One thing my brain kept being distracted by was that none of the companions ask The Doctor how long it has been for her. She comes in and (flippantly) says she was in space jail then later drops that she set the time coordinates for when they were supposed to arrive and NO ONE asks how long she was there. Ever. Jack hears a to-herself mention of, I think , a decade or few decades (I lean toward the latter) and acknowledges it with a shift in his look (a lovely bit of acting from Barrowman), but none of the Fam asks. I understand their being upset, but I don’t understand why no one asks once it is clear she never intended to leave them like that. I do like that she took the time to specifically apologize to Ryan, due to how his Dad has left him in the past.
I noticed that also. I can understand why they wouldn't want to waste time summarizing the beginning of the episode. But considering how difficult the Doctor's absence has been for the others it was surprising that they didn't ask her anything about her time away.
I had the same thought about why none of the fam asked the Doctor how long it had been for her. The was a really lovely scene with the Doctor and Ryan in the TARDIS.
@@stephencoppins9467 It was a lovely scene and, honestly, it would have been a good place to have someone ask. They spend a chunk of it re-hashing something that had already been addressed and it _would_ be like Ryan to ask, I think.
Personally, as someone with dyspraxia, I liked the fact that Ryan’s still struggling to ride his bike. There are no magic fixes, he’s always going to struggle with some physical things and spatial awareness. They didn’t make it his whole personality but Ryan was always the one who struggled more with things like ladders. For me the scene showed how much he’s grown and how much his relationship with Graham has changed for the better. When we first saw them, Ryan got really frustrated and was ready to give up. Graham wanted to be there for him but he didn’t know how and said things that were hurtful. Now Graham isn’t going to push Ryan too much and Ryan - who’s now accepted Graham as family - is the one who wants to keep trying. Honestly, if they do show up again, I’d love a scene of Ryan succeeding in riding his bike because he kept trying. Not everyone with dyspraxia can learn to ride a bike but I think Ryan can if he keeps at it. I didn’t need to see Grace at the end but it didn’t bother me.
@NuttersIncorporated I have dyspraxia and I loved relating to him in that sense. I wish they do more people with disabilities in the future, but hopefully explain their story a little more than Ryan's. And then at that point you've got a perfect companion haven't you- IMAGINE THE DOCTOR WITH DYSPRAXIA. GENETIC MUTATION REGENERATION HUH?!?!?!?
I quite liked the vision of Grace at the end. They didn't both be like "I JUST SAW GRACE", it was just quite lowkey and (in my opinion) a nice little send off for these characters (at least as regulars).
While I admit the Fam were not the most balanced cast, I never thought the fundamental problem was in the size of the crew; it was the way it was handled. And Yaz feels the one most tied to the Doctor while Ryan and Graham were their own duo kind of.
Why does Ryan need to ride a bike though? As a representation of a dyspraxia, it's kind of concerning Chibnall showed it through forcing Ryan to do something he doesn't even need to do. If they developed it as a part of his personality, possibly to show an insecurity or link to his backstory, then I could accept it. But instead it's just the most convenient means possible for Chibnall to show Ryan's dyspraxia. And you're right, the scene does imply these characters have changed and grown. Seeing Ryan not give up, his relationship with Graham, it works well as a call back to the first scene. But then you question what exactly caused this change? These character's have had the most bare-bones development, we've barely explored why Ryan accepted Graham. The scene is nice, but it's ultimately empty and meaningless.
I think the “This is why people don’t like experts.” line was a reference to British MP Micheal Gove famously saying “The British people have had enough of experts.” during the Brexit campaign. At least that’s what I took it as.
@@WiloPolis03 (1. Its the entirety of the UK, (England is dealing with the buffoon who is the head of government. Scotland has an increasingly loud call for independence from the rest of Britain. Northern Ireland has the fear of sectarian violence as a result of Brexit. Wales while arguably the best off of the 4 nations, still has the fact the economy across all 4 nations has gone to sh*t in light of Covid.) (2. While the US's hard times may come to an end this month (pending on the Georgia result) or at least 2022 (midterm elections). Britain's still stuck with its blond-haired buffoon until 2024.
@@calumbishop7082 Ah sorry about that, I always mess that bit up, also, yeah wow that's crazy. Hope you guys stay strong out there, we're getting rid of *our* blond-haired buffoon in a matter of days but I hope you guys get through this. Stay safe
The one thing I noticed was Jack got his Square Sonic gun back, we haven’t seen that since Season 1. I also love the call back to “You really don’t want to know, (where he was hiding that.)”
Jack leaving to visit Gwen is actually a really good resolution from his conversation earlier with Yaz, how it can be hard for them to move on from their lives with the doctor and not sure if they'll even come back. So at the end he takes the time to visit someone who was can kind of say was his companion in a way on torchwood and take the time to check in on them
I genuinely adored the final scene of Ryan and Graham with Grace, because it brought something from the Villa Diodati episode full circle in a way that I wasn't expecting at all. At first, Graham's whole subplot of seeing ghosts felt a bit random and one-off, but otherwise a harmless joke with the Doctor's whole "Or do they?..." line. Before I was thinking it was maybe foreshadowing Graham's death, but in actuality it was setting up their final moment. They were back at the beginning where we met them, and yet had finally found the relationship Grace had wanted for them, and there's enough ambiguity towards the existence of ghosts and existence after death that makes it more than just them seeing a vision arbitrarily.
That's a good point. A thought I had about it was it was the Solitract in the form of Grace briefly slipping into our universe. I much prefer your take on it, though.
that bit of her saying "I'm The Doctor. I'm the one who defeats the daleks", like, GIVE ME MORE OF *THAT* . Feral 13th is the best 13th, and that's the hill I will die on.
The characterisation of the daleks was better in this episode than the moffat era, despite the script being a bit messier on average. Chibnall really nailed the ethnic and genetic superiority complex the daleks have, even towards other slightly mutated variants. It makes their parallel with fascism quite clear without being too on the nose.
I don't like the way they worded Jack's speech to Yaz about how leaving the Tardis team works. I wish instead of "You don't get to choose when it ends, if you leave her or she leaves you" it had been more like "Travelling with the Doctor is a wild ride. You can choose to let go whenever you like, or you can hang on for all that its worth but no matter what you do, it'll throw you eventually. No one gets to travel with the Doctor forever."
I also started digging her character. FINALLY! Like greeting all the cameras individually... IN HER OWN PRISON CELL? That´s just such a 13 thing to do, right?
I really appreciated the fact that the events of Can You Hear Me are what compelled Ryan to leave; he knows that he wants to support his friends and he needs to be present to do that effectively.
@@landlighterfirestar5550 Yeah. I've often felt Orphan 55 was *the* episode that made Ryan feel like an actual character. Shame that the rest of it is so terrible. :(
I did get a bit of a laugh from how the portrayal of the Prime Minister couldn't have made it more obvious that the episode was written back when Theresa May had the job.
There has been more than one female PM on Dr Who. Long before TM. I hope this wasn't written before July 2019. Why hold it in aspect untill the end of 2020. I doubt TM had any influence, a female PM just suites DR Who, for some reason.
@@Rmlohner Possibly. But unlikely. I am trying to remember the pre TM portrayal of the PM as female or even male. I think the last female one wanted aliens to be obliterated before they became a risk / threat. Hence the Dr seeding doubt in the mind of others that she wasn't a good PM and she looked tired. A well trodden trope.
I love that they didn't magic away Ryan's dyspraxia. Even at the end, though he didn't give up, he still struggled with it. It remained a part of his life that he still had to deal with.
I agree, it was a very realistic approach and still had character development. I couldn’t help but laugh when the final scene of the episode was him falling over though
Agreed. That's what made the bike ending work for me. It showed that his problem wasn't magically solved but he was now handling it in a more mature way. Without that it would've been dumb. And I could've done without the Grace bit...
Robertson in this episode can best be summed up by a comment I read: "He sells humanity out to the Daleks all for the evil plan of extending the episode's run time"
I honestly didn’t even know if the Doctor and Jack were going to meet, and the fact he actually broke her out (which is what I hoped for even before the first trailer) was so nice. All I can say about this episode is this: This episode is fantastic, and Jack didn’t need to be here, but he is here, and he made it even better
This also wasn't the first time Ryan called her out either! In Fugitive of the Judoon, toward the end, when she's having that brooding moment where she was shutting them out and basically alienating them and says, "You don't know me. Not even a little bit." or something along that line, Ryan said, "Hey! You can't talk to us like that." so him still calling her out and giving her that sort of tough love was not only good writing for his character here, but it was consistent with things we saw in the past.
I kinda wish it was a two parter, with the Doctor spending part one in the Prison, and the cliffhanger is her escape with Jack, while the fam work to take down the Daleks on Earth.
@@gearmachine_4885 I actually didn't know Remembrance was a civil war story somehow lol, I need to check that one out bc everyone says that one's awesome. I'll check out the audio story sometime too, thank you!!
Also Ryan and Graham weren't getting anyway without the dr, and at the end they talk about saving the world on their own ?! We just saw them struggle and tell yas to give up on the dr...
I couldn't agree more about how Ryan and to a lesser extent Graham leaving was handled was a blessed relief. Of name-in-opening companions in the modern era, it's now only Martha, Ryan and Graham who've left on their own terms (And "I want to keep travelling with you, but I want to be with my grandson more" is absolutely leaving on your own terms)
For me, the best moment is the Doctor grasping at straws to fix Ryan and Graham leaving, and Yaz saying, "It's OK to be sad, you know." 13 in particular seems to be the Doctor who always tries to be happy go lucky and truly hide their pain. Seeing someone tell her it's ok to feel this way really was nice
The part that stuck with me is how The Doctor shifted her "I'm The Doctor" moment from being this triumphant bit about remembering one's values to "I'm The Doctor, and I kill daleks". If she doesn't know who she really is, then I guess going all berserk on them is the best she's got. Would love to see more of this identity crisis next season, and hopefully, a more dark, mature 13th.
The big nerd that I am, sound effects from Genesis and Rembrance popping up did make me smile. I even thought the Defence Drone voices sounded a bit more classic. Lots of love for the Daleks in this. Seeing a Dalek with a water cannon was so funny too.
@@creed8712 How so? I haven't found her any more so than any previous Doctor. (eg. Nine killing the Slytheen with rockets, Ten murdering the Sycorax, Eleven having the human race murder the Silence, etc. etc.)
@@creed8712 If you're saying that you wish they'd go into that more with the Eleventh Doctor, I tend to agree. I don't think this Doctor is any more a cold-blooded murderer than any other but, as you point out, previous showrunners examined it more thoroughly. Chibnall's Who tends to feel a bit rushed and shallow and IMO this is one example of that.
