My huge Doctor Who episode marathon.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

The Battle Of Ranskoor Av Kolos  - This episode definitely does not have the wow factor required for a finale. 

The support cast of Phyllis Logan and Mark Addy are completely wasted. The writing is weak. The main cast are not given the material to work with. The pacing is off making the whole episode rather boring. 

On a positive note the production values are great. 

Overall 2/10.

And so ends Series 11. Unfortunately the weakest series so far. But much as I feared with Chibnall as show runner. As you say there is only so far you can go with excellent production values.

By far the worst thing about this series is after 11 episodes you really have no idea who this Doctor is. The characterisation is very poor. Although that is mainly due to the inconsistent writing I do feel a small part of the blame lies with Jodie. I am not suggesting she needs to be an uber fan but a bit of research wouldn't have gone amiss. It seemed that the only character development required for this Doctor was to be female. Sorry but I require more. Definitely a missed opportunity. 

[The Friendly Dalek]

 

4 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

And so ends Series 11. Unfortunately the weakest series so far. But much as I feared with Chibnall as show runner. As you say there is only so far you can go with excellent production values.

By far the worst thing about this series is after 11 episodes you really have no idea who this Doctor is. The characterisation is very poor. Although that is mainly due to the inconsistent writing I do feel a small part of the blame lies with Jodie. I am not suggesting she needs to be an uber fan but a bit of research wouldn't have gone amiss. It seemed that the only character development required for this Doctor was to be female. Sorry but I require more. Definitely a missed opportunity. 

I think I remember an interview where Jodie admitted to having only watched a couple of episodes from Tennant and Smith (the ones her Doctor seems most similar to oddly enough), and didn't enjoy watching classic Who. Tennant and Capaldi were massive fans of the show before landing the role, not so sure about Eccleston or Smith. This could be why her performance just doesn't feel as passionate as theirs did, because she doesn't have a fondness for the show or character. That being said, Mark Hamill didn't like how his character was written in The Last Jedi but still gave a fantastic performance, so not having a fondness about the material isn't really an excuse for a bad performance on Jodie's part. 

Just got Resolution and then one more series to go, and this this will finally be over. 

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

33 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Just got Resolution and then one more series to go, and this this will finally be over. 

You'll miss it when it's finished. And do you know what  - so will I. Very enjoyable reading. 

[shodgson]

1 hour ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

You'll miss it when it's finished. And do you know what  - so will I. Very enjoyable reading. 

Couldn't agree more guys.

[The Friendly Dalek]

Resolution- This isn't one of Chibnall's worst scripts, but it's definitely one of the most frustrating. 

The main cause of this frustration is how the Dalek is handled. I like how this episode treats them in a similar way to the 2005 Dalek episode, by showing just one Dalek and the effect it can have. The scene in which it single-headedly defeats a small army unit is great (aside from the poor cgi). The issue is how this episode explains what this Dalek is and when it is supposed to be from. There are multiple plot-holes and inconsistencies which arise from the Dalek here, and that annoys me. The fact that this Dalek can take over people as if it's Venom was an irritating choice, I suppose I seed what Chibnall was going for with that but it didn't work. The design of the Dalek itself is so silly, it made me struggle to take it seriously. 

The leads are no different to how we left them at the end of series 11, meaning that they equally as flat and uninteresting as before. I've seen a lot of people complain about the story between Ryan and his father, but that's one of my favourite parts of this episode. It was some nice character exploration and added depth to Ryan, something he is still severely lacking. Charlotte Richie is decent as Lin, playing both sides of that character well. Besides them, the acting is fine but nothing note-worthy. 

The action scenes were surprisingly dull, with the editing and music in the car chase completely ruining the tension for me. The ending is rushed and uninspired. If I wrote it, I would have had Aaron sacrifice himself to save the crew and kill the Dalek, thus providing him with a proper redemption arc, but Chibnall seems to be following Moffat's footsteps of not letting anyone die. The pacing absolutely tanks this episode, and a lot of the comedy doesn't work. 

