This felt like an average opener. It did little to resolve the problems of season eleven—they're still there, front and centre—but at least some of Chibnall's worst excesses were toned down. Whether it stays that way remains to be seen, but the plot was serviceable if a little silly, the guest actors a welcome distraction, and mercifully there were no talking amphibians. At least, not yet.
The Master reveal I thought particularly well handled. It takes a miracle these days to keep a major plot point secret, but I wasn't spoiled on social media, nor did I suspect anything whilst watching, so it was nice to experience something unexpected. Finally an episode which genuinely surprised. Yes, the real O being a champion sprinter felt like a naff way of breaking it (particularly on the basis of information the viewer didn't have), but I was generally quite taken by Sacha Dhawan's performance. From the little we've seen, his Master seems more John Simm than Michelle Gomez, but if they concentrate more on his sinister genius rather than his wisecracking high jinx, they could be onto something worthwhile.
Of course, a development of this magnitude raises many questions: like whether anything of Missy's remorse remains, or whether this is a full-on factory reset. It seems more like advanced identity theft than a true regeneration, so it'll be fun to discover which Master this actually is. It's presumably a Master the Doctor knows, otherwise why hide behind O's physical form, but will it be a Master we know? And I really enjoyed the as-yet unidentified illuminated lifeforms. Their hiddeness suggest a returning entity rather than a brand new creature—which with the Judoon and Cybermen slated to appear at some point this season, would make sense—but I really hope they manage to sting us with a second surprise.
The Doctor I'm still unsure about. Sometimes she comes across as in control... and then she starts shouting 'snap!' and saying 'kisses' and suddenly it's season eleven again. With Doctors prior to Thirteen, this sort of frivolity came across as eccentricity as he was so knowledgeable in other areas. You don't get any sense of that with Thirteen. Plus, her dialogue just isn't funny. When you compare the current Doctor's humorous exchanges with anything from the Davies/Moffat era, they're not even in the same multiverse. And just when you thought Chibnall was done with the Doctor's never-ending questions, she only goes and spits out fifteen in a row. Fuck!
As was the case last season, the multiple companion dynamic feels a little redundant due to there being too little to do for all. We were also inexplicably burdened with a brief recap of stuff we already know: Yaz is still a copper, Ryan's still got barely detectable dyspraxia (absolutely anyone could have missed that basket,) and Graham's cancer is still in remission. So evidently nothing much has changed. They also went out of their way to have Ryan and Yaz explain their recent absence from real life, despite the TARDIS being a time machine and there being absolutely no reason to do so. An embedded feature of the show is that you can always come back right after you leave: that's how Clara managed to lead a double life back in season eight. Sometimes, it's as if Chibnall has no idea what Doctor Who is actually about.
The Bond pastiche was fine, although I'm not sure we needed that motorcycle chase or any of the tuxedo wearing nonsense. If you're going to do a Bond-themed episode, at least make an attempt to dig deep and do something clever. Getting Jodie to say 'Doctor, the Doctor,' really was the lowest of all the hanging fruits. But there's no denying that the episode was beautifully shot. As was Stephen Fry, right in the back the head. Shame that, I'd like to have seen more from C. Thankfully, Lenny Henry seems to have been given more to do. He's a surprisingly good actor these days, and Barton seems more serious than comedic, so hopefully he'll get a chance to put his Shakespearean chops to good use.
Other Thoughts:
—What kind of bullets bounce off chrome headlights?
—Didn't Missy already crack the 'upgrade' joke over three years ago??
—Moffat and Gatiss' new show Dracula aired after tonight's episode and revealed a tantalising connection to Who by referencing an 'adorable barmaid' at the Rose and Crown.
—A fairly clear statement from Chibnall that UNIT and Torchwood are both gone.
—The overnight viewing figures were 4.88 million. Considering the episode aired on a public holiday, and was up against Emmerdale and a rerun of The Lion King, those aren't great figures.
Memorable Quotes:
None.
16 comments:
I don't know whether you saw but there was also a second question block at the end of the episode. I can't decide whether the endless questions are an attempt to make the Doctor look like she's engaging with what's going on, or whether its the writer telling us what we should be thinking.
The thing which continues to sadden me is just how little the show is led by the Doctor's universal knowledge. All this Doctor does is ask questions which seldom drive the story. If she has no particular expertise to offer, then what is the point of having her there? We've already got three dead weights in the show. We don't need a fourth.
A much better episode than anything we got in season 11, but still a below average episode of Doctor Who. I think we've hit the level.
I did wonder whether 'everything you know is a lie' might refer to the Master reveal. What if it isn't the Master at all?
If it's not the Master, which other villain has a name beginning with O?
The Ogrons? Omega? The Great Orgazmo?
If it isn't the Master that's surely going to ruin the best thing about the episode? Invalidating the big reveal with a lesser reveal really would be a shot in the foot.
The story felt like a Russell T Davies creation, but Davies was far more meticulous with his characters. Theres still nothing much to any of them, including the Doctor. So while there wasnt anything too offensive about the episode, thats only because it drifted from set piece to set piece without much happening.
Pretty sure the Doctors tics are here to stay. This is Chibnalls style, this is his Doctor, and this is how shell be until he leaves.
My kids liked it. Other things my kids like: cardboard boxes, dirt, pulling my wifes pigtail, etc.
Agree about the lack of humor. Chibnall feels behind the curve with a lot of the jokes. He should have had The Master (or as he's called now, Master) say something like "Upgrade? How original... but I've got both the mug and the T-shirt, Doctor." Instead all he did is parrot Moffat's joke of five years ago. Has there actually been one funny line since he took over? For all of Gatiss's faults, Robin of Sherwood was hilarious. Are any of the writers at the moment capable of saying one funny thing?
Chibnall is the joke.
No I'm not! Bastards!!!!
lol... no clue who that is, but well played, Sir.
I'll admit that Chibnall's Who isn't the same show as Davies/Moffat's Who, but with viewing figures falling as they were, is that really a bad thing? The show needed rejuvenating and that's precisely what Chibnall has done. Some people didn't like it when the show came back in 2005. They said the format was all wrong, that the hinted at romance between the Doctor and his companion was all wrong, etc. But people got used to it. Perhaps this is how it is now and this just isn't the show for some of you any more.
I agree. People are too critical of the show. Just enjoy it for what it is, or watch something more to your tastes.
Sausizzle: I think you can be critical of a show and still like it. Plus, After investing decades into a show, it would be shallow to just stop watching when it hits a rough patch, no? Seasons two and three were hardly my favourite, but they had their moments and I never stopped believing the show could improve.
Anon: Nothing wrong with rejuvenating a show, but if falling viewing figures are what begat the changes, then it's surely been something of a failed experiment, as the viewing figures are more or less the same? They've replaced one poorly watched formula with another.
No memorable quotes? You must be joshing. I am fully confident that, generations from now, when mankind has tired of those trite banalities from Eleven ("The universe is big, it's vast and complicated and ridiculous, and sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen, and we call them miracles") and those insipid exchanges between River and Twelve ("When you love the Doctor, it's like loving the stars themselves. You don't expect a sunset to admire you back. And if I happen to find myself in danger, let me tell you, the Doctor is not stupid enough, or sentimental enough, and he is certainly not in love enough to find himself standing in it with me!" "Hello, sweetie"), children and adults alike will still be drawn to Spyfall Part 1 merely to bask in the rich complexities of Chibnall's wordplay (and the subtle spins Whitakker puts on them) as Thirteen exclaims, "I love the Outback!"
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