 March2012.
  13. ^Jeffery, Morgan (7 May 2011)."'Doctor Who' review: 'The Curse of the Black Spot'".Digital Spy.Retrieved7 March2012.
  14. ^Edwards, Richard (21 May 2011)."Doctor Who" The Rebel Flesh "- TV Review".SFX.Retrieved7 March2012.
  15. ^Love, Ryan (2 June 2011)."Karen Gillan: 'Female viewers will feel for Amy Pond'".Digital Spy.Retrieved26 May2012.
  16. ^abcde"Double Trouble".Doctor Who Confidential.Series 6. Episode 5. 21 May 2011.
  17. ^abcdHickman p. 77
  18. ^Hickman p. 76
  19. ^"Network TV BBC Week 22: Saturday 28 May 2011"(Press release). BBC.Retrieved5 March2012.
  20. ^Bartilucci, Vinnie (20 May 2011)."BBC America Delays Two DOCTOR WHO Eps Due to Memorial Day".Newsarama.Retrieved21 May2011.
  21. ^Golder, Dave (29 May 2011)."Doctor Who" The Almost People "Overnight Ratings".SFX.Retrieved5 May2012.
  22. ^ab"Weekly Top 30 Programmes".Broadcast Audience Research Board. 29 May 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 4 June 2011.Retrieved17 December2012.
  23. ^"The Almost People – Appreciation Index".Doctor Who News Page.30 May 2011.Retrieved5 March2012.
  24. ^abcMartin, Dan (28 May 2011)."Doctor Who: The Almost People – Series 32, episode 6".The Guardian.Retrieved29 May2011.
  25. ^Martin, Dan (30 September 2011)."Doctor Who: which is the best episode of this series?".The Guardian.Retrieved20 November2011.
  26. ^abFuller, Gavin (28 May 2011)."Doctor Who, episode 6: The Almost People, review".The Telegraph.Retrieved29 May2011.
  27. ^Debnath, Neela (30 May 2011)."Review of Doctor Who 'The Almost People'".The Independent.Archived fromthe originalon 2 June 2011.Retrieved1 June2011.
  28. ^Mulkern, Patrick (28 May 2011)."Doctor Who: The Almost People".Radio Times.Retrieved8 March2012.
  29. ^Phipps, Keith (4 June 2011)."The Almost People".The A.V. Club.Retrieved8 March2012.
  30. ^Risely, Matt (28 May 2011)."Doctor Who:" The Almost People "Review".IGN.Retrieved7 March2012.
  31. ^Edwards, Richard (28 May 2011)."Doctor Who" The Almost People "- TV Review".SFX.Retrieved7 March2012.
  32. ^Jeffery, Morgan; Allen, Chris (3 June 2011)."Doctor Who's best ever cliffhangers: Friday Fever".Digital Spy.Retrieved8 March2012.

Bibliography

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Wikiquote has quotations related toEleventh Doctor.

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