Although filmed simultaneously with last week's The Girl Who Died, the sequel episode The Woman Who Lived is a very distinctive episode. Although it continues the story of Maisie Williams's now immortal Ashildr (or "Me" as she calls herself), the tone is very different both visually and emotionally. In contrast to last week's sunny Viking village scenes, most of the action in this episode takes place at night, and Williams's character has changed greatly over her 800 years of life.
The pre-titles sequence is visually atmospheric but not so effective dramatically. The Doctor inadvertently interrupts a highway robbery by "The Nightmare". Most of the audience, having seen the trailers, will know that the highway robber is Ashildr and so her speaking with a male voice is confusing and her unmasking lacks impact. Also, there is no explanation for Ashildr's ability to change her voice other than "practice". We are expected to accept that Ashildr has developed such strange abilities through her unnaturally long life.
More convincing is Ashildr's reveal that she doesn't recognise her name or remember her childhood as a Viking. It is believable that human memory would not be able to cope with living for hundreds of years. Captain Jack Harkness (who is referenced later in the episode) didn't seem to have this problem but he gained immortality in a very different way. Ashildr explains that she calls herself "Me" because she is no-one's mother, daughter or wife and is her "own companion." The episode explores how Me has suffered great loss and become amoral over time and this links to the idea that the Doctor can also lose his moral compass when he is without a companion (discussed in episodes such as The Runaway Bride). The absence of Clara allows space for the relationship between Me and the Doctor to develop and also helps us understand why the Doctor needs his companions.
The MacGuffin of this episode is the search for a dangerous alien artefact, the Eye of Hades, which can open up portals in space. Me tricks the Doctor into helping her steal the device and he is unaware that Me is in league with the alien Leandro (Ariyon Bakare) who she believes will help her escape from Earth. The Leonian make-up is very effective and the character is menacing despite his limited time on screen. Although the episode leads to quite a familiar climax, the build-up is unpredictable because the motives of Me and Leondro are not obvious at first.
We learn that the Eye of Hades can be powered by a human death and that Me plans to activate it at the execution of rival highwayman Sam Swift. Swift, entertainingly played by Rufus Hound, provides the comic relief of the episode. Although his jokes from the gallows are funny, the humour doesn't sit as well in this episode as it would in other lighter stories. When the Doctor halts the hanging using his psychic paper, Me murders Swift using the Eye of Hades. This opens up the portal but Leondro has deceived Me and his mission was really to create the portal to allow his allies to invade. This climax is similar to another medieval England story, 2007's The Shakespeare Code in which the Carrionites attempted to invade the Earth, Seeing the locals in danger, Me realises that she does care for human life and uses the second Mire medical chip to save Sam and close the portal. It is a satisfying resolution to the story although the scene feels a little rushed.
The Woman Who Lived is a superior conclusion to the Ashildr/Me story which is less predictable and has greater depth than the first part. Although there are some minor flaws, it is a very strong Doctor Who debut from writer Catherine Tregenna and has successfully established an intriguing and original character. There is still an element of mystery to Maisie Williams's Me which may be explored when she returns later in the series.
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