I think a clock on the screen, as you suggest, would have helped immensely, and would have been so simple to do. The novelty of this time loop episode, compared to most, is that the loop is shrinking and has a definite end, but you don't really feel it. Most time loop episodes have the characters go through many, many times and exhaust nearly every possibility before coming up with a solution. Not here.
The idea of a timeloop happening again and again but being slightly closer to the end was explored far better in agents of shield I feel. You don't realise it's happening until about halfway through the episode (though there are hints if you go back and rewatch), and about several hundred loops in...
But the thing is the end time loop was longer they said it was shorter but if you worked jt out it would have been longer as every action would have taken them a specific amount of time say running from the hallway to downstairs
It's great you mention that, because the scene with the doctor and Yaz running things down the corridor was when my suspension of disbelief finally couldnt take it. The rest of the time, I thought "maybe the gatling gun is just less accurate at longer ranges", but in a narrow corridor in a straight line? Come on.
All things considering, I thought Eve was a very enjoyable special. Not the best…but definitely more watchable than some of Chris’ other outings. I’ll go 7 out of 10🙂
The thing about Chibnall, a supposedly professional writer, is that absolutely EVERYTHING he does is open to obvious improvements. He writes like a 13 yr old fan. He's just a dreadful hack and this was too flawed to enjoy, again.
"But the thirteenth doctor felt so odd in this situation." Not odd, wishywashy, which her charater has been for the entirety of the last three seasons.
It was an ok special, glad that they didn’t do the clichéd kiss with the fireworks. Sarah and nicks relationship actually felt like it had some solid ground to it, since psychologically relationships whose first dates involve a shared trauma do have a pretty solid base rock to build on.
I think this episode is one of the only one of jodies episodes I’ve actually wanted to watch again by the end. For me it was great to see the Daleks actually being a threat, yes the timeline reset every time but for the first time in a very long time a small group of daleks actually were somewhat threatening instead of the Moffat era trope of having a huge army of daleks present in the episode but never actually killing anyone or maybe only one or two people. As for the Gatling gun design I wasn’t a fan at first but felt it was justified by seeing the incredible speed a which a single dalek could take out multiple people. Not to mention some of the deaths weren’t preceded by the daleks giving exposition some were just no talking and all shooting and some tormenting the victims, which I felt did give the daleks some of that threatening aura back. Not giving the victims time to talk their way out. Of course they did do this at some points in the episode and had stormtrooper aim but at least for some of the episode these daleks gave me series 1/2 vibes.
@@trav1369 Her era may be a lower point in the show overall, but it can't be denied that there have been some real standout episodes in her era that have a place among the greats as well.
I enjoyed it. I liked the character development of Aisling's character which I thought was handled well in such a short time. Some of the cheesy dialog actually made me smile "Daleks do not have managers", "Daleks are never sorry" and I groaned and laughed equally at "Ex-terminated". I wonder if the whole of that aspect of Nick's story was done to allow for that terrible but hilarious pun. I agree the strategy was not clear, I was not sure what the decoy loop actually achieved. By far the biggest problem to me was the fact they kept saying they had minutes, time was running out etc and yet they kept pausing in their tasks to hold forth about their lives and aspirations. On the whole an enjoyable Special 7/10. As for the romance. For such a wise character, ancient and universe trotting individual, the doctor seems 'unaware' of the feelings some of the companions develop for her; its safer and avoids the eventual heartache. I think Dan is the first companion to see through this. I have read people saying they wanted Yaz to have some time as the doctors only companion but I think the addition of Dan (a kindly friend with an outside perspective) was genius. In two sentences he has advanced the whole Doctor/Yaz thing more than in any of the previous 3 series.
Yes, the sonic screwdriver overuse was something I thought way too much part of the plot. In fact it seems it's actually replaced the Doctors brain. No working out a problem, now just wave a sonic screwdriver at it!
Awesome review! I recently got into reviewing and this episode was my first! I am glad you brought up the School Reunion line too regarding Thasmin! Awesome review as always! 😍😍🤩💖
Agree with your points. I wish they’d done more with The TARDIS. When it cracked up I would have loved that the reset had broken time a little so that when they opened rooms in the storage place they led to different eras. Maybe a call back to that tunnel guy. Or a door leading to The Grand Serpent escaping or something.
Tonight’s Doctor Who may have been the best self contained episode of Jodie’s run that Chibnall wrote himself. Jodie’s most quotable speech of her entire run in here too. Why couldn’t Chris have done episodes like this sooner when left alone? I’m not saying it’s an instant classic, but it’s the strongest he’s been I feel for a standalone story. Also, Nick Briggs saying he’s not Nick is Doctor Who moment of the year… as in 2022, I doubt it’ll be topped… 😹
he's a hack that's why her couldn't/didn't write better episodes. his entire era has been an era that's been more about the message than getting good entertainment out. the message they were trying to get out is one not one single fan wanted or deserved to hear nor should have heard.
@@tommytingtong bad writing but not acting. Jodie Whittaker is an amazing actor it's just Chibnall's bad writing that gives her nothing good to work with in the first place
you give yourself much more time to explain your position (or rather I purposefully limit myself in my own reviews lol), but we appear to be in sync - heck we even both mentioned Mummy on the Orient Express ;)
A general rule I feel should be followed with the Daleks is if they shoot at you, you are dead. That's part of what makes them so terrifying and when it's not followed they become a lot less threatening. Also it doesn't really make sense when they miss. The Daleks are a race of genetically enhanced soldiers who are incredibly smart and can scan things in seconds. They also likely use mouse and keyboard, so there's no reason for them to miss. The one time I would allow it would be the moment when he ducks as that was a pretty cool moment.
There was a moment where The Doctor, Yaz, Dan and the two others were in all in a corridor with a Dalek or Daleks shooting at them, and not a single one of them got hurt.
Yup, we seem to have lost the fear factor for Daleks - they're supposed to be deadly, unstoppable tanks. As portrayed in S01's "Dalek". There'd be no running around that one like a twat - midsection swivel, FWAP dead. Also, some Daleks don't mouse & keyboard, but they get aim assist so still no missed shots.
There was a couple of plot points and pieces of dialogue that really jarred with me during this episode and even on a re-watch: 1. Dan asking “What’s a Dalek?”: Dan knows what a Dalek is. In the episode with The Flux he was involved in the plan to break up the shield protecting earth. He was introduced to the species of The Daleks and so he should know who they are. It was obviously put in for people not familiar with the Daleks, but it made no sense Dan asking that question, particularly when The Doctor had to explain it again to Sarah & Max a couple of scenes later. 2. The gunk and multiple doors being explained as “Flux Debris”. It was a huge deal in The Flux as to why the Tardis was playing up and bleeding. The Doctor was generally puzzled. Fast forward to the start of the NYE episode and she’s all breezy and dismissive of it 3. Dan saying that The Doctor saved The Universe fed in to the idea that somehow the Flux was reversed at the end of The Flux, potentially with the Universe being restored. This is undone by the idea that the Dalek Defence Force still being wiped out. Chibnall introduced a universe changing (literally) event in The Flux and we need to know how much of that damage remains - with the next special taking place both in the past and on Earth, I doubt we will get clarity from it then
Something DW has in common, and has always back to the Hartnell days had in common, with many other shows is that the potentially massive consequences of one story rarely if ever carry over into subsequent stories and never has that been more on show than here. While Eve of the Daleks is itself not a bad story it follows on from the Flux where the whole point was that the Flux would have consequences - most of the Universe destroyed for a start- and those consequences are hand-waved away in a couple of lines of dialogue. I can accept that the Daleks weren’t all destroyed and they only sent their war fleet but Dan’s line about “she just saved the Universe” just isn’t true in the context of what went before. Most of the Universe was destroyed in the Flux? Oh no it wasn’t. All the weird stuff in the Tardis? Literally, and I do mean literally, reset now so we can ignore it. The massive problem with this episode isn’t actually from this episode. It’s that clearly all the consequences of the Flux are ignored and, on the evidence of this special, are going to continue to be ignored. I do like a time loop story though. (Incidentally if the Tardis was being reset, wouldn’t it be “to factory settings” - ie, back to Hartnell’s Tardis. Now that would have been fun.)
Thats the Problem with C.C. he can write good episodes, look at P.S. BUT especally since 12.7 he started throwing stuff in each episode and if felt like "this week we do that, next week we do that", but not for the sake of the show but his ego. "Im the greatest, look what i have done" With hartnell the show wasnt made to have have an impact on next week. It was "This time we meet Nero, next time Napoleon, Marco Polo after that. But the show at some point did reference it. The show started with "real" consequences around Toms eara. The Doctor was fighting bad guys for 10 years so they needed to adress it more often. As for this season. I have said it before. I never was so uninteressted in the overall plot. I mean why would i? We know Jodie stays until the 60th or close to it, so no problems for the Doctor. We know there is another season, so they cant destroy the universe, no consequences here. We know the BBC is looking for the 14th !! Doctor. So no consequences with C.C.s messing of the canon, so there was nothing of this "biggest story ever told" that could mean anything. Some episodes been pretty good, i liked Kevin McNally.... But there has to be a reason, why the BBC gave creative controll to RTD like they did in 2004. They didnt say it, but i guess behind the doors they are like "You saved the show before, please do it again." Tbh, his idea /cowritten by Moffatt, of the Time-War was pure gold, the way he connected classic storys could work this time too.
