Written by Rona Munro
Directed by Charles Palmer
Bill (re Picts/Romans): "You're wrong, Doctor, it's their destiny, not yours."
Well, this felt very much like an episode that belonged in the Classic Series and with Rona Munro back at the helm after her last effort with Survival nearly thirty years ago, perhaps that was the intention.
Bill wanted to solve the mystery of the missing Ninth Roman Legion and the Doctor along with a bed wanting Nardole decided to placate her by going to Aberdeen at the very moment in order to see if they could put the mystery to bed. Cue scenes where Bill showed off her history knowledge and got separated from her mates at the same time.
For Bill, being split from the Doctor and Nardole meant that she got the honours of encountering the monster of the week first time round but she also got the honours of finding the missing Legion, which seemed to be comprised of fit gay and bisexual lads, led by Lucius who fell into the latter category. Seriously, some people really do have all the luck, don't they?
The Doctor and Nardole on the other hand, end up meeting up with the Picts, led by the headstrong Kar and I have to admit my attention dwindled a little there. It's not that I'm shallow or anything but I was slightly less interested in the Picts until Bill and the Legion reunited with them and the Doctor and then the last few minutes picked up a little.
The creature itself killed a few cast members but unlike the Cheetah People from Munro's previous story, there wasn't really much of a story here. Both the Picts and missing Ninth Legion decided to band together in order to stop the creature from rampaging and only after Bill had to stop the Doctor from doing something otherwise reckless.
If you're looking for a highlight (aside from one I mentioned earlier), then really it's the Missy scene that's it. The Doctor's let her out of the Vault and even trusted her in the TARDIS while they were off attending to the story this week. Missy picking up on Nardole and Bill's bemusement of her to one side, the last scene between the two Time Lords was certainly powerful.
In Munro's previous story, she really caught the Doctor/Master dynamic to perfection (part of the reason why it's one of my all time favourites) and here, she did it again. The scenes where Missy was affected by the Scottish music and the Doctor wondering if they could be friends again. You just know by next week's episode we're going to get the answer to that looming question.
- There was a talking crow in this episode and for a moment, I did think about a certain episode from the previous series. Just for a moment though.
- I had to laugh a little when Lucius commented on Bill liking girls and comparing her to Vitus, who liked men.
- The scenes with at Devil's Cairn gave me a bit of an Outlander vibe to be honest.
- Will we learn when the Doctor became a vestal virgin in a later story?
- The ratings for this episode really did dip badly this time around. Shame, considering this was a solid episode.
- Chronology: 2nd century Aberdeen.
The Eaters Of Light is a solid return episode for Rona Munro and after watching it, I wouldn't oppose to seeing her once again write for the show. That said, the pacing was a little slow in parts, maybe too much for it's own good at times and the creature itself wasn't that good or interesting in any way at all. Other than that, still a decent episode.
Rating: 7 out of 10
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