Especially after 'The Doctor's Wife" it's pretty obvious that TARDIS are fully sentient beings. Plus, there can't be that many of them left in the universe, so it seemed pretty terrible. I have to agree that that was a step too far for me. I liked the rest of the episode though.
as an American, i took it as a Trump dig, since Robertson is clearly a Trump parody and it seemed like a Trump thing to say, but i've also heard some things about Boris over there and such and they seem very similar (obviously i cant speak about much since i'm not a Brit and am not experiencing all of this firsthand). So perhaps it was possibly a double dig?
@@thatjedifromgallifrey6663 It's a dig at the populist movement in general, which has adopted the tactic of publicly doubting, or even dismissing, expert opinion. It serves their agenda to spread such distrust, because people who know what they're talking about are more likely to call out their bullshit for what it is.
@@ftumschk Right-wing populism to be exact (aka esentially modern fascism). More left-leaning variants of populism can be used for more good than evil, like with Bernie or Yang. Then again, I feel like left-wing and right-wing populism have been growing more and more different from each other lately, to the point where they barely have any common similarities anymore. Does any of that make sense? I'm tired and on new ADHD meds lol
The fact we had not one, but TWO companion exits that didn’t involve “not death” was ridiculously gratifying to me. It should not be, but after Moffat poisoned the fake-out death well with the infinite deaths of Rory, his contrived Weeping Angel departure with Amy, and Clara in Hell Bent after her own previous death... things (Bill I liked, just wish it didn’t come after all that). Oh, and Davies is also kinda guilty of this with Rose’s fake death and Donna’s memory wipe, but it wasn’t so obnoxious then... actually, add the immortal Jack to that. ...Wow, it really is a part of New!Who. Like, fundamentally almost if not for Martha and the less major companions of the RTD era. O.o ...OK, done. That was more fun listing than I expected, honest. ;-)
I honestly really enjoyed this episode. I wouldn't say I've hated Chibnall Who -- it's already had some good moments for me, but this was still the most fun I've had watching an episode of the show in some time. Probably since Capaldi. I wasn't sure about just resurrecting last year's Dalek at first, but it honestly makes for a good enough rival to this version of the Doctor that I was sad to see it killed again.
@@cameronmonaghan6883 I think what really sold this one for me is the formula of the heroes having a plan-- then something unexpected happens, and something goes wrong, and they have to either adjust their plan or ditch it and come up with a new one. And having that cycle of events happen a few times before they actually win. That's a kind of storytelling I really enjoy but one that it seems Doctor Who has always had difficulty pulling off. It was really great to see an episode do it this well.
I don't mind the Doctor commiting genocide on the Daleks (especially only when it's a Squaderon rather than the entire species) but I do mind The Doctor programming a TARDIS (which we know are sentient) to commit suicide to take out the Daleks.
I was smiling a lot because of Jack, Yaz’s possible crush coming to the surface more, the voluntary leaving (even though it was teased that they’d probably die when they went with Jack) of Graham and Ryan. And after missing the John Bishop scene live (I’ve watched it on the Doctor Who UA-cam channel since) I’m looking forward to seeing how his character will be. First time a companion (?) has come into an established Tardis crew since Rory. If I’m remembering correctly that is?
Well obviously Jack loves the Doctor (yes, in that way. VERY.) But, I’m glad he (the character) restrained himself. I feel like if he did do that, I would love for the Doctor to just go “down boy” and he obeys.
I Love that the Daleks have a while team dedicated to quashing mutations as it comes up ALOT its hilarious in the best way And it's not impossible that one or more clone Dalek(s) survived and can come back later Bringing Peterson to Japan was meant to be a teaching moment for him it was obviously not the best idea in hindsight but make sense for Jodi
I thought they took Robertson along because otherwise, the moment they left him there he'd have called Osaka immediately to ask WTF is going on. Which would have made Team Tardis' job far more difficult. Obviously it wouldn't have been in-character for the Doctor to force him to do so, if he ran instead she wouldn't have stopped him. Essentially, it's just "keep your enemies closer" as Robertson couldn't make the situation worse while they were watching them. And sure enough, as soon as he leaves them, he does!
When they took Robertson along they still thought he was the one behind the Dalek plot. They wanted to confront him with the evidence of his crimes and hopefully learn more about the plot from him. Unfortunately it turns out he didn't know anything.
Love your reviews! Thank you so much for a realistic review, so many people pull the show to bits, but actually, this one was good! Thank you again for an excellent review, I could watch you all day!
Before she started telling the story I actually said aloud, I hope she starts talking to herself that would feel more doctory and then she did and I was like YAY but then it was Harry Potter and I was like NAYYYY
I really wanted one of the ones 12 quoted. I can't quite remember what exactly he said or where he even said it. But he mixed up old earth stories with whoviserse villains. Like goldilocks and 3 sontarans. He mentioned a few. I thought that could have been good. Or "it all started as a mild curiosity in a junk yard" knock knock. I must say I thought Jack was a bit of a dick for knocking 4 times 😄 Edit. Wasn't 12. It was 11. In night terrors. Although I'm sure 12 said something similar 🤔
I know right, like, I know the episode was written and filmed more than a year ago, so the whole J. K. Rowling mess wasn't a thing yet, but still. Big yikes.
I feel like I can enjoy Harry Potter as a piece of media regardless of JK Rowling being nuts, because her being nuts doesn't really feel reflected in her books themselves, I know different people have different takes on this type of issue but that's my view on it
I feel like when Yaz finally goes out, we’re gonna get a classic Clara move (and that’s not a bad thing). She relies to heavily on the Doctor, and is almost trying to be her. And as we’ve seen, that’s kinda a deadly thing.
I doubt it, IMO Yaz and Clara had distinctly different vibes and rapport with the Doctor. To me Yaz seems _possessive_ of the Doctor, which feels a lot more like a crush.
@BGS wow that's a long time. that would make her a 4 season companion i think. 😧 i'm all for it to be honest, i've missed having a companion stay for the entire regeneration of a doctor, like jamie with 2. so rumour has it 13 will regenerate in the 60th and if yaz stays till the 60th that would mean yaz was the first companion and last last companion that the 13th doctor saw.
@Najawin Hell Bent is super-divisive. I've warmed to it a little since I first saw it, but even now I think Moffat did a pretty poor job getting across the points he was trying to. The episode also suffers from being yet another example of Moffat's over-reliance on the reset button. If he hadn't already played that card so much I think his points would've come across more strongly here. Instead it just comes across as Moffat being Moffat.
I personally quite liked it. It had fun enough action and John Barrowman is always an absolute delight. My only real gripe beyond just nitpicking, is just the pacing and length being too quick, making most things just a bit anti-climactic. The Doctor’s in prison... Oh no she isn’t. The Daleks are taking over... Oh no they aren’t. The SAS Daleks are taking over... Oh no- you get the picture. It either needed to be a two-parter or just have an extra 15 minutes (or maybe just a few more drafts of the script) to make everything feel just a bit more... succinct I guess. It’s not bad at all, it’s a great episode, but it just needed a few more rewrites. Overall... 7/10
I didn't have many issues with the episode, mostly just minor ones. The only REAL issue I had for it is that, for a Dalek story, there wasn't actually that whole much of Dalek action..... if it were billed as more of a Doctor-centric, companion-centric story, focus more on Jack's return, on Ryan and Graham's leaving, and then hey look Daleks are here too as the icing on the cake! .... then that would've worked far better for me. The Dalek action we DID get, I thought was great - I loved the new design but I loved more that they carried on with the old one too, and BOTH made sense. I loved the Dalek... civil war? Skirmish. The Dalek skirmish. I loved the two factions arguing. I just wish they didn't annihilate the whole recon / Robertson Dalek faction, because I really loved the idea of making this a trilogy of Dalek specials, this being the escalation - and part 3 could've been all-out Dalek civil war reminiscent of Remembrance from the classic era (Sylvester McCoy's 7th Doctor, I believe). That's just my two cents. Still really loved the episode :D
I wish they'd gone more heavily in one of two directions: 1. The Doctor is much more proactive about getting herself out of prison. 2. The Doctor is much more obviously shell-shocked after the events of the Timeless Children and in too much of a funk to concentrate about escaping. Instead the episode hit sort of a middle ground that didn't quite work IMO.
@@DigitalBath742 Chibnall's often like that. For all that people like to go "Oh he's just copying earlier stuff" he often throws in a number of interesting ideas and puts his own spin on things. The trouble is that he rushes it so the execution tends to be shallow. For example "The Tsuranga Conundrum" had: (1) a flying space hospital on a mission of mercy, (2) a pregnant man, (3) a creature that means no harm but is unstoppable and likes to eat spaceships from the inside, (4) a neural disorder resulting from flying ships via cybertechnology, (5) being trapped away from the TARDIS on a ship that is in the process of trying to destroy itself in order to protect others. It was a crap episode but *man* did it have a lot of interesting ideas going on.
Is it just me or is Jack Robinson is going to be the main villain? He knows what the Doctor is capable of and how much of a potential threat she could be to him, an idea i have always thought of is the idea that someone will change public opinion/preception on the Doctor and paint her as a potential threat to humanity. Basically turning humanity against the Doctor. I could see him working with the Judoon to turn humanity against the Doctor and plan to get her arrested
I feel like he was just too incompetent to be a good main villain. You need to be somewhat intelligent to go toe to toe with the Doctor. He's just stupid enough to be dangerous. Which makes him a good catalyst for causing problems but not really a good antagonist unto himself.
I think a team up with him and Barton would be interesting. Robertson being the cartoonish over-the-top villain, with Barton as the manipulative mastermind behind the curtain. Idk just a thought lol
Part of the reason Graham was so excited to go traveling was because it was he was going to be doing it with his grandson. That is why it is so believable that he changed his mind. My son and I used to do Tae Kwon Do together and I really enjoyed it but when he decided to quit, I debated as to whether I wanted to continue but I thought it just wouldn't be as much fun without him, so I quit too.
I feel like Amy also chose to leave. Sure Rory was forced to go but she could have chosen to go with the doctor and leave him, or try and find ways to get to him again, instead she made the choice to go. Not quite the same but it doesn't count for me :)
@@MusikloverinZ Well, I suppose you partially have a point, however it was brought upon her by the situation. As you say, she was forced to choose between Rory and the Doctor. If you where given the choice, which would you prefer, Uncle or Lover? Because, yes, 11 basically is every one's favourite wacky Uncle, or something akin to a sibling. Whereas it has happened exceedingly rarely in New Who, that someone has left the TARDIS not as a unlucky result of some awful terror, but out of their own velocity, simply because they feel that their travelling days with the Doctor are over, and they want to settle down somewhere.
