Dark Water / Death in Heaven

The Black Archive #4

by Philip Purser-Hallard

‘The army of the dead will save the land of the living.’

The two-part story Dark Water/Death in Heaven (2014) draws inspiration from its broadcast between Halloween and Remembrance Day to explore themes of death, bereavement and the afterlife. It gives the most radical twist yet to a much-reinvented villain, yet faithfully recreates an iconic shot from the 1960s. After the pyrotechnics of the 50th anniversary celebrations, it takes Doctor Who further than ever into the realm of the metaphysical.

Philip Purser-Hallard is a novelist and critic, and edits The Black Archive.

Genres: Doctor Who, Nonfiction

Paperback

About the author

Philip Purser-Hallard is a widely published and occasionally acclaimed author, editor and critic. He has written four Sherlock Holmes novels for Titan Books, all favourably reviewed in Publishers Weekly, and the Devices trilogy of urban fantasy thrillers for Snowbooks, as well as a plethora of shorter fiction. He is a founding editor of and frequent contributor to the Black Archive, a series of critical monographs about individual Doctor Who stories.

From his webpage:
"In my writing I like to reimagine and question established cultural icons, hence my four Sherlock Holmes novels for Titan Books. Writing dialogue between Holmes and Lady Bracknell, from Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, may be the high point of my career. The Devices trilogy, published between 2013 and 2016, considers some of the icons of British mythology that I loved as a child, and how they relate to the political reality of Britain in the 21st century."

Reviews

[Anna Livingston · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book as much as I love the admittedly messy episodes. And indeed, there were parts of it I really enjoyed, particularly the chapter making intriguing comparisons between the episode themes and the holidays near which they aired (Samhain and Remembrance Sunday). It's also a very well-written book; frankly, were I reviewing it just on this criterion (as well as the content I enjoyed), it would have a much higher rating. As it is, I want to give it 2.5 stars, but Goodreads lists two as "it was ok" and 3 as "I liked it," and my opinion falls closer to the former than the latter.

I freely acknowledge that my feelings about this book are colored by having spent so much time on various social media sites absorbing fannish "conventional wisdom" that I frequently disagreed with, and which was just as frequently presented in more strident and much less coherent language than this book. Someone who's spent less time soaking in fandom and/or who agrees with the opinions that set me off is going to get a lot more out of this book than I did. That said:

If I never see anyone support the "Danny Pink is abusive" theory again, it will be too soon. Purser-Hallard never quite throws his full weight behind it, but it's taken seriously enough that I side-eyed it a lot. That in conjunction with an argument that the Doctor's treatment of Danny in "The Caretaker" wasn't as racist as it seemed purely because the role was never explicitly cast as black really set me off, because fandom is quite willing to forgive manipulative behavior on the part of a white character (cf. Nine telling Rose he'll leave without her if she insists on dinner with her mother), while somehow completely legitimate boundary-setting from a black character aimed at a white character he knows has been lying to him is "abusive."

I also took issue with defining the Doctor as primarily heterosexual, particularly vis-a-vis his relationship with the Master. True, New Who has pushed heterosexual subtext (or outright text) between Doctor and female companion, but there's been no shortage of homosexual subtext as well: Nine flirting with Jack in "Boom Town," Ten and Shakespeare, Ten and his pleading to the Master in "Last of the Time Lords," Ten and his essential marriage proposal to the Master in "The End of Time, Part II," Eleven kissing Rory -- I could go on, but regardless, this is clearly a point where Purser-Hallard and I disagree.

I don't feel that my issues with this book affect my view of the series; after all, I genuinely enjoyed Liz Myles' book on "The Ambassadors of Death," and there's no question in my mind about the quality level of the writing in the two books I've read so far. I just wish this one hadn't pushed the particular buttons it did for me.

[Alex Sarll]

It was only really an artefact of the RTD years, but I still feel slightly bereft when Easter rolls around with no new Doctor Who. Hence reading this now: one of the first entries in a new series of short books about individual Who stories. '33 1/3 for Doctor Who' was my instant response upon hearing about the Black Archive. With those books, I select by topic, reading the ones about albums I love which haven't already been explored to death (who really needs to read anything more about Unknown Pleasures?); with these, all Doctor Who stories at least interest me (even if I hate them) so I chose by writer, having greatly enjoyed Purser-Hallard's fiction and website writing.
The problem is, the Black Archive isn't 33 1/3. It never claimed to be. So I was expecting something a bit fizzier, more personal, maybe a little John Higgs. And aside from a few marvellously catty footnotes and the afterword, that's not what this book is, because that's not what it was trying to be. It's a far more scholarly proposition, offering citations even for such unexceptionable statements as that the Doctor is "First introduced to us as a grandfather". It has intelligent things to say about its chosen story - but nothing crazy, or startling. There's a school of fans who'll love this stuff, and I wish them every happiness together, but for my personal tastes there are too many echoes of a sort of studious fanzine culture which didn't quite fit me.

