Jump to content

My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.


The Friendly Dalek
 Share

Recommended Posts

Journey To The Centre Of The TARDIS- It's surprising how few episodes are set almost entirely in the TARDIS. This one has such a fun premise, but as usual, the execution ruins an interesting idea.

The leads are great as always, but the supporting cast aren't given good material, so they aren't interesting at all as a result. The time zombies aren't interesting monsters either, although I do think they are visually interesting. The pacing is pretty poor, and a good amount of the run time is just characters walking through corridors spouting exposition, which gets boring very quickly.  The ending, however, is surprisingly clever, and makes an interesting use of time travel. The visual effects are quite good as well.

Easily the best thing about this episode is getting to see a lot more of the TARDIS then we usually get to see. The TARDIS has always fascinated me ever since I first saw it, and even now I wish we got to see this much of it more often. It's kind of hard to explain, but I just had so much fun seeing the interior of the TARDIS in ways which we have never seen before or since. I thought it was very nice that we got to see things such as the Eye Of Harmony again. I also like how we get reminded that the TARDIS is sentient, and that it causes the events of this episode by itself in an effort to protect itself. I just wish that the characters who we follow through the TARDIS were ones that I actually cared about.

Overall- 4/10.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS  - Time to agree again. This could have been a fabulous episode but the pacing,  writing,  execution and support cast are all wrong. 

I love the TARDIS interiors. Smith and Coleman are great. Smith gets to show his darker side. Much of the story doesn't make sense but the ending was clever. I also love to see the TARDIS as a sentient being trying to protect itself. However apart from the leads you don't have any empathy for the other characters which makes the episode a bit of a drag. 

Overall - 3/10

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/21/2019 at 10:11 PM, The Friendly Dalek said:

The Snowmen- This Christmas episode was pretty much guaranteed to be better than the last one, buy not only is it better, it is one of my favourite episode's of Smith's era. 

The cast is fantastic. Matt Smith is on top form, and the Paternoster gang give this story some great comedic moments. Jenna Coleman is brilliant, and her character is great. She is very funny, and plays well alongside Smith. Richard E. Grant and Ian McKellen give this story a sense of gravitas, those two actors are legends. The child actors are fine, and the rest of the supporting cast is aright. None of them stand out as particularly memorable, but they aren't bad either. 

The production of this episode is brilliant. Everything looks gorgeous (baring some dodgy cgi at points). It's nice to see a Christmas episode by Moffat with a story that isn't limited by the confines of an established story which he is taking heavy inspiration from. The Snowmen themselves aren't the best villains, but I can get past that because of the return of The Great Intelligence. For a villain which hasn't been seen on screen since the 60s, there's surprisingly few call-backs to its previous appearances in the show. This story is character driven, so it makes sense why the villains are sidelined, but I feel like they are effective enough when on screen that it isn't a major problem. I love both the new title sequence and TARDIS interior. The emotional moments are highly effective as well, and this episode is very well paced. This is definitely the Christmas special which I watch the most, I've watched it every year since it aired. 

Overall- 9/10.

 

Have to agree, I adore this story. Top notch.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Crimson Horror- This isn't one which I particularly like , but it isn't too bad. Firstly, I like how this episode switches up the structure of a Doctor Who episode in an interesting way, such as how The Doctor and Clara aren't introduced until a good 15 minutes into the episode. The Paternoster Gang are excellent as always. Visually, this is a very well made episode, and the pacing is very good. This episode is also wonderfully atmospheric for the most part. 

Although the leads are all very good, the supporting characters aren't that good, except for Ada. I thought that she was a very interesting character. Mrs Gillyflower is not an interesting villain at all, despite a decent performance from Diana Rigg. The think that the idea behind the Crimson Horror itself, and what it does, is a good one. It's just a shame that the Crimson Horror is wasted in a weak story, without anything interesting being done with it. Mr Sweet looks ridiculous as well, and I think that the ending feels a bit too rushed, as it all seems to end too quickly and easily for my liking. It's not an awful story, but it's one of those which I never have the urge to revisit.

Overall- 7/10. 

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Crimson Horror - This is a rather unusual episode which I actually quite enjoy. It's always great to see The Paternoster Gang. Smith and Coleman put in excellent performances. This is a beautifully filmed episode and the pacing is just right.