I was not a fan of this episode but the one thing which really REALLY stung with me was that after the events of The Doctors Wife (which by the way is an episode that I absolutely adore) after the Tardis said to him “all of my sisters are dead, they were devoured and we’re looking at their corpses” so theirs an emotional connection between Tardises, for the Doctor to then destroy a tardis without a moment’s forethought or regret was so wrong.
@Najawin didn't say cult though - I said Genesis Arc - we are told that they Genesis Arc had escaped to the void .... but very little detail - could it not have been found by the Cult of Skaro as they cam through via the Sphere??
I enjoyed this episode. It was good but felt rushed. Could've worked better as a two parter. The prison felt very underused (especially since it was heavily built up.) Would have loved it if another past character returned to bust her out while Jack helped the others investigate. I looked forward to the Dalek civil war wish there were more action sequences to it. The departure felt fitting for the most part. With a good send off. I hated the bit where she cheered about Yaz staying. It felt very out of the moment. The character development scenes have felt the most genuine since Twice Upon a Time. It gives me a sense Chibnall's finally finding his feet. And the You're doing it mate at the end😆😆😆 I am looking forward to John Bishop as a companion. I hope his character's from the past, future, robot or a alien
Yes i agree completely about the prison part. I think the episode had so many parts that could have been explored really well, that just weren't because of timing, and so were instead all patched together which resulted in it feeling a little rushed. However i enjoyed it so much
@@cameronmonaghan6883 Well, it was a modern skyline and the transit look like a modern one. But then again continuity errors are nothing new for Doctor Who.
I thought the cgi for the Daleks was MAGNIFICENT!!!! I loved the Dalek Civil War we got here and of course Captain Jack Harkness Happy fan over here!!!
This episode really resonated with me in so many ways. It had a lot of emotional whallop. Even though I knew that Ryan and Graham were leaving, their departure scenes really hit home. I thought that this episode saw Ryan at a height of maturity we havent seen. The end with Ryan and Graham getting the psychic papers was a little gem...obviously leaving it open for them to possibly return (even if it is small cameos along the way) Loved that Jack was back, and also the fact that it was left open for him to come back, as you mentioned, very smartly done!! It was good to see The Doctor stewing over the revelations from the end of Series 12, and re-evaluating her role in the universe...while she isn't fully recovered, she seemed motivated enough to pick herself up again, and deal with the situtaion at hand. I also loved her really hardline attitude towards the Daleks, and her almost fully cold hearted interaction with them...it was a side we haven't yet seen from Whittaker's Doctor. I absolutely loved the moments between Doc and Ryan....once again...we were seeing Ryan grow up instantly in this episode - I gotta say - I was getting very emotional at the end. All in all I loved this episode. I truly think that Series 13 is going to better again. I think Jodie is finally finding her groove and absolutely running with it.
Thank you for your take on this after watching 2 videos dissing jodie and the fam it was nice to stumble on your take I loved the episode jodie is one of my fav doctors ❤
You know I get that gram and Ryan wanted to leave because they grown when the doctor left. They kept mentioning “ahh you left us,why didn’t you come back” well she was in prison couldn’t do anything about that until jack sprung her from prison. Also love the throw back Easter-eggs with Jack coming back.
Yeah, I think the companions realised that being annoyed at being left was irrational, but still can't help feeling that way. It really brought home to them that maybe next time the Doctor *wouldn't* be coming back...
Around 17:30 you mention a revival of Torchwood. It's funny that when I first watched the opening credits I thought I had glimpsed the word "Torchwood" instead of "Doctor Who". I rewatched it and paused to see that it actually displays "TORW". Maybe my heart wanted to read Torchwood, hoping for a revival.
I'm going to start with my problems with the episode and end on it's positives. The stories pacing felt really weird and off to me. Too often would the characters just stop and talk about their feelings or the themes. It's almost like Chibs is trying to put 2 series of character work in one ep. The start is nice a slow on earth building a sense of tension but the doctor immediately escapes from prison making me question why she started there. The weird bit where the daleks try and possess Jack and Yaz felt really misplaced. The black daleks don't spend enough time rebelling and we don't see enough for it to feel like a major threat. The bronze daleks defeat the other daleks a bit too easily and don't have much else to do. The doctor then defeats the bronze daleks is a clever but just too easy and she just 'killed' a TARDIS. Secondly Jack. Don't get me wrong, he's great and I love seeing Barrowman back doing more. That said, he doesn't so much outside of breaking Doc out. And while I know all about Jack, what about new viewers? Maybe establish more by killing him. I like the return of Robertson, but I feel as though you could have replaced him and the political woman with Lenny Henry's character. Onto the positives. Nice seeing the daleks fight more and the inside of the ship was great. Retroactively makes Resolution better by adding consequences. Makes Robertson's character wwwwaaaaaaay better. The fact that Ryan and Graham chose to leave is great and if they just removed the ghost and the fact they decide do just have the same adventures but on earth cheapens it. Yaz for me is great in this episode, especially her conflict with 13. Judging from this episode I would say that Yaz is gonna die in a Clara esk way being unable to give the doctor up. The mentions and display of characters/monsters was very fun (especially the silence and sycorax for me). Jack is great and his presence is greatly appreciated. The bold orange words at the start were very funny. Also this episode has some great directing with amazing shots with lighting (personal fav being the silhouette of Leo and Robertson) even if it is a little too much with lens flares sometimes. Jodie I think gives one of her best performances of her whole tenure here, even giving me moments I really liked. Also the lack of sonic use is borderline perfection of my bucket list for series 12 I know looking at this comment you might think I didn't like this episode. Far from. This episode is such fun to watch even with all it's flaws. Its so enjoyable and bouncy that I look forward to rewatching it. 6-7 out of 10 but very, very enjoyable
Yes, there was lots of good stuff but the pacing felt off. My initial thought was actually it needed to be trimmed down to be shorter with the character moments more part of the action than a lot of “stop and talk” but maybe a 2 parter with a cliff hanger and more room for everything to breath could have been a solution too
I adored this episode. The setup was phenomenal anytime you give me John Barrowman as Captain Jack I'll take it. And I agree with you it made me smile and that's the most important thing but it seems like we forget nowadays. With all the UA-cam channels in the breakdowns and analyzing this aspect in this plot Point sometimes you just got to say it made me smile and I had fun. I envy my wife a lot because she watches sci-fi with me she's not into it like me so she can watch an episode and be like all that was fun and walk away. Is where sometimes I do what I just talked about I over-analyze something and sometime take the fun out of it for myself. Great Point glad to see companions decide to walk away on their own you're right that adding it done in a long time. Other than a point here or there that are not worth mentioning this is what I wanted.
I should add that the doctor sent the other Doctor away in Journey's end because he committed genocide against the fleet. Even though that was Dalek Thet's plan.
In addition to the production finding a way to get rid of the "TARDIS backup", they also found a way to get rid of that "RGB Dalek" design, at least that's what I noticed since they killed the reconnaissance Dalek and show the well-know design.
It felt a real shame to have the Doctor quote Rowling. Considering how much flak the changing of the Doctor from male to female generated from the bigoted end of the fanbase, leaving that bit in felt like a betrayal of what Whittaker (and the show as a whole) has survived to get to this point.
I enjoyed seeing The Doctor and Capt. Jack together again. Now all we need is an adventure with The Doctor, Capt. Jack, and River Song. Probably won't happen. Probably...
@@timothywalsh9637 but did they? They said he's immortal and joined torchwood, and we all saw the end of both of those things. We also saw the start and finish of river's arc and was told 24 years at darilium was followed by the library
Thank you for even just quickly chatting about the Harry Potter reference. It really threw me off the good mood the episode had been putting me in, and it took a while for the episode to get me back on board.
I really enjoyed this episode, and i agree that it is jodies best episode. One thing i think that they've been lacking throughout series 11 and 12 is the emotional moments. There were quite a few high emotion moments in this episode, but i think it would have been more beneficial to expand on them more (like when the doctor first comes back, they all seem over it pretty quickly.) hopefully now that ryan and Graham have left, it gives yaz and the doctor more time to develop more of an emotional bond. That being said i did really enjoy this episode and was smiling all the way through. I adore jodie as the doctor and obviously jack made it 100x better. ❤️
I'm so happy I watched this video. I've finally found someone who has the same opinion as me on this. I have to give the episode 9/10 minimum. I think of it like this. Did the few faults I could find affect my enjoyment of the episode? And for me, they didn't. Like you, I had a smile on my face and was having visceral reactions to what was happening, which I haven't had for a while with this era. It's similar to reactions I've had to shows like The Mandalorian and His Dark Materials. I think this is certainly the best of the Chibnall Era so far and bodes well for Series 13. Thank you for making my day with this 🙂
The Harry Potter series reference hurt a lot here too. I don't understand why it wasn't replaced or cut. That said I loved the episode. John Barrowman especially.
@dr103 It would not have been hard to cut the line five seconds early. They should have done it because including it rather hurtfully disregards a minority that is suffering at the hands of the author of that work.
@@quinnsinclair7028 I think it probably would've been hard to cut the line five seconds early. If you cut that out the transition between starting to tell herself a story and hearing the knocking would probably be too abrupt.
@dr103 The suggestion was to cut at the point where she was just about to start telling herself the story. That way we wouldn't know what the story was and she'd still be interrupted by the knock - just five seconds earlier. Personally I have my doubts about how cleanly that edit could be executed but I'm hardly an expert.
the review on "WhoCulture" really gets to the core of why the dialogue - I thought was flat - just doesn't work, and why it's also a fault of Chibnall's work more generally
I like your rambling reviews. They feel like having a conversation about Doctor Who with a friend. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a Dalek episode, but this was definitely a fun episode in my book. Seeing the RTD Daleks also felt good. I also like that the justification for the new design was basically that humans were copying the busted up kit-bash Dalek from Resolution. It felt more natural than how Moffat introduced the Paragon Daleks in Victory of the Daleks.