[J. Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is sufficiently better than the other (also excellent) books in the series so far that it warrants that elusive fifth star from me - so well done!

Philip Purser-Hallard's writing style is fluid and interesting as well as accessible and welcoming. The book's structure is perfect, with the right number of chapters giving each "essay" room to breathe and fully explore the content it is describing.

True, with Purser-Hallard's choice of subject matter it is "easier" to write a more fascinating book than one focusing on "Rose", "The Ambassadors of Death" or "The Massacre" (actually, I should say it is "more possible" to write an excellent book about this story - it is certainly not "easy") but everything about this look at "Dark Water"/"Death in Heaven" is truly wonderful.

As with the other books, the main negative is a very small one - a slightly lesser amount of attention paid to editing the footnotes than is paid to the main text (several errors crop up there, with very few in the actual text) but the footnotes here also harbor some of my absolute favorite lines in the book and I can't bring myself to actually fault them. Much as I hate to "give the game away" I may quote one or two of the best sentences from the footnotes here and there throughout this review.

Philip Purser-Hallard is perhaps uniquely positioned to write about this Doctor Who story. As the writer of the novel "Of the City of the Saved" (creating said city, and editing a series of short stories set there for Obverse Books) for the Who-offshoot "Faction Paradox", he has trodden a vaguely similar path before. As in "Dark Water"/"Death in Heaven", Purser-Hallard's titular city is a place created through technology where mankind finds itself an afterlife.

There are few real similarities between the City of the Saved and the televisual Nethersphere, but it is easy to see why Purser-Hallard would feel drawn to write about a TV story that touches on some of the same ideas that clearly intrigued him enough to write on a similar line. Indeed, he addresses this subject somewhat in the appendix to this book.

But let us start at the beginning, shall we? As is the format for the Black Archive books, there is an "overview" giving facts and figures, and a detailed synopsis. The introduction ("So, What's Happened?") follows as a short chapter, giving some thoughts on what it means for this story to be a "season finale" in 21st century Who, what the context of Series Eight was, and how the "arc story" was handled this year. Purser-Hallard lays out the relevant history for this story's placement, as well as introducing some of the concepts he will wish to talk about further in the coming chapters.

The first of those chapters is all about the "season finale". The writer lays out a good history of 20th century Doctor Who's attitude to the end of a TV season, and what changed between the show going off the air and coming back in 2005. A lot of television had happened in the 16 years Doctor Who had been off the air, and a new approach was needed in order for it to stay relevant.

But also, Russell T Davies simply felt that some of the shows out there had a lot of great ideas, and he wanted his show to emulate those.

Purser-Hallard looks at the way seasons were structured in years prior to Moffat taking over the helm of the show, and how his differed in certain ways. The writer then gives his take on exactly what kind of season finale "Dark Water"/"Death in Heaven" is, what it's attempting, and why it works (or doesn't). It's a very good piece of analysis, with some nice insights into story structure for serial television.

This understanding, in fact, greatly informs Chapter 2 which is all about the way the serial storytelling comes to a head in the two episodes this book is focusing on. Purser-Hallard spends a great deal of time in this lengthy chapter looking at plot threads which converge here, although largely it's all about the characters. Going all the way back to Series One for some points, the writer takes a look at what elements of the Doctor himself come to bear here, how his arc plays out this season to culminate in "Death in Heaven".

And not just for the Doctor: for Clara and Danny, too - as well as other characters. For anyone interested in the way serial television works, this is a fascinating examination of the way Steven Moffat has crafted the season to focus many different strands of plot and character together here in these episodes. (And yes, for those wondering, the writer does talk about the parts which don't work out so well, along with the ones that do.)

It's not just about the way the story culminates, however. Purser-Hallard has some interesting things to say about Santa's appearance at the end and how it relates to the story just told as well as pushing forward into the next.

All in all, it's a very detailed and insightful look at the structure of this story and the season leading up to it that should leave anyone who reads it mulling over the arguments it puts forward.

Chapter 3 deals with "Dark Water"/"Death in Heaven" as a "seasonal special". Not a Christmas special, but as this two parter spans Hallowe'en and Remembrance Day, Purser-Hallard (along with many other commentators at the time of broadcast) sees this story as being deliberately crafted to serve both. The spookiness and ghoulishness of Part One being suited to Hallowe'en, and the celebration of a soldier's dedication to his duty even unto death being an aspect which seems clearly designed to coincide with Remembrance Day.

