Doctor Who Season 13 episode & Specials discussion thread...

I did like this episode more than last week's (at least this one I could half-understand what was going on). I thought it did a decent job of using the Weeping Angels effectively and making them creepy again after they'd lost a lot of their creep-factor from overuse (just like other villains in the show have done). There was a suitably creepy atmosphere throughout the episode and that helped. I enjoyed the Doctor doing her version of 'crossing the streams' at the start of the episode when she did that 'dimensional compression' thing she said (after mentioning it being two things - or rather three things, including her - that should never be put together). I was amused at her reassurance about there being a risky element (ie. the only element) and by Dan's introduction to the Angels with his wide-eyed look whilst remarking how his eyes were really dry. Jodie's Doctor seemed particularly 'Doctor-y' in this scene. 



I thought that might've been Kevin McNally (who I mainly know from the PotC movies) as Professor Eustacius Jericho - whose name the Doctor wished she'd gotten in Scrabble (even though it wouldn't be counted, unless playing by a certain person's rules). He was a pretty decent new character who managed to be interesting, not completely stupid and was actually pretty brave (it was funny thinking of the Weeping Angels ringing his 'very nice-sounding' doorbell). That old couple, however? Not so much. I guess they were written to be pretty unlikeable so when they bit the dust (quite literally), we weren't really broken up about it - though I was surprised at Peggy's non-reaction to the death of her elderly carers, since she just said, "He was never nice to me." - we'd gotten a whiff of that from what the old woman had been saying to the old dude about how he never had a nice word to say to Peggy, but still...were they suggesting something really dark had gone on with them? And sure, the death of the old guy wouldn't have been worth shedding any tears over, but what about the old woman who seemed somewhat less of an a-hole than him? I guess Peggy was on the road to becoming as stone cold as the Weeping Angels. She did bug me when she kept eating when Yaz and Dan were wanting answers out of her. I could've done without her character, but I guess the two of them needed a storyline and so they got saddled with this rather unnecessary character. It would've been interesting just seeing them go it alone and figuring out/coping with being stuck in the past.




I also could've done without the Bel segments of this episode, which I felt were intrusive and took away from the creepiness of the Angel storyline. Honestly, everything with her felt like it should've been one of those 'extras' on the DVD set where they couldn't fit the story into the episode, so they had it be its own thing separate - that's really want they should've done, as I felt once again the episode was trying to cram too much story into a single episode. I don't mind Vinder, but could take or leave Bel as a character, and the two of them should really could've been focused on in a different episode (we got plenty of them last week and even the unusual occurrence of a mid-end credits scene in this episode was devoted to them. Isn't that enough?). Unless they're going to play a super-important role in this whole Flux storyline, it does feel like they're kind of wasting screentime that should be going to the main trio of the Doctor, Yaz and Dan. I mean, we've only got two episodes left for this whole storyline and it feels like too much time has been devoted to other characters when the focus should really be on the trio. I haven't even really seen the Doctor have some solid one-on-one time with Dan where he asks her a bunch of the typical companion questions. It feels as though she barely interacts with him and Yaz.

I did appreciate Claire Brown's character having her reason for being in this season explained - ie. a rogue Angel hitched a ride in her head to escape the rest. I liked the callback to the episode with Amy Pond when she rubbed her eye and dust came out as it did here with Claire. We got glimpses of her turning into an Angel, but not fully. They also are really stretching the rules of where Angels can come from when it includes not just TVs, but also sketches on paper which reassemble themselves after being torn up. It was kind of nifty, though, when the Doctor attempted to burning the drawing and that just made the Angel manifestation all flamey until the Doctor threw water on the sketching. What I really liked was the scene with the Doctor and Claire (with the rouge Angel speaking through her) on the beach. The lightning was a cold grey and the Doctor's reaction to learning the rouge Angel could tell her about her missing memories was well-done by Jodie, I thought. She actually really took her Doctor in a different direction this episode. We saw her getting pretty desperate at times, but other times she was her confident self - like when she dared the Angels in the cave to a race, as she knew turning her back on them was required to get away. I just wished we could've gotten more time with the Doctor and Claire. If they'd been the focus of this episode, I wouldn't have minded (I guess my theory of Claire having something to do with Clara has been tossed out the window, however).