Think you are the first reviewer who has been positive towards this episode. But I absolutely loved this. Yes the doctor should have been in prison a bit longer and the doctor should have mentioned that she hadn’t see the companions for at least 20 years. But apart from that I really liked it
I’m a big fan of Dan NerdCubed and really enjoyed most of his Fuck Yeah Doctor Who reviews but his last one was just throwing hate at the show and not really providing critical responses and he’s done a review of Revolution... and I’m nervous that it’s just gonna be “I hate it I hate it I hate it”... I’m secure in the knowledge that I enjoyed the episode and that’s good enough for me, I’m just worried about hearing his reaction
@@RubyPrice He really went to town. Massively, unnecessarily so. I really think he's lost his lack of bias, because he really rags on some things that just aren't true nowadays.
@@alexinabox6931 that’s really really upsetting... for the entire time I’ve followed Dan (with the exception of the time since Timeless Child) he’s done nothing but profess his love for Doctor Who, even through rocky eras, but seeing that go, it’s saddening 😕
There's a whole subculture on UA-cam dedicated to ripping into Doctor Who as an example of how SJWs are ruining everything and "Go woke go broke" etc. etc. I'll be the first to say that I think Chibnall's run has had significant problems but some of these channels are just looking for *any* excuse to hate on him and the show.
I'm currently trying to find a place to listen to all of the audio-only productions. Do one of the streaming services offer them (audible, spotify, etc) or are they only available on the big finish website? They seem quite pricey.
Happy new year, Nathaniel! Let me just reiderate, just for you as a special post christmas gift: I .... *LOVED* HELL BENT!! ;P It´s honestly been climbing up my top 3 list by now..... But it´s ok, I´m weird in a lot of other ways, too....
Your comment about the second TARDIS with the working chameleon reminds me of a short story in the old Doctor Who magazine in the 90s. It was mainly a conversation between the Doctor's TARDIS and a type 81 time capsule, new and in perfect working order. The Time Lords were offering the Doctor the chance to upgrade to a better model. The Doctor thanked them, but stuck with his. The TARDIS is not just his vessel; it's his longest friend.
Honestly, I think this is the most I have enjoyed a Doctor Who episode in a VERY long time. Now something to factor in here: I'm more of a fan of the villains than I am the protagonists in Doctor Who. The Daleks are my favourite, so if I get a good Dalek story, I'm chuffed to bits, and this was BY FAR the best Dalek story since the Russell T Davies era. It's not perfect, I found it to be very loosely written in a lot of areas, a lot of very convenient stuff in there...but...my main gripe was that the episode just flew by. There was a lot here that I loved that I'd like to see more of. It's a huge amount of fun, I love what Chris Chibnall is doing with the Daleks and how much fun he seems to have with them. I really hope to see more Dalek stories from him in the future. Heck, can we have Dalek stories more often? Maybe a two-parter? If they're good, then keep them coming!
The “No one likes experts” line wasn’t a Trump thing, it was a reference to U.K. Minister (and all round disgrace of a human being) Michael Gove who said “We’ve all had enough of experts” during the Brexit campaign (where he was dismissing as nonsense an expert who accurately described what Brexit would look like and mean).
14:31 River did escape on her own a few times, but I always got the impression that she was on good terms with her jailers (of course she is, it's River) so it was easier. Cleverly, we never meet 13's jailers, so she can't talk her way out of it as she usually would. You know that scene in WALL-E where all the robots in need of repair escape? I kinda wanted that with the P'ting and alike. Ah, well.
Doctor who concept. Graham and Ryan stay on earth and fight aliens and set up their own organisation similar to like UNIT or Torchwood called Group Resisting Aliens Conquering Earth. GRACE
@@mattlord97 no i didnt mean make it into a series. Like UNIT never got its own series but like a mention in passing in the future. I jist like the idea of them both fighing in Grace's memory. She meant so much to both of them. It would be a lovely tribute.
I personally really enjoyed it, had some issues with a few clunky lines here and there. Overall though? It was really fun! I SO hope I still think this looking back in the future and it's not rose-tinted glasses.
What jack meant by you don’t get to choose was you don’t get to choose the circumstances that drive you away from the doctor. Like a life always gets in the way sort of thing(i think )
My biggest problem was that extra TARDIS. Haven't we established that they are sentient, so The Doctor ordering one to self destruct..... I wish they had even addressed it.
I just want to point out two things that bugged me: 1) When Robertson said to the OG Daleks he had information, they should have just sucked it out his brain. If they didn't want to kill him off, then just don't have the betrayal, and find another way for the Daleks to find the Doctor. 2) TARDIS' are sentient creatures, and the Doctor killed one. Just needed to get those off my chest.
24:00 I think the reason the Doctor chose to bring Robertson was so she could keep an eye on him. You said he’s nothing but trouble, so she probably would rather he caused trouble with her than somewhere else where she can’t fix it quickly
The difference between the dalek from "dalek" and every other instance of dalek genocide is that the dalek from dalek had developed empathy and remorse, the ones the doctor has killed havent
There we go. Thoughts exactly. My only addition is that Yaz just hit my heart. She was so important in this episode. Wish we could have talked about her reactions a bit more.
i loved this episode, i'm more than willing to forget all the nitpicky things cause it is a special, in the same way i give christmas specials a pass to just be fun. and honestly this would be pretty decent as a regular episode, so yeah, liked it a lot
It's been a recurring theme in Doctor Who that you don't pick and choose who you try to save and sometimes the people who survive are the ones who least deserve it (Flatline, for example). Robertson surviving and thriving feels appropriate to me.
I was just really confused at why the Fam were so pissy at the Doctor - yes, they’ve been thinking she’s dead for ten months, and there should be some anger there, but she immediately tells them that she was in SPACE PRISON! I know she doesn’t tell them that it’s been decades for her, but if I don’t hear from a friend for the better part of a year, and then they turn up and tell me they’ve been in prison on another part of the world, I’m going to be sympathetic!
I know what you mean but from their perspective she kind of could have returned at any time, and kind of let them down by being 10 months late. Sometimes it's not so easy to drop those feelings, even when you realise they're poorly founded
I thought the special was amazing. I really appreciated how they posted at the end that the Doctor will return. It was hopeful and reminded me of her post from right when the quarantines started. We were so scared and Jodi made that post as the Doctor, from her closet no less, to reassure us all. It was so beautiful and needed and then Doctor Who continued to give us new and amazing content for free to encourage us throughout the year and here they are again giving us encouragement.
It made sense to take Robertson to Osaka. At that point they still thought Robertson was deliberately working with the Daleks. They wanted to confront him with the evidence of his plot so they could find out what was going on. Turns out Robertson knew nothing about it, but they didn't know that at the time...
One thing my brain kept being distracted by was that none of the companions ask The Doctor how long it has been for her. She comes in and (flippantly) says she was in space jail then later drops that she set the time coordinates for when they were supposed to arrive and NO ONE asks how long she was there. Ever. Jack hears a to-herself mention of, I think , a decade or few decades (I lean toward the latter) and acknowledges it with a shift in his look (a lovely bit of acting from Barrowman), but none of the Fam asks. I understand their being upset, but I don’t understand why no one asks once it is clear she never intended to leave them like that.
I do like that she took the time to specifically apologize to Ryan, due to how his Dad has left him in the past.
I noticed that also. I can understand why they wouldn't want to waste time summarizing the beginning of the episode. But considering how difficult the Doctor's absence has been for the others it was surprising that they didn't ask her anything about her time away.
I had the same thought about why none of the fam asked the Doctor how long it had been for her. The was a really lovely scene with the Doctor and Ryan in the TARDIS.
Maybe it didn’t occur to them! Timey wimey stuff is new to them
@@stephencoppins9467 It was a lovely scene and, honestly, it would have been a good place to have someone ask. They spend a chunk of it re-hashing something that had already been addressed and it _would_ be like Ryan to ask, I think.
Personally, as someone with dyspraxia, I liked the fact that Ryan’s still struggling to ride his bike. There are no magic fixes, he’s always going to struggle with some physical things and spatial awareness. They didn’t make it his whole personality but Ryan was always the one who struggled more with things like ladders.
For me the scene showed how much he’s grown and how much his relationship with Graham has changed for the better. When we first saw them, Ryan got really frustrated and was ready to give up. Graham wanted to be there for him but he didn’t know how and said things that were hurtful. Now Graham isn’t going to push Ryan too much and Ryan - who’s now accepted Graham as family - is the one who wants to keep trying.
Honestly, if they do show up again, I’d love a scene of Ryan succeeding in riding his bike because he kept trying. Not everyone with dyspraxia can learn to ride a bike but I think Ryan can if he keeps at it.
I didn’t need to see Grace at the end but it didn’t bother me.
Yes, i like it too. We've still had some nice moments of Ryan being well coordinated on occasion too, so I think it's fairly well balanced!
@NuttersIncorporated I have dyspraxia and I loved relating to him in that sense. I wish they do more people with disabilities in the future, but hopefully explain their story a little more than Ryan's. And then at that point you've got a perfect companion haven't you-
IMAGINE THE DOCTOR WITH DYSPRAXIA. GENETIC MUTATION REGENERATION HUH?!?!?!?
I quite liked the vision of Grace at the end. They didn't both be like "I JUST SAW GRACE", it was just quite lowkey and (in my opinion) a nice little send off for these characters (at least as regulars).
While I admit the Fam were not the most balanced cast, I never thought the fundamental problem was in the size of the crew; it was the way it was handled. And Yaz feels the one most tied to the Doctor while Ryan and Graham were their own duo kind of.
Why does Ryan need to ride a bike though? As a representation of a dyspraxia, it's kind of concerning Chibnall showed it through forcing Ryan to do something he doesn't even need to do. If they developed it as a part of his personality, possibly to show an insecurity or link to his backstory, then I could accept it. But instead it's just the most convenient means possible for Chibnall to show Ryan's dyspraxia.
And you're right, the scene does imply these characters have changed and grown. Seeing Ryan not give up, his relationship with Graham, it works well as a call back to the first scene. But then you question what exactly caused this change? These character's have had the most bare-bones development, we've barely explored why Ryan accepted Graham. The scene is nice, but it's ultimately empty and meaningless.
I think the “This is why people don’t like experts.” line was a reference to British MP Micheal Gove famously saying “The British people have had enough of experts.” during the Brexit campaign. At least that’s what I took it as.
I'd say it functions as a double dig then.
I keep forgetting people in the UK are also going through some hard times politically
@@WiloPolis03 *UK, but yes.
@@WiloPolis03 (1. Its the entirety of the UK, (England is dealing with the buffoon who is the head of government. Scotland has an increasingly loud call for independence from the rest of Britain. Northern Ireland has the fear of sectarian violence as a result of Brexit. Wales while arguably the best off of the 4 nations, still has the fact the economy across all 4 nations has gone to sh*t in light of Covid.)