Rachael Stirling is brilliant as Ada and I like the complexity of her character. Diana Rigg is suitably sinister as Mrs Gillyflower. I do wonder if they ran out of money when designing Mr Sweet as this really is a bit naff. The ending is a little convenient. But I do like the set up for the next episode.

Overall 7/10.

Interestingly Diana Rigg and Rachael Stirling are mother and daughter in real life.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nightmare In Silver- I'm sure you can tell by now that I'm a big fan of the Cybermen. They're easily in my top 3 Doctor Who monsters. However, this story completely ruins them in my eyes. The Cybermen work so well in my eyes because they are almost warnings against reliance on technology. They are people who wanted to extend their lives, so they replaced parts of their body with cybernetic parts, and over time so much of them became robotic that they ended up becoming more machine than man. The classic era Cybermen almost always reminded us of their human origin in some way (The Tenth Planet Cybermen are the best example of this, but even the 80s Cybermen had visibly human mouths.) We knew they were once humans, and that is why they are creepy. That's why I've always had problems with the modern era Cybermen. I understand why they were changed, but it's not a change I like. Instead of being humans with robotic parts built over their originally human bodies, they are just human brains in large, stomping machines. They lost a lot of their creepy factor by doing that, but I didn't hate those Cybermen. This episode does something with them that I hated. They changed their design, and they look stupid in my opinion. Even worse than that, they are now able to "upgrade" themselves at any time in order to overcome any solution that they come up against. I hate that. These Cybermen are basically robots, and if this episode didn't feature Cyberman and had some random robots in it instead, it would be no different. These Cybermen feel nothing like the previous Cybermen. There is nothing even remotely human about them, and the fact that they can just upgrade to do anything really annoys me. Classic era Cybermen were relatively clever, they could solve problems with stuff they built, for example. These Cyberman just don't feel like Cybermen should feel for me. 

Anyway, Cyberman rant over. :lol: How does the rest of this episode hold up? It doesn't. The theme park setting is unique, I'll give it that, and there are some great performances from Smith, Coleman and Warwick Davis. The supporting characters are boring, and the acting isn't that good. I don't like calling child actors bad, but the two kids in this episode were insufferable. The visuals aren't very good, and there is some very dodgy cgi on display here. The pacing is bad, and the tone is all over the place. The episode attempts to be serious at times, but then throws in some awful humour immediately after, and none of it works. This episode is easily among my least favourites. I can't stand it, and I was dreading re-watching it for this. I expected a lot more from Neil Gaiman. 

Overall- 1/10. 

I like the performances form the leads, and nothing else. I am most likely never going to watch this one again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nightmare in Silver  - Wow. I know we disagree sometimes but it's not often we are complete polar opposites. 

I love this one. Neil Gaiman has written a clever episode. It's not perfect. The majority of the support cast are not well used but I consider this a good thing to focus more on the leads. 

Smith does an excellent job. He is convincingly different as The Doctor and his cyber version. 

For me after a slow start the pacing is just right. The Cybermen are actually a threat here (not always the case) although I don't like their ability to upgrade. 

The humour works well and I don't mind the kids. Would happily watch this again. 

Overall 8/10

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Name Of The Doctor- This is much more like it. I adore this episode. 

The cast are all excellent. Smith and Coleman are amazing, and the Paternoster Gang are very well utilised. Alex Kingston makes a return as River Song, but thankfully her character is much better handled here than she was in her last appearance. Richard E. Grant also makes a return as The Great Intelligence, and I really like how he keeps on popping up throughout this series since he was introduced in The Snowmen. The Whisper Men, whilst somewhat underused, look magnificent. 

For the most part, this is a very well written episode. Of course there are some small elements that I'm not fond of, such as the dream conference sequence, but overall it's great. Trenzalore is a very interesting location, and seeing The Doctor's grave makes for some great drama. This does unfortunately create a problem, as if the show does ever end with The Doctor's death, he's going to have to be brought back to Trenzalore in order to be buried there, so they'd have to somehow find a reason why he would ever go back there in order to fit with this story Moffat has created (did that sentence make sense? :lol:) The idea of The Doctor having a personal time stream which can be accessed by anyone is also a very interesting one, and The Great Intelligence's plan is actually rather clever. The pacing is perfect, and it is gorgeously shot. 