Exactly this. There were so many chances in this episode to at least comment on what had happened, more than "ah well, all sorted now, never mind." I also love the idea of the TARDIS being reset to Hartnell's, although Chibnall has already ruined that with the whole timeless child thing since we now know the doctor had the TARDIS before Hartnell (Ruth's TARDIS for example). Honestly by this point I just want RTD to come back and reckon the whole thing. I mean I would literally accept "and it was all just a dream" by this point.
@@edenvowles8225 yeah at this point i would be happy with rtd retconning the whole thing but, honestly, i dont think it'll happen because it might create tension between the writers if one just completely deletes 3 series of work from the other, not to mention ttc does actually open up for a lot of interesting character conflict that i think rtd could develop on far better than cc. I just hope he can actually make the "bold storyline" actually mean something to the characters and audience
Yes, I’d also put it at about 5.5, maybe a 6 out of ten. My groan count has risen sharply since Chibnall. Doctor Who has always been cringey, part of its charm, but some of his dialogue, plot directions, and the way some of it is delivered just gets under my skin. Also completely agree with how nobody knows who the 13th Doctor is, including Jodie. It’s not intentionally mysterious, as Chibnall has, mistakenly in my opinion, dropped a bombshell as regards her ‘true’ origins. It just seems to me that 13 has been written and acted a as generic ‘Doctor’, seeking to adopt the characteristics of those who’ve played the role before her without thinking properly about their place in the universe, motivations, conflicts, darker/lighter side to the character, etc.
Yaz's Mum asked her in _Arachnids in the UK_ if she and the Doctor were seeing each other. So she at least seems to be aware of Yaz's sexuality and have no issues with it.
Best performances for me were Aisling Bea and the wonderful Pauline McLynn (Mrs Doyle in Father Ted) only she could give such a great comedic performance over a video call to her daughter Sarah (Aisling Bea) some have said they played stereotypes,not one bit! I’m a Dubliner and sometimes when I’m out at the bars she’ll call me this is how the conversation usually goes “Hi mammy,what do you want,I’m trying to get drunk” Mammy: “ that’s grand son but have you got condoms” Me: “yes mammy but you’re Catholic you shouldn’t agree with such things are you going to tell Father Quigley that you’re encouraging me to use condoms” Mammy: “ Father Quigley can go and shove something up his “*@#%” anyway you’re gay and I shouldn’t approve of you but I do because I love you” Me: I love you too mammy,G’night” ❤️🇮🇪
Felt like there were no real stakes. I agree, the revelation of Yazz's feelings were the best part, but it felt a bit tacked-on, if only it were built up over several episodes the way Martha's romantic attraction to the Doctor was. It would be interesting if Yazz stays on even after the Doctor regenerates. What if 14 is a man, or a gay man?
I'm pretty sure the doctor is attracted to women looking at their record but yaz's feelings were rushed and also contradictory to one of the primary components of her identity
@@orangut4ng we all knew Yaz had feelings but the prospect of the doctor having those same feelings for Yaz absolutely came from nowhere. She’s spent the last three seasons shutting her out.
Am I the only one confused here? Like I sort of knew it was going this was between the Doctor and Yaz but there's literally zero sexual chemistry there, I don't understand it?
I don't know why they are looking to recast the Doctor; at this point the Sonic Screwdriver could go on adventures without her. All it needs is enthusiastic non-sequitors and deliver preachy rhetoric functions and the Doctor is pretty much redundant.
Assuming something doesn't happen to Yaz in the next two specials, I expect the relationship to play out very similarly to Time Of The Doctor/Deep Breath; I think Yaz is gonna feel betrayed by the Doctor's regeneration and it'll take a couple episodes for the spark to reignite. Part of me hopes Yaz lives at the end of the 3rd special, though, because I think a scene with her and the Doctor fully embracing their feelings for each other just as she regens could -- if executed properly -- be a very heartfelt scene.
I feel Yaz's love for the Doctor was done better than others in one particular way. With Yaz, it wasn't something that happened right away, or at least didn't show it was right away. It took time for the love to really be noticed and for the audience to get that confirmation. With other Modern Who companions, I felt they loved the Doctor right away. I especially feel that with Martha, who started pining after the Doctor in the second episode of her being a companion.
I completely agree! Their relationship is one of the most realistic in doctor who. They start off as friends, Yaz admires her a lot and loves to travel with her, and you can tell from over the seasons that she starts to look at Jodie different. It’s not love at first sight and falling for an attractive alien man (looking at you Martha, Amy and Clara), it’s falling in love with a best friend. I liked seeing Yaz getting more angry with the doctor in series 12 and 13 when the doctor shuts her out. Jodie and Mandip did a great job!
I respectfully disagree. It felt like it came completely out of left field to me. Heck, it seemed to come out of left field for Yaz. Lol. What was it she says? “I never told anyone. Not even myself.” Thinking on it…Maybe it’s the execution of the ‘reveal’ that rubs me the wrong way. It felt so…expositional to me.
@@cassandra.wladyslava I can see that point and and even partially agree. I don't actually think Yaz was the perfect example of love blossoming; I just like that she wasn't *instantly* in love with the Doctor and wish that were more common. One thing I didn't say, because I didn't know how to word it at the time, is that I felt there weren't enough sprinkles. The first time I feel it really shows Yaz has some sort of interest in the Doctor is in "Revolution of the Daleks," which was after two full series and only 7 episodes ago. It feels like it took too long for her to come to the realization and didn't give enough time to show it blossom. Part of me feels that's because Yaz was really underutilized overall. This is something I think the other companions had going for them. I do feel they were rushed a lot, but the stories still made sure to put a little bit of focus on the emotions the companions. As for the "I never told anyone, not even myself" line, I can't really put it into words for whatever reason, but I do personally understand it.
At least you saw rose's relationship grow with 9 and 10. There was literally 0 chemistry for the first 2 seasons, then they skip a year ahead and we see none of their relationship growing and all of a sudden she loves her. Don't know where you saw it grow at all.
Firstly apologies for commenting before I even watch your review, they're great by the way! I thought it was good myself, but I'm a sucker for a time loop story and I listen to far too much Big Finish.
I'm often a little critical when creators say they're going to offer suggestions on how to improve a story, but I have to say your ideas were super insightful and would have improved the story with seemingly little effort. Focussing more on the minutes and deaths in the way you describe would have really ramped up the tension. Great video, again, I'm so glad I subbed. Props for the quick release too! Happy New Year 🤠
Thank you for the balanced critique. I think you hit the nail on the head with the whole chibnal era. It’s not that it’s actively bad. There are things to appreciate, but the ideas are always better than the execution. It became aggressively average sci-fi. ‘It takes you away’ could have been a heart breaking meditation on grief and loss, but chibnal added a B and C storyline, and that is his writing style. He adds more for the sake of having more. What would be ideal for the final specials is if he pitches an idea and a good competent writer, they go off to make it, then he doesn’t touch the script. But I’m pretty sure the final specials are going to be more of what we got: good idea, maybe even a brilliant idea, blandly executed.
So, where did these Daleks come from? Were they not wiped out by the flux? Another throw away plot point. I think we should call these dangling plot points Chibblits.
That plot point was explicitly addressed in the script, when it was clarified that only the Dalek Invasion Fleet was wiped out by the Flux, but Dalek high command (among others?) survived.
@@jonnaughton Yea but the whole universe except the earth is wiped out of existence by the flux at the end, so where those other Daleks were at the time, to survive the flux? And how they survived? And where they are hiding now, that the universe does not exist anymore?
@@TheMetalOverlord I don't recall it was stated that ALL the Universe apart from Earth had been obliterated. The Flux had consumed large parts of the Universe, but by no means all of it, as far as I'm aware.
I enjoyed the episode, it’s one of Chibnall’s better episodes. But it was pretty run of the mill, this would have just been a standard mid season episode during the run of any other show runner since 2005, not a tent pole Christmas special. Kind of says it all about the standard of his time as showrunner.
Showing that quote of Tennant explain why relationships with him wouldn't work just massively highlights the difference in writing quality now. All we get today is "You know she likes yah, don't you?"
It actually was slightly suggested that the TARDIS may have deliberately orchestrated the situation, or altered it in some way. The Doctor says to the TARDIS near the end "thanks for looking out for us, if you were." Meaning it did cross the Doctors mind, that the TARDIS had a hand in the events.
I find myself agreeing with you a lot about this episode, so thanks for putting words where I couldn't find some 😊 I wish you'd given us for thoughts and feelings on the return of the Sea Devils though 🙂
I liked this episode a lot more than last New Years Day episode where it starred the Daleks for a whole 20 seconds. But I did think throughout the episode that a Dalek with a gattling gun was kind of redundant when a regular Dalek is deadly enough with their little pea shooter. Especially when it was incredibly inaccurate when the plot called for it. Also, I like the classification "Executioner Daleks", it really helps set them apart from the usually happy and fun loving Daleks.
Have Stormtroopers missed shots while their targets ran down a straight and empty corridor like the Dalek here? Also I'm surprised the Daleks weren't painted white because - like Stormtroopers - white Daleks have always had terrible aim, from Imperial Daleks in Remembrance to the Supreme Dalek of the short lived Paradigm. The only exception being the Special Weapons Dalek.
The accuracy this episode was awful. I made a comment at the start that they could only ever hit a target with a fucking gatling gun if it was stood still in front of them and that held for the entire episode... Dan running around the dalek completely fine then just deciding to stand still after they'd chatted for a bit was so dumb. The bit where one dalek was chasing 5 of them down a TIGHT corridor, firing 40 I think I counted shots and ALL of them missing was just ridiculous. Why give them rapid fire weapons if they can't use them to save their lives?