This one was frustrating because it could have been great. A Dalek is always a great way to spice-up an episode, but for the most part I don't like what Chibnall did with it. There could have been a great story about Ryan and his dad, and although what we have is still one of my favourite parts of the episode, it could have been better. Instead we're left with a mostly boring, poorly written and edited episode which does very little with any of its cast. 

Overall- 3/10

Edited April 7, 2020 by The Friendly Dalek

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Resolution - There are some interesting ideas just very poorly executed. I do not like the Dalek design. The pacing is too slow. The support cast are very forgettable. The main cast have no character progression. I may have liked the story between Ryan and his Dad if it had had more of a consequence to it. Some of the effects were good. Definitely the worst Special.

Overall 3/10

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

P.S Hope you're feeling better and are managing to watch some decent Doctor Who as well as the series 11 dross.

[The Friendly Dalek]

1 hour ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

P.S Hope you're feeling better and are managing to watch some decent Doctor Who as well as the series 11 dross.

Thank you. I'm not quite as bad as I was, so there is an improvement happening. I've done very little the last few days other than watching movies, so I am watching good material in between Chibnall Doctor Who episodes. 

[wjbleming]

1 hour ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Thank you. I'm not quite as bad as I was, so there is an improvement happening. I've done very little the last few days other than watching movies, so I am watching good material in between Chibnall Doctor Who episodes. 

Though why you aren’t praising our Lord Chibnall is beyond me!

[The Friendly Dalek]

Spyfall part 1- Not really the spectacular start to series 12 I was hoping for. We were promised an epic, explosive spy story, but instead we got a weak parody.

The spy theme is wasted here. Chibnall once again blatantly steals from something popular and dulls it down into something no where near as good as what they were paying homage to. They didn't go the full comedy route and make it a parody, but they also didn't take the situation wholly seriously, so instead I found that this was a tonally confused episode that doesn't commit to any style. The action sequences also fell flat, the heavily-marketed motorcycle chase being a prime example. Somehow this episode managed to cram multiple action scenes in, but still feels badly paced, and honestly boring. It's so boring because the plot barely goes anywhere, and I just wasn't invested in the plot.

Barton is a weak villain. If it wasn't for the fact that he was played by Lenny Henry, he would fall right into the bland villain category. The Kasaavin, on the other hand, had potential, but were so visually uninteresting I feel like a big opportunity was wasted with them. 

The big positives I have for this one are the production design and the leads. This episode is gorgeous to look at. The leads finally show off some acting skill, clearly more comfortable in the roles this time around than they were in the last series. Unfortunately their dialogue is still terrible, but the acting shows improvement. The best thing about this episode by far is the cliffhanger. Goodness me, I remember watching it live when it aired and thinking wow, I'm actually excited to see where this'll go, something I hadn't felt since series 10. That ending single-handily saves this episode from being a completely unmemorable event. 

Overall- 4/10.

Spyfall part 2- Wow. I don't know what Chibnall was doing when he wrote this one, but he needs to do it more often. This is miles better than part 1. The plot feels far more focused, and the pacing is excellent.

I have to talk about Sacha Dhawan. This guy absolutely kills it as The Master. I loved every second he was onscreen. His chemistry with Jodie was clear to see, and their interactions are fantastic. Jodie for once gets good material to work with and she proves she can hold her own when the writing is up to par. The relationship between The Doctor and The Master is one of the best things in this show, and Chibnall managed to keep it that way. All of their interactions are great and feel in line with the characters I know.  

The rest of the tardis crew actually get a decent story as well, with some nice character bonding moments. Graham is the stand out as usual. The supporting cast are good as well, particularly Sylvie Briggs as Ada Lovelace. The implementation of historical figures is done far more effectively here than in some others of this era. There are some really nice movements with Ada and The Doctor.

Unfortunately this episode isn't a perfect affair. Some of the dialogue is still poor, and a lot of the comedy doesn't work. The Kasaavin are side-lined by The Master, and although I love what they did with The Master, I can't help but think about the wasted potential of the Kasaavin. Barton's defeat is hugely rushed, and the Master was also beaten far too easily.

Overall- 8/10.

