My Thoughts on "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" · 7:50pm Apr 28th, 2013
Sorry for being a bit late on this one but I've finally gotten around to seeing the newest Doctor Who episode. If you haven't seen Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS then read no further as I will talk about spoilers.
Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS is by far one of the most highly anticipated episodes of Series 7: Part 2 alongside Nightmare in Silver and The Name of the Doctor. And, despite a few problems, I found this to be quite an entertaining episode. It was cool to finally dive deep into the TARDIS and see the workings of it. We finally got to see the TARDIS library and even got to see a glimpse of the swimming pool (though I wish we had seen more of it). The chemistry between the Doctor and Clara was as good as ever in this episode and both characters had moments where they really got to shine. The monsters of the episode looked great and I love how they seemed to add a whole Silent Hill vibe to the episode. I also liked how the monsters were always just out of plain sight; thus, allowing us to get a good picture of what they truly look like without giving away their complete appearance in full. This is how I think the monster in Hide should have been handled towards the end. Of course there were some awesome throwbacks to the show's past like the voices of the 9th Doctor and past companions being heard at one point and Clara finding and reading a book that every Whovian wants to read: The History of the Time War. And, of course, WE GOT TO SEE THE CENTER OF THE TARDIS!
There are a few problems with this episode. Firstly, the guest characters were somewhat uninteresting. The only side character that I found interest in was Tricky and that was mostly due to the fact that he was the most kind and likable out of the three and his backstory was pretty depressing. Also, the main reveal of the monsters being a warped version of a future, dead Clara from a possible future/past and the ultimate resolution were a bit confusing. It's definitely one of those things you have to think about for a bit in order for it to make complete sense. I remember reading a spoiler-free review of this episode earlier and the reviewer stated that a bunch of fans would be bickering about the ending resolution on forum sites. To an extent, I can see why as it basically erases the events of the episode from ever taking place. However, despite the fact that the truth behind the monsters and the ending resolution are slightly confusing, they actually do make sense once you take the time to think about them. Maybe, in a way, this small weakness in the episode could actually prove to be a strength. This definitely is an episode that requires some thought and it begs for several re-watchings in order for people to catch all of the throwbacks and plot elements. It's good to have an episode that makes you think, and Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS certainly excels in that area.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS and I'm currently debating whether or not I enjoy it more than last week's episode Hide. Despite some uninteresting side characters, save for Tricky, and a slightly confusing and, to some, cop-out resolution, the episode still provides some great performances, fanboy-pleasing throwbacks to the show's past, entertaining exchanges between the Doctor and Clara, a collection of creepy Silent Hill-esque monsters, and a plot that demands the viewers to think in order to put everything together (which is something that is not commonly seen in TV nowadays). I'll definitely be giving this episode many more viewings in the future. Next week's episode is The Crimson Horror where we see the return of Vastra, Strax, and Jenny as they team up with the Doctor and Clara to uncover the sinister mystery of a 19th century town called Sweetville. You can find a promo for The Crimson Horror below:
I kind of liked the ending because it was one of those closed time loop thingies made of delicious wibbly wobbly timey wimey...stuff.
And of course we can't forget about the off mentioned swimming pool. 
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I didn't say that I didn't like the ending. I actually like it for how it makes the viewer want to rewatch the episode and place together the plot points. I was just saying how I can understand why some people will have a polarizing opinion of it. However, I did get one plot point mixed up. At first, I thought the monsters were all warped versions of a future Clara but then I took another look at the episode and realized that the monsters were actually the possible future versions of not only Clara but of the Doctor, Bram, and Tricky as well. That's another reason why I really enjoy this episode. You're able to find new things upon going back and watching it again.