Did anyone else pick up on the blink and you will miss it Easter egg? The guy watching the fireworks at the station and snapping pics with his phone was Karl the crane operator from "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", played by Jonny Dixon.
I am STRONGLY against Doctor romance stories. There have been one or two exceptions (madam Du’Pompador and River), but those were Classic doomed romances from the beginning. The idea of the Doctor and Yaz… To put this in context I’m an old school Buffy fan and my favourite relationship there was Willow and Tara. The two of them discover each other and then themselves. Through that they grow. It’s amazing to watch happen. The Doctor and Yaz does not have that. It feels like a box ticking exercise (even if it’s not). There is something forced in it. It’s certainly much needed character development for Yaz, but not much else. It doesn’t ring true, it’s something that was mentioned back in series 11 on tumbr and hastily thrown together at the last minute (with only two adventures to go no less). Love is love, but this?
Could've been better, but honestly it was one of the best of the 13 era, definitely top 5. But I do agree that they could've upped the horror angle. At least Dan got some decent utilization
NO we are not going to cease calling out egregious box ticking when we see it. like i said under kareokekids post NOTHING chibs does for this show deserves anything above a -1/10.
Interestingly I predicted a time loop as soon as the two guest characters were killed off, but I expected it to be Swarm and Azure's time loop running down, oh well! It was a reasonable story, didn't like the interactions between the two guest characters but I can get over that, don't think it needed the daleks to remember to work & having them remember on the loop with the cross fire, would raise the stakes at a late stage. I love your idea of the death countdown. I think we should have had Jeff die in the first or second loop, to show the consequences, which wouldn't change the story.
"...She's not entirely sure what she's doing..." - Well said. She's been clueless from day one. Everything she says boils down to "er, I'm not sure...I dunno."
I quit Doctor Who around Capaldi's last season, then came back and watched that. I didn't like the heavy-handed messages, but I could get through it. But the first season for the Thirteenth was just too clunky on a narrative level. I remember thinking how incredibly utilitarian the scene progressions felt. It was very much a case of 'this is an action scene' and 'this is a scene to talk about feelings' with a very unnatural flow that took me right out of the show. Haven't been back since, only been watching reviews, including yours, and I am quite excited to see RTD back at the helm. Will it be good? Only time can tell. But I'm at least feeling a bit hopeful again.
I had a lot of fun with this episode as a knockabout comedy lark with some great running gags and the cast and crew clearly having a lot of fun. It was a lot more straightforward in structure than usual with one central mechanic given room to breathe without needing loads of technobabble and lore, and the Daleks were played up as straight-men who weren't in on the joke. There's definitely a case to be made though that the time-loop is probably not the best idea to do straight-up sci-fi comedy with as it has so much more potential than that which wasn't exploited. So yes, on the one hand a fun romp in the spirit and vein of The Chase and The Space Museum. On the other, it cribs from The Chase and The Space Museum.
Mr. Chibnell is an ideas man, but has difficulty turning those ideas into the full episode. He needs an old fashioned Script Editor. Imagine what Eve of the Daleks would have been like if Robert Holmes had script edited it.
I'm glad I have been fully vindicated that the sonic screwdriver is basically a sci-fi magic wand that could disable any standard Dalek gun. I got told by so many people "The screwdriver only blocked the recon Dalek's gun in Resolution because it wasn't fully synchronized with its casing!!!!" and yet in this story its just flat outright said it can to ANY standard gun stick so the Daleks upgraded their weaponry (which I like a lot tbh)
I enjoyed most of the episode but, like you, feel the countdown clock would have made things easier to track. I couldn’t figure out how they came up with the time of death revelation…. The reveal of Yaz loving the Doctor was an “Ugghh” moment for me… another companion in love with the Doctor….
Tbh I did enjoy the episode but I'm gonna nitpick something that really annoys me: my biggest problem is the fact that the amount of time happening in the episode never lined up with the amount of time happening on screen. Like the time it really stood out was the loop that started at 23:55, Sarah says that she needs to save Nick because he does not survive past 23:55, but then we get a two minute scene where she confesses her feelings about him to the Doctor and the Doctor convinces her to stay in reception while she goes and gets Nick (who should already be dead because it'll now be 23:57), then we get a minute scene scene where Nick encounters the Daleks and the Doctor catches up with him, then she takes him back to reception where they have a three minute talk/planning session about what they are gonna do. Now that might seem fine, assuming there is some overlap between the first talk scene and the Nick scene, it's not unreasonable for six minutes of screen time to represent five minutes of in-episode time. But, that's not the problem, the issue is in the first loop, when Sarah's mum calls her, she says that it's four minutes till midnight, so the call happens at 23:56, one minute after the 23:55 loop starts. So when does the call happen? After five minutes into a five minute loop, Sarah's mum calls her four minutes till midnight at what should be midnight. So you're telling me that five minutes of screen time actually represents one minute of in-episode time. C'mon... It's even worse when you remember that they never make it to midnight except for the last one, so they actually have less time A couple of the loops are like this, the 23:54 one lasts ten minutes, and the final loop that starts at 23:59, the "super important that we work quickly cuz we only got one minute" loop lasts three minutes (it's even worse when you consider that they never make it to midnight except for the last one, so they actually have less time). Again, this is just a nitpick and it is annoying me more than it really should, and ordinarily it wouldn't, but when you put so much emphasis on having so little time and giving us exact minutes as references, it's cheating to then give the characters more time than they actually have.
You’re nitpick is absolutely on point. It got to the stage where I just couldn’t take the episode seriously, the last minute was more like 2 minutes. For me, the nitpick was that realised it was a loop straight away. I would have been more convinced if it took them three times at least to realise it.
Yaz and the Doctor is a ✅ boxing exercise! Chibnall had three seasons with over 30 episodes to develop this relationship. THIRTY EPISODES! He didn’t. Why? The only explanations are is that it he considered it way back in Arachnids in the Uk but then decided against it. He then saw the shipping on social media and only then decided to make a thing of it in Jodie’s last few episodes. Truly xxxx poor writing, xxxx poor planning and xxxx poor execution. The fact that this was the main talking point of Eve of the Daleks says more about that episode than any in-depth review could . There is a reason that this got the lowest overnights for a Special ever. 3.2 Million tells us the public don’t care about this stuff. They want exciting stories. Over to you, RTD!
I think you hit the nail on the head about the 13th character. I do think she is deliberately unconfident at times, very emotional (which she does her best to avoid and manage), elusive. But it doesn't quite come across properly somehow.
Thanks for getting this out so quickly. A lot of good points, but it is on at 7pm on New Year's Day and is always going to try and appeal to that audience.
Thanks! I throughly enjoyed the assessment and you justified your points well! My only knit-picking is please, PLEASE let us pick from 10 options if it is one to ten. I think for most people the differences 6, 7 or 8 is pretty big. Also, otherwise it s one to five with a improper paint job! Otherwise keep up the good work.
I thought it was okay. Doctor Who is usually best enjoyed if you don't think too much, and I just switched my brain off and went with this one. Two things took me out of the story: the weirdly set Dan and Yaz heart-to-heart at a moment when they had far more pressing things to think about; and the Dalek waiting patiently outside the storage unit instead of just ramming that really flimsy door. I liked the way they addressed the problem of the companions having nothing to do by having Yaz and Sarah both complaining about it. Is this supposed to be one of 13's character traits, or is it a sign that Chibnall is becoming sentient and self-aware? In my head, Dan is genuinely trying to do the right thing in getting Yaz and the Doctor to admit their feelings for each other, but is blithely unaware of the "School Reunion" issues. What is Yaz going to do if she finally comes out, only for the Doctor to regenerate into a man? It feels like somebody needs to sit down with Dan and explain Time Lords to him.
The doctor would have regenerated every time she was killed, and so we should have seen like 10 new doctors this episode. Instead we got nothing because Chibnal didn't think it through.
The problem with the time loop concept in something like this is that they don't get enough loops to flesh stuff out. That'll be why the loop itself was about 10 mins in their time, so the episode could squeeze in as many as possible. Which is also why while I like your idea of "you have to survive your death time to make it to the next loop", giving the loop a few mins to allow characters to move from their starting spots, it would have been tantamount to bumping one of every minute or less. As for The Doc and Yaz, I think this is heading for a kiss just prior to the regeneration. That would be the "television" thing to do. Dunno if there's any word on Yaz hanging around after the regen, but it would be interesting to explore. Doubt it will though. Clean slate and all that...
Another great review. What puzzled me about this 'Special' was, why didn't the Doctor start regenerating after each death.... ?and that death looks quite painful... would't the ensemble be terrified about the pain about to be inflicted on them? I remember Tom from 'Tom and Jerry' having more emotional catharsis than this lot, and he just-got hit on the head with a frying pan!
I really loved it. 8/10. Things that brought it down for me was Jodie’s speech needed another once over and smoothened out . I wish there was scene between Jodie and Yaz about their feelings or something. We only have two more episodes left before she regenerates.
It was nice. Aisling alone made sure that it didn't suck, but while I found this special to be above average, which is rather good for Chibnall, I still wonder what happens to all the stuff that happened during the Flux. At least they mentioned some of the things, yet nothing has been resolved. We have two specials left and the trailer for the next one doesn't look like it will do much for the resolution of the Timeless Child, Master, etc stuff. I am "beginning" to think that Chibnall has moved on from that, which would be even worse.