Why can't all of Chibnall's episodes be this good? For once he provides a script with a strong villain in the Master, good supporting characters and a fun, well paced plot. It suffers from some common Chibnall issues, weak comedy and a rushed ending mainly, but it's a huge improvement over what he usually gives us. Spyfall is an odd one for me, I'm not a fan of the first part at all but I love the second part, probably because it drops the silly spy homages and tells a proper time-travel story, which is what I want to see.

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Spyfall Part 1 - This is an episode that trys so hard but ends up falling flat. The pacing is wrong,  the dialogue is bad and the cast seem to be all over the place. The cliffhanger was brilliant. 

Overall 3/10

Spyfall Part 2 - A definite improvement. The main cast are excellent. For possibly the first time Jodie feels like The Doctor. The support cast are mostly great. There are definitely some weak moments as you say.

Now I love Sacha Dhawan. The Master is one of my favourites characters. But (unpopular opinion) I just cannot warm to his version. For me it's too much, too soon. Probably a few years later I would have liked it better. And I didn't like the interactions between Sacha and Jodie. The whole thing just feels too forced.

Overall 5/10

[The Friendly Dalek]

It's a shame you aren't a fan of Dhawan's Master. For me he's by far one of the best things series 12 has to offer, so if I didn't like him then this series would hugely suffer, so I do wonder how you're gonna rate this series as a whole. 

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

1 hour ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

It's a shame you aren't a fan of Dhawan's Master. For me he's by far one of the best things series 12 has to offer, so if I didn't like him then this series would hugely suffer, so I do wonder how you're gonna rate this series as a whole. 

Spoiler alert - I rate series 12 above series 11. 

[The Friendly Dalek]

10 minutes ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Spoiler alert - I rate series 12 above series 11. 

I don't think I've spoken to anyone who thinks 11 was better than 12.  The interesting part comes in seeing how much better you think it is, and how it holds up against previous series from the pre-Chibnall era.

[Ravogd]

3 hours ago, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Spyfall Part 1 - This is an episode that trys so hard but ends up falling flat. The pacing is wrong,  the dialogue is bad and the cast seem to be all over the place. The cliffhanger was brilliant. 

Overall 3/10

Spyfall Part 2 - A definite improvement. The main cast are excellent. For possibly the first time Jodie feels like The Doctor. The support cast are mostly great. There are definitely some weak moments as you say.

Now I love Sacha Dhawan. The Master is one of my favourites characters. But (unpopular opinion) I just cannot warm to his version. For me it's too much, too soon. Probably a few years later I would have liked it better. And I didn't like the interactions between Sacha and Jodie. The whole thing just feels too forced.

Overall 5/10

Totally agree about Sacha’s Master. His acting is superb however that characterisation of the master just doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t think it’s his fault as like I said he is acting well, it’s what he’s been asked to do I disagree with. Not a fan. 

 

10 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

I don't think I've spoken to anyone who thinks 11 was better than 12.  The interesting part comes in seeing how much better you think it is, and how it holds up against previous series from the pre-Chibnall era.

Marginally better. Season 11 is the only season of all 38 of which I will probably never watch a single episode of again which saddens me a great deal. Season 12 has maybe 2 or 3 episodes I might watch again. 

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

I agree with Rav. Series 11 is the first series I have never wanted to watch again. Kudos to you Dalek for managing. As for series 12 you'll have to wait and see. 

[The Friendly Dalek]

Getting through series 11 again wasn't an easy task.  Definitely wasn't high on my list of things I wanted to watch again. Interesting to see how both of you dislike the current interpretation of the Master, considering how much I like this one. Hopefully Dhawan's version improves for the two of you in the future, maybe he'll pop up again in series 13, who knows. 

[The Friendly Dalek]

Orphan 55- Oh dear. I had relatively high hopes for this one, as it was written by Ed Hime, who also wrote It Takes You Away. That episode features lots of interesting concepts, but the execution let them down. I had hoped that here he could deliver a story which featured high concepts and was well executed. Sadly, it has neither.

Let's start with the characters. Hyph3n is one of the dumbest characters I have seen in a while (and her costume is ridiculous), and everyone else is either unlikeable or just bland. Vilma is by far the most irritating. It felt like there was only a gap of mere seconds between every mention of Benni, so that got annoying very fast. The TARDIS crew are all very poorly written, and the acting doesn't manage to save it. 

