Doctor Who Series 9, Episode 5 Review - The Girl Who Died
- SimplyWho
- Aug 18
- 4 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
What did you think of this episode?
0%Sonic!
0%Good!
0%Bumpy-wumpy!
0%Exterminate!
After four darker, more intense episodes, The Girl Who Died takes Doctor Who on a detour into something a bit sillier, but even this episode has a darker undercurrent. It’s not quite on the same level as what’s come before, but it probably has two moments that stand out a whole lot more. Plus Peter Capaldi can sell me any episode!
This felt more like Robot of Sherwood in tone. The Doctor pissed off with humans, helping them whilst slating them. We have a Viking village, a slightly ropey alien threat and a ragtag group of farmers who have to become warriors. It’s a bit goofy but it's Doctor Who, so of course it has some charm under all that goof.
"People talk about premonition as if it’s something strange. It’s not. It’s just remembering in the wrong direction."
Capaldi holds it all together. His Doctor is frustrated, vulnerable, and deeply weary here. He’s not just battling the Mire, he’s battling the weight of centuries of loss. And that’s where this episode really shines. Beneath the silliness is a deep sadness. It’s all about loss, memory, and the cost of saving someone’s life.
The big emotional punch comes from the Doctor’s decision to save Ashildr (played by Maisie Williams), even when he knows it’s the wrong kind of saving. And that’s where the second half of the episode becomes something more interesting than the first.
Leading up to the good stuff we have a bunch of villains who are a bit clunky and don't offer a whole load of threat. This may be the point of them though, as we find out that their reputation is built on stories and lies.
Hey, that sounds familiar doesn't it? For the Mire, please read Donald Trump and Nigel Farage.
"I told you to run. That’s all the help you’ll need. That’s all the help you’re getting."
I think I have had enough of Clara calmly talking us through things though. I really like Clara, she is so much better with Twelve, but I do enjoy people showing a bit of fear every now and again.
I get it, they are building it up so that she is more and more like the Doctor, but even the Doctor shows he/she is scared sometimes.
When Clara cockily gets the Odin/pirate dude to let her and Ashildr go I was rolling my eyes. She does this a fair old bit - I loved it when she did it to the Sheriff of Nottingham, because you could see she was unsure and scared. Maybe I am missing the point, and she has obviously got better at staying calm in a crisis. It still grates on me a little though.
Despite that, there are two standout moments elevate the story:
1. The Doctor's realisation as to why he chose his face and the lead up to it. about the Doctor’s face – a powerful, meta, emotional beat. Capaldi remembering Caecilius from The Fires of Pompeii and understanding, finally, why he chose that face – to remind himself to save people, even when he’s told not to. It’s an idea that could’ve felt forced, but Capaldi sells it with utter conviction. It's a beautiful moment of self-discovery.
2. The final shot of Ashildr. The camera panning around her. Smiling at first, then slowly changing to something much sadder. The world around her changing in colour, the music. Immortality isn't a gift, it's a burden. Suddenly, the daft pirate bloke drinking testosterone is all forgotten.
"Look at you, with your eyes. Your never-giving-up. Your anger. Your kindness. And one day, the memory of that will hurt so much that I won’t be able to breathe, and I’ll do what I always do. I’ll get in my box and I’ll run, and I’ll run. In case all the pain ever catches up in every place I go. It will be there."
The episode isn’t perfect – the Mire are pretty forgettable, and Odin is pretty rubbish. But it’s trying to say something. And in a series full of weighty, serious stories, this one manages to blend humour and tragedy in a uniquely Doctor Who way.
Peter Capaldi gets better and better, and he gets these little moments of speeches in episodes now that are so cool.
"Immortality isn’t living forever. That’s not what it feels like. Immortality is everybody else dying. She might meet someone she can’t bear to lose. That happens. I believe."
The Girl Who Died might not hit the highs of earlier Series 9 episodes, but it finds its voice through Capaldi’s performance, a meaningful theme, and two unforgettable moments. It’s a story about the danger of playing god, and the heartbreak of living too long. A gentle reminder that even the Doctor’s victories come with a cost.
What did you think of The Girl Who Died? Let me know in the comments below.
RATING: Good!
BEST LINE: I'm the Doctor, and I save people!
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