I went into it just expecting a fun romp, so I wasn't disappointed. But I did get hooked up with who that guy was at the end. Was that Jeff or what ever that other guys name was? And why was he there watching?
I agree with all your observations. I enjoyed this,but it was just fine. Mainly because the things you highlight are what was missing from moving the story from ok to great. A lot of it was played for comedy, which is OK, but squandered the horror setting. And the idea of people dying at particular times didn't seem to go anywhere. And then I got a bit confused about where they were in the building and why. I think Aisling was the star here, she can turn any dreary setting or scene into a lightning one.
First Time Watcher. Great vid. Please do a Davison and destroy the Sonic next year. It's becoming way too convenient. Come up with a new idea like psychic paper.
Is it glaringly obvious, the Doctor will regenerate just as feelings are discussed and break Yaz's heart because those feelings disappear with the 14th.
Nailed it. Watched it on a hot Sunday afternoon in Australia and fully enjoyed the show. But, when you analyse it it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Really does sum up the Chibnall era and further frustrates me the Jody isn’t staying on with another Showrunner. So confident she could be truly great if she could he handled correctly.
The doctor barely knows how to fly the tardis (half the time the tardis does the driving), so I can see her not really knowing what the reset would do, they aren't an expert on tardis'. Also I think that the time loop was more the tardis willingly doing something to help the doctor.
Yaz and the Doctor's feelings for each other have been hinted at for some time with all the subtlety of a fog horn. The double bed in the Tardis control room (S13,E01) was a bit of a giveaway... For the hard-of-thinking - at the start of that episode it is implied that Yaz and the Doctor have been off adventuring together for some time. They are the *only* people on the Tardis. The bed has clearly been slept in. We know that the Tardis is large with crew cabins/staterooms and even a library and swimming pool so why put a bed for two in the control room unless you want real quick access to one? Even if they aren't as Barry White might say "in lurve", it's obvious they have been sleeping together.
Time Lords are notoriously difficult to kill. Why didn't the Doctor start to regenerate after being exterminated? Daleks have also been shown to be difficult to kill. What became of the Dalek remains after the building collapsed? Why is it in Chibnall's Doctor Who that every time the Daleks turn up NO-ONE has heard of them?!? I haven't watched mainstream British TV for many years so I have no idea what other shows the actors in Doctor Who have appeared in. Judging by their performances in this episode I have to say that for the most part the Daleks displayed more personality than anyone else. Nice to see the Sea Devils will be making a reappearance!
What I find crazy is there sitting in the reception area and waiting for the daleks to show up and then suddenly 3 daleks show up they could have escaped by then if they didn’t have to listen to the drs diatribe. With the time loop going on there was actually more time with each time loop not less . As it would take them time to run around corridors, It is not determined that all the daleks are killed as there is only two or three. By destroying the building . By destroying the building it assumes that all the daleks are in the building. it does not determine whether the daleks have beamed in from a ship or that why they are purely in that building. If the daleks can just beam in from anywhere and knew the time loop they would just simply beam outside the tardis and kill the dr over and over again. As how would the daleks know that the dr is going to be there. There is still the whole question of how much the flux has destroyed the universe as resetting the tardis does not restore the universe.
Great review as ever, think I liked this episode a little more then you, it reminder me of the David tenant easter special, disposable but fun while it was on. That may because I'm a general fan of time loop content though. I hope we get more personal justification for Yaz falling in love with the doctor, I've felt throughout jodies run her relationship to all the companions has been more cold and distant then almost any previous pairings, she's never had that speech declaring her love for humanity and most of her interactions with Yaz all of last season and into the specials seems to be "stay behind and do as your told you don't get what's going on here"
As a casual viewer, I really did enjoy this episode. it was a bit more light hearted despite all the well, dying, and I feel like we needed that after flux being pretty heavy. I didn't realise how invested I was in thasmin until yesterday and dan is a sweetheart who should be protected. Also, I feel like I should be concerned what time this was uploaded - please look after yourself!
Think you're spot on, this ep is mix of some great moments and then more boring stuff. And that Yaz line probably the best line Chibb's written for the show, very nuanced for him. And well acted by Mandeep.
I actually think this would have been better as a doctor light episode. Sarah and nick were definitely the best part of this, along with Dan and Yaz. Leave the doctor in the tardis. She was the worst part of this. The sonic and the obnoxious rudeness to everyone was just really unpleasant. Plus, there were at least two of the loops where she wasted most of it talking about nothing, just standing in one room. Why not let the companions have those conversations on the move when running? Rather than just stood around again being expositioned at by 13. Have the conversation with Dan and Yaz when they’re separated from the doctor for the episode. Let Yaz be the doctor figure - she’s met the daleks before. We saw Sarah work out the time moving forward with the phone visuals, but then the doctor just explained it to us in a massive rambling speech. This was one the best doctor who concepts in years - and it was just made messy and frustrating by the 13th doctor.
Another thing that I think is holding 13 back with yaz. The doctor could literally be someone else tomorrow or the next day. Someone yaz may struggle to bond with but someone who could completely feel differently towards yaz. We saw it with Clara. 11 playfully flirting with her then all of sudden.. "I'm not your boyfriend, I don't want any of that nonsense I don't even see you as a woman anymore" it's so complete for the doctor.
It was ok, not great but I wasn’t expecting much of it. Im pleased with what we got, but it did feel a bit rough. However im optimistic as the sea devils are returning!
On an unrelated to this episode note, I think Chinballs has done so much damage now to the continuity of this show that I'm actually glad he left a hook that RTD can use as a 'get out of the Chinballs era - mostly - free card' with the secondary universe. I'm hoping that it turns out that when 12 regenerated into 13 and things went haywire, she actually landed in another universe somehow and that 14 finds a way back into the 'prime' universe where the whole Timeless Child thing wasn't true of our Doctor. Would have to accept a bit of hand waving but I'm game.
3:32 just watched the entire run of the 7th doctor and I don't think I saw him use the sonic screwdriver one time. Similarly, they use psychic paper too much. In the classic series half of the fun was watching the doctor think on his feet to win someone's trust.
To be fair, the seventh Doctor didn't get a sonic screwdriver until the TV movie. It was written out in The Visitation out of recognition of its being overused as a deus ex machina and an excuse for lazy writing. It should have stayed dead.
@@throatgorge2 In the story The Visitation, the Terileptil leader shoots and destroys the "sonic device". I believe it was Eric Saward's idea as a shock moment for the audience, he thought the Doctor would just have a drawer full of sonic screwdrivers and simply pull out a new one. However it was decided, probably by JNT, to let it stay destroyed, as it was too convenient to use as a 'get out of jail free' device and its absence forced writers to be more creative. In the TV movie, McCoy simply has a new screwdriver, with no explanation of how (I'm sure there's hundreds of fan fiction books and comic strips exploring it in excruciating detail though). Neither he nor McGann waves it around like they're conducting a symphony orchestra.
I think a clock on the screen, as you suggest, would have helped immensely, and would have been so simple to do. The novelty of this time loop episode, compared to most, is that the loop is shrinking and has a definite end, but you don't really feel it. Most time loop episodes have the characters go through many, many times and exhaust nearly every possibility before coming up with a solution. Not here.
The idea of a timeloop happening again and again but being slightly closer to the end was explored far better in agents of shield I feel. You don't realise it's happening until about halfway through the episode (though there are hints if you go back and rewatch), and about several hundred loops in...
i felt the rush
But the thing is the end time loop was longer they said it was shorter but if you worked jt out it would have been longer as every action would have taken them a specific amount of time say running from the hallway to downstairs
Why do the Daleks aim like Stormtroopers at several times? How can a Dalek miss when 2 people are running down an empty corridor?
Especially with their enhanced shooters
But yes they do
It's great you mention that, because the scene with the doctor and Yaz running things down the corridor was when my suspension of disbelief finally couldnt take it. The rest of the time, I thought "maybe the gatling gun is just less accurate at longer ranges", but in a narrow corridor in a straight line? Come on.
This time they could really make their kills more accurate, killing when their are running, but no! that kind of make me mad lol
Completely agree. This just completely took my out of the episode.
Machine guns aren't as accurate as sniper rifles, maybe?
All things considering, I thought Eve was a very enjoyable special. Not the best…but definitely more watchable than some of Chris’ other outings. I’ll go 7 out of 10🙂
I agree, but for me the episode is solely save by the Sarah and Nick characters.
Would watch it again but not for the doctor, which is a shame.
4 out of 10 for me
nothing chibs does deserves anything above a -1 out of 10
To be fair, it wasn't written by Chris.
@@eliesh3833 it was. It literally said so in the title sequence.
True. In Remembrance of the Daleks, McCoy did detect "massive internal displacement" by just touching a soldier. I'd forgotten that.
The thing about Chibnall, a supposedly professional writer, is that absolutely EVERYTHING he does is open to obvious improvements. He writes like a 13 yr old fan. He's just a dreadful hack and this was too flawed to enjoy, again.
It's ironic that he appeared on TV as a teenager criticising Doctor Who's writing....karma, what goes around....
@@Neil070 haha after you told me that I had to look it up. You're not wrong!!
I can't believe that Chibs wrote an entire episode about running down corridors; run, die, repeat. And why didn't the Doctor regenerate?
"But the thirteenth doctor felt so odd in this situation." Not odd, wishywashy, which her charater has been for the entirety of the last three seasons.