The Dregs were fine at the start of the episode, when they were mainly shown in quick close ups and kept in darkness. Unfortunately the episode makes the bad decision of showing us full glimpses of these creatures in bright lighting, and they look stiff and unconvincing when shown like that. The idea that the Dregs are an evolved form of humanity also doesn't sit well with me. The twist that Bella was Kane's daughter was laughable, and it added nothing to the narrative because I just didn't care about either of them. There is a lot of comedy in this episode that falls flat every time, and the pacing is horrendous, making this one a very difficult watch.

The final scene in the episode is incredibly preachy, and I feel like the Chibnall era frequently runs into the problem of assuming its audience is stupid. As a result of this, absolutely everything is explained through needless exposition. When it comes to a political message like this, the writers seem afraid to put in a message with subtlety. Instead they have to be certain the audience will know exactly what they're trying to say, so will get the characters in the episode (in this case The Doctor) to explain absolutely everything about the political message they are trying to present. The message is a good one to present, the problem comes from how it is presented. The audience can't be left to figure things out on their own, and as a result the show feels like it is talking down to its audience, rather than presenting them with interesting ideas to think about once the episode has finished. 

Overall- 1/10.

There's literally nothing about this episode I like. It is by far the most incompetent episode series 12 gave us.

Another thing that I wanted to mention is how this episode presents time travel. It claims that the future we see is just a possible timeline, which could happen if humanity continues on its current path. I'm no quantum physicist, but I'm pretty sure that's not how time travel works in this show. When the Doctor travels through time, we see the future as it happens, not always something that could happen. That's the whole point behind the idea of fixed points in time, things happen in both the past and future that can not be altered (the waters of Mars is an example of a future fixed point in time in the show). Unless I'm missing something big, the Earth is supposed to be ravaged by solar flares, which leads to humanity venturing into space in the Arks. Why was the Doctor able to go to a future where this wasn't the case, and humanity fell as a result of nuclear fallout? I get that the Waters Of Mars, The Dalek Invasion Of Earth, and other future events are irrelevant to the story this episode is trying to tell, but it doesn't explain why this alternate future exists or how the TARDS team got there. We've seen alternate timelines and dimensions before, but there's always an explanation as to why the lead characters are experiencing these alternate things. In this episode there is no such explanation, they are just in an alternate future. This episode was trying to tell a story about how climate change can have disastrous consequences on the planet, but surely they could tell that story in a way which doesn't come at the expense of a concise narrative that fits within the rules of the show. I hope you all understand what I'm trying to get at with this. 

Edited April 12, 2020 by The Friendly Dalek

[Ravogd]

24 minutes ago, The Friendly Dalek said:

Orphan 55- Oh dear. I had relatively high hopes for this one, as it was written by Ed Hime, who also wrote It Takes You Away. That episode features lots of interesting concepts, but the execution let them down. I had hoped that here he could deliver a story which featured high concepts and was well executed. Sadly, it has neither.

Let's start with the characters. Hyph3n is one of the dumbest characters I have seen in a while (and her costume is ridiculous), and everyone else is either unlikeable or just bland. Vilma is by far the most irritating. It felt like there was only a gap of mere seconds between every mention of Benni, so that got annoying very fast. The TARDIS crew are all very poorly written, and the acting doesn't manage to save it. 

The Dregs were fine at the start of the episode, when they were mainly shown in quick close ups and kept in darkness. Unfortunately the episode makes the bad decision of showing us full glimpses of these creatures in bright lighting, and they look stiff and unconvincing when shown like that. The idea that the Dregs are an evolved form of humanity also doesn't sit well with me. The twist that Bella was Kane's daughter was laughable, and it added nothing to the narrative because I just didn't care about either of them. There is a lot of comedy in this episode that falls flat every time, and the pacing is horrendous, making this one a very difficult watch.