(2. While the US's hard times may come to an end this month (pending on the Georgia result) or at least 2022 (midterm elections). Britain's still stuck with its blond-haired buffoon until 2024.
@@calumbishop7082 Ah sorry about that, I always mess that bit up, also, yeah wow that's crazy. Hope you guys stay strong out there, we're getting rid of *our* blond-haired buffoon in a matter of days but I hope you guys get through this. Stay safe
The one thing I noticed was Jack got his Square Sonic gun back, we haven’t seen that since Season 1. I also love the call back to “You really don’t want to know, (where he was hiding that.)”
I like the sonic gun but why did he not use it to get out of jail?
@@dualipastan I’m actually wondering if he left it in his room on the TARDIS all those years ago.
We actually did see it one other time. River used it in Silence in the Library.
Steven was very pleased haha
Jack leaving to visit Gwen is actually a really good resolution from his conversation earlier with Yaz, how it can be hard for them to move on from their lives with the doctor and not sure if they'll even come back. So at the end he takes the time to visit someone who was can kind of say was his companion in a way on torchwood and take the time to check in on them
I genuinely adored the final scene of Ryan and Graham with Grace, because it brought something from the Villa Diodati episode full circle in a way that I wasn't expecting at all. At first, Graham's whole subplot of seeing ghosts felt a bit random and one-off, but otherwise a harmless joke with the Doctor's whole "Or do they?..." line. Before I was thinking it was maybe foreshadowing Graham's death, but in actuality it was setting up their final moment. They were back at the beginning where we met them, and yet had finally found the relationship Grace had wanted for them, and there's enough ambiguity towards the existence of ghosts and existence after death that makes it more than just them seeing a vision arbitrarily.
That's a good point. A thought I had about it was it was the Solitract in the form of Grace briefly slipping into our universe. I much prefer your take on it, though.
I liked how The Doctor was seemingly on the verge of derailing mentally.
that bit of her saying "I'm The Doctor. I'm the one who defeats the daleks", like, GIVE ME MORE OF *THAT* . Feral 13th is the best 13th, and that's the hill I will die on.
I actually loved not-trump in this, he was an actual character with an actual purpose this time, not just a goofy caricature
Well, he was still a caricature, but entertaining nonetheless.
that's what I mean, he was a caricature but he had an actual purpose this time. Felt like more of a character.
and you can just tell that Chris Noth had *so* much fun playing that role.
I loved him so much, he had the best lines!
The characterisation of the daleks was better in this episode than the moffat era, despite the script being a bit messier on average. Chibnall really nailed the ethnic and genetic superiority complex the daleks have, even towards other slightly mutated variants. It makes their parallel with fascism quite clear without being too on the nose.
I’m kinda sad we didn’t get to see more of the new Dalek design. I actually really really REALLY dug it
Given the design isn’t total crock like the New Paradigm Daleks that IS a shame... but oh well, I can live with it.
I don't like the way they worded Jack's speech to Yaz about how leaving the Tardis team works.
I wish instead of "You don't get to choose when it ends, if you leave her or she leaves you" it had been more like "Travelling with the Doctor is a wild ride. You can choose to let go whenever you like, or you can hang on for all that its worth but no matter what you do, it'll throw you eventually. No one gets to travel with the Doctor forever."
I had fun too. I laughed at the Doctor being, “I knew I wouldn’t like the bad news.”
Love Whittaker's Doctor.
Yes it was so funny 😂 and also fact that she knows Harry Potter by heart
@@moonj1n and she's a fan of hamilton! 😌
I also started digging her character. FINALLY! Like greeting all the cameras individually... IN HER OWN PRISON CELL? That´s just such a 13 thing to do, right?
@@chanceneck8072 she gets a lot of really good personality moments!
I really appreciated the fact that the events of Can You Hear Me are what compelled Ryan to leave; he knows that he wants to support his friends and he needs to be present to do that effectively.
I feel like even Orphan 55 contributes to this. While it is an AWFUL episode, the impact it had on Ryan was really well done and I very much liked
@@landlighterfirestar5550 Yeah. I've often felt Orphan 55 was *the* episode that made Ryan feel like an actual character. Shame that the rest of it is so terrible. :(
I did get a bit of a laugh from how the portrayal of the Prime Minister couldn't have made it more obvious that the episode was written back when Theresa May had the job.
Dalek drones are strong and stable!
There has been more than one female PM on Dr Who. Long before TM. I hope this wasn't written before July 2019. Why hold it in aspect untill the end of 2020. I doubt TM had any influence, a female PM just suites DR Who, for some reason.
@@matthewb9621It's not just her being a woman, but the way she almost seems to have a fetish for "security" that's unmistakably a dig at May.
@@Rmlohner Possibly. But unlikely. I am trying to remember the pre TM portrayal of the PM as female or even male. I think the last female one wanted aliens to be obliterated before they became a risk / threat. Hence the Dr seeding doubt in the mind of others that she wasn't a good PM and she looked tired. A well trodden trope.
@@Rmlohner7 years ago at least.
m.ua-cam.com/video/GidbEhL0teE/v-deo.html
I love that they didn't magic away Ryan's dyspraxia. Even at the end, though he didn't give up, he still struggled with it. It remained a part of his life that he still had to deal with.
The struggling IS the magic!
I agree, it was a very realistic approach and still had character development. I couldn’t help but laugh when the final scene of the episode was him falling over though
Agreed. That's what made the bike ending work for me. It showed that his problem wasn't magically solved but he was now handling it in a more mature way. Without that it would've been dumb. And I could've done without the Grace bit...
Robertson in this episode can best be summed up by a comment I read: "He sells humanity out to the Daleks all for the evil plan of extending the episode's run time"
I honestly didn’t even know if the Doctor and Jack were going to meet, and the fact he actually broke her out (which is what I hoped for even before the first trailer) was so nice. All I can say about this episode is this:
This episode is fantastic, and Jack didn’t need to be here, but he is here, and he made it even better
This also wasn't the first time Ryan called her out either! In Fugitive of the Judoon, toward the end, when she's having that brooding moment where she was shutting them out and basically alienating them and says, "You don't know me. Not even a little bit." or something along that line, Ryan said, "Hey! You can't talk to us like that." so him still calling her out and giving her that sort of tough love was not only good writing for his character here, but it was consistent with things we saw in the past.
Those were definitely Ryan's strongest moments! Makes me wish they gave the actor more to work with.
I kinda wish it was a two parter, with the Doctor spending part one in the Prison, and the cliffhanger is her escape with Jack, while the fam work to take down the Daleks on Earth.
100% I thought she escaped way too quickly.
@@Caspar_Stanley Absolutely, plus the Dalek civil war took like 5 minutes, I liked it overall but it really should've been in 2 parts
@@WiloPolis03 btw if you want more of dalek civil war you might like “Blood of the Daleks”, an eight Doctor audio drama
@@gearmachine_4885 I actually didn't know Remembrance was a civil war story somehow lol, I need to check that one out bc everyone says that one's awesome. I'll check out the audio story sometime too, thank you!!
Also Ryan and Graham weren't getting anyway without the dr, and at the end they talk about saving the world on their own ?! We just saw them struggle and tell yas to give up on the dr...
"This is going to be a very long, rambling review"
You say that like it's a bad thing 😉
I couldn't agree more about how Ryan and to a lesser extent Graham leaving was handled was a blessed relief. Of name-in-opening companions in the modern era, it's now only Martha, Ryan and Graham who've left on their own terms (And "I want to keep travelling with you, but I want to be with my grandson more" is absolutely leaving on your own terms)
@Najawin Bill didn't choose not to travel with the Doctor. She thought the Doctor was dead.
Best thing in this episode was the conversation between Jack and Yaz, because now it looks like they're gonna finally have a proper arc for her
For me, the best moment is the Doctor grasping at straws to fix Ryan and Graham leaving, and Yaz saying, "It's OK to be sad, you know." 13 in particular seems to be the Doctor who always tries to be happy go lucky and truly hide their pain. Seeing someone tell her it's ok to feel this way really was nice
The part that stuck with me is how The Doctor shifted her "I'm The Doctor" moment from being this triumphant bit about remembering one's values to "I'm The Doctor, and I kill daleks". If she doesn't know who she really is, then I guess going all berserk on them is the best she's got. Would love to see more of this identity crisis next season, and hopefully, a more dark, mature 13th.
The big nerd that I am, sound effects from Genesis and Rembrance popping up did make me smile. I even thought the Defence Drone voices sounded a bit more classic. Lots of love for the Daleks in this.
Seeing a Dalek with a water cannon was so funny too.
I was quite upset that the Doctor destroyed a TARDIS so nonchalantly.
@@creed8712 How so? I haven't found her any more so than any previous Doctor. (eg. Nine killing the Slytheen with rockets, Ten murdering the Sycorax, Eleven having the human race murder the Silence, etc. etc.)
@@creed8712 If you're saying that you wish they'd go into that more with the Eleventh Doctor, I tend to agree. I don't think this Doctor is any more a cold-blooded murderer than any other but, as you point out, previous showrunners examined it more thoroughly. Chibnall's Who tends to feel a bit rushed and shallow and IMO this is one example of that.
Especially after 'The Doctor's Wife" it's pretty obvious that TARDIS are fully sentient beings. Plus, there can't be that many of them left in the universe, so it seemed pretty terrible. I have to agree that that was a step too far for me. I liked the rest of the episode though.
@@irrevenant8724 She just killed a TARDIS in cold blood in order to commit more genocide.
Bradley Walsh really delivers his performance with the limited stuff they give him. Loved his character
As a brit I few the this is why people don't like experts line differently, as our government is constantly ignoring them.
as an American, i took it as a Trump dig, since Robertson is clearly a Trump parody and it seemed like a Trump thing to say, but i've also heard some things about Boris over there and such and they seem very similar (obviously i cant speak about much since i'm not a Brit and am not experiencing all of this firsthand). So perhaps it was possibly a double dig?
@@thatjedifromgallifrey6663 yeah the pro brexit politicians said it a lot during that period, so annoying and stupid.
@@thatjedifromgallifrey6663 It's a dig at the populist movement in general, which has adopted the tactic of publicly doubting, or even dismissing, expert opinion. It serves their agenda to spread such distrust, because people who know what they're talking about are more likely to call out their bullshit for what it is.
@@ftumschk Right-wing populism to be exact (aka esentially modern fascism). More left-leaning variants of populism can be used for more good than evil, like with Bernie or Yang.
