The Morpheus machine condenses sleep into five minutes and does so specifically so that workers can work longer hours. In fact, 474 and the central theme around the Morpheus machine create a really interesting look at the future of humanity similar to how Satellite Five did in the first season. She clearly and openly loves one of her teammates, to his chagrin, and when he slaps her hand away from his face and sends her into an automatic fight program, she is visibly distraught and upset that she hurt him once it subsides. Despite being created to be both simple and violent, 474 is easily the most sensitive and emotionally accessible person on board. ![]() She’s a grunt, a low-intelligence soldier bred for combat that has been assigned to the mission who speaks in child-like phrases. I especially liked 474 played by Bethany Black. It’s these little touches that make alien and futuristic places seem more realistic. I like how a Chordettes tune has survived 1,800 years into the future. I like how the leader, Nagata, calls everyone “pet” and there’s no explanation. I like how calling for lost members of the party automatically requires a strange supplication to an unknown set of gods. The interactions between the rescue crew on this abandoned satellite very much reflect a possible future merging of cultures we may not understand from our 21st-century viewpoint (Except they’re all still British because, you know, it’s Doctor Who). The story takes place in the 38th century, and on Earth a tectonic event has merged India and Japan. ![]() One thing that I thought was amazing about the episode was the world-building that went into it. What I’m trying to say is that no matter how good “Sleep No More” actually is or isn’t, it was going to annoy some people. I personally love them, and count “42” and “The Impossible Planet” among my favorite episodes. It was also another Event Horizon-style adventure, and those tend to be very divisive. Aside from a cute scene full of banter between The Doctor and Clara in the very beginning, the two get remarkably little space in the adventure, though I thought Clara getting sucked into the sleep pod accidentally was a nice nod to Victoria Waterfield having the same thing happen to her in “Tomb of the Cybermen.” The whole thing was highly experimental for Doctor Who – though calling found-footage anything experimental in 2015 is being generous – and a lot of Whovians ironically resist change. After the previous Zygon adventures where both Capaldi and Jenna Coleman shined in brilliant scenes, the cramped, narrow shots feel constricting and claustrophobic. “Sleep No More” is shot entirely in found footage segments and didn’t even have a title screen. Series 9 has been remarkably consistent in quality and seems to have hit on a solid mix of classic series nostalgia, revived series pacing, serialization, good scripts and room for Peter Capaldi to chew scenery. That aside, I imagine that the format of the episode also threw people off. What I wouldn’t give to see an enemy like Nobody No-One on screen. ![]() As far as I’m concerned, monster-making has been in the Tardis’s toilet since The Silence. Grown from the sleep sand that accumulates in the corner of the human eye, they do have a certain body horror uneasiness, but there’s no edge to them. For all intents and purposes, they’re just another horde and not a particularly scary one. ![]() The new villains, the Sandmen, are yet another entry in an increasingly sterile bin of monsters. There is some pretty legitimate criticism against it. “Sleep No More” is the worst episode ever. “Sleep No More” is the worst episode of the season. Still, I kept seeing the same message all over Facebook and Twitter from across the pond: “Sleep No More” is terrible. I usually avoid social media on Saturdays even though most Doctor Who fans over in Britain are very considerate about not spoiling the episode for the Americans who get it hours later.
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