The final scene in the episode is incredibly preachy, and I feel like the Chibnall era frequently runs into the problem of assuming its audience is stupid. As a result of this, absolutely everything is explained through needless exposition. When it comes to a political message like this, the writers seem afraid to put in a message with subtlety. Instead they have to be certain the audience will know exactly what they're trying to say, so will get the characters in the episode (in this case The Doctor) to explain absolutely everything about the political message they are trying to present. The message is a good one to present, the problem comes from how it is presented. The audience can't be left to figure things out on their own, and as a result the show feels like it is talking down to its audience, rather than presenting them with interesting ideas to think about once the episode has finished. 

Overall- 1/10.

There's literally nothing about this episode I like. It is by far the most incompetent episode series 12 gave us.

Another thing that I wanted to mention is how this episode presents time travel. It claims that the future we see is just a possible timeline, which could happen if humanity continues on its current path. I'm no quantum physicist, but I'm pretty sure that's not how time travel works in this show. When the Doctor travels through time, we see the future as it happens, not always something that could happen. That's the whole point behind the idea of fixed points in time, things happen in both the past and future that can not be altered (the waters of Mars is an example of a future fixed point in time in the show). Unless I'm missing something big, the Earth is supposed to be ravaged by solar flares, which leads to humanity venturing into space in the Arks. Why was the Doctor able to go to a future where this wasn't the case, and humanity fell as a result of nuclear fallout? I get that the Waters Of Mars, The Dalek Invasion Of Earth, and other future events are irrelevant to the story this episode is trying to tell, but it doesn't explain why this alternate future exists or how the TARDS team got there. We've seen alternate timelines and dimensions before, but there's always an explanation as to why the lead characters are experiencing these alternate things. In this episode there is no such explanation, they are just in an alternate future. This episode was trying to tell a story about how climate change can have disastrous consequences on the planet, but surely they could tell that story in a way which doesn't come at the expense of a concise narrative that fits within the rules of the show. I hope you all understand what I'm trying to get at with this. 

Time travel in Who is ropey if you ever try to stop and think about it the whole thing collapses. The first doctor says you can't rewrite history, not one line but but that's a paradox anyway because "history" is relative to where you are now. When that Doctor from the then current 1960's interferes in the tenth planet the show doesn't mind him doing that because it's 1986 which is way into the future, but if the same doctor travels back to 1940 he'd be lecturing them all about non interference. None of it makes any sense. I get the point you are trying to make and RTD to his credit attempted to "fix" this problem with the "fixed points in time" stuff you mentioned but at the end of the day it's all nonsense if scrutinised too much.

[Ravogd]

Oh and you're right but I'd go further. Orphan 55 is in my opinion the worst episode of Doctor Who ever made!

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

Orphan 55 - For the first time in like forever I actually missed an episode of Doctor Who. What's even more sad is I wasn't bothered. Judging by all the reviews I have seen looks like I dodged a bullet. 

[natedammit]

On 4/13/2020 at 12:21 AM, Ravogd said:

Oh and you're right but I'd go further. Orphan 55 is in my opinion the worst episode of Doctor Who ever made!

I'd say the Doctor's little speech is one of the worst moments of television ever made.

Also, after being shown the reality of destruction of life on Earth, the companions just seem to move on with their lives, gallivanting round time and space, rather than actually trying to do anything to change things. Although, I guess you could say that's quite apropos given how the rest of you humans are dealing with it.

[natedammit]

On 4/13/2020 at 8:08 AM, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Orphan 55 - For the first time in like forever I actually missed an episode of Doctor Who. What's even more sad is I wasn't bothered. Judging by all the reviews I have seen looks like I dodged a bullet. 

Nope, I demand you seek it out and watch it. The rest of us had to.

[wjbleming]

8 hours ago, natedammit said:

On 4/13/2020 at 8:08 AM, Peter Capaldi Fan said:

Orphan 55 - For the first time in like forever I actually missed an episode of Doctor Who. What's even more sad is I wasn't bothered. Judging by all the reviews I have seen looks like I dodged a bullet. 

Nope, I demand you seek it out and watch it. The rest of us had to.

@Peter Capaldi Fan

[Peter Capaldi Fan]

48 minutes ago, wjbleming said:

@Peter Capaldi Fan