I have to talk about that cliffhanger. Major spoilers ahead if anyone is concerned about that. There are few episodes of Doctor Who which had such a lasting impact on me that I can still remember exactly how I felt when I first saw it. This is one of those episodes. I still remember sitting in front of the tv on the 18th May 2013, and seeing that cliffhanger. My mind was blown when it was revealed that John Hurt was playing The Doctor. It was an amazingly executed cliffhanger, and to this day it remains as one of my favourites. 

Overall- 10/10.

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Name of The Doctor - There is a lot to like about this episode. It's always great to see the Paternoster Gang - they add some much needed humour. Smith and Coleman are excellent. The Whisper Men I agree are magnificent. Richard E Grant doesn't have a great deal to do but is still brilliant. And yes, that cliffhanger. Totally amazing. If there were any spoilers I managed to miss them making John Hurt's reveal even better.

However I didn't like the Impossible Girl arc and this is the episode why. I found the resolution rushed and somewhat disappointing. Was Moffat focused on the next episode I wonder.

Overall 7/10

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

The Name of The Doctor - There is a lot to like about this episode. It's always great to see the Paternoster Gang - they add some much needed humour. Smith and Coleman are excellent. The Whisper Men I agree are magnificent. Richard E Grant doesn't have a great deal to do but is still brilliant. And yes, that cliffhanger. Totally amazing. If there were any spoilers I managed to miss them making John Hurt's reveal even better.

However I didn't like the Impossible Girl arc and this is the episode why. I found the resolution rushed and somewhat disappointing. Was Moffat focused on the next episode I wonder.

Overall 7/10

That's very interesting. As I mentioned, I really liked the time stream idea, and I liked how Moffat tied that to Clara's arc. Personally I thought it was well done, but I can understand why you think it wasn't. From what I can tell, the impossible girl arc seems to be a very divisive one in the Doctor Who fandom. 

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

That's very interesting. As I mentioned, I really liked the time stream idea, and I liked how Moffat tied that to Clara's arc. Personally I thought it was well done, but I can understand why you think it wasn't. From what I can tell, the impossible girl arc seems to be a very divisive one in the Doctor Who fandom. 

Series 7 seems to be the most divisive  - well certainly between you and I anyway :laugh:

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Day Of The Doctor- As much as I love this episode, I do have some issues with it which stop it being one of my all time favourites.

Firstly, The Doctor's are amazing. Matt Smith is great as always, Tennant seems like he never left, he's so great, and John Hurt is fantastic. I wish we got to see more of Hurt on tv, I know Big Finish did some stuff with him, but the fact he only got to star in one television episode seems like wasted potential to me.  Jenna Coleman is good, as are Jemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver. I loved seeing UNIT again, and the Black Archive is filled with easter eggs, which I love. This episode does a very good job at still managing to be its own story whilst having so many easter eggs and references thrown in at the same time. 

The return of Billie Piper is one I'm unsure on. Of course I think Billie Piper is excellent, but here her dialogue is more annoying than interesting or humorous for the most part, at least to me it is. She's a great actress but I'm not really a fan of the material she was given here.  The same can be said for Joanna Page. Her version of Queen Elizabeth isn't that interesting, and her romantic subplot with The Tenth Doctor annoyed me more than most. It was played for laughs, but it rarely worked. The Zygons themselves are a let down here as well. They are wasted in a story which didn't need them. If the episode just focused on The Doctors and the events of the Time War, I think I would enjoy it a lot more. When it is focused on Gallifrey, I love every second of it. Whenever we go back to the Zygon story, I find myself much less interested. 

The banter between the Doctors is the highlight of this story, along with the final 20 minutes. Seeing all of the Doctors come together to save Gallifrey is still a moment which gives me goosebumps. The way that was handled was also smart. New Who up to this point focused heavily on how the Time War and the loss of Gallifrey affected the Doctor, so it was always going to be difficult to bring Gallifrey back permanently in a w ay which didn't undermine the rest of New Who, but I think Moffat rose to the task and did something very clever with it. The return of Tom Baker also makes this episode so much better.

Overall I think this is a very fun celebration of Doctor Who, albeit not a perfect episode. There are some things which annoy me, but I can watch this and have a great time with it. The charisma of the leads and the (for the most part) excellent writing makes this an enjoyable episode. 

Overall- 8/10.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Day Of The Doctor - The one thing you can be certain of is that with Moffat in charge for the 50th anniversary special it is going to be epic. And in that respect this story doesn't disappoint.

