Doctor Who Episode Review: Mummy on the Orient Express (2014)

Guest stars include Frank Skinner, David Bamber, Daisy Beaumont and Janet Henfrey.

My wife, oldest daughter and I finally got caught up on our missed “Doctor Who” episodes last night, including this one. And, while I did admittedly have a few doubts early on about it, I have to say this was one of the best ones, so far, this season.

The thing I really liked about this particular episode was the various mysteries. The big one, of course, was the mummy itself, which nobody could explain yet apparently had been around for more than 5,000 years. But, in addition to that, there were also mysteries about why so many scientists happened to be on board the train, who or what was the person calling the shots behind the scenes and even how much the Doctor knew prior to boarding the train.

The part with the Doctor tricking the mummy into believing he was its next victim was both neat and actually a little intense, especially since it took him to the final seconds to figure out what the creature was and how to stop it. The scene, however, did get me a bit curious. If he were to have been killed by the creature, would it be permanent or would he regenerate? Since it killed by draining energy, I’m guessing the former. But, I guess we’ll never know for sure.

Another thing I found I liked about this episode is it finally gave us a glimpse into what exactly is going through the newest Doctor’s mind. As I’ve mentioned in the past, he seems much colder than some of his other incarnations. However, as it turns out, he still cares, he just has become much less emotional about making the tough decisions, something that does make a lot of sense considering how long he has been traveling and saving people. And, I have to admit, Capaldi’s version does grow on me more and more with every episode.

This was an entertaining mystery with some interesting characters and a good mix of drama and suspense. It’s an episode I definitely would recommend and would watch again.

My Grade: A