Spoilers Resolution grade and discussion thread

[Qonundrum]

Fucking daleks. When will the writers ever be free of their controlling tendrils.

That depends on how the annual usage requirement in the Nation Estate contract is? Ever year they must make an appearance and this year is no exception...

Pretty good episode, kinda what the show has been missing: a sense of urgency and adventure.

But I can't help being pulled out of the story every time someone doesn't recognise a Dalek. Seriously, they stole the whole planet and attacked the Earth just a few years ago... there shouldn't be anyone that doesn't know about them. Has their been an in-show reason why no one remembers this stuff happening, beyond Humans are Thick?

For decades, it's been alluded to. I believe it was "Remembrance of the Daleks" that first pointed it out, when the Doctor sniped angrily about why humans would choose to conveniently forget about all the invasions that took place like Pollyanna on dope. So long before 2018 has the show insulted its audience, insinuating that if in real life people were like this that we'd forget 9/11 or the Bay of Pigs or anything else people lived through happened. I mean the show is better now because it uses people with natural dialogue and scenes as opposed to all that science-fictioney self-contained universe stuff and having to work to get the audience invested in their world instead of the show pandering to ours, no?

 

[Qonundrum]

I gave it an eight. It was an original use of the Dalek, operating without its casing. The Daleks work best in small numbers. The fewer the better,

This series is still missing a hook for me. It’s ok, but not hooked yet.

Definitely best in small numbers, letting characters give it a sense of threat, coupled by giving the Dalek strong dialogue and scheming ability to sell the actual threat to make it scary. To compare, "Doomsday" showing a billion of them flying around had me laughing until it was yellow trousers time because the scene was so laughable and laughably bad. After the success of series 1, they were quickly turned into a comedic farce. Add in dialogue about "pest control" and voila.

The series' only real weakness is the inconsistency in the scripting department. Actors are good, some set pieces have been great. The sonic screwdriver plot advancer is the biggest disappointment if not outright joke (the butt of said joke being the audience), and it still annoys me on forums where people bleat about it existing since 1963, proving they've never seen the show to begin with since it wasn't introduced until 1968 and used sparingly and with some thought applied, but ultimately destroyed in 1982 because the incoming production team felt the device was used as a plot cheat too often (they would probably not love the revived series in regarding the screwdriver, then.)

 

[Jon1701]

I really rather enjoyed it.

Family stuff dragged a bit and Yaz is still horribly underused but it had a nice sense of pace to it. I actually loved the Murray Gold-esque soundtrack.

Easily the best episode of the season.

 

[Starkers]

That depends on how the annual usage requirement in the Nation Estate contract is? Ever year they must make an appearance and this year is no exception...

Can you point out their appearance in 2018?

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

It was alright. Just like the rest of series 11. The Dalek, again, as many said, interesting. I liked that it was used to be a source of major panic. I liked that Briggs gave a bit of an effort this time. I enjoyed it, overall.

However, it is really true what they say. A Dalek episode will really bring forth the best out of any Doctor (well, except for Matt Smith). This was the very first time I felt I was not watching the Thirteenth Doctor, but the Doctor. Well done, Jodie.

Otherwise, the heck with scarf? I want her to keep it, suits her brilliantly!

 

[Saul]

Haven't watched this new series since episode two.
This wasn't bad. I thought the beginning was a bit Moffaty. Still think Jodie is playing the Doctor too low key or either I've watched too many over the top Doctors.

Not bad, though the Graham/Ryan/Ryan's Dad plot really felt like a completely separate episode from the Dalek-chasing plot. The domestic plot was OK when it was Graham and the dad, but, basically the two things just didnt gel together even though either storyline individually was decent.

That has been my problem with this series in particular. Instead of having two people sitting in a room doing the drama stuff why not work it in more to the plot? The drama scenes are signposted with two characters being separated from the Doctor for a while.

 

[CuriousCaitian]

Now, that was more like it!