There was a nifty effect this episode, with the split Earth that led straight to space. I have always imagined what that would be like, and we got to see it here. It was sad when the Doctor realised the Angels had lured her with Claire, knowing she'd want to help her when all they really wanted was the Doctor. I have no clue what this 'Division' thing is (if it's been in the show previously, I'd forgotten it), but the REALLY upsetting part was watching the Doctor get turned into a Weeping Angel. The effect used was neat (especially the part where she sprouted wings), but I felt very sorry for the Doctor (it was good to see Yaz upset by it, at least). That was certainly a cliff-hanger. I'm worried, though, that next week's just going to focus on side characters and guest characters and the poor Doctor's going to be left an Angel for the majority of it (like this is the DW version of Han Solo being stuck in carbonite). I hope that's not the case, as it's bad enough that we're only getting six episodes (plus just three 'Specials') and not even a regular amount of episodes for this thirteenth/final season for Jodie, but to waste one without her being in it much would be even more annoying. I want to see MORE of Jodie before her tenure as the Doctor is up, not less. Those three 'Specials' we're supposed to get better make up for it by featuring her a LOT before her time as the Doctor is over. On the whole, I thought this was a fairly decent episode and I certainly liked it more than last week's. I'll still be amazed if everything comes together in the next two episodes to actually make sense. Here's hoping, anyway (oh, and also...it seemed like they were playing the 'Classic Who' version of the show's theme during the end credits for this episode - I wonder what the reason for/significance of that was?)

Well, I was glad to see the Doctor released from the carbonite being a Weeping Angel immediately, and I was amused when she was purposely blinking to force a reaction/response from the other Weeping Angels she was surrounded by. That was a good scene, and I was relieved that the episode featured the Doctor more than I thought it was going to. While I still would've liked to see more of the Doctor, we at least got to see her interact with the woman who was for all intents and purposes her 'mother'. Unfortunately, she was kind of jerking the Doctor around and only offering potential answers to all her questions and the Doctor's memories back (good to see that ol' pocket watch used for storing Time Lord memories/identities again) if the Doctor joined this 'Division' which was responsible for not only taking the Doctor's memories, but for the Flux as well. Anyway, the old woman got hers in the end thanks to Swarm (though it looks like the Doctor's next on his disintegrating-by-touch list). I really did feel that Jodie did a good job of conveying the Doctor's frustrations and anger, mixed with the need to find out answers. 




However, I think my favourite scene with the Doctor in this episode was the-Doctor-as-a-hologram which Yaz listened to at one point. It was just a right mix of emotion and humour as they both expressed their feelings of missing each other and the Doctor addressed those holograms you see in other shows/movies that seem to anticipate what the one viewing them will say despite the fact that there's really no way to know for sure. It was fun hearing her mention how certain responses from her wouldn't have worked unless Yaz said what the Doctor thought she would say. There's been far too little of these two characters' friendship this season. I sure hope it gets plenty of focus in the three 'Specials' we're supposed to get, as I doubt there'll be enough time in the final episode of this 'Flux' storyline to focus on the two of them much since it feels like there's SO MANY storylines to wrap up. 





While I didn't mind the trio of Yaz, Dan and Jericho (even if it did rely a little too heavily on the slapstick during their entrance), I wished the Doctor could've been with them. Still, they made a good team and I think if the episode had focused on just their storyline and the Doctor's, it would've felt less muddled. But as has been the case with pretty much every episode during this season, they had to add a bunch of other plotlines/characters to an already busy episode. There was just TOO MUCH going on. Honestly, I think for a story that had all these things happening, the season needed to be longer, not shorter, as it feels way to crammed. I was surprised by the use of a suicide pill being in the show (though I suppose they got away with it by not using the word 'suicide' and there was no foam on the guy's mouth) and Yaz being so casual about dumping a body (also quite nasty were those things that reminded me of the Goa'uld from Stargate SG-1 - how they'd bulge from the faces of the people they were inside and then slither out their mouths only to phase through the back of that 'Grand Serpent' guy).

I was amused by the whole 'fetch your dog'/'fetch your human' message for Karvanista that the trio got from the guy on top of the mountain who reminded of that wise old dude Homer and Apu visited in The Simpsons episode where Apu lost his job at the Kwik-E-Mart (he even had the limited amount of responses thing going on). I found him amusing, but he really felt like he was from another show with his comedic act. All the other stuff going on, I didn't really care for. I honestly don't see how everything's going to be wrapped up in a coherent/non-rushed way in the final episode, but here's hoping they pull it off. What I'm really interested in, though, is knowing what the three 'Specials' will be about. Hopefully something different/separate to this whole 'Flux' storyline.

