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selenak....Now I understand why Paul Cornell tweeted this was like one of the DW serials of old.
I dimly recall that it was mentioned somewhere the last season for Thirteen would tell one continuous story, but I didn't know it would be quite so literal. Now, one thing Chibnall did in Broadchurch very well was was to set up a mystery using multiple characters. Of course, that one was anchored in loss and the fallout of grief, which isn't the case here, but still, so far so good, I'm curious, the suspense build up works nicely, and this despite the fact that "the universe is at stake (again)" is always a premise where you know the rescue will have to happen. Also, given Chibnall used the "Alien seems to be set on evil and invading, turns out to be benevolent in intention instead" card twice already in his previous seasons, he got me this time again, and I thought it was a really nice twist. Plus: cranky yet protective dog alien makes for a very entertaining character.
Otoh, the Big Bad confused me because for much of the episode I thought he was meant to be what's-his-name from Thirteen's first episode and the finale of her first season, because didn't she imprison that guy millions of years into the past as well? But then I thought, I don't think that guy had a sister? I remember messed up siblings, messed up siblings are my forte, and I don't think he had one? So this must be a new one. And then we learned that he thinks he's the Doctor's arch nemesis through time and space but erased himself from her memories. Since I am, shall we say, less than enthused about both the last time Chibnall played the altered memories card (i.e. the Timeless Child reveal) and Chibnall's take on the Master and the Master/Doctor relationship, I greeted this announcement of an alternate nemesis through time and space with less than joy. Ah well. We shall see.
Yaz spends most of the episode in the sole Companion role for the first (and last) time, and shows she's become pretty good at TARDIS handling and immediately noticing when the Doctor is evading and/or lying, but hasn't managed to get the Doctor to actually confiding. Which, fair enough, is something the Doctor in most generations does, but the relationship between the Doctor and Yaz is still one I don't feel I ever got an emotional handle on. This episode also introduces Dan the Scouse who I take it will share Companion duty for the remaining season and who is sympathetic so far, though I have to say that between the Sheffield scenic shots of seasons past and now the Ode To Liverpool at the start of this one, I'm wondering whether these cities' respective tourist boards have become co-sponsors of the show. Anyway, fair enough, and given RTD did it for Wales and Moffat for Scotland (and Bristol), why shouldn't it be these cities' turn to break the general London-centricity? But back to Dan: Liverpudllian enthusiasm aside, I feel the two character establishing scenes were going from "WTF is going on?" to deducing correctly his captor won't kill him after having gone to all the trouble of kidnapping him, and his reaction to the sight of space when the TARDIS doors opened, which is the first time iin a while we got someone do it (i.e. react to the wonder of space in a positive fashion mid crisis), and to me justified the introduction of another Companion - Yaz is an experienced space traveller by now, this is no longer new to her, and an occasional reminder that travelling with the Doctor isn't all danger but also wonder is a good thing.
The Weeping Angels: surely the first time in the tv show (i.e. not in spin offs or other media) that someone other than Moffat writes them? So far, so good, it's an efficiently scary sequence and uses the original element of scare as opposed to the neck breaking from later episodes which I still think was one big creative mistake that Moffat himself tried to fix in the Angels' final appearance within his canon apropos Amy's and Rory's departure. The Sontarans don't do much more than posture in their brief scenes, but I am curious as to how both these species fit in the overall story, especially given that the universe folding/ending/dissolving isn't in the interest of either.
Lastly: no particular reason this episode should be set at Halloween except for the gag with Dan assuming his would be kidnapper/rescuer is in costume. But I bet people in the DWverse are glad that the annual Christmas invasions stopped about a decade ago...
I dimly recall that it was mentioned somewhere the last season for Thirteen would tell one continuous story, but I didn't know it would be quite so literal. Now, one thing Chibnall did in Broadchurch very well was was to set up a mystery using multiple characters. Of course, that one was anchored in loss and the fallout of grief, which isn't the case here, but still, so far so good, I'm curious, the suspense build up works nicely, and this despite the fact that "the universe is at stake (again)" is always a premise where you know the rescue will have to happen. Also, given Chibnall used the "Alien seems to be set on evil and invading, turns out to be benevolent in intention instead" card twice already in his previous seasons, he got me this time again, and I thought it was a really nice twist. Plus: cranky yet protective dog alien makes for a very entertaining character.
