Everyone's got an opinion on this one don't they? Suddenly, Doctor Who was back in the public interest thanks to the casting of Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor. The first female actor to play the role, even non fans seemed eager to share their opinion on the casting choice, all without Whittaker uttering a single line of dialogue yet. But that wasn't the only change to come for the show. With both Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat leaving at the end of the tenth series, new head writer Chris Chibnall took the reigns and a new era of Doctor Who was set to begin. Joining the new Doctor were companions Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) and Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill). The series premiere last October drew a record audience for a new Doctor in the modern series, and the show continued to gain favourable viewings throughout it's run. Here, I'll be going through my thoughts on each episode in order of broadcast:
1. The Woman Who Fell to Earth
The series got off to the best possible start with this episode. Introducing us to the three new companions, as well as Ryan's nan and wife to Graham, Grace (Sharon D Clarke). When a mysterious crater arrives on earth, our new companions quickly encounter an unknown alien threat. Their lives are saved by the newly regenerated Doctor, who is struggling with amnesia. The perpetrator is eventually revealed to be Tzim-Sha (nicknamed "Tim Shaw" by the Doctor), a Stenza warrior sent to earth to hunt for a human "trophy". Whilst the character and plot are almost directly taken from the Predator film series, I still enjoyed this new villain, especially the design. The pacing of the episode was also well handled, with the Doctor appearing only after we've been introduced to the new characters. The emotional ending was also very effective, and immediately implemented one aspect I was desperate to see in Doctor Who: treating death seriously. The trend of Doctor Who's modern era was to kill characters off or tease the audience with prophecies that important characters will die. This always amounted to characters either not being killed off, or just brought back to life with cheap writing. At the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth, Grace dies after trying to aid the Doctor. We see the impact this has on our new heroes, and her death becomes a key character point for Graham and Ryan's relationship. I was very impressed with the episode overall, and is my favourite in the series.2. The Ghost Monument
After the cliffhanger ending to episode one, the Doctor and friends find themselves caught up in an intergalactic race. Soon, they are left stranded with the final two participants on a desert planet, with the finish line of the race being the Doctor's TARDIS. After the excitement of the first episode, this one was definitely a decline in quality. Whilst the episode looks fantastic, with the new visual effects team showing off their new budget, the story is very slow moving and the threat non-existent. We are introduced to new robots called the Sniperbots, who are the equivalent of Star Wars' Stromtroopers, as they can't aim to save their lives. The encounter with the Sniperbots does lead to one humorous scene for Ryan, who blindingly runs out to face them based on his experience playing video games ("Call of Duty, man. I've got this!"). The ending reveals the new TARDIS design, something I always look forward to seeing with each new era. The console room now has an orange and blue colour scheme and crystal like pillars, giving it a very unique look. I felt like this episode was geared towards revealing the TARDIS at the end, which was cool to see, but the story and lack of a villain let this one down.3. Rosa
The Thirteenth Doctor's first encounter with a historical figure comes in the form of Rosa Parks (Vinette Robinson), who's act of defiance helped influence the US civil rights movement. The episode deals with many issues, most prominently racism, as we see the attitudes of the Alabama residents to not only Rosa, but Ryan and Yaz as well. On a mission to stop Rosa's influence on history is intergalactic thug Krasko (Joshua Bowman), who attempts to manipulate Rosa's journey to refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. I liked the creativity of the final scenes, where the Doctor and co. try to undo the meddling of Krasko, such as changing the bus times and blocking the road. We also spend a lot of time with Ryan and Yaz, and their reaction to the racism they face back home. Whilst it's important to address these struggles, I feel as though too much time was spent on it. We don't need long exposition when showing this is much more impactful. The scene when Ryan is slapped for trying to help a white woman is shocking, but that's because it shows us how horrible it is rather than explaining everything to us. Krasko is an OK villain, but he's easily defeated and lacks a menacing presence. Thankfully, the big moment when Rosa refuses her seat is played perfectly, with a neat Doctor Who twist thrown in involving Graham. 4. Arachnids in the UK
We're back to the present day, in a possibly intentional nod to series one's structure: episode one in the modern day, episode two set in the future, episode three set in the past, and back to the present for episode four. This episode allows us to see the effect travelling with the Doctor has had on our companion's lives, especially Graham after the loss of Grace. But their moment of reflection is cut short by the arrival of giant spiders across the nation, with a sinister link to American hotel owner Jack Robinson (Chris Noth). The episode focuses mainly on Robertson and his employees, which means any action involving the spiders takes a back seat. There are some well done moments of tension, however, especially with Ryan and Graham attempt to catch one of the spiders. Like the previous episode, the villain is one of the weaker aspects. Very one dimensional and verging on becoming a parody of a particular US President. The image of the spiders crawling along to grime music is possibly the dumbest and most hilarious moment of the season, so I guess I can award points for that.5. The Tsuranga Conundrum