Well...this episode certainly brought everyone together. Did I fully understand everything going on? Much like with the rest of the 'Flux' storyline, my answer to that would be "Er...not really.", but I did appreciate that it attempted to tie all the different storylines together. It was good seeing all these characters we'd been introduced to over the six episodes interacting and their different dynamics. I was surprised Kavanista lived and didn't die protecting Dan like I thought he would, but actually he suffered a fate worse than death when he learned that the Sontarans had killed all of his people. I knew the howl of anguish was coming, but the actor who plays him did a good job acting through all those prosthetics when he first learned of this devastating news. Poor Dan didn't know at the time when he was attempting to have their usual banter that his protector had just lost everything. Though he did find out later, obviously. It was nice to see Vinder patting Kavanista on the back in what I chose to see as a sign of support (even as Kavanista was being his usual self and wanting to dump the humans at the nearest place ASAP). I know others loved Vinder and Bel, and I certainly didn't hate them, but I didn't feel that much came from their story to reunite. They did...and that was it. I liked seeing them interact with the Doctor, and it feels as though there could be a spin-off with them and Kavanista...but I can't say I'd be that interested. We also saw Jericho meet his demise, but he did so bravely. 

For me personally, the stand-out in this episode was Jodie, as she had to convey so much as her Doctor. First, there was the torture she underwent curtesy Swarm and Azure pulling her (and Howl's Moving Castle) apart and then reassembling them. Then there was that talk she had with Azure about how what she wants is people to live and build/create while Azure and Swarm wanted the opposite. It was a good serious scene between them. However, things REALLY got interesting once we had two Doctors (which was a nice surprise). I was amused by her crush she had...on herself and the mutual admiring going on between them. Jodie brought such energy to all these scenes with her dual Doctors. And then we got the third Doctor - the one undergoing all the punishment. I've seen comments from others who didn't like the multiple Doctor stuff in the episode, but I personally really enjoyed it and really got me more interested in the episode than I had been up until that point (whereas before I'd just been mostly confused). And to top things off, not only did we finally see the end of Swarm and Azure at the hands of 'Time' itself, but then it took on the form of the Doctor (with the coat of opposite colours we'd seen her sporting in a previous episode, I think) - which the Doctor remarked on - and Jodie got to play yet another character (which she did a really good job of, I thought). It was sad, though, that she gave the Doctor the warning that her time was coming to an end (it's gone by in a flash. I wish we'd had more episodes with Jodie's Doctor than what we got), but this business about 'no regeneration'...they've pulled that card before, and we know it's not actually going to be the end...so I wonder what's in store. I was almost kinda bummed when the three Doctors became one again, since I enjoyed their fun dynamic so much (but it was good to see the Doctor not in pain anymore).






Apart from that^, another scene I really enjoyed in the episode was the Doctor reuniting with Yaz and Dan. She hasn't really seemed to interact with Dan during this season, and I felt bad for him towards the end when the woman he'd wanted to go on a date with turned him down, but the Doctor and Yaz inviting him back into the TARDIS hopefully means that the 'Specials' will have much more of the trio interacting. What I really appreciated was the Doctor/Yaz friendship being given some focus in this episode. Their reunion was a really good moment, I felt (especially with the Doctor just taking a moment to hug Yaz) and I appreciated the callback to the hologram the Doctor had left for Yaz (which we saw her watch in the previous episode). Both Jodie and Mandip really sell their characters' relationship and bring the emotion to their scenes. I don't feel they're given nearly enough appreciation, but I think they're great together. I also liked that the Doctor was finally willing to share with Yaz what she'd been keeping from her (too bad Dan had the worst timing, interrupting their emotional moment). 








The usual suspects are, of course, nitpicking/complaining about the episode...but at this point, it's to be expected. I, however, was willing to put aside what quibbles I had with this six-episode story arc and focus on the positive aspects. Clearly that pocket watch with the Doctor's missing memories will come back into play - I imagine in her final episode (but maybe they'll surprise us and have it happen before then?). Thankfully, we have three 'Specials' left to go (though that's still not enough for me). Jodie Whittaker, thank you for being your awesome self and getting me interested in DW once again when I was close to quitting during Series/Season 10. I, for one, will miss you when you're gone.