Doctor Who Series 7, Episode 9 Review: Hide
- doctorbrick
- Mar 25
- 2 min read
What did you think of this episode?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
Series 7 of Doctor Who is something I haven't been back too much, so I have been enjoying my rewatch as I review my way through the show - are there many classics - not really no - but there are some pretty strong, if not overly memorable episodes, which brings me to Hide.
I am not sure Hide fully pulled off the whole ghost story schtick, there were some good moments sure, and the cast is great, but I think it falls a bit short on being as terrifying as it could have been. This is actually quite similar to The Haunting of Villa Diodati, and yes, I know this came first, but I think that episode did the terror and scares a lot better.
"I’m talking to the spirit that inhabits this house. Are you there? Can you hear me? I’m speaking to the lost soul that abides in this place. Come to me. Speak to me. Let me show you the way home. Let me show you the way home!"
So what did we have here then? Set in a haunted mansion with a mysterious creature lurking in the shadows, the episode builds an eerie tension, especially as the Doctor and Clara investigate the strange phenomenon. The haunting presence feels more like a puzzle to be solved than something truly menacing. It’s not bad, but it's less suspenseful than episodes not billed as a ghost story.
The Doctor’s admission of fear is an interesting twist, but it feels random AF. Up until the final moments, he doesn’t seem particularly rattled, so his sudden declaration of being 'afraid' seems a little out of place. It threw me, and I really didn't buy it. There was no real build up to the Doctor being scared or out of his depth, or both.
The episode focuses more on mystery than terror, and while that’s not necessarily a negative, it left me wanting a bit more of the creeping dread that could have made it truly scary. I love to be terrified by Doctor Who. It's how I roll!
"Collapsing universe. You and me dead. Two minutes. No time. Complete sentences. Abandon planet."
Professor Alec Palmer and Emma Grayling's little relationship is cute, Jessica Raine and Dougray Scott both play the shy, awkward type very well.
Overall, Hide is an enjoyable episode, with strong performances and a compelling storyline, but it doesn’t quite live up to its potential in terms of suspense or horror. It is a standard series 7 episode in other words, pretty good, but it is never going to live long in the memory. It’s more of a thrilling adventure than a full-on horror experience, and the Doctor’s late-stage fear feels like it could’ve been explored more effectively throughout the episode.
RATING: Good!
BEST LINE: "Well. Hello again, you old Romeo, you."
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