Smile
- Episode aired Apr 22, 2017
- TV-PG
- 45m
The Doctor brings Bill to a future human colony, where cute EmojiBots work as willing servants and make sure everybody's happy, but if they're not happy ,they're harvested, so Bill and The D... Read allThe Doctor brings Bill to a future human colony, where cute EmojiBots work as willing servants and make sure everybody's happy, but if they're not happy ,they're harvested, so Bill and The Doctor better smile, or else.The Doctor brings Bill to a future human colony, where cute EmojiBots work as willing servants and make sure everybody's happy, but if they're not happy ,they're harvested, so Bill and The Doctor better smile, or else.
- Posse
- (uncredited)
- Gun-Runner
- (uncredited)
- Gun-Runner
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Steven Moffat
- Sydney Newman(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOne of the pictures that Bill sees while she is reviewing the history of Earth on the spaceship is a self portrait of Vincent van Gogh. It's the same portrait that Vincent offered the Eleventh Doctor as a parting gift in Vincent and the Doctor (2010). This portrait is not a true replica, but rather it's slightly altered to resemble Tony Curran, who played Vincent.
- GoofsThe doctor is given two portions of food but only one badge.
- Quotes
Bill Potts: Why are you Scottish?
The Doctor: I'm not Scottish, I'm just cross.
Bill Potts: Is there a Scotland in space?
The Doctor: They're all over the place, demanding independence from every planet they land on.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Whovians: The Pilot (2017)
Straight from the off, I thought this episode would have a fair amount in common with the 1988 classic series story, "The Happiness Patrol" and I'm glad to say that beyond the theme of being sad could be a death sentence, any similarity beyond that apart from it being set on a planetary colony ends there. With nothing subversive and political below the surface of its inventive exterior, early on there is an eerie sense of foreboding that director, Lawrence Gough which is enhanced by the isolation and deadliness of the robotic threat. When it's all said and done, it can be deemed as a cautionary tale that taps into man-kinds over-reliance on technology, and when it becomes a hindrance rather than a help. The emojibots here make for a genuinely unsettling foe if that is the right word to be used given the context of their ultimate motivation revealed before the end. A sublime creation in both concept and execution, they're a testament aesthetically to the design team behind the series who do a fantastic job in bringing the colony to life.
As with last week's "The Pilot", the chemistry between Capaldi and Mackie is perfectly solid, the relationship between the two now well and truly cemented with the latter making for an excellent foil to her older co-star. Capaldi once again captures the curious nature of the Time Lord perfectly who here eventually takes on the role of diplomatic mediator. Mackie as Bill, also once again captures the wide-eyed wonderment and awe that the character experiences.
If there is a flaw, is that the story perhaps reaches its climax a little too soon, with everything being wrapped up too expediently without allowing more time to dwell on the plight of certain characters. That being said, the plot thematically does brilliantly capture the essence of the power of grief, and how the robots fail to grasp the concept given their programming which manages to parallel the series 2 episode, "The Girl in the Fireplace". For all its innovation and originality, "Smile" marks an overall satisfying outing which while flawed, marks a continual upturn in the quality of the new series which thus far is proving to be a more rewarding experience than Series 9. If it keeps on this trajectory, I can see this being a good 10th series, and with the episode ending with a neat little coda that acts as an eye-catching means to segway into next week's adventure entitled "Thin Ice", I can't help but be excited.
- The-Last-Prydonian
- Apr 22, 2017
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Filming locations
- City of Arts and Sciences, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain(The Vardy city)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime45 minutes
- Color