AKA, the one with the Pting in it. Yes, Doctor Who's latest terrifying creature is a small, chubby alien with a ridiculous name. At least it's memorable, unlike the plot. It starts out well enough, with the Doctor and co. encountering a landmine whilst on a space junk-pile. Beamed up to a hospital spacecraft, the TARDIS team, staff and patients soon come under attack from the Pting, which feeds off energy to survive. With the lives of everyone on board at risk, the Doctor must figure out a way to rid the ship of it's pest before they arrive at their destination. The problem with The Tsuranga Conundrum, apart from the obvious mentioned above, is that there's too much going on in such a short time. Weird male pregnancy subplot, weird brother-sister relationship problems and the silliest monster since series two's Abzorbaloff running amok. It's episodes like this where it's embarrassing to admit being a fan of this show, and certainly not one to show anyone who may have doubts about the show's quality. Nothing really to recommend here, apart from some good set design.6. Demons of the Punjab
After back to back sub-par episodes, I was really hoping Demons of the Punjab could give this series a much needed boost. Thankfully, it did just that: introducing us to Yaz's past family members as well as some cool new monsters with an interesting twist. It was about time Yaz was given more to do, and here we see her struggle with finding out the history of her family. In 1947, as her future Nan, Umbreen (Amita Suman) is set to marry Prem (Shane Zaza), mysterious demons appear and disrupt the happy occasion. Soon, the Doctor learns there is more than just the presence of aliens that could cause problems, as the partition of India is set to unfold and Prem's brother Manish (Hamza Jeetooa) opposing the marriage. The family drama is played out really well, especially the fractured relationship between the brothers. The design of the demons, later identified as the Thijarians, is the best looking monster of the series. The motivation of why they have arrived to the wedding was unexpected, but added a nice difference. Ryan and Graham are downplayed, but this episode was right to focus mainly on Yaz, and is the best episode since the series' opener. 7. Kerblam!
"If you want it, Kerblam it!". A parcel arrives for the Doctor, along with a note calling for help. Never one to refuse, the TARDIS team arrive at the factories of Kerblam!, where the parcel and note were sent from. Going undercover as new workers, Yaz meets employee Dan (Lee Mack) and grows suspicious of the "TeamMates": automated workers who keep everyone in check. After a series of disappearances, the Doctor confronts manager Judy (Julie Hesmondhalgh) and gets to work on finding the culprit responsible. There's obvious commentary here on retailers valuing artificial intelligence over human employees, which is done in an effective manner by showing the flaws of both sides. But the episode also has fun with its setting and characters, especially with the casting of Lee Mack. There's lots of exciting set-pieces, too. Kerblam! also scores points for showing the impact a character's death has on a particular individual, something which always seemed lacking in earlier series.8. The Witchfinders
Talk about a wasted concept. The Witchfinders might be the most frustrating episode of the series for me. It started off well: arriving in a small town with potential witches put on trial via drowning, the Doctor begins to suspect something more sinister is afoot. Encountering his royal highness King James (a scene stealing performance from Alan Cumming), the TARDIS team soon discover the true nature behind the witch hunting, resulting in a disappointing, generic climax. The episode could have kept its sinister tone intact by not explaining the threat, with the evil being something perhaps even the Doctor can't fully explain. Turns out, it's just aliens. The heroes say some sci-fi nonsense and the threat is defeated as quickly as they were revealed. Such a shame. Alan Cumming has fun, and there's a nice quip from Graham at the end, but other than that, this episode left me feeling cold.9. It Takes You Away
Building on from last week, the penultimate episode of series eleven attempts to give us a spooky, mysterious tale. The difference is, this episode does it much better than The Witchfinders. The Doctor and co. arrive in present day Norway, where a girl named Hanne (Ellie Wallwork) is terrified of creatures stalking the surrounding woods. With her father missing, the Doctor makes it her duty to protect Hanne, all whilst trying to discover how her father has suddenly vanished. Unlike the previous episode, It Takes You Away runs with its sci-fi heavy plot throughout its run-time, making for a much more consistent tone. I really liked the revelations and character building moments for Ryan and Graham, as they continue to grow close. There is a major missed opportunity at the end, and what the episode ultimately chose to show us has been the subject of ridicule amongst fans. Talking about it further would be giving away major spoilers, but you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it. Otherwise, this was a very enjoyable episode with some interesting ideas. Its not a big build up to the finale, but as a stand alone episode in the series, this is one of the better ones.10. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos
Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? With a title as silly as that, the series finale sets itself up to be a forgettable affair. It delivers just that, with a predictable villain reveal and not feeling like much of closing chapter at all. There's yet another distress call for the heroes to answer, this time leading them to a war-torn planet. A survivor, Paltracki (Mark Addy), does his best to fill the team in, but his amnesia isn't helping matters. With the villain revealing themself to the TARDIS team, the Doctor must keep her companions from exacting revenge as well figuring out who the mysterious Ux are. Usually a finale is the culmination of a series long story arc. But, with only a small connection to a previous story, this episode fails to reach the heights of any finale before it. The pacing is slow and the payoffs underwhelming, and left me feeling like I hadn't watched an important episode, but rather standard mid-series average one. All together, this latest series could have been much better. There is promise for better things, with Whittaker confidently striding into the role and Walsh creating an instantly likeable companion in Graham. Everything else was either underdeveloped, primarily the villains, or simply forgettable. I won't be too harsh on this series, as it is the first under the new writing team, but the next series could really do with an injection of fun, action and an intriguing story arc.
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