Forest of the Dead

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195b – "Forest of the Dead"
Doctor Who episode
Donna discovers that Miss Evangelista was corrupted when she was uploaded to the data core.
Cast
Doctor	David Tennant (Tenth Doctor)
Companion	Catherine Tate (Donna Noble) Alex Kingston (River Song)
Guest stars
Colin Salmon – Dr Moon Harry Peacock – Proper Dave Steve Pemberton – Strackman Lux Jessika Williams – Anita O. T. Fagbenle – Other Dave Eve Newton – The Girl (CAL aka Charlotte) Mark Dexter – Dad Jason Pitt – Lee Eloise Rakic-Platt – Ella Alex Midwood – Joshua Talulah Riley – Miss Evangelista Jonathan Reuben - Man
Production
Writer	Steven Moffat
Director	Euros Lyn
Script editor	Helen Raynor
Producer	Phil Collinson
Executive producer(s)	Russell T Davies Julie Gardner
Production code	4.10
Series	Series 4
Length	2nd of 2-part story, 45 minutes
Originally broadcast	7 June 2008
Chronology
← Preceded by	Followed by →
"Silence in the Library"	"Midnight"
IMDb profile

"Forest of the Dead" is the ninth episode of the fourth series of British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was first broadcast by BBC One on 7 June 2008.^[1] It is the second of a two-part story, following "Silence in the Library".

Contents 1 Plot 1.1 Synopsis 1.2 Continuity 2 Production 2.1 Writing 2.2 Casting 2.3 Filming 3 Reception 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Plot

[edit] Synopsis

The Doctor, Strackman Lux, Prof. River Song and the rest of her group successfully flee from the Vashta Nerada that were pursuing them at the end of "Silence in the Library". As the group light up the room to dispel the shadows the Vashta Nerada may hide in, the Doctor finds that the Library's moon is sending out electromagnetic signals that interfere with his sonic screwdriver. Lux explains that the moon acts as a virus checker on the Library's computer core, causing the Doctor to recognize that Donna and the other 4022 people that were "saved" according to the Library were actually stored in the data core. The group make for the access point to the computer core, still pursued by the spacesuits of Song's former teammates possessed by the Vashta Nerada. The Doctor pauses a moment to try to reason with the Vashta Nerada, and learns that the books in the Library were made from the trees that their species has laid its eggs in. The Vashta Nerada awoke in the Library and now take it as their own forest to defend.

Meanwhile, Donna wakes up in the care of Dr. Moon inside the Earth-like computer simulation, though Dr. Moon as well as the little girl that watches Donna from her television attempt to prevent Donna from recognizing it as such. Dr. Moon introduces Donna to a man Lee, and the two become lovers, married, and have two children, though to Donna she seems to skip between these events. One day, Donna is met by Miss Evangelista, who explains that the Library had stored her persona when she was attacked by the Vashta Nerada, but due to corruption, her face has become severely deformed, although she has become more intelligent. As such, Evangelista is "brilliant but unloved" and is able to see the computer simulation for what it is, and tries to pass her knowledge of the simulation to Donna. The little girl causes a distraction to prevent Donna from learning the full truth, but Donna's confidence is shaken, and when her children doubt their existence, they disappear. Donna desperately seeks out Lee. The little girl, fearing that the truth may be known, "deletes" her father and Dr. Moon, and descends into further despair.

The Doctor and his group reach the core as Lux explains that "CAL", the name they have been seeing associated with the core, is the girl that is watching them through her television. She is really his aunt Charlotte Abigail Lux. As a child, she suffered from an incurable disease and Lux's grandfather paid for the construction of the Library, hooking Charlotte to its computer to allow her to spend eternity surrounded by humanity's literature. However, now that over four thousand other persons are in the core with her, even the "doctor" moon cannot help to keep the computer systems going. The Doctor plans to connect himself into the core to provide the stability to allow the rescued patrons to be reconstituted, and has Lux prepare for their arrival. When the Vashta Nerada threaten to attack them, the Doctor negotiates a deal—that once he frees the people from the core, he will have humanity leave the Library to them forever. River Song recognizes that the Doctor will die if he attempts to put himself in the data core, and knocks him out, taking his place instead. Much to the Doctor's anguish, Song reminds him that he will see her in his relative future and that there would be only one reason why she would know the Doctor's real name. As Song connects herself to the system, Donna attempts to race to Lee in the simulation before it whites out.