Then again, I feel like left-wing and right-wing populism have been growing more and more different from each other lately, to the point where they barely have any common similarities anymore. Does any of that make sense? I'm tired and on new ADHD meds lol
The fact we had not one, but TWO companion exits that didn’t involve “not death” was ridiculously gratifying to me. It should not be, but after Moffat poisoned the fake-out death well with the infinite deaths of Rory, his contrived Weeping Angel departure with Amy, and Clara in Hell Bent after her own previous death... things (Bill I liked, just wish it didn’t come after all that).
Oh, and Davies is also kinda guilty of this with Rose’s fake death and Donna’s memory wipe, but it wasn’t so obnoxious then... actually, add the immortal Jack to that.
...Wow, it really is a part of New!Who. Like, fundamentally almost if not for Martha and the less major companions of the RTD era. O.o
...OK, done. That was more fun listing than I expected, honest. ;-)
I really like when jack mentioned rose and how she’s in a alternate universe and the reaction from Yaz.
I honestly really enjoyed this episode. I wouldn't say I've hated Chibnall Who -- it's already had some good moments for me, but this was still the most fun I've had watching an episode of the show in some time. Probably since Capaldi.
I wasn't sure about just resurrecting last year's Dalek at first, but it honestly makes for a good enough rival to this version of the Doctor that I was sad to see it killed again.
I can't hate Chibnall, he's written great episodes of Torchwood. He's just disappointed me over time. This has restored some optimism for me
@@cameronmonaghan6883 I think what really sold this one for me is the formula of the heroes having a plan-- then something unexpected happens, and something goes wrong, and they have to either adjust their plan or ditch it and come up with a new one. And having that cycle of events happen a few times before they actually win.
That's a kind of storytelling I really enjoy but one that it seems Doctor Who has always had difficulty pulling off. It was really great to see an episode do it this well.
This she/they pin works really well!
I don't mind the Doctor commiting genocide on the Daleks (especially only when it's a Squaderon rather than the entire species) but I do mind The Doctor programming a TARDIS (which we know are sentient) to commit suicide to take out the Daleks.
Absolutely. I thought I was the only one... Made me deeply uncomfortable, that scene.
I was smiling a lot because of Jack, Yaz’s possible crush coming to the surface more, the voluntary leaving (even though it was teased that they’d probably die when they went with Jack) of Graham and Ryan.
And after missing the John Bishop scene live (I’ve watched it on the Doctor Who UA-cam channel since) I’m looking forward to seeing how his character will be. First time a companion (?) has come into an established Tardis crew since Rory. If I’m remembering correctly that is?
Maybe Bill coming into the TARDIS team of Twelve and Nardole counts as an example of that?
@@dodobirdfisher4697 maybe, depending on how the Doctor would see that situation I guess.
But from a viewers perspective yeah it would be.
I'm not sure if Danny Pink counts. He's borderline.
@@dubbingsync Bill definitely counts as it is implied that the Doctor has travelling/ guarding the vault with Nardole for quite a while
@@MrDylanJones ok, makes sense from the in universe explanation.
I loved the interaction of the 2005 Daleks with the new ones. Put a smile on my face to hear Briggs voice the feuding and the ensuing fight.
I’m glad there was no sexual innuendo. Especially between the Doctor and Jack.
Well obviously Jack loves the Doctor (yes, in that way. VERY.) But, I’m glad he (the character) restrained himself. I feel like if he did do that, I would love for the Doctor to just go “down boy” and he obeys.
I Love that the Daleks have a while team dedicated to quashing mutations as it comes up ALOT its hilarious in the best way
And it's not impossible that one or more clone Dalek(s) survived and can come back later
Bringing Peterson to Japan was meant to be a teaching moment for him it was obviously not the best idea in hindsight but make sense for Jodi
I thought they took Robertson along because otherwise, the moment they left him there he'd have called Osaka immediately to ask WTF is going on. Which would have made Team Tardis' job far more difficult. Obviously it wouldn't have been in-character for the Doctor to force him to do so, if he ran instead she wouldn't have stopped him. Essentially, it's just "keep your enemies closer" as Robertson couldn't make the situation worse while they were watching them. And sure enough, as soon as he leaves them, he does!
When they took Robertson along they still thought he was the one behind the Dalek plot. They wanted to confront him with the evidence of his crimes and hopefully learn more about the plot from him. Unfortunately it turns out he didn't know anything.
Love your reviews! Thank you so much for a realistic review, so many people pull the show to bits, but actually, this one was good! Thank you again for an excellent review, I could watch you all day!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 I felt it was weak and flat myself, and I wish I could feel as happy about it as you.
I think it's amongst the stronger of Chibnall's offerings but it did feel weirdly shallow.
Before she started telling the story I actually said aloud, I hope she starts talking to herself that would feel more doctory and then she did and I was like YAY but then it was Harry Potter and I was like NAYYYY
Same here!
I really wanted one of the ones 12 quoted. I can't quite remember what exactly he said or where he even said it. But he mixed up old earth stories with whoviserse villains. Like goldilocks and 3 sontarans. He mentioned a few. I thought that could have been good.
Or "it all started as a mild curiosity in a junk yard" knock knock.
I must say I thought Jack was a bit of a dick for knocking 4 times 😄
Edit. Wasn't 12. It was 11. In night terrors. Although I'm sure 12 said something similar 🤔
I know right, like, I know the episode was written and filmed more than a year ago, so the whole J. K. Rowling mess wasn't a thing yet, but still. Big yikes.
I feel like I can enjoy Harry Potter as a piece of media regardless of JK Rowling being nuts, because her being nuts doesn't really feel reflected in her books themselves, I know different people have different takes on this type of issue but that's my view on it
@@WiloPolis03 yeah, it's definitely up to you. Some people can really disconnect the art from the artist, others can't, and that's fine.
I feel like when Yaz finally goes out, we’re gonna get a classic Clara move (and that’s not a bad thing). She relies to heavily on the Doctor, and is almost trying to be her. And as we’ve seen, that’s kinda a deadly thing.
Oh I can definitely see Yaz going out in a way similar to how Clara should have gone out.
Going by how she was in parts of this episode anyway.
I doubt it, IMO Yaz and Clara had distinctly different vibes and rapport with the Doctor. To me Yaz seems _possessive_ of the Doctor, which feels a lot more like a crush.
@@voltijuice8576 honestly i think both yaz AND clara have big crushes on the doctor...
@BGS wow that's a long time. that would make her a 4 season companion i think. 😧 i'm all for it to be honest, i've missed having a companion stay for the entire regeneration of a doctor, like jamie with 2. so rumour has it 13 will regenerate in the 60th and if yaz stays till the 60th that would mean yaz was the first companion and last last companion that the 13th doctor saw.
@Najawin Hell Bent is super-divisive. I've warmed to it a little since I first saw it, but even now I think Moffat did a pretty poor job getting across the points he was trying to. The episode also suffers from being yet another example of Moffat's over-reliance on the reset button. If he hadn't already played that card so much I think his points would've come across more strongly here. Instead it just comes across as Moffat being Moffat.
I just like that there's someone on Earth to be like: Oh no, not the Doctor again!!
It was funny.
The doctor should have had a scene with the prime minister, Whittaker needed that confrontation to add some extra gravitas to her performance.
I personally quite liked it. It had fun enough action and John Barrowman is always an absolute delight. My only real gripe beyond just nitpicking, is just the pacing and length being too quick, making most things just a bit anti-climactic.
The Doctor’s in prison... Oh no she isn’t.
The Daleks are taking over... Oh no they aren’t.
The SAS Daleks are taking over... Oh no- you get the picture.
It either needed to be a two-parter or just have an extra 15 minutes (or maybe just a few more drafts of the script) to make everything feel just a bit more... succinct I guess. It’s not bad at all, it’s a great episode, but it just needed a few more rewrites. Overall... 7/10
I didn't have many issues with the episode, mostly just minor ones. The only REAL issue I had for it is that, for a Dalek story, there wasn't actually that whole much of Dalek action..... if it were billed as more of a Doctor-centric, companion-centric story, focus more on Jack's return, on Ryan and Graham's leaving, and then hey look Daleks are here too as the icing on the cake! .... then that would've worked far better for me. The Dalek action we DID get, I thought was great - I loved the new design but I loved more that they carried on with the old one too, and BOTH made sense. I loved the Dalek... civil war? Skirmish. The Dalek skirmish. I loved the two factions arguing. I just wish they didn't annihilate the whole recon / Robertson Dalek faction, because I really loved the idea of making this a trilogy of Dalek specials, this being the escalation - and part 3 could've been all-out Dalek civil war reminiscent of Remembrance from the classic era (Sylvester McCoy's 7th Doctor, I believe). That's just my two cents. Still really loved the episode :D
I'd call it "the Dalek Extermination" but that's probably too vague. xD
I wish they put more focus on the prison break, but other than that I thought this was a great episode
There were so many ideas in this episode, that if they focused on them a bit and deleloped the ideas they could get a whole season out of it.
@@DigitalBath742 yeah it’s a bit like Time of the Doctor in that sense
I wish they'd gone more heavily in one of two directions:
1. The Doctor is much more proactive about getting herself out of prison.
2. The Doctor is much more obviously shell-shocked after the events of the Timeless Children and in too much of a funk to concentrate about escaping.
Instead the episode hit sort of a middle ground that didn't quite work IMO.
@@DigitalBath742 Chibnall's often like that. For all that people like to go "Oh he's just copying earlier stuff" he often throws in a number of interesting ideas and puts his own spin on things. The trouble is that he rushes it so the execution tends to be shallow.
For example "The Tsuranga Conundrum" had: (1) a flying space hospital on a mission of mercy, (2) a pregnant man, (3) a creature that means no harm but is unstoppable and likes to eat spaceships from the inside, (4) a neural disorder resulting from flying ships via cybertechnology, (5) being trapped away from the TARDIS on a ship that is in the process of trying to destroy itself in order to protect others. It was a crap episode but *man* did it have a lot of interesting ideas going on.
@@irrevenant8724 that almost actually made me want to rewatch the Tsuranga Conundrum
IT is always interesting when they suggest that the Daleks might, like the rest of us, have infighting in ANY form.
Is it just me or is Jack Robinson is going to be the main villain? He knows what the Doctor is capable of and how much of a potential threat she could be to him, an idea i have always thought of is the idea that someone will change public opinion/preception on the Doctor and paint her as a potential threat to humanity. Basically turning humanity against the Doctor. I could see him working with the Judoon to turn humanity against the Doctor and plan to get her arrested
I'm always okay with more Chris Noth.
I feel like he was just too incompetent to be a good main villain. You need to be somewhat intelligent to go toe to toe with the Doctor. He's just stupid enough to be dangerous. Which makes him a good catalyst for causing problems but not really a good antagonist unto himself.