Otoh, the Big Bad confused me because for much of the episode I thought he was meant to be what's-his-name from Thirteen's first episode and the finale of her first season, because didn't she imprison that guy millions of years into the past as well? But then I thought, I don't think that guy had a sister? I remember messed up siblings, messed up siblings are my forte, and I don't think he had one? So this must be a new one. And then we learned that he thinks he's the Doctor's arch nemesis through time and space but erased himself from her memories. Since I am, shall we say, less than enthused about both the last time Chibnall played the altered memories card (i.e. the Timeless Child reveal) and Chibnall's take on the Master and the Master/Doctor relationship, I greeted this announcement of an alternate nemesis through time and space with less than joy. Ah well. We shall see.
Yaz spends most of the episode in the sole Companion role for the first (and last) time, and shows she's become pretty good at TARDIS handling and immediately noticing when the Doctor is evading and/or lying, but hasn't managed to get the Doctor to actually confiding. Which, fair enough, is something the Doctor in most generations does, but the relationship between the Doctor and Yaz is still one I don't feel I ever got an emotional handle on. This episode also introduces Dan the Scouse who I take it will share Companion duty for the remaining season and who is sympathetic so far, though I have to say that between the Sheffield scenic shots of seasons past and now the Ode To Liverpool at the start of this one, I'm wondering whether these cities' respective tourist boards have become co-sponsors of the show. Anyway, fair enough, and given RTD did it for Wales and Moffat for Scotland (and Bristol), why shouldn't it be these cities' turn to break the general London-centricity? But back to Dan: Liverpudllian enthusiasm aside, I feel the two character establishing scenes were going from "WTF is going on?" to deducing correctly his captor won't kill him after having gone to all the trouble of kidnapping him, and his reaction to the sight of space when the TARDIS doors opened, which is the first time iin a while we got someone do it (i.e. react to the wonder of space in a positive fashion mid crisis), and to me justified the introduction of another Companion - Yaz is an experienced space traveller by now, this is no longer new to her, and an occasional reminder that travelling with the Doctor isn't all danger but also wonder is a good thing.
The Weeping Angels: surely the first time in the tv show (i.e. not in spin offs or other media) that someone other than Moffat writes them? So far, so good, it's an efficiently scary sequence and uses the original element of scare as opposed to the neck breaking from later episodes which I still think was one big creative mistake that Moffat himself tried to fix in the Angels' final appearance within his canon apropos Amy's and Rory's departure. The Sontarans don't do much more than posture in their brief scenes, but I am curious as to how both these species fit in the overall story, especially given that the universe folding/ending/dissolving isn't in the interest of either.
Lastly: no particular reason this episode should be set at Halloween except for the gag with Dan assuming his would be kidnapper/rescuer is in costume. But I bet people in the DWverse are glad that the annual Christmas invasions stopped about a decade ago...
no subject
Date: 2021-11-03 04:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-11-04 01:48 pm (UTC)It was one of those episodes I'll enjoy a lot more in three months when I know what all these snippets were setting up and how they connect.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-04 05:33 pm (UTC)Quite, though given the state the TARDIS is in, perhaps the Doctor didn't want to push her too far?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-04 06:49 pm (UTC)Actually, the relationship between Yaz and the Doctor was something I liked in this episode. People often describe Yaz as underwritten, which she was in her first season, but I thought she developed a lot in the second, emerging as the de facto leader of the companions when the Doctor wasn't around. And she was clearly much too invested in the Doctor to leave when the others did. But, apart from the close-friends-squabbling cliche, I sense that she's currently disappointed; probably, when Ryan and Graham left, she thought that now she had the Doctor to herself they were going to be much closer and confide in one another, but she's come to realise that she's still out of the loop on what's really going on.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-05 05:17 pm (UTC)The whole thing was a lot of fun, and that's something I've missed in a lot of Dr Who in recent years.