The Doctor's plan works as expected as all the stored humans, including Donna, are returned to corporeal form, and Lux begins to transport the humans off the planet. Donna attempts to find Lee but just misses him before he is transported away. The Doctor mournfully leaves Song's diary and sonic screwdriver to the Library, but suddenly questions why he would have given her the screwdriver in his future. He discovers that the screwdriver has a Data Ghost device in it, and races to the computer core to transfer its data into the computer. River Song awakens in the computer simulation, greeted by Charlotte, Dr. Moon, Evangelista (her appearance restored to normal) and the rest of her team, and thanks the Doctor.

[edit] Continuity

According to Steven Moffat, the squareness gun used by Professor River Song to help the party escape from the impending Vashta Nerada at the beginning of the episode is intended to be the same sonic blaster that was used by Jack Harkness in the episode "The Doctor Dances". Moffat suggests that it was left in the TARDIS after "The Parting of the Ways", and taken by River Song in the Doctor's future. The name "squareness gun" was coined by Rose Tyler in the earlier episode.^[2] The Bad Wolf motif (seen prominently during series one as well as in other places) is alluded to once more: a picture of blonde girl and a wolf is visible in Charlotte's house.

Professor River Song uses the Doctor's name (not heard by the viewer) in order to gain his trust. The secret behind the Doctor's true name was also explored in "The Girl in the Fireplace" (also by Steven Moffat), "The Shakespeare Code" and "The Fires of Pompeii", and later referred to in "Midnight". According to the Doctor, he would only tell his name to someone at one (unspecified) point in his life.

[edit] Production

[edit] Writing

"Forest of the Dead" was initially announced under the title "River's Run",^[3] before its name was changed relatively late in production.^[4] Josh and Ella, Donna's two children in the computer-generated world, were named after Steven Moffat's son and his son's friend.^[5]

[edit] Casting

For the role of River Song, whom producer Russell T Davies describes as "sort of the Doctor's wife", the production sought to cast Kate Winslet.^[6] One of Winslet's first acting roles was in the BBC teen drama Dark Season, written by Davies. The role of River Song eventually went to Alex Kingston, about whom Davies said, "I bloody love her!"^[6]

The role of Strackman Lux went to Steve Pemberton, who is best known for his work as a member of The League of Gentlemen. Pemberton's fellow League member Mark Gatiss wrote the Doctor Who episodes "The Unquiet Dead" and "The Idiot's Lantern", and appeared in the episode "The Lazarus Experiment".

[edit] Filming

Several scenes from this episode and "Silence in the Library" were filmed at Swansea's Brangwyn Hall. These include the library reception area where the TARDIS arrives, and the staircase where the Doctor and Donna look out over the empty library. The climactic scenes of the episode (in the library core) were filmed in an electrical substation of a disused Alcoa factory in Waunarlwydd, Swansea.^[7]

The wedding dress Catherine Tate wears in this episode is the same dress she wore in "The Runaway Bride".^[8]

[edit] Reception

Forest of the Dead was watched by 7.84 million viewers,^[9] giving it a 40% audience share; the highest in Series Four and the highest in its timeslot.^[10] The episode received an Appreciation Index score of 89 (considered "Excellent"), one of the highest figures the new series had received to date, alongside "The Parting of the Ways", "Doomsday" and the preceding episode "Silence in the Library".^[11]

This episode, along with "Silence in the Library", has been nominated for a Hugo Award in the Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form category.^[12]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Tenth Doctor

• Forest of the Dead on TARDIS Index File, an external wiki
• "Forest of the Dead" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage
• "Silence in the Library" / "Forest of the Dead" at Doctor Who: A Brief History Of Time (Travel)
• "Silence in the Library" / "Forest of the Dead" at the Doctor Who Reference Guide

v • d • e Doctor Who series 4 episodes "Voyage of the Damned" • "Partners in Crime" • "The Fires of Pompeii" • "Planet of the Ood" • "The Sontaran Stratagem" • "The Poison Sky" • "The Doctor's Daughter" • "The Unicorn and the Wasp" • "Silence in the Library" • "Forest of the Dead" • "Midnight" • "Turn Left" • "The Stolen Earth"  • "Journey's End" • "The Next Doctor" Mini episodes: "Time Crash" • "Music of the Spheres"

v • d • e 2009 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form Winner TBA Nominees Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog • "Revelations" (Battlestar Galactica) • "Silence in the Library"/"Forest of the Dead" (Doctor Who) • "The Constant" (Lost) • "Turn Left" (Doctor Who)