It was an ok special, glad that they didn’t do the clichéd kiss with the fireworks. Sarah and nicks relationship actually felt like it had some solid ground to it, since psychologically relationships whose first dates involve a shared trauma do have a pretty solid base rock to build on.
I think this episode is one of the only one of jodies episodes I’ve actually wanted to watch again by the end. For me it was great to see the Daleks actually being a threat, yes the timeline reset every time but for the first time in a very long time a small group of daleks actually were somewhat threatening instead of the Moffat era trope of having a huge army of daleks present in the episode but never actually killing anyone or maybe only one or two people. As for the Gatling gun design I wasn’t a fan at first but felt it was justified by seeing the incredible speed a which a single dalek could take out multiple people. Not to mention some of the deaths weren’t preceded by the daleks giving exposition some were just no talking and all shooting and some tormenting the victims, which I felt did give the daleks some of that threatening aura back. Not giving the victims time to talk their way out. Of course they did do this at some points in the episode and had stormtrooper aim but at least for some of the episode these daleks gave me series 1/2 vibes.
Yeah I would say this was easily the best Whitaker episode to be honest. It was good fun
Can we just ignore 13 and act like she was never anything. Not like she is anyway roll on when she regenerates...
@@trav1369 Her era may be a lower point in the show overall, but it can't be denied that there have been some real standout episodes in her era that have a place among the greats as well.
What planet r ye on
@@BlueSparxLPs all's I see are shit episodes or ones that fuck up the history we all knew and loved
I enjoyed it. I liked the character development of Aisling's character which I thought was handled well in such a short time. Some of the cheesy dialog actually made me smile "Daleks do not have managers", "Daleks are never sorry" and I groaned and laughed equally at "Ex-terminated". I wonder if the whole of that aspect of Nick's story was done to allow for that terrible but hilarious pun. I agree the strategy was not clear, I was not sure what the decoy loop actually achieved. By far the biggest problem to me was the fact they kept saying they had minutes, time was running out etc and yet they kept pausing in their tasks to hold forth about their lives and aspirations. On the whole an enjoyable Special 7/10.
As for the romance. For such a wise character, ancient and universe trotting individual, the doctor seems 'unaware' of the feelings some of the companions develop for her; its safer and avoids the eventual heartache. I think Dan is the first companion to see through this. I have read people saying they wanted Yaz to have some time as the doctors only companion but I think the addition of Dan (a kindly friend with an outside perspective) was genius. In two sentences he has advanced the whole Doctor/Yaz thing more than in any of the previous 3 series.
Yes, the sonic screwdriver overuse was something I thought way too much part of the plot. In fact it seems it's actually replaced the Doctors brain. No working out a problem, now just wave a sonic screwdriver at it!
Gotta say Nick Briggs is an absolute legend. So many doctors, companions and writers have come and gone and he's been here for so long! amazing
One of the best bits was him saying, "I am not Nick." as a dalek ;)
Thanks, dude :)
Great stuff, many thanks, & happy new year.
I know that when you are again a happy bunny with da'Who I can start watching again
Awesome review! I recently got into reviewing and this episode was my first! I am glad you brought up the School Reunion line too regarding Thasmin! Awesome review as always! 😍😍🤩💖
Agree with your points. I wish they’d done more with The TARDIS. When it cracked up I would have loved that the reset had broken time a little so that when they opened rooms in the storage place they led to different eras. Maybe a call back to that tunnel guy. Or a door leading to The Grand Serpent escaping or something.
Tonight’s Doctor Who may have been the best self contained episode of Jodie’s run that Chibnall wrote himself. Jodie’s most quotable speech of her entire run in here too. Why couldn’t Chris have done episodes like this sooner when left alone? I’m not saying it’s an instant classic, but it’s the strongest he’s been I feel for a standalone story. Also, Nick Briggs saying he’s not Nick is Doctor Who moment of the year… as in 2022, I doubt it’ll be topped… 😹
he's a hack that's why her couldn't/didn't write better episodes. his entire era has been an era that's been more about the message than getting good entertainment out. the message they were trying to get out is one not one single fan wanted or deserved to hear nor should have heard.
@@joeespin4377 totally agree, pathetic writing and acting , end of …….
@@tommytingtong bad writing but not acting. Jodie Whittaker is an amazing actor it's just Chibnall's bad writing that gives her nothing good to work with in the first place
you give yourself much more time to explain your position (or rather I purposefully limit myself in my own reviews lol), but we appear to be in sync - heck we even both mentioned Mummy on the Orient Express ;)
A general rule I feel should be followed with the Daleks is if they shoot at you, you are dead. That's part of what makes them so terrifying and when it's not followed they become a lot less threatening. Also it doesn't really make sense when they miss. The Daleks are a race of genetically enhanced soldiers who are incredibly smart and can scan things in seconds. They also likely use mouse and keyboard, so there's no reason for them to miss. The one time I would allow it would be the moment when he ducks as that was a pretty cool moment.
There was a moment where The Doctor, Yaz, Dan and the two others were in all in a corridor with a Dalek or Daleks shooting at them, and not a single one of them got hurt.
Yup, we seem to have lost the fear factor for Daleks - they're supposed to be deadly, unstoppable tanks. As portrayed in S01's "Dalek". There'd be no running around that one like a twat - midsection swivel, FWAP dead. Also, some Daleks don't mouse & keyboard, but they get aim assist so still no missed shots.
There was a couple of plot points and pieces of dialogue that really jarred with me during this episode and even on a re-watch:
1. Dan asking “What’s a Dalek?”: Dan knows what a Dalek is. In the episode with The Flux he was involved in the plan to break up the shield protecting earth. He was introduced to the species of The Daleks and so he should know who they are. It was obviously put in for people not familiar with the Daleks, but it made no sense Dan asking that question, particularly when The Doctor had to explain it again to Sarah & Max a couple of scenes later.
2. The gunk and multiple doors being explained as “Flux Debris”. It was a huge deal in The Flux as to why the Tardis was playing up and bleeding. The Doctor was generally puzzled. Fast forward to the start of the NYE episode and she’s all breezy and dismissive of it
3. Dan saying that The Doctor saved The Universe fed in to the idea that somehow the Flux was reversed at the end of The Flux, potentially with the Universe being restored. This is undone by the idea that the Dalek Defence Force still being wiped out. Chibnall introduced a universe changing (literally) event in The Flux and we need to know how much of that damage remains - with the next special taking place both in the past and on Earth, I doubt we will get clarity from it then
Something DW has in common, and has always back to the Hartnell days had in common, with many other shows is that the potentially massive consequences of one story rarely if ever carry over into subsequent stories and never has that been more on show than here. While Eve of the Daleks is itself not a bad story it follows on from the Flux where the whole point was that the Flux would have consequences - most of the Universe destroyed for a start- and those consequences are hand-waved away in a couple of lines of dialogue. I can accept that the Daleks weren’t all destroyed and they only sent their war fleet but Dan’s line about “she just saved the Universe” just isn’t true in the context of what went before. Most of the Universe was destroyed in the Flux? Oh no it wasn’t. All the weird stuff in the Tardis? Literally, and I do mean literally, reset now so we can ignore it. The massive problem with this episode isn’t actually from this episode. It’s that clearly all the consequences of the Flux are ignored and, on the evidence of this special, are going to continue to be ignored. I do like a time loop story though. (Incidentally if the Tardis was being reset, wouldn’t it be “to factory settings” - ie, back to Hartnell’s Tardis. Now that would have been fun.)
Thats the Problem with C.C. he can write good episodes, look at P.S. BUT especally since 12.7 he started throwing stuff in each episode and if felt like "this week we do that, next week we do that", but not for the sake of the show but his ego. "Im the greatest, look what i have done"
With hartnell the show wasnt made to have have an impact on next week. It was "This time we meet Nero, next time Napoleon, Marco Polo after that. But the show at some point did reference it. The show started with "real" consequences around Toms eara. The Doctor was fighting bad guys for 10 years so they needed to adress it more often.
As for this season. I have said it before. I never was so uninteressted in the overall plot. I mean why would i? We know Jodie stays until the 60th or close to it, so no problems for the Doctor. We know there is another season, so they cant destroy the universe, no consequences here. We know the BBC is looking for the 14th !! Doctor. So no consequences with C.C.s messing of the canon, so there was nothing of this "biggest story ever told" that could mean anything.
Some episodes been pretty good, i liked Kevin McNally....
But there has to be a reason, why the BBC gave creative controll to RTD like they did in 2004. They didnt say it, but i guess behind the doors they are like "You saved the show before, please do it again." Tbh, his idea /cowritten by Moffatt, of the Time-War was pure gold, the way he connected classic storys could work this time too.
In RTD’s days stuff actually had impact
@@obiwankenobi687 well that what i said, and he went back to classic Who, and his Time War lasted until Capaldi and also Big Finish
Exactly this. There were so many chances in this episode to at least comment on what had happened, more than "ah well, all sorted now, never mind." I also love the idea of the TARDIS being reset to Hartnell's, although Chibnall has already ruined that with the whole timeless child thing since we now know the doctor had the TARDIS before Hartnell (Ruth's TARDIS for example). Honestly by this point I just want RTD to come back and reckon the whole thing. I mean I would literally accept "and it was all just a dream" by this point.