@@BadWolf739 that's true. I just like Chris Noth. Lol.
I think a team up with him and Barton would be interesting. Robertson being the cartoonish over-the-top villain, with Barton as the manipulative mastermind behind the curtain. Idk just a thought lol
Part of the reason Graham was so excited to go traveling was because it was he was going to be doing it with his grandson. That is why it is so believable that he changed his mind. My son and I used to do Tae Kwon Do together and I really enjoyed it but when he decided to quit, I debated as to whether I wanted to continue but I thought it just wouldn't be as much fun without him, so I quit too.
Yup. The People you do stuff with is far more important than what you're actually doing.
That only Martha chose to leave isn't QUITE true...
Are we forgetting MICKEY-DE-MICK-MICK?!?!?🤣
Mickey never gets any respect. "I'm the tin dog!"
I feel like Amy also chose to leave. Sure Rory was forced to go but she could have chosen to go with the doctor and leave him, or try and find ways to get to him again, instead she made the choice to go. Not quite the same but it doesn't count for me :)
@@MusikloverinZ Well, I suppose you partially have a point, however it was brought upon her by the situation. As you say, she was forced to choose between Rory and the Doctor. If you where given the choice, which would you prefer, Uncle or Lover? Because, yes, 11 basically is every one's favourite wacky Uncle, or something akin to a sibling. Whereas it has happened exceedingly rarely in New Who, that someone has left the TARDIS not as a unlucky result of some awful terror, but out of their own velocity, simply because they feel that their travelling days with the Doctor are over, and they want to settle down somewhere.
I was smiling too! My husband walked by and asked me what was going on and i just said I'm happy 😁
I was not a fan of this episode but the one thing which really REALLY stung with me was that after the events of The Doctors Wife (which by the way is an episode that I absolutely adore) after the Tardis said to him “all of my sisters are dead, they were devoured and we’re looking at their corpses” so theirs an emotional connection between Tardises, for the Doctor to then destroy a tardis without a moment’s forethought or regret was so wrong.
Did anybody else wish that the 2nd Tardis had transformed from police box to the "Genesis Arc" and tied it into the series 2 finale.
Oh my GOD.
She did say she sent it into the void, which exists outside of time. That would have been clever.
@@quinnsinclair7028 yes - when she said "The Void" - I thought "genesis arc" surely ... Chibnall missed an open goal there!
@Najawin didn't say cult though - I said Genesis Arc - we are told that they Genesis Arc had escaped to the void .... but very little detail - could it not have been found by the Cult of Skaro as they cam through via the Sphere??
Makes sense to me...stop putting holes in my theories..... nerd lol ;)
I enjoyed this episode. It was good but felt rushed. Could've worked better as a two parter.
The prison felt very underused (especially since it was heavily built up.) Would have loved it if another past character returned to bust her out while Jack helped the others investigate.
I looked forward to the Dalek civil war wish there were more action sequences to it.
The departure felt fitting for the most part. With a good send off. I hated the bit where she cheered about Yaz staying. It felt very out of the moment.
The character development scenes have felt the most genuine since Twice Upon a Time. It gives me a sense Chibnall's finally finding his feet.
And the You're doing it mate at the end😆😆😆
I am looking forward to John Bishop as a companion. I hope his character's from the past, future, robot or a alien
Yes i agree completely about the prison part. I think the episode had so many parts that could have been explored really well, that just weren't because of timing, and so were instead all patched together which resulted in it feeling a little rushed. However i enjoyed it so much
It looked very 21st century earth (liverpool to exact I think) for that bit with John Bishop sadly.
@@kierenevans2521 could be the nineties?
@@cameronmonaghan6883 Well, it was a modern skyline and the transit look like a modern one. But then again continuity errors are nothing new for Doctor Who.
Kieren Evans And the other guy was holding an iPhone...
I thought the cgi for the Daleks was MAGNIFICENT!!!! I loved the Dalek Civil War we got here and of course Captain Jack Harkness
Happy fan over here!!!
Me and my friends were cheering when the OG daleks came on screen.
This episode really resonated with me in so many ways. It had a lot of emotional whallop. Even though I knew that Ryan and Graham were leaving, their departure scenes really hit home. I thought that this episode saw Ryan at a height of maturity we havent seen. The end with Ryan and Graham getting the psychic papers was a little gem...obviously leaving it open for them to possibly return (even if it is small cameos along the way) Loved that Jack was back, and also the fact that it was left open for him to come back, as you mentioned, very smartly done!! It was good to see The Doctor stewing over the revelations from the end of Series 12, and re-evaluating her role in the universe...while she isn't fully recovered, she seemed motivated enough to pick herself up again, and deal with the situtaion at hand. I also loved her really hardline attitude towards the Daleks, and her almost fully cold hearted interaction with them...it was a side we haven't yet seen from Whittaker's Doctor. I absolutely loved the moments between Doc and Ryan....once again...we were seeing Ryan grow up instantly in this episode - I gotta say - I was getting very emotional at the end. All in all I loved this episode. I truly think that Series 13 is going to better again. I think Jodie is finally finding her groove and absolutely running with it.
Thank you for your take on this after watching 2 videos dissing jodie and the fam it was nice to stumble on your take
I loved the episode jodie is one of my fav doctors ❤
Enjoyed your review! And feel free to go on a tangent whenever you feel like it! Happy new year!
I'm so happy you enjoyed it!! 😊
You know I get that gram and Ryan wanted to leave because they grown when the doctor left. They kept mentioning “ahh you left us,why didn’t you come back” well she was in prison couldn’t do anything about that until jack sprung her from prison.
Also love the throw back Easter-eggs with Jack coming back.
Yeah, I think the companions realised that being annoyed at being left was irrational, but still can't help feeling that way. It really brought home to them that maybe next time the Doctor *wouldn't* be coming back...
Around 17:30 you mention a revival of Torchwood. It's funny that when I first watched the opening credits I thought I had glimpsed the word "Torchwood" instead of "Doctor Who". I rewatched it and paused to see that it actually displays "TORW". Maybe my heart wanted to read Torchwood, hoping for a revival.
I'm going to start with my problems with the episode and end on it's positives. The stories pacing felt really weird and off to me. Too often would the characters just stop and talk about their feelings or the themes. It's almost like Chibs is trying to put 2 series of character work in one ep. The start is nice a slow on earth building a sense of tension but the doctor immediately escapes from prison making me question why she started there. The weird bit where the daleks try and possess Jack and Yaz felt really misplaced. The black daleks don't spend enough time rebelling and we don't see enough for it to feel like a major threat. The bronze daleks defeat the other daleks a bit too easily and don't have much else to do. The doctor then defeats the bronze daleks is a clever but just too easy and she just 'killed' a TARDIS. Secondly Jack. Don't get me wrong, he's great and I love seeing Barrowman back doing more. That said, he doesn't so much outside of breaking Doc out. And while I know all about Jack, what about new viewers? Maybe establish more by killing him. I like the return of Robertson, but I feel as though you could have replaced him and the political woman with Lenny Henry's character.
Onto the positives. Nice seeing the daleks fight more and the inside of the ship was great. Retroactively makes Resolution better by adding consequences. Makes Robertson's character wwwwaaaaaaay better. The fact that Ryan and Graham chose to leave is great and if they just removed the ghost and the fact they decide do just have the same adventures but on earth cheapens it. Yaz for me is great in this episode, especially her conflict with 13. Judging from this episode I would say that Yaz is gonna die in a Clara esk way being unable to give the doctor up. The mentions and display of characters/monsters was very fun (especially the silence and sycorax for me). Jack is great and his presence is greatly appreciated. The bold orange words at the start were very funny. Also this episode has some great directing with amazing shots with lighting (personal fav being the silhouette of Leo and Robertson) even if it is a little too much with lens flares sometimes. Jodie I think gives one of her best performances of her whole tenure here, even giving me moments I really liked. Also the lack of sonic use is borderline perfection of my bucket list for series 12
I know looking at this comment you might think I didn't like this episode. Far from. This episode is such fun to watch even with all it's flaws. Its so enjoyable and bouncy that I look forward to rewatching it. 6-7 out of 10 but very, very enjoyable
Yes i completely agree with what you said! There were so many small parts that could have been major moments that just sorta became small things
Yes, there was lots of good stuff but the pacing felt off. My initial thought was actually it needed to be trimmed down to be shorter with the character moments more part of the action than a lot of “stop and talk” but maybe a 2 parter with a cliff hanger and more room for everything to breath could have been a solution too
I adored this episode. The setup was phenomenal anytime you give me John Barrowman as Captain Jack I'll take it. And I agree with you it made me smile and that's the most important thing but it seems like we forget nowadays. With all the UA-cam channels in the breakdowns and analyzing this aspect in this plot Point sometimes you just got to say it made me smile and I had fun. I envy my wife a lot because she watches sci-fi with me she's not into it like me so she can watch an episode and be like all that was fun and walk away. Is where sometimes I do what I just talked about I over-analyze something and sometime take the fun out of it for myself. Great Point glad to see companions decide to walk away on their own you're right that adding it done in a long time. Other than a point here or there that are not worth mentioning this is what I wanted.
I should add that the doctor sent the other Doctor away in Journey's end because he committed genocide against the fleet. Even though that was Dalek Thet's plan.
In addition to the production finding a way to get rid of the "TARDIS backup", they also found a way to get rid of that "RGB Dalek" design, at least that's what I noticed since they killed the reconnaissance Dalek and show the well-know design.
We love your rambles, that's half the reason we're here! X
It felt a real shame to have the Doctor quote Rowling. Considering how much flak the changing of the Doctor from male to female generated from the bigoted end of the fanbase, leaving that bit in felt like a betrayal of what Whittaker (and the show as a whole) has survived to get to this point.
I enjoyed seeing The Doctor and Capt. Jack together again. Now all we need is an adventure with The Doctor, Capt. Jack, and River Song. Probably won't happen. Probably...
The flirtation would be off the charts!
It would break the universe
Havent they literally ended river's arc? As in her contract is up?
@@212mochaman Same was true for John Barrowman as Captain Jack. If he can come back, so can she with a little creativity.
@@timothywalsh9637 but did they? They said he's immortal and joined torchwood, and we all saw the end of both of those things. We also saw the start and finish of river's arc and was told 24 years at darilium was followed by the library
Thank you for even just quickly chatting about the Harry Potter reference. It really threw me off the good mood the episode had been putting me in, and it took a while for the episode to get me back on board.