I agree almost entirely with your review. The part with Queen Elizabeth adds nothing to the story and is annoying. It is played largely for laughs which doesn't really work. I don't mind The Zygons in this but they are largely under utilised and don't really add to the plot.

And that's really my only negatives. Great to see UNIT and the Black Archive. Gemma Redgrave and Ingrid Oliver work well in this story. I like how Moffat brought Billie Piper into the story. It's nice to see her working with Hurt rather than Tennant. Coleman is excellent.

The pacing is perfect, the special effects are great and the writing - well one of Moffat's best. The Time War is well handled. Always nice to see Gallifrey and The Time Lords - Moffat does the job of bringing them back without actually bringing them back  (if you get what I mean).

But as it should this story belongs to The Doctors. Smith and Tennant are both excellent.  And their interaction with the older, more serious Hurt is sublime. As a true Whovian it's fabulous to see all The Doctors working together which is cleverly done. And I love the cameos. As a life long Whovian Capaldi deserves his part even though he hasn't officially started in the role. Lovely to see Tom Baker at the end. They were both a surprise as it should be. I would happily watch this episode again and again.

Gallifrey Falls No More.

Overall 9/10

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Time Of The Doctor- This is a good episode. Far from perfect, but I enjoy it.

Matt Smith gives his best performance here, especially in the final 25 minutes. Jenna Coleman is excellent as well. The cast is all great actually. The issues come from the script. There are some great ideas on display here, and Moffat does show off his writing skills. But he also shows off what people don't like about his writing, which is forced moments and shoe-horned characters and ideas. There is also a lot of comedy that doesn't work, especially in the first 20 minutes. The Christmas dinner scene and the interactions between The Doctor and Tasha don't land comedically for me, and there are many moments throughout like this. 

To start woth, the moment with the Weeping Angels annoyed me a lot, purely because we have seen them way too much by this point, and the setting does nothing for them. Tasha Lem is an annoying character, and the whole Papal Mainframe segment of this episode is quite bland. The Silence are under utilised as well. Remember how the Doctor was wiped from the Dalek mainframe in Asylum? That's an interesting idea. One I'm not fond of, but could still have had some interesting payoff. Here, that decision is reversed, making me question what the point of it was in the first place. 

Visually, this is a stellar episode. Everytihng looks and sounds gorgeous. Christmas is an interesting location, as is Trenzalore itself. This episode had to tie up a lot of loose ends from the Smith era. It does some well, but brushes over others, leaving a somewhat messy episode as a result. The crack in time is reintroduced, as are the Time Lords, and both are utilised effectively. There are some slight pacing issues, especially around the middle. 

This is Smith's episode, and he gives a powerhouse performance. The scene in which he is granted more regenerations is amazing, and his regeneration is heartbreaking in the most beautiful way. 

Overall- 6/10.

Overall rating for series 7- 7/10.

This is a good series in my opinion. It's not as consistently bad as series 6, but it does have some bad episodes. It was sad to see Gillan and Darvill leave halfway through this series, but Coleman does such an amazing job that I don't mind having half of a series without them. When this series reaches its peak (Rings, Day, etc) it features some of the finest Doctor Who ever in my opinion. 

And that is another era of the show done. Now it's only Capaldi's era and series 11 left. :D

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Time of The Doctor  - My main criticism of this is Moffat tries to cram too much in. It's nice to have a few fun moments for Christmas. The first half is a bit slow with a lot of unnecessary elements (Christmas dinner for example). However the second half is great. 

The support cast are not particularly memorable but that's fine for a regeneration episode. The visual effects are stunning. The writing is stronger in the second. 

I like the double regeneration. The explosive one destroying The Daleks and the more thoughtful one in The TARDIS. 

Moffat knows how to write a regeneration speech and this actually brought a tear to my eye. 

Smith managed to end on a high with his performance. 

Overall  7/10

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm doing really badly in continuing this marathon. I'm taking ages between episodes. :lol:

Deep Breath- This is a very enjoyable episode, but it does have some issues.

Peter Capaldi is absolutely fantastic. The Twelfth Doctor is amazing, and his introduction is great. Capaldi plays a darker, more serious Doctor in this series, and it is a very welcome change from Smith's portrayal of the character. Jenna Coleman is great as well. The rest of the cast is good, but other than the members of the Paternoster Gang, no one particularly stands out.