The chapter explores date-specific themes in episodes in the show's past and the ways they differ. It's a good, broad look at alternate approaches to "seasonal specials" (Christmas being the most common, obviously). And if you didn't immediately buy into the idea that the two-parter under discussion qualifies as one of these, you will by the end as Philip Purser-Hallard meticulously shows the ways in which "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven" appear to have been crafted to function perfectly for the dates on which they were aired.

By far my favorite chapter of the book follows. Titled "Queen of Evil: Transfiguring the Master" it (self-evidently) examines the presentation of the Master in this story. Specifically: the change from male to female.

In order to do this, there is much talk of the character's past history in the series and with the character of the Doctor in particular. Purser-Hallard seems to have a lot of fun (or maybe the fun was on my part in reading it) looking at how it affects the character to suddenly be female, and why perhaps Moffat was an odd choice of writer to handle the change.

An examination of Steven Moffat's history with gender treatment is quite useful (if not necessary for someone as steeped in his works as I am) and Purser-Hallard appears to be quite impressed with Moffat's handling of the subject in this case, given his prior history. (Purser-Hallard never claims that Moffat is sexist or a misogynist - though he points out some troublesome moments in his writing history - but merely contrasts the differing approach Moffat uses here versus other instances.)

Along the way we get some fascinating discussion about whether or not Missy should be seen as actually transgender (rather than merely "metaphorically" serving in that capacity) utilizing quotes and arguments from actual transgender women (and not simply relying on his own, presumably cisgender, viewpoint). We also see a history of how Doctor Who the series has handled sex-changed characters in the past, and what is different about seeing a recurring character alter their sex.

Although the writer of this book does not present his own opinions of the character, he shows an in-depth understanding of how the Master (now "Missy") functions as a character - through the various presentations over the years up until the season following this finale. It is only because Purser-Hallard understands the personality of the Master and the role he has played (and she will play) in Doctor Who that he is able to present such a deft and intriguing essay on the subject. I should be much surprised if anyone comes out of this book with anything less than a great appreciation for this chapter.

[One of my favorite footnotes here negatively compares Sherlock to Elementary insofar as taking chances with the sex of its primary characters is concerned. Purser-Hallard adds: "(Although Moffat's Doctor Who takes the altogether more progressive view that Conan Doyle's original Holmes stories were written about a lesbian dinosaur.)"]

Chapter 5 takes a look at "Death and What Come After" - here meaning, "what comes after" for those left behind, as well as for the deceased themselves. It is an intriguing examination of how little Doctor Who (a series steeped in death) actually deals with the negative fallout of a loved one's death.

As the writer says, for characters in the show "such trauma is often visible, but there is little acknowledgement of long-term emotional impact". And it's true: largely speaking, in this series (despite, or perhaps because of, the frequently massive death toll) death is more or less brushed under the carpet so that it is possible for the characters to move onto the next adventure.

Here, however, in "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven" we begin with Danny Pink's death and then have to live with the consequences of it for our heroes. This is fairly uncharted territory for Doctor Who (which Purser-Hallard explains in detail by going over much of the series' history) and thus is a point for discussion in and of itself.

As far as the afterlife is concerned, that too is little-discussed in the series, although the idea that people can remain conscious after death by having their consciousness converted to data has appeared in the series before. This chapter examines what role the Nethersphere plays, and how it is similar or dissimilar to previous takes on the notion in Doctor Who.

The last primary chapter centers around the notion of the literary genre of "cyberpunk". Is "Dark Water"/"Death in Heaven" actually cyberpunk? What is cyberpunk?

If you don't know much about the genre, Purser-Hallard explains its origins as well as its definition and shows the way it developed, its influence on Doctor Who (especially during the "Virgin New Adventures" period) before taking a look at how well these episodes fit the definiton of "cyberpunk".

I admit to not being well-versed in the genre (I have dabbled, but it is not something which overly fascinates me - Blade Runner aside, as it doesn't quite qualify despite practically defining the genre as it would develop) but this chapter was a great primer and it is interesting to see how well these episodes fit the mold,and how they do not - given how at first blush they might indeed appear to be right in cyberpunk's wheelhouse.

Again, the writer of this book shows a keen understanding of story structure and the way a script uses themes and settings to tell its tale, and it makes for an engaging and enjoyable chapter due to his easy facility with such things. I imagine someone unfamiliar with the "New Adventures" would also enjoy the glimpses we get here of the stories being told during that time.

The concluding chapter shows some nice glimpses of the book's history, and the way that episodes airing since the book began affected and altered what Purser-Hallard had to say. In so doing, he explores what it means to analyze an ongoing drama, and the way that everything we see we contextualize against the past, but can never do so against the future - and that all things are subject to change.

