BOOK OF LISTS: TOP 5 TWO TIMERS - NUMBER FIVE

With a constant theme of the TARDIS going somewhere new and different almost every week, we've been lucky to get a little bit of consistency thrown in now and again. Sometimes, the Doctor returns to a location he's been to before to enjoy a second visit. Like, say, the human/monoid colony ship, or Peladon, or even Satellite Five. 

But I find what makes the series more enjoyable is when he runs into the same character for a second time. There's been some nice returning good guys like Professor Travers or Rigsy. And there's been some very nice baddies, too. Like Lytton (who ended up being a bit of a good guy in the second story) and the Lady Cassandra (who also kind of turned nice toward the end too). I like to refer to characters like these as two-timers. Not because they've double-crossed the Doctor in some way (or, maybe, cheated on him?!). But because we see them twice in the show. 

Lots of interesting stuff has been done with these sort of characters because they were allowed two appearances. I have a special fondness for them. Which is why I felt it was time to do a BOOK OF LISTS where I list my five favorites. 


NUMBER FIVE: SOMEONE FROM THE NEW SERIES

The obvious intention with Craig Owens is comic relief. Both the character and the stories he starred in were meant to be lighter. Episodes with Craig are placed near the end of the season so that we get just a little rest from the intensity that is building up as we near the finale. It's a very smart choice on Moff's part to plot a series that way.

James Corden was the most brilliant choice for the part. It was a sheer stroke of casting luck.The guy just excels at being funny. Even in the smallest of details. I love how, during his opening scene in The Lodger, he realizes his night with Sophie is off and finds the funniest possible way to throw out a pizza menu. Seriously, watch the scene over. That pizza menu is disposed of in the most hilarious of fashions. That's just how good he is.

Naturally enough, if he can create comedic impact with most insignificant of gestures, the stuff that's really meant to be funny is done with amazing finesse. Corden is obviously a genius at making people laugh. The fact that he would later go on to host one of the most successful late night talk shows, ever, definitely cements this notion. You don't hand someone a show like that unless they know their stuff. Particularly since it's an American show. James Corden might have been well known in Britain, but no one in the States knew much about him when he was appointed host. It was his sheer talent that gained him the job - not so much his celebrity power.

Of course, part of being good at comedy is recognizing the abilities of the people you're playing off of. Matt Smith can be quite the Master of Silliness, himself. Corden takes stock of that and does an excellent job of sparking off of him. Sometimes even playing Straight Man and setting up Smith for some great jokes rather just trying to nail all the punchlines and not giving his co-star much to work with. This is another mark of a truly gifted comedian: knowing when to enjoy the Spotlight and when to offer support to someone else who is in it.

I particularly enjoy the fact that Closing Time really recognizes the strength of this duo and creates multiple opportunities for the Doctor and Craig to just be a double act. The two characters spend a lot more time in two hander scenes during Closing Time than they do in The Lodger. We really get to enjoy just how well the two work together. Take the sequence where they sneak into the shop after close. Had that not been Smith and Corden, there would have probably just been a quick establishing shot of the Doctor and Craig ducking down as George the Security Guard strolls past. Perhaps a snippet of dialogue would have transpired with the Doctor warning Craig to be quiet and then we move on to the next scene. But, because the writer knew who he was writing the dialogue for, he takes full of advantage of the comedy he can mine from them. Craig and the Doctor creeping along behind the counter goes on for quite some time. But we don't notice. Because these two actors are making the best of the jokes they've been given. And we're thoroughly amused by them.



NOT JUST COMEDY

Now, if Craig were there strictly for comic relief, he probably wouldn't have made this list. The real beauty of this character is that both the episodes he's in hinge on the fact that Craig must grow as a character. In The Lodger, he must finally overcome his fear of rejection and confess his love to Sophie. It's particularly brilliant that the story will resolve very badly if he doesn't. I found myself legitimately cheering as the Doctor seems to echo the sentiment of Sebastian the Crab and hollers at Craig:"kiss the girl!". We're not just happy that this crashed time ship is going to stop murdering people, we're equally content that Craig and Sophie - two characters we've only met a mere 40 minutes earlier - are finally falling in love. This says a lot about the acting skills of both performers involved. But, the truth of the matter is, we've fallen so much in love with Craig, ourselves, that we're glad to see him overcome his shyness and win over the woman of his dreams.

Naturally enough, we needed Craig to do something even better in Closing Time. Gareth Roberts seemed very much aware of this as he penned this second tale. He's moved the character along a bit and presented him with an even bigger challenge. He's trying to be a Dad, now. But the fumbling bachelor that was starting to resemble his couch that we saw in his first installment is still present. Craig honestly believes he can't be a good Dad. This becomes the new fear he must overcome. Once more, the climax of the story is contingent on him maturing. It was a great device in The Lodger so I was more-than-happy to see it return. And, because there were much bigger stakes involved, it gave us a great enough sense of variation that it didn't just feel like a re-tread. Craig breaking the spell of the cyber-conditioning to answer the cry of his child was actually quite moving.

Another nice new beat that Roberts adds to the character is the fact that Craig has had some time to think about his first experience with the Doctor. He understands the man better, now. It helps that he and the Doctor did have a brief telepathic communion, of course. But that also adds some extra street cred to the character. After all, we don't see the Doctor do that very often with a supporting character. And we've certainly never seen him do it with head buts!

Craig makes some interesting remarks about just how much he understands his alien friend. Not just the fact that he recognizes the Doctor as being the safest person to be around in a crisis, but it's especially touching when he points out how the Doctor pretends that he doesn't need anyone. It's one thing to understand how someone might be important to you. But it shows real depth of character when you show you've taken the time to figure out how you might help someone you care about. Without thinking, Craig runs off  to help his friend when he needs him most. We absolutely love him for his courage in this moment.

Because of this, Craig's grabbing of a price scanner to use as a bluff against the Cybermen turns out to be more serious than comedic. Which shows yet more deftness of Corden's acting skills. He even knows when to dial his funny down a bit in order to let some drama shine through.

LOVE...

With the serious stuff seemingly over, Closing Time returns to something lighter. The confusion Lynda Baron has about Craig and the Doctor's relationship gets cleared up in a fun little way. Everything seems to be winding down as the Doctor starts giving a better explanation of what we just saw happen (thankyou, Gareth Roberts, for not being afraid of expository dialogue).

During that info-dump, we see one last really endearing trait that Craig possesses. While the Doctor tries to provide some super-sciency reason for why the Cybermen were defeated, Craig corrects him. "It was love." he insists with the sweetest of naivete. The Doctor tries to correct him and realizes the pointlessness of it. Craig is right. It was love.

This is what we adore most of this character. Yes, he's a dork. Yes, he excels at failing most of the time. He might even be a little bit too self-involved, on occasion. But he is also a wonderful idealist. And, when the chips are down, Craig comes through.




And there's some heavy Craig-Love for you. Hope you feel the same for him as I do. 

We'll continue the countdown throughout the month of June. Hopefully, I can get all five of these out before the month is over. I like to keep these in a tidy 30 day package!