Bring in a Dalek, make them resourceful, properly formidable (Dalek vs Army, Dalek wins comfortably even in a home-made shell) and even a little creepy (the tentacles waving over the shoulders of its captive gave me a small shiver), give Segun Akinola more licence to cut loose and boom, one energetic, propulsive, highly entertaining hour of Doctor Who.

True, the family moments did feel at odds with the main plot, and threatened to bog things down a bit, but luckily didn't push the patience too much, and yes the companions were left a little wanting, especially poor Yaz, but the welcome shot of adrenaline was compensation enough. It did also highlight something a few posters have noted, the lack of a truly meaty, threatening villain thus far, someone for Thirteen to really lock horns with. Given one here, she shone, so hopefully the next series/season (delete as applicable) will deliver some good new opponents.

This has actually boosted my confidence in the new incarnation, and I now look forward to seeing where things go from here, even if it means a bit of a wait. This Doctor is definitely a keeper!

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Liked it very much. The Lone Dalek episodes tend to be better at establishing how much of a threat they are. Though, I felt the finale with the Nova sucking the Dalek out went too big, I'd rather have seen the resolution kept on Earth in that GCHQ server room.

 

[Mr Soak]

I think this is the first time (at least on the show) a Dalek has been inside the TARDIS, with or without its casing.

In The Parting of the Ways the TARDIS materialised around a Dalek which was promptly dispatched by Jack.

Which makes you wonder why the TARDIS didn’t materialise around Graham’s chair.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

OMG Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

That was fun. That was perhaps even a fantastic Dalek episode. Not a huge Dalek fan but this was a good show. I have to give it to them for the production values because the show looked like it was a movie. It's been like forever since we have seen a Dalek out of its shell. That was brilliant. I didn't care much for the B plot and all the domestic stuff but the A plot was just right for me and I really did enjoy this episode a whole lot.

I love how the Dalek was here in 9th Century Earth and they cut it into 3 to keep the planet safe, but in true trope fashion someone does something that brings it back to life, and that was with the UV lamp. But meh it added to the suspense.

Did anyone notice through that middle part of the episode in the archive a constant ticking noise in the background behind the music? It added to the atmosphere and suspense.

I'm amused at how incompetent the UK is by disbanding UNIT. Brilliant job there guys. I guess the country with the most alien threats forgot that, thanks Amy. But it is what it is and that scene wasn't bad and not too heavy handed about the whole Brexit thing.

Overall I loved this episode and I love Jodie.

8/10

 

[The Nth Doctor]

In The Parting of the Ways the TARDIS materialised around a Dalek which was promptly dispatched by Jack.

Ah, that's right. It's been many years since I've seen that episode. Thanks for the refresher.

Which makes you wonder why the TARDIS didn’t materialise around Graham’s chair.

...The Doctor wasn't paying attention...

 

[PlainSimpleJoel]

That was pretty awesome. Loved it. Well most of it, except for the part with Ryan's dad, where I lost interest.

 

[BritishSeaPower]

Really good episode. Probably the best Dalek episode since the Tenannt era. (Witch's Familiar is basically a very good Davros story with some utterly terrible Dr. Who and the Daleks level Daleks. Into the Dalek is kinda okay.) Don't need to echo what a lot have said as I think we all seems to concur the episode was great.

I thought the family stuff was better than most here. It didn't feel so divorced from the plot, I actually feel like it helped balance out a somewhat by the numbers episode. TARDIS did get too crowded today, and it really only hurt Yas. Who, I hate to admit, just seems increasingly superfluous. I feel like, as small Universe-y as it would have been, it should have been Yas who knew Mitch who then gets taken over to give the Doctor some proper drama. The guardians plot felt a little over engineered. Could have been streamlined.

The music was much better this time out.

Briggs did a great job, really stretching his very fine acting muscles on the Daleks for the first time in a long time. I did enjoy the "everyone is hungover and everything is closed" runner which clearly seems like the reasoning Chibnall used to move the special. Oh, and there were a few nods back to continuity, something the show supposedly "doesn't do." ;-)

Jodie was excellent in this outing. I enjoyed the "I'm nice, here's one last final, final, final chance." and then her "You all heard that right?" bit? Loved it. SO good. She's been the Doctor for a while. But I do feel her against the Dalek definitely settles the argument. Graham, as always, is the secret joy of the episode. Ryan was great. His father was really good, too.

