K9: Dream-Eaters

K9: "My sensors indicate this is not a dream."

Clever dog.

The staple idea of a villain taking over the world through the population's dreams is realised here with an emphasis upon plot rather than feelings. This is much more about preventing something from happening than (yawn) standing up to your fears.

That said, Darius does still have to plod through the old 'but I've been afraid of clowns since I was a kid' thing, which sadly for him comes in addition to his fear of closed spaces flagged up three episodes back in Fear Itself. So what next for the character - cynophobia?


I like what they've done with that SJA-ish invasion of a blandified London there - specifically that they've made some effort. With SJA the effort would have meant driving over the border into London to shoot exteriors, which is something that they very nearly never did. K9 on the other paw, being shot some 10,000 miles further away in Australia, doesn't have that option, but is at least having a go at compensating with the skyline above. What a shame that with civilisation asleep, cars are still to be seen driving safely over Westminster Bridge.

The central coincidence of the artifact being dug up near where Gryffen and company live actually sits well with me, and is at last taking a step towards justifying the setting of a Brisbane-based production on the other side of the world in London. The UK's capital is, after all, where most alien invasions in Doctor Who-land take place, so it makes more sense for weird bits and pieces to be left behind there, rather than on the opposite side of the planet.

In fact, this episode is the closest one yet to The Sarah Jane Adventures.

There are even gags in here, quite a few of them.

Darius: "Guys, did anybody order a bunch of zombies?"

Unlike in A Good Man Goes To War, they introduce the term 'avatar' along with an explanation of what it means. That's what you should do with new words.

That said, I'm still not sure who or what 'The Department' is. I guess it could be a section of UNIT, or even those other other Crown-paid fellows.

Best episode yet. Again.