It makes one wonder what differences we will see at the end of "The Black Archive" (hopefully far, far in the future) versus the approach and the conclusions we saw here in its beginnings. For now, though, this remains a wonderful look at a compelling and complex television story that deserves to be read by absolutely everyone.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cursory and largely besides the point, with some (almost totally unsupported) interpretive conclusions I find extremely questionable at best (mostly character stuff). Pretty disappointing, wouldn't recommend it.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let's call this 3.5 stars...it reaches for many interesting analytical topics about the episodes, but I can't say I'm convinced by them...particularly the holiday/celebration day themes. Perhaps it's because, like the question of Time Lord gender-bending, it's been superseded by later episodes that weren't present during the publication of this book, particularly during Jodie Whittaker's time as the Doctor. That said, there's still more than enough to hold my attention.

[Stephen Higham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly compelling if you are a massive nerd

[Chris Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much better and more interesting read than the ambassadors of death black archive entry. Genuinely thought provoking- look forward to more like this one.

[Lois · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would have understood/enjoyed this more if I knew of Hallard's involvement in the faction paradox series - his overly dense and referential style in many chapters wouldn't have been such a surprise. As it was, chapters 4 and 5 were excellent, with the most focused and interesting exploration of the episode's themes and their place within the history of the series, without invoking an uneccesary overload of information both from doctor who and wider pop culture.

It's cluttered approach undermines what it seems to believe is it's central thesis - that this finale is one of the best in doctor who because it's played out on an intimate character scale. If so, why not focus on the characters? The negative comparison with the majority of RTD's finales also falls flat - all of his characters can be more intuitively empathised with and have a more consistent sense of character, than either the completely re-tooled Clara or the woefully underwritten Danny Pink.

It's also bizarre for Hallard to legitimse a reading of Danny Pink as an abusive boyfriend (after denying the character was written in a racist way) when Clara is repeatedly shown to be the toxic entity in the relationship - where Danny has to be assertive in order for her to act at all sincerely, and effectively has no "control" over her other than as a purpose she needs to serve.

[Nicholas Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3795856.html

As usual with this series, the book is broken down into discrete chapters each making a particular argument. The chapters deal with:
* Dark Water / Death in Heaven seen in the context of season finales - as mentioned, Purser-Hallard gives it higher marks than I do; I do agree that it pulls together the narrative strands of the series better than some other finales;
* the narrative arcs of the main characters in the story, including the Doctor, Clara, Missy, Danny Pink and also Osgood, Kate Stewart and Santa;
* the significance of the story being broadcast in the week between Halloween and Remembrance Sunday in 2014, dealing as it does with death and commemoration;
* gender-swapping and the Master - worth noting that Kronos and Eldrad in Old Who also swapped gender, and also explores how gender affects the way we read the Master's relationship with the Doctor - turns out of course to be prophetic for the central character of the show;
* death, where Purser-Hallard skips over what for me is the central problem of bad taste in the story, and looks instead at the various and contradictory treatments of death in the Whoniverse (including within this story - what happens to dead Osgood? Let alone the Belgians);
* whether or not the Cybermen are cyberpunk (on balance, not);
* an appendix on the similarities between the story and Purser-Hallard's own Faction Paradox novel Of The City of the Saved, which Purser-Hallard modestly says are probably coincidental or else flattering (having since read the entry on the City of the Saved in The Book of the War, it seems to me that they share only the most basic concept and every other detail differs).

Each of these is thoroughly footnoted and well argued, and the book succeeds in making me think a bit more about something I had not really expected to think much more about, and lifts my overall experience of the story (though I'm afraid still leaving it in the negative for me).

[Sean]

More books reviewing Doctor Who should have Augustine and Dante and Milton in the bibliography. Though from someone who has written a book called The City of the Saved, the Augustine ref. was practically required.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very good, and is a lovely example of how to turn the BFI volumes on films to a televisual subject, but a lot of the problems - and there are a few times I muttered darkly and as many where I actively shouted in annoyance - are essentially stressed by the conclusion. Here Purser-Hallard admits that the problem with studying Doctor Who in such a detailed way is that the show is still an ever expanding, growing and changing text. And it always has been. And it’s hard to study a text when it’s clearly as much at the whim of deadlines and budget cuts and casting problems as it is designed and structured. Anyway, the fact that the author actively seems to admire the structure of the first season of the revival as somehow a perfect mechanism kind of destroys any credibility there. Yes, it’s structured better and more deliberately than anything else RTD wrote because it was more carefully planned and indeed planned in advance. But the final episode is still absolute nonsense and belies any structural skill, so to moan as he does occasionally about Moffat’s writing is a bit rich because at least there’s a man who tries to give things a narrative arc and sense of continuity unlike Rusty just throwing nonsense together (see, sadly, both Gatwa seasons for more of this tendency which has gone completely unchecked)