Game of Shadows (Cataloging "Silence in the Library" and "Forest of the Dead")

When is a shadow not a shadow? When it's in a Doctor Who story determined to reimagine a feature of ordinary life as a homicidal creature, of course. The team of Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat created their fair share of everyday monsters, and the Vashta Nerada are one of the most memorable: Sentient shadows that consume the flesh of the living. That alone makes the one-two punch of Silence in the Library and Forest of the Dead memorable, and when you add in the first appearance of River Song, you have all the ingredients of a NuWho classic. Does it hold up now that we know River's entire journey? And are those shadows as scary as we remember? Let's check into the Library once again...

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Story Essentials

• Series 4, Episodes 8 and 9

• Story number: 198, per the The Pull To Open Codex

• Production 1DW 4.09/4.10

• Writer: Steven Moffat

• Showrunner: Russell T Davies

• Aired 31 May - 7 June 2008

Pull To Open: Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

• Season 3

• Episode 4

Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor