Doctor Who Series 8, Episode 8 Review: Mummy on the Orient Express - First Class
- doctorbrick
- May 31
- 3 min read
What did you think of this episode?
Sonic!
Good!
Bumpy-wumpy!
Exterminate!
If you were looking for an episode to show someone who has never watched Doctor Who, you wouldn't go far wrong with Mummy on the Orient Express. Thrilling, stylish, clever, and just a little creepy, perfect Doccy Who!
This is Series 8 firing on all cylinders, and it stands out as one of the most polished and inventive stories of the Capaldi era.
Set aboard a luxurious space-train styled like the 1920s Orient Express, this episode looks amazing. The production design is gorgeous, with period costumes and opulent carriages giving the story an immediate sense of class and atmosphere. Then there’s a mythical mummy stalking the train. The Foretold, visible only to its upcoming victim in the next 66 seconds is a perfect Doctor Who idea, classic horror meets sci-fi. Textbook!
"Yes, the sad smile. It’s a smile but you’re sad. It’s confusing. It’s like two emotions at once. It’s like you’re malfunctioning."
The countdown is a cool touch as well, you don't think much of it at the time but it adds a certain urgency to proceedings. We know someone is going to die, and the ticking clock forces the Doctor to work fast, think faster, and dig deep into his more manipulative side. Which is kind of the whole point of this episode, and series as a whole. Is the Doctor a good man?
This is one of Capaldi’s best performances so far. He’s coldly logical, even ruthless, as he races to understand the creature, but there’s depth behind every word. His interactions with Clara are particularly compelling here, as their relationship is at a turning point after the events of Kill the Moon. The tension between them is raw and real, but you see at the end that a lot of it was an act so he could save as many people as he could. Something that Clara picks up on and takes with her as she continues.
This is a great example of how Series 8 wasn't afraid to make the Doctor more challenging to watch, more mature, the Doctor was slightly less likeable, but far more layered, and in turn, making him far more likeable because of that. It’s episodes like this that really show the strength of that approach, and they pay off big time by the end of Capaldi's run.
The guest cast is solid, but I'm not sure I would go for the Perkins as a companion thing though. He has more than a touch of the Dan Lewis about him, and that's not a good thing! Yes, I'm not a Dan fan! Wok you gonna do about it?!
The rest of the passengers feel believable too, and they help sell the rising tension as one by one, they fall victim to the mummy.
"The Doctor. Nosy parker."
And the mummy itself? Genuinely scary. The design is fantastic, rotting, menacing, with those flickering movements that give it a supernatural edge. It’s the kind of monster that sticks in your mind, precisely because it’s rooted in myth and mystery before we get the sci-fi reveal.
As is often the case with Doctor Who, the solution matters less than the emotional weight (we always need to lower our expectations about Doctor Who endings) and Mummy on the Orient Express delivers on both. The twist that the mummy is a long-dead soldier still fighting a war he doesn’t realise is over ties in beautifully with the recurring soldier theme of the series. The Doctor's final act of compassion is quietly powerful, and it reaffirms the heart beneath his colder exterior.
And then there’s that lovely closing scene with Clara, emotional, hopeful, and beautifully played by both Jenna Coleman and Peter Capaldi. It’s the start of the next chapter in their journey together.
"Are you my mummy?"
Mummy on the Orient Express is a modern classic. It looks stunning, it's tightly written, and it balances scares, science fiction, and emotion with precision. It’s Doctor Who doing what it does best: taking a mad idea and turning it into something meaningful.
A banger - pure and simple!
What did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments below.
RATING: Sonic!
BEST LINE: "No, I just saved you and I let everyone else suffocate. Ha ha ha."
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