Yeah, as soon as she started reciting Harry Potter I automatically said “well, that aged poorly”
for some people.
She was in space prison and wasn't conscious of JK Rowling's downfall.
@@alexandertaylor7316 this is Not a good explain for a Time traveler XD
@@MegaAlchemist123 wibbly wobbly, timey wimey. The only explanation is that JK Rowling is in flux, not a fixed point in time.
I really enjoyed this episode, and i agree that it is jodies best episode. One thing i think that they've been lacking throughout series 11 and 12 is the emotional moments. There were quite a few high emotion moments in this episode, but i think it would have been more beneficial to expand on them more (like when the doctor first comes back, they all seem over it pretty quickly.) hopefully now that ryan and Graham have left, it gives yaz and the doctor more time to develop more of an emotional bond. That being said i did really enjoy this episode and was smiling all the way through. I adore jodie as the doctor and obviously jack made it 100x better. ❤️
I'm so happy I watched this video. I've finally found someone who has the same opinion as me on this. I have to give the episode 9/10 minimum.
I think of it like this. Did the few faults I could find affect my enjoyment of the episode? And for me, they didn't. Like you, I had a smile on my face and was having visceral reactions to what was happening, which I haven't had for a while with this era. It's similar to reactions I've had to shows like The Mandalorian and His Dark Materials.
I think this is certainly the best of the Chibnall Era so far and bodes well for Series 13. Thank you for making my day with this 🙂
The Harry Potter series reference hurt a lot here too. I don't understand why it wasn't replaced or cut. That said I loved the episode. John Barrowman especially.
They were clearly trying to reference a classic piece of british media. I wish they'd done Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy instead.
@dr103 It would not have been hard to cut the line five seconds early. They should have done it because including it rather hurtfully disregards a minority that is suffering at the hands of the author of that work.
@@quinnsinclair7028 I think it probably would've been hard to cut the line five seconds early. If you cut that out the transition between starting to tell herself a story and hearing the knocking would probably be too abrupt.
@dr103 The suggestion was to cut at the point where she was just about to start telling herself the story. That way we wouldn't know what the story was and she'd still be interrupted by the knock - just five seconds earlier. Personally I have my doubts about how cleanly that edit could be executed but I'm hardly an expert.
I don't go in for fan service,but the barely audible dalek emperor theme when jack talked to yaz was mwah *chefs kiss*
the review on "WhoCulture" really gets to the core of why the dialogue - I thought was flat - just doesn't work, and why it's also a fault of Chibnall's work more generally
I like your rambling reviews. They feel like having a conversation about Doctor Who with a friend.
Maybe I’m just a sucker for a Dalek episode, but this was definitely a fun episode in my book. Seeing the RTD Daleks also felt good. I also like that the justification for the new design was basically that humans were copying the busted up kit-bash Dalek from Resolution. It felt more natural than how Moffat introduced the Paragon Daleks in Victory of the Daleks.
Think you are the first reviewer who has been positive towards this episode. But I absolutely loved this. Yes the doctor should have been in prison a bit longer and the doctor should have mentioned that she hadn’t see the companions for at least 20 years. But apart from that I really liked it
Yeah that's the impression I'm getting as well. I haven't yet delved much into other people's reviews, but I already feel like the minority.
I’m a big fan of Dan NerdCubed and really enjoyed most of his Fuck Yeah Doctor Who reviews but his last one was just throwing hate at the show and not really providing critical responses and he’s done a review of Revolution... and I’m nervous that it’s just gonna be “I hate it I hate it I hate it”...
I’m secure in the knowledge that I enjoyed the episode and that’s good enough for me, I’m just worried about hearing his reaction
@@RubyPrice He really went to town. Massively, unnecessarily so. I really think he's lost his lack of bias, because he really rags on some things that just aren't true nowadays.
@@alexinabox6931 that’s really really upsetting... for the entire time I’ve followed Dan (with the exception of the time since Timeless Child) he’s done nothing but profess his love for Doctor Who, even through rocky eras, but seeing that go, it’s saddening 😕
There's a whole subculture on UA-cam dedicated to ripping into Doctor Who as an example of how SJWs are ruining everything and "Go woke go broke" etc. etc. I'll be the first to say that I think Chibnall's run has had significant problems but some of these channels are just looking for *any* excuse to hate on him and the show.
I'm currently trying to find a place to listen to all of the audio-only productions. Do one of the streaming services offer them (audible, spotify, etc) or are they only available on the big finish website? They seem quite pricey.
Happy new year, Nathaniel! Let me just reiderate, just for you as a special post christmas gift: I .... *LOVED* HELL BENT!! ;P
It´s honestly been climbing up my top 3 list by now.....
But it´s ok, I´m weird in a lot of other ways, too....
Your comment about the second TARDIS with the working chameleon reminds me of a short story in the old Doctor Who magazine in the 90s. It was mainly a conversation between the Doctor's TARDIS and a type 81 time capsule, new and in perfect working order. The Time Lords were offering the Doctor the chance to upgrade to a better model. The Doctor thanked them, but stuck with his. The TARDIS is not just his vessel; it's his longest friend.
Honestly, I think this is the most I have enjoyed a Doctor Who episode in a VERY long time. Now something to factor in here: I'm more of a fan of the villains than I am the protagonists in Doctor Who. The Daleks are my favourite, so if I get a good Dalek story, I'm chuffed to bits, and this was BY FAR the best Dalek story since the Russell T Davies era.
It's not perfect, I found it to be very loosely written in a lot of areas, a lot of very convenient stuff in there...but...my main gripe was that the episode just flew by. There was a lot here that I loved that I'd like to see more of. It's a huge amount of fun, I love what Chris Chibnall is doing with the Daleks and how much fun he seems to have with them. I really hope to see more Dalek stories from him in the future. Heck, can we have Dalek stories more often? Maybe a two-parter? If they're good, then keep them coming!
It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed an episode of Doctor Who like this. Great episode, I hope they’ll keep this up.
The “No one likes experts” line wasn’t a Trump thing, it was a reference to U.K. Minister (and all round disgrace of a human being) Michael Gove who said “We’ve all had enough of experts” during the Brexit campaign (where he was dismissing as nonsense an expert who accurately described what Brexit would look like and mean).
14:31 River did escape on her own a few times, but I always got the impression that she was on good terms with her jailers (of course she is, it's River) so it was easier. Cleverly, we never meet 13's jailers, so she can't talk her way out of it as she usually would.
You know that scene in WALL-E where all the robots in need of repair escape? I kinda wanted that with the P'ting and alike. Ah, well.
also the lipstick sees used that a few times
Doctor who concept. Graham and Ryan stay on earth and fight aliens and set up their own organisation similar to like UNIT or Torchwood called
Group
Resisting
Aliens
Conquering
Earth.
GRACE
The acronym is too good to let go, but I really dont think ryan and Graham can lead a series
@@mattlord97 no i didnt mean make it into a series. Like UNIT never got its own series but like a mention in passing in the future. I jist like the idea of them both fighing in Grace's memory. She meant so much to both of them. It would be a lovely tribute.
@@lucypreece7581 definitely agree!
I personally really enjoyed it, had some issues with a few clunky lines here and there. Overall though? It was really fun! I SO hope I still think this looking back in the future and it's not rose-tinted glasses.
Maybe they were yaz-tinted glasses?
13th Doctor saying hi to all of her prison mates was my favorite part, I especially loved the Silence joke
and angela getting a shot similar to those in blink that was great
@@jmurray1110 Haha yeah, love that the 13th Doctor gives names to all her crewmates and is just super friendly to all of them, it's so in character
What jack meant by you don’t get to choose was you don’t get to choose the circumstances that drive you away from the doctor. Like a life always gets in the way sort of thing(i think )
My biggest problem was that extra TARDIS. Haven't we established that they are sentient, so The Doctor ordering one to self destruct.....
I wish they had even addressed it.
I just want to point out two things that bugged me: 1) When Robertson said to the OG Daleks he had information, they should have just sucked it out his brain. If they didn't want to kill him off, then just don't have the betrayal, and find another way for the Daleks to find the Doctor. 2) TARDIS' are sentient creatures, and the Doctor killed one.
Just needed to get those off my chest.
24:00 I think the reason the Doctor chose to bring Robertson was so she could keep an eye on him. You said he’s nothing but trouble, so she probably would rather he caused trouble with her than somewhere else where she can’t fix it quickly
Certainly! As soon as she left him there, he would have phoned contacts in Osaka to ask them about this.
At they point they took Robertson with them they still thought he was the one behind the Dalek plot and were hoping to confront him with that.
Agreed!! It was an absolute joy to watch this episode! So enjoyable (not perfect but lots of fun) :D
The difference between the dalek from "dalek" and every other instance of dalek genocide is that the dalek from dalek had developed empathy and remorse, the ones the doctor has killed havent
There we go. Thoughts exactly. My only addition is that Yaz just hit my heart. She was so important in this episode. Wish we could have talked about her reactions a bit more.
i loved this episode, i'm more than willing to forget all the nitpicky things cause it is a special, in the same way i give christmas specials a pass to just be fun. and honestly this would be pretty decent as a regular episode, so yeah, liked it a lot
It's been a recurring theme in Doctor Who that you don't pick and choose who you try to save and sometimes the people who survive are the ones who least deserve it (Flatline, for example). Robertson surviving and thriving feels appropriate to me.
Am always amused by Daleks forgetting how racist Daleks are...
I was just really confused at why the Fam were so pissy at the Doctor - yes, they’ve been thinking she’s dead for ten months, and there should be some anger there, but she immediately tells them that she was in SPACE PRISON! I know she doesn’t tell them that it’s been decades for her, but if I don’t hear from a friend for the better part of a year, and then they turn up and tell me they’ve been in prison on another part of the world, I’m going to be sympathetic!
I know what you mean but from their perspective she kind of could have returned at any time, and kind of let them down by being 10 months late. Sometimes it's not so easy to drop those feelings, even when you realise they're poorly founded
I thought the special was amazing. I really appreciated how they posted at the end that the Doctor will return. It was hopeful and reminded me of her post from right when the quarantines started. We were so scared and Jodi made that post as the Doctor, from her closet no less, to reassure us all. It was so beautiful and needed and then Doctor Who continued to give us new and amazing content for free to encourage us throughout the year and here they are again giving us encouragement.
It made sense to take Robertson to Osaka. At that point they still thought Robertson was deliberately working with the Daleks. They wanted to confront him with the evidence of his plot so they could find out what was going on. Turns out Robertson knew nothing about it, but they didn't know that at the time...