@@edenvowles8225 yeah at this point i would be happy with rtd retconning the whole thing but, honestly, i dont think it'll happen because it might create tension between the writers if one just completely deletes 3 series of work from the other, not to mention ttc does actually open up for a lot of interesting character conflict that i think rtd could develop on far better than cc. I just hope he can actually make the "bold storyline" actually mean something to the characters and audience
Yes, I’d also put it at about 5.5, maybe a 6 out of ten. My groan count has risen sharply since Chibnall. Doctor Who has always been cringey, part of its charm, but some of his dialogue, plot directions, and the way some of it is delivered just gets under my skin.
Also completely agree with how nobody knows who the 13th Doctor is, including Jodie.
It’s not intentionally mysterious, as Chibnall has, mistakenly in my opinion, dropped a bombshell as regards her ‘true’ origins.
It just seems to me that 13 has been written and acted a as generic ‘Doctor’, seeking to adopt the characteristics of those who’ve played the role before her without thinking properly about their place in the universe, motivations, conflicts, darker/lighter side to the character, etc.
Yaz's Mum asked her in _Arachnids in the UK_ if she and the Doctor were seeing each other. So she at least seems to be aware of Yaz's sexuality and have no issues with it.
I feel like what's gonna happen between Yaz and the Doctor is that they're going to have that big moment together and then BOOM, regeneration event
Best performances for me were Aisling Bea and the wonderful Pauline McLynn (Mrs Doyle in Father Ted) only she could give such a great comedic performance over a video call to her daughter Sarah (Aisling Bea) some have said they played stereotypes,not one bit! I’m a Dubliner and sometimes when I’m out at the bars she’ll call me this is how the conversation usually goes
“Hi mammy,what do you want,I’m trying to get drunk”
Mammy: “ that’s grand son but have you got condoms”
Me: “yes mammy but you’re Catholic you shouldn’t agree with such things are you going to tell Father Quigley that you’re encouraging me to use condoms”
Mammy: “ Father Quigley can go and shove something up his “*@#%” anyway you’re gay and I shouldn’t approve of you but I do because I love you”
Me: I love you too mammy,G’night” ❤️🇮🇪
im a dubiner too this was the highlight of the entire episoide
Felt like there were no real stakes. I agree, the revelation of Yazz's feelings were the best part, but it felt a bit tacked-on, if only it were built up over several episodes the way Martha's romantic attraction to the Doctor was. It would be interesting if Yazz stays on even after the Doctor regenerates. What if 14 is a man, or a gay man?
I'm pretty sure the doctor is attracted to women looking at their record but yaz's feelings were rushed and also contradictory to one of the primary components of her identity
@@orangut4ng we all knew Yaz had feelings but the prospect of the doctor having those same feelings for Yaz absolutely came from nowhere. She’s spent the last three seasons shutting her out.
@@obiwankenobi687 thasmin is just trash
Great acting skills saved this episode. And the sweet talk between Dan and Yaz was very nice. I liked the episode. A solid 7/10.
I wouldn't go that far a generous 5/10 at best for the idea for the time loop. It's not an episode would rate to watch again.
Am I the only one confused here? Like I sort of knew it was going this was between the Doctor and Yaz but there's literally zero sexual chemistry there, I don't understand it?
I think this episode would’ve worked so much better as a timeloop involving the Weeping Angels
I don't know why they are looking to recast the Doctor; at this point the Sonic Screwdriver could go on adventures without her. All it needs is enthusiastic non-sequitors and deliver preachy rhetoric functions and the Doctor is pretty much redundant.
I give this the highest rating I’ve ever given a Chibnall episode… adequate.
Assuming something doesn't happen to Yaz in the next two specials, I expect the relationship to play out very similarly to Time Of The Doctor/Deep Breath; I think Yaz is gonna feel betrayed by the Doctor's regeneration and it'll take a couple episodes for the spark to reignite.
Part of me hopes Yaz lives at the end of the 3rd special, though, because I think a scene with her and the Doctor fully embracing their feelings for each other just as she regens could -- if executed properly -- be a very heartfelt scene.
I feel Yaz's love for the Doctor was done better than others in one particular way. With Yaz, it wasn't something that happened right away, or at least didn't show it was right away. It took time for the love to really be noticed and for the audience to get that confirmation. With other Modern Who companions, I felt they loved the Doctor right away. I especially feel that with Martha, who started pining after the Doctor in the second episode of her being a companion.
I completely agree! Their relationship is one of the most realistic in doctor who. They start off as friends, Yaz admires her a lot and loves to travel with her, and you can tell from over the seasons that she starts to look at Jodie different. It’s not love at first sight and falling for an attractive alien man (looking at you Martha, Amy and Clara), it’s falling in love with a best friend. I liked seeing Yaz getting more angry with the doctor in series 12 and 13 when the doctor shuts her out. Jodie and Mandip did a great job!
I respectfully disagree. It felt like it came completely out of left field to me. Heck, it seemed to come out of left field for Yaz. Lol. What was it she says? “I never told anyone. Not even myself.”
Thinking on it…Maybe it’s the execution of the ‘reveal’ that rubs me the wrong way. It felt so…expositional to me.
@@cassandra.wladyslava I can see that point and and even partially agree. I don't actually think Yaz was the perfect example of love blossoming; I just like that she wasn't *instantly* in love with the Doctor and wish that were more common.
One thing I didn't say, because I didn't know how to word it at the time, is that I felt there weren't enough sprinkles. The first time I feel it really shows Yaz has some sort of interest in the Doctor is in "Revolution of the Daleks," which was after two full series and only 7 episodes ago. It feels like it took too long for her to come to the realization and didn't give enough time to show it blossom. Part of me feels that's because Yaz was really underutilized overall.
This is something I think the other companions had going for them. I do feel they were rushed a lot, but the stories still made sure to put a little bit of focus on the emotions the companions.
As for the "I never told anyone, not even myself" line, I can't really put it into words for whatever reason, but I do personally understand it.
At least you saw rose's relationship grow with 9 and 10. There was literally 0 chemistry for the first 2 seasons, then they skip a year ahead and we see none of their relationship growing and all of a sudden she loves her. Don't know where you saw it grow at all.
Yaz is the type of person to be vegan and eat meat 3 times a week
Firstly apologies for commenting before I even watch your review, they're great by the way! I thought it was good myself, but I'm a sucker for a time loop story and I listen to far too much Big Finish.
I'm often a little critical when creators say they're going to offer suggestions on how to improve a story, but I have to say your ideas were super insightful and would have improved the story with seemingly little effort. Focussing more on the minutes and deaths in the way you describe would have really ramped up the tension.
Great video, again, I'm so glad I subbed. Props for the quick release too! Happy New Year 🤠
Thank you for the balanced critique. I think you hit the nail on the head with the whole chibnal era. It’s not that it’s actively bad. There are things to appreciate, but the ideas are always better than the execution. It became aggressively average sci-fi. ‘It takes you away’ could have been a heart breaking meditation on grief and loss, but chibnal added a B and C storyline, and that is his writing style. He adds more for the sake of having more. What would be ideal for the final specials is if he pitches an idea and a good competent writer, they go off to make it, then he doesn’t touch the script. But I’m pretty sure the final specials are going to be more of what we got: good idea, maybe even a brilliant idea, blandly executed.
A very happy New year Rich.All the best.
So, where did these Daleks come from? Were they not wiped out by the flux? Another throw away plot point. I think we should call these dangling plot points Chibblits.
They did address this in episode by saying that the Doctor only wiped out the Dalek War fleet.
That plot point was explicitly addressed in the script, when it was clarified that only the Dalek Invasion Fleet was wiped out by the Flux, but Dalek high command (among others?) survived.
@@jonnaughton Yea but the whole universe except the earth is wiped out of existence by the flux at the end, so where those other Daleks were at the time, to survive the flux? And how they survived? And where they are hiding now, that the universe does not exist anymore?
@@ftumschk But survived where, if the whole universe is erased by the flux and only earth is left?
@@TheMetalOverlord I don't recall it was stated that ALL the Universe apart from Earth had been obliterated. The Flux had consumed large parts of the Universe, but by no means all of it, as far as I'm aware.
I enjoyed the episode, it’s one of Chibnall’s better episodes. But it was pretty run of the mill, this would have just been a standard mid season episode during the run of any other show runner since 2005, not a tent pole Christmas special. Kind of says it all about the standard of his time as showrunner.
The christmas specials are never really that great so I'd say this was a standard festive special
Showing that quote of Tennant explain why relationships with him wouldn't work just massively highlights the difference in writing quality now. All we get today is "You know she likes yah, don't you?"
It actually was slightly suggested that the TARDIS may have deliberately orchestrated the situation, or altered it in some way. The Doctor says to the TARDIS near the end "thanks for looking out for us, if you were." Meaning it did cross the Doctors mind, that the TARDIS had a hand in the events.
I find myself agreeing with you a lot about this episode, so thanks for putting words where I couldn't find some 😊
I wish you'd given us for thoughts and feelings on the return of the Sea Devils though 🙂
I liked this episode a lot more than last New Years Day episode where it starred the Daleks for a whole 20 seconds. But I did think throughout the episode that a Dalek with a gattling gun was kind of redundant when a regular Dalek is deadly enough with their little pea shooter. Especially when it was incredibly inaccurate when the plot called for it. Also, I like the classification "Executioner Daleks", it really helps set them apart from the usually happy and fun loving Daleks.
“Shut the fuck up please” is my favourite Rich moment of all time
The real question is, who has the worst shot? The stromstroopers or the daleks?