The plot isn't hugely interesting, but that's to be expected as it takes the background, behind introducing the new Doctor. The Half-Face Man is an interesting villain in concept, but the execution was somewhat off. The robots are rather dull villains, most likely because they aren't anything unique. This episode does also have some pacing issues, especially in the middle. The opening dinosaur thing was stupid in my opinion, and that brings me onto my next point. Some moments, especially comedic ones, fell completely flat, and the whole episode suffers as a result. Visually, this episode is gorgeous, baring some poor cgi in certain moments.

Thematically, this episode takes the series in a direction that I love. This episode has many quiet, thoughtful moments, especially regarding The Doctor's redemption and self-discovery arc. This is an aspect to 12 which I love, and this whole series is better because of this character arc.

Overall- 7/10. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

I'm doing really badly in continuing this marathon. I'm taking ages between episodes. :lol:

Deep Breath- This is a very enjoyable episode, but it does have some issues.

Peter Capaldi is absolutely fantastic. The Twelfth Doctor is amazing, and his introduction is great. Capaldi plays a darker, more serious Doctor in this series, and it is a very welcome change from Smith's portrayal of the character. Jenna Coleman is great as well. The rest of the cast is good, but other than the members of the Paternoster Gang, no one particularly stands out.

The plot isn't hugely interesting, but that's to be expected as it takes the background, behind introducing the new Doctor. The Half-Face Man is an interesting villain in concept, but the execution was somewhat off. The robots are rather dull villains, most likely because they aren't anything unique. This episode does also have some pacing issues, especially in the middle. The opening dinosaur thing was stupid in my opinion, and that brings me onto my next point. Some moments, especially comedic ones, fell completely flat, and the whole episode suffers as a result. Visually, this episode is gorgeous, baring some poor cgi in certain moments.

Thematically, this episode takes the series in a direction that I love. This episode has many quiet, thoughtful moments, especially regarding The Doctor's redemption and self-discovery arc. This is an aspect to 12 which I love, and this whole series is better because of this character arc.

Overall- 7/10. 

what did you think of the little nod back to david tennants episode "the girl in the fireplace" when me and my friend watched that episode together we had one of those moments where we turned to each and gave that look of "that's cool"

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, GreenArrow2046 said:

what did you think of the little nod back to david tennants episode "the girl in the fireplace" when me and my friend watched that episode together we had one of those moments where we turned to each and gave that look of "that's cool"

I thought it was a very nice moment. I really like the episode, enough to give it a 9/10, but I don't think it's one of the true all time greats like many fans do. It's brilliant, but not quite a 10/10 episode in my eyes. Due to that, when I noticed it for the first time, I thought it was a nice touch, but nothing to get super excited about, if that makes sense. :lol: 

Now whenever I see a reference to an episode which I think is a 10/10, one of my all time favourites, I get excited about them. :thumbup:

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Deep Breath - As an opening episode for a new Doctor this is very enjoyable. I only have one major issue with it.

With a new Doctor it's always nice to have plenty of the familiar. I love the Paternoster Gang. Coleman is great and I think she has a good chemistry with Capaldi. I love the mix between the comedy and the darkness. The pacing works well. The CGI is on the whole good with a couple of exceptions.

The half face man is a complex villain and I have always been a fan of the clockwork droids.

This is by no means Capaldi's best episode but he certainly did enough to win over myself and friends who are Whovians. He has a strong Doctor feel about him.

I enjoyed the scene with Missy. When I re-watch series 8 it's obvious who she is but I managed to miss any spoilers so the reveal at the end of the series was a surprise.

My only real dislike - Smith's cameo. It just didn't work for me. I thought it unnecessary as the 11th Doctor gives Clara (and thereby the audience) permission to like this Doctor. I already do so jog on 11. Seriously though I knew from this episode that this was The Doctor I had been waiting for in the modern era and admittedly didn't think we'd get (thanks to Moffat for some inspired casting). I prefer an older, darker but still with a twinkle in the eye persona. It's more like The Doctor I grew up with.

Overall 9/10

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, The Friendly Dalek said:

I thought it was a very nice moment. Honestly I'm not the biggest fan of that episode, like I really like it, but I don't think it's one of the all time best like many fans do. Due to that, when I noticed it for the first time, I thought it was a nice touch, but nothing to get really excited about, if that makes sense. :lol: 

Yeah I agree, it’s not a favourite for me either, a decent opening episode to introduce us to the new doctor, no need for the dinosaur though, I was left thinking just WHAT!! WHY!! But yeh overall not amazing but certainly not the worst 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Deep Breath - As an opening episode for a new Doctor this is very enjoyable. I only have one major issue with it.