That depends on the writing lol
Have Stormtroopers missed shots while their targets ran down a straight and empty corridor like the Dalek here? Also I'm surprised the Daleks weren't painted white because - like Stormtroopers - white Daleks have always had terrible aim, from Imperial Daleks in Remembrance to the Supreme Dalek of the short lived Paradigm. The only exception being the Special Weapons Dalek.
The accuracy this episode was awful. I made a comment at the start that they could only ever hit a target with a fucking gatling gun if it was stood still in front of them and that held for the entire episode...
Dan running around the dalek completely fine then just deciding to stand still after they'd chatted for a bit was so dumb.
The bit where one dalek was chasing 5 of them down a TIGHT corridor, firing 40 I think I counted shots and ALL of them missing was just ridiculous. Why give them rapid fire weapons if they can't use them to save their lives?
Time for the sonic screwdriver to have another accident like in: The Visitation
Did anyone else pick up on the blink and you will miss it Easter egg? The guy watching the fireworks at the station and snapping pics with his phone was Karl the crane operator from "The Woman Who Fell to Earth", played by Jonny Dixon.
I am STRONGLY against Doctor romance stories. There have been one or two exceptions (madam Du’Pompador and River), but those were Classic doomed romances from the beginning.
The idea of the Doctor and Yaz… To put this in context I’m an old school Buffy fan and my favourite relationship there was Willow and Tara. The two of them discover each other and then themselves. Through that they grow. It’s amazing to watch happen. The Doctor and Yaz does not have that. It feels like a box ticking exercise (even if it’s not). There is something forced in it. It’s certainly much needed character development for Yaz, but not much else. It doesn’t ring true, it’s something that was mentioned back in series 11 on tumbr and hastily thrown together at the last minute (with only two adventures to go no less). Love is love, but this?
Happy new year 🎉
Could've been better, but honestly it was one of the best of the 13 era, definitely top 5. But I do agree that they could've upped the horror angle. At least Dan got some decent utilization
I watched demons of the Punjab today and I was thinking “Why the fuck were the Thijarians not in Flux?”
Did I miss how Sarah had a new phone so suddenly after it being blown up with the fireworks in the basement?
NO we are not going to cease calling out egregious box ticking when we see it.
like i said under kareokekids post NOTHING chibs does for this show deserves anything above a -1/10.
I thought it was really fun, again, chibbers continues to pump out some amazing proofs of concept that feel like first drafts
Interestingly I predicted a time loop as soon as the two guest characters were killed off, but I expected it to be Swarm and Azure's time loop running down, oh well!
It was a reasonable story, didn't like the interactions between the two guest characters but I can get over that, don't think it needed the daleks to remember to work & having them remember on the loop with the cross fire, would raise the stakes at a late stage. I love your idea of the death countdown.
I think we should have had Jeff die in the first or second loop, to show the consequences, which wouldn't change the story.
"...She's not entirely sure what she's doing..." - Well said. She's been clueless from day one. Everything she says boils down to "er, I'm not sure...I dunno."
I quit Doctor Who around Capaldi's last season, then came back and watched that. I didn't like the heavy-handed messages, but I could get through it. But the first season for the Thirteenth was just too clunky on a narrative level. I remember thinking how incredibly utilitarian the scene progressions felt. It was very much a case of 'this is an action scene' and 'this is a scene to talk about feelings' with a very unnatural flow that took me right out of the show. Haven't been back since, only been watching reviews, including yours, and I am quite excited to see RTD back at the helm. Will it be good? Only time can tell. But I'm at least feeling a bit hopeful again.
I had a lot of fun with this episode as a knockabout comedy lark with some great running gags and the cast and crew clearly having a lot of fun. It was a lot more straightforward in structure than usual with one central mechanic given room to breathe without needing loads of technobabble and lore, and the Daleks were played up as straight-men who weren't in on the joke. There's definitely a case to be made though that the time-loop is probably not the best idea to do straight-up sci-fi comedy with as it has so much more potential than that which wasn't exploited. So yes, on the one hand a fun romp in the spirit and vein of The Chase and The Space Museum. On the other, it cribs from The Chase and The Space Museum.
Mr. Chibnell is an ideas man, but has difficulty turning those ideas into the full episode. He needs an old fashioned Script Editor. Imagine what Eve of the Daleks would have been like if Robert Holmes had script edited it.
I'm glad I have been fully vindicated that the sonic screwdriver is basically a sci-fi magic wand that could disable any standard Dalek gun. I got told by so many people "The screwdriver only blocked the recon Dalek's gun in Resolution because it wasn't fully synchronized with its casing!!!!" and yet in this story its just flat outright said it can to ANY standard gun stick so the Daleks upgraded their weaponry (which I like a lot tbh)
I enjoyed most of the episode but, like you, feel the countdown clock would have made things easier to track. I couldn’t figure out how they came up with the time of death revelation…. The reveal of Yaz loving the Doctor was an “Ugghh” moment for me… another companion in love with the Doctor….
Tbh I did enjoy the episode but I'm gonna nitpick something that really annoys me: my biggest problem is the fact that the amount of time happening in the episode never lined up with the amount of time happening on screen.
Like the time it really stood out was the loop that started at 23:55, Sarah says that she needs to save Nick because he does not survive past 23:55, but then we get a two minute scene where she confesses her feelings about him to the Doctor and the Doctor convinces her to stay in reception while she goes and gets Nick (who should already be dead because it'll now be 23:57), then we get a minute scene scene where Nick encounters the Daleks and the Doctor catches up with him, then she takes him back to reception where they have a three minute talk/planning session about what they are gonna do. Now that might seem fine, assuming there is some overlap between the first talk scene and the Nick scene, it's not unreasonable for six minutes of screen time to represent five minutes of in-episode time.
But, that's not the problem, the issue is in the first loop, when Sarah's mum calls her, she says that it's four minutes till midnight, so the call happens at 23:56, one minute after the 23:55 loop starts. So when does the call happen? After five minutes into a five minute loop, Sarah's mum calls her four minutes till midnight at what should be midnight. So you're telling me that five minutes of screen time actually represents one minute of in-episode time. C'mon...
It's even worse when you remember that they never make it to midnight except for the last one, so they actually have less time
A couple of the loops are like this, the 23:54 one lasts ten minutes, and the final loop that starts at 23:59, the "super important that we work quickly cuz we only got one minute" loop lasts three minutes (it's even worse when you consider that they never make it to midnight except for the last one, so they actually have less time). Again, this is just a nitpick and it is annoying me more than it really should, and ordinarily it wouldn't, but when you put so much emphasis on having so little time and giving us exact minutes as references, it's cheating to then give the characters more time than they actually have.
You’re nitpick is absolutely on point. It got to the stage where I just couldn’t take the episode seriously, the last minute was more like 2 minutes. For me, the nitpick was that realised it was a loop straight away. I would have been more convinced if it took them three times at least to realise it.
Do you really expect Chibnall to care about such small details when he can't even make the single main plot of a season working or having sense?
Doctor who running up and down corridors , check out chibnalls response to that in the past
Absolutely loved this critique and bang on with the dialogue and sonic over use, misuse and abuse.
So, Yaz wants to scissor with the doctor...
The sonic thing is part of the Harry Potterisation of Doctor Who. It has become a magic wand. Hence the broomsticks in one of the Flux episodes.
Yaz and the Doctor is a ✅ boxing exercise! Chibnall had three seasons with over 30 episodes to develop this relationship. THIRTY EPISODES!
He didn’t. Why? The only explanations are is that it he considered it way back in Arachnids in the Uk but then decided against it. He then saw the shipping on social media and only then decided to make a thing of it in Jodie’s last few episodes. Truly xxxx poor writing, xxxx poor planning and xxxx poor execution.
The fact that this was the main talking point of Eve of the Daleks says more about that episode than any in-depth review could . There is a reason that this got the lowest overnights for a Special ever. 3.2 Million tells us the public don’t care about this stuff. They want exciting stories. Over to you, RTD!
I think you hit the nail on the head about the 13th character. I do think she is deliberately unconfident at times, very emotional (which she does her best to avoid and manage), elusive. But it doesn't quite come across properly somehow.
Wow you were quick with this one! I love it!
Thanks for getting this out so quickly. A lot of good points, but it is on at 7pm on New Year's Day and is always going to try and appeal to that audience.
Thanks! I throughly enjoyed the assessment and you justified your points well! My only knit-picking is please, PLEASE let us pick from 10 options if it is one to ten. I think for most people the differences 6, 7 or 8 is pretty big. Also, otherwise it s one to five with a improper paint job! Otherwise keep up the good work.
I thought it was okay. Doctor Who is usually best enjoyed if you don't think too much, and I just switched my brain off and went with this one. Two things took me out of the story: the weirdly set Dan and Yaz heart-to-heart at a moment when they had far more pressing things to think about; and the Dalek waiting patiently outside the storage unit instead of just ramming that really flimsy door.
I liked the way they addressed the problem of the companions having nothing to do by having Yaz and Sarah both complaining about it. Is this supposed to be one of 13's character traits, or is it a sign that Chibnall is becoming sentient and self-aware?
In my head, Dan is genuinely trying to do the right thing in getting Yaz and the Doctor to admit their feelings for each other, but is blithely unaware of the "School Reunion" issues. What is Yaz going to do if she finally comes out, only for the Doctor to regenerate into a man? It feels like somebody needs to sit down with Dan and explain Time Lords to him.
Yeah the curse of chibs. 0:37 .I also was thought this was the last story but now learned there are another 2 specials before its over.
The doctor would have regenerated every time she was killed, and so we should have seen like 10 new doctors this episode. Instead we got nothing because Chibnal didn't think it through.
Yaz & Thirteen = Rose & Ten
There will be some cataclysmic event leading to the separation of these two.
The problem with the time loop concept in something like this is that they don't get enough loops to flesh stuff out. That'll be why the loop itself was about 10 mins in their time, so the episode could squeeze in as many as possible. Which is also why while I like your idea of "you have to survive your death time to make it to the next loop", giving the loop a few mins to allow characters to move from their starting spots, it would have been tantamount to bumping one of every minute or less.
As for The Doc and Yaz, I think this is heading for a kiss just prior to the regeneration. That would be the "television" thing to do. Dunno if there's any word on Yaz hanging around after the regen, but it would be interesting to explore. Doubt it will though. Clean slate and all that...
Another great review. What puzzled me about this 'Special' was, why didn't the Doctor start regenerating after each death.... ?and that death looks quite painful... would't the ensemble be terrified about the pain about to be inflicted on them? I remember Tom from 'Tom and Jerry' having more emotional catharsis than this lot, and he just-got hit on the head with a frying pan!
I really loved it. 8/10. Things that brought it down for me was Jodie’s speech needed another once over and smoothened out . I wish there was scene between Jodie and Yaz about their feelings or something. We only have two more episodes left before she regenerates.
It was nice. Aisling alone made sure that it didn't suck, but while I found this special to be above average, which is rather good for Chibnall, I still wonder what happens to all the stuff that happened during the Flux. At least they mentioned some of the things, yet nothing has been resolved. We have two specials left and the trailer for the next one doesn't look like it will do much for the resolution of the Timeless Child, Master, etc stuff. I am "beginning" to think that Chibnall has moved on from that, which would be even worse.
I went into it just expecting a fun romp, so I wasn't disappointed. But I did get hooked up with who that guy was at the end. Was that Jeff or what ever that other guys name was? And why was he there watching?
I agree with all your observations. I enjoyed this,but it was just fine. Mainly because the things you highlight are what was missing from moving the story from ok to great. A lot of it was played for comedy, which is OK, but squandered the horror setting. And the idea of people dying at particular times didn't seem to go anywhere. And then I got a bit confused about where they were in the building and why. I think Aisling was the star here, she can turn any dreary setting or scene into a lightning one.
First Time Watcher. Great vid. Please do a Davison and destroy the Sonic next year. It's becoming way too convenient. Come up with a new idea like psychic paper.
I personally think that if Jodie stayed on for a series or 2 with RTD as the show runner and better scripts she would shine
Is it glaringly obvious, the Doctor will regenerate just as feelings are discussed and break Yaz's heart because those feelings disappear with the 14th.
Nailed it. Watched it on a hot Sunday afternoon in Australia and fully enjoyed the show. But, when you analyse it it doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Really does sum up the Chibnall era and further frustrates me the Jody isn’t staying on with another Showrunner. So confident she could be truly great if she could he handled correctly.
The doctor barely knows how to fly the tardis (half the time the tardis does the driving), so I can see her not really knowing what the reset would do, they aren't an expert on tardis'. Also I think that the time loop was more the tardis willingly doing something to help the doctor.
Yaz and the Doctor's feelings for each other have been hinted at for some time with all the subtlety of a fog horn. The double bed in the Tardis control room (S13,E01) was a bit of a giveaway...
For the hard-of-thinking - at the start of that episode it is implied that Yaz and the Doctor have been off adventuring together for some time. They are the *only* people on the Tardis. The bed has clearly been slept in. We know that the Tardis is large with crew cabins/staterooms and even a library and swimming pool so why put a bed for two in the control room unless you want real quick access to one? Even if they aren't as Barry White might say "in lurve", it's obvious they have been sleeping together.
Time Lords are notoriously difficult to kill. Why didn't the Doctor start to regenerate after being exterminated?
Daleks have also been shown to be difficult to kill. What became of the Dalek remains after the building collapsed?
Why is it in Chibnall's Doctor Who that every time the Daleks turn up NO-ONE has heard of them?!?
I haven't watched mainstream British TV for many years so I have no idea what other shows the actors in Doctor Who have appeared in. Judging by their performances in this episode I have to say that for the most part the Daleks displayed more personality than anyone else.
Nice to see the Sea Devils will be making a reappearance!
What I find crazy is there sitting in the reception area and waiting for the daleks to show up and then suddenly 3 daleks show up they could have escaped by then if they didn’t have to listen to the drs diatribe.
With the time loop going on there was actually more time with each time loop not less . As it would take them time to run around corridors,
It is not determined that all the daleks are killed as there is only two or three. By destroying the building .
By destroying the building it assumes that all the daleks are in the building.
it does not determine whether the daleks have beamed in from a ship or that why they are purely in that building. If the daleks can just beam in from anywhere and knew the time loop they would just simply beam outside the tardis and kill the dr over and over again.
As how would the daleks know that the dr is going to be there.
There is still the whole question of how much the flux has destroyed the universe as resetting the tardis does not restore the universe.
Just hope we get some evil Dan memes with the next episodes and onwards
Great review as ever, think I liked this episode a little more then you, it reminder me of the David tenant easter special, disposable but fun while it was on. That may because I'm a general fan of time loop content though.
I hope we get more personal justification for Yaz falling in love with the doctor, I've felt throughout jodies run her relationship to all the companions has been more cold and distant then almost any previous pairings, she's never had that speech declaring her love for humanity and most of her interactions with Yaz all of last season and into the specials seems to be "stay behind and do as your told you don't get what's going on here"
As a casual viewer, I really did enjoy this episode. it was a bit more light hearted despite all the well, dying, and I feel like we needed that after flux being pretty heavy. I didn't realise how invested I was in thasmin until yesterday and dan is a sweetheart who should be protected.
Also, I feel like I should be concerned what time this was uploaded - please look after yourself!
Think you're spot on, this ep is mix of some great moments and then more boring stuff. And that Yaz line probably the best line Chibb's written for the show, very nuanced for him. And well acted by Mandeep.
I actually think this would have been better as a doctor light episode. Sarah and nick were definitely the best part of this, along with Dan and Yaz. Leave the doctor in the tardis. She was the worst part of this. The sonic and the obnoxious rudeness to everyone was just really unpleasant. Plus, there were at least two of the loops where she wasted most of it talking about nothing, just standing in one room. Why not let the companions have those conversations on the move when running? Rather than just stood around again being expositioned at by 13. Have the conversation with Dan and Yaz when they’re separated from the doctor for the episode. Let Yaz be the doctor figure - she’s met the daleks before. We saw Sarah work out the time moving forward with the phone visuals, but then the doctor just explained it to us in a massive rambling speech. This was one the best doctor who concepts in years - and it was just made messy and frustrating by the 13th doctor.
It wasn’t even just the Doctor. I thought Sarah was annoying as hell.
Another thing that I think is holding 13 back with yaz. The doctor could literally be someone else tomorrow or the next day. Someone yaz may struggle to bond with but someone who could completely feel differently towards yaz. We saw it with Clara. 11 playfully flirting with her then all of sudden.. "I'm not your boyfriend, I don't want any of that nonsense I don't even see you as a woman anymore" it's so complete for the doctor.
She made the sonic from scratch, she's gonna use it
How does a Dalek with a mini gun, miss every shot at 3 people down a skinny corridor! This happens multiple times through the same episode 😂😂
It was ok, not great but I wasn’t expecting much of it. Im pleased with what we got, but it did feel a bit rough. However im optimistic as the sea devils are returning!
I gave it a 6.5… didn’t hate it. Happy New Year 🎈
On an unrelated to this episode note, I think Chinballs has done so much damage now to the continuity of this show that I'm actually glad he left a hook that RTD can use as a 'get out of the Chinballs era - mostly - free card' with the secondary universe. I'm hoping that it turns out that when 12 regenerated into 13 and things went haywire, she actually landed in another universe somehow and that 14 finds a way back into the 'prime' universe where the whole Timeless Child thing wasn't true of our Doctor.
Would have to accept a bit of hand waving but I'm game.
Remembrance of the Daleks first aid FTW! 😁
3:32 just watched the entire run of the 7th doctor and I don't think I saw him use the sonic screwdriver one time. Similarly, they use psychic paper too much. In the classic series half of the fun was watching the doctor think on his feet to win someone's trust.
To be fair, the seventh Doctor didn't get a sonic screwdriver until the TV movie. It was written out in The Visitation out of recognition of its being overused as a deus ex machina and an excuse for lazy writing. It should have stayed dead.
The sonic screwdriver is overused, for everything. Same with the Daleks and Cybermen. The stories are stale because there's barely ever anything new.
@@KeplersDream I did not know there was a reason for its absence! Is there an episode where he gets it back, or did some writer just resume using it?
@@throatgorge2 In the story The Visitation, the Terileptil leader shoots and destroys the "sonic device". I believe it was Eric Saward's idea as a shock moment for the audience, he thought the Doctor would just have a drawer full of sonic screwdrivers and simply pull out a new one. However it was decided, probably by JNT, to let it stay destroyed, as it was too convenient to use as a 'get out of jail free' device and its absence forced writers to be more creative.
In the TV movie, McCoy simply has a new screwdriver, with no explanation of how (I'm sure there's hundreds of fan fiction books and comic strips exploring it in excruciating detail though). Neither he nor McGann waves it around like they're conducting a symphony orchestra.