With a new Doctor it's always nice to have plenty of the familiar. I love the Paternoster Gang. Coleman is great and I think she has a good chemistry with Capaldi. I love the mix between the comedy and the darkness. The pacing works well. The CGI is on the whole good with a couple of exceptions.

The half face man is a complex villain and I have always been a fan of the clockwork droids.

This is by no means Capaldi's best episode but he certainly did enough to win over myself and friends who are Whovians. He has a strong Doctor feel about him.

I enjoyed the scene with Missy. When I re-watch series 8 it's obvious who she is but I managed to miss any spoilers so the reveal at the end of the series was a surprise.

My only real dislike - Smith's cameo. It just didn't work for me. I thought it unnecessary as the 11th Doctor gives Clara (and thereby the audience) permission to like this Doctor. I already do so jog on 11. Seriously though I knew from this episode that this was The Doctor I had been waiting for in the modern era and admittedly didn't think we'd get (thanks to Moffat for some inspired casting). I prefer an older, darker but still with a twinkle in the eye persona. It's more like The Doctor I grew up with.

Overall 9/10

These types of discussion is what makes this interesting. It's nice to see how villains which didn't work in my eyes can be liked by others. 

I wasn't going to mention the Missy scenes in any of these reviews except for the finale, but now that you bring them up, I'll say that I like them. I remember being intrigued by them when I first watched this series. As the main mystery arc throughout this series, they are certainly effective. 

Smith's cameo is annoying, I agree, but it doesn't annoy me enough to specifically mention, if that makes sense. In my review, when I said that there are some moments which don't work, that is certainly one of the scenes which I was referring to. 

My first Doctor was Eccleston, who was a darker, more sombre Doctor, who had his joyous moments. As that was my introduction to that character, that's how I originally thought he always was. I was first introduced to classic Who in the gap between series 1 and series 2, so I was introduced to Doctors like Troughton and Pertwee before I ever saw David Tennant. For many people, Tennant and Smith were the first Doctors they watched, so they are attached to that interpretation of the character. As I first saw Doctors like Eccleston and Pertwee, the darker, older Doctor was the first interpretation of the character which I saw, and so that's what I think of when I think of The Doctor. An old man with a twinkle, as you wonderfully put it. :D

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Into The Dalek- I think this is a really underrated story. It's one of my personal favourites, and I think it is easily the best Dalek story in Moffat's era. 

Firstly, Capaldi and Coleman are amazing, especially Capaldi/ This episode continues the whole "good man" arc, and it is done excellently. The supporting cast are good as well. I like how we get to see more of Clara's life away from The Doctor, and I think I'm the only person who likes her relationship story with Danny, but I'll come back to that on future episodes. 

Visually, this episode is great, and the pacing is very good. Moffat's writing talent is also on display here. 

The best thing about this episode besides the leads is of course the Dalek itself. I love what this episode does with the Dalek. Similarly to Dalek from series 1, this episode focuses on just one Dalek, and that makes it so interesting. The idea of going inside a Dalek's casing could have easily fell flat, but Moffat manages to make it exciting without being silly. This episode also seems to carry over lots of themes from Dalek. The idea of a Dalek turning good hasn't been explored often, but when it is I always think it is a fascinating concept to explore. Whereas the Dalek in series 1 thought that it was "diseased", the Dalek here thinks it is actually better off thinking the way it does now, which is a really interesting thing for a Dalek to do. The concept of how The Doctor would make a good Dalek himself is also brought up again here, and I think that Capaldi's Doctor was the best one that this could have happened to, especially this early on in his tenure, when even The Doctor himself is struggling to decide wether he is a good man or not. Rusty is a fascinating creation, and his discussions with The Doctor are the highlights in a very good episode. 

Watching it again today, I realised that there are very few things I actually dislike about it, besides the odd moment or joke not working quite as well as I'd like it to. 

Overall- 9/10.

I know I love this episode a lot more than most. If I ever decide to put on a Capaldi episode, this is one of the ones I will go to first. Here's a fun story for you, for those who don't know. This episode was the one I watched right before I decided to make an account on here. I'm awful at coming up with clever and unique usernames for things, and as I had this episode fresh in my mind, I based it on that. :D

Edited by The Friendly Dalek
  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...