Loved it. More of this Chibnall, please.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Was it a political reason why they didn't say the word Brexit?

 

[Emperor-Tiberius]

They might have wanted to avoid dating the episode too much. I do hope we get to see Kate Stewart team up with Thirteen, some day.

That said, I still prefered Into Dalek more than this. But not by a lot.

 

[Mr Awe]

I didn't care for this story. I wanted to and tried to like it, but it didn't grab me. Probably the weakest story of the season. There was a crap ton of talking about everything but the Daleks. It really killed any sense of urgency. The family stuff felt like stuff from another show that was shoehorned into a DW episode. Just didn't fit. The story spent time with technobabble about how the Doctor was going to track Dalek and the woman, but then spent more time and technobabble how that wasn't working. Just really lots of talking/exposition.

Chibnall said in an interview that it would be epic, but it certainly didn't feel epic to me at all. The ideas were nice, but the plot needed more energy.

And, I was thinking, the Daleks already know where Earth is. If they wanted to and were able to, they could come anytime they want. They've never been able to not find it. So, go ahead, send your signal to the fleet, won't change a thing.

I'm glad that most people like it more than I. But, no, it didn't work for me.

 

[DS9Continuing]

The guest cast were great, but yet again Chibnall fills the Tardis, and who loses out? Seriously why didn't Chibnall just have the Dalek hijack Yas?

and yes the companions were left a little wanting, especially poor Yaz

I feel like, as small Universe-y as it would have been, it should have been Yas who knew Mitch who then gets taken over to give the Doctor some proper drama.

I was thinking much the same. I was enjoying it in the moment, but with a moment's thought the guest characters were revealed as utterly superfluous and there was no reason Yaz couldn't have been the one to be taken over. It would have given her something to do, if nothing else. They even had Girl From Class steal a police car to get into the security storage place, which is a whole part of the story they could have cut out if they'd just used Yaz, who is already a cop.

It could have gone like this: Yaz gets a phone call from Sheffield Police, saying Oi where are you, it's New Year's Eve, we need all hands on deck. She feels obligated so she gets the Doctor to take her home temporarily. In the course of events she finds and gets grabbed by the creature and runs off to do the things. The other archaeologist boy doesn't need to be there at all. The Doctor goes after Yaz, while Graham and Ryan are distracted by the business with Ryan's dad.

It would have given Yaz character development as she has to face being the tool by which people were killed, even a fellow cop. It would have built on the hints of a Yaz-Doctor relationship from the spiders episode. And it would have stopped there being seven people in the Tardis, which is far too many to pay any attention to, when clearly they have struggled with giving even four people enough attention to date.

Oh, and also, it's 2019 and we're still doing Bury Your Gays? The security guard gets one line, enough to establish he's gay, and then whoops, he's dead. Fuck that shit all the way to the left.

.

 

[Orac Zen]

Again with the frelling Daleks. Seriously?

I've been fed up with the Daleks since the 80s and this episode did nothing whatsoever to change that (if only the Nation estate had held out and refused to let the stupid damned things ever be used again). How did the thing make all those weapons out of scrap? How were the "remnants of its shell" conveniently lying around however many centuries later? Or are we not supposed to think about such things? Whatever.

I didn't mind some of the family stuff, primarily due to another terrific performance from Bradley Walsh. Graham is a tremendously enjoyable character and much of that is due to Walsh. The bit at the end with Ryan and Aaron and the power of wuv thing, though...ugh. Just like that Ryan's issues with his father are (apparently) over with? Whatever.

Yet again Yaz was underused, and it's getting annoying. I like the character but I'd rather she had depth and opportunities to do something. She's coming across as more of a token than a person and that isn't good enough. Having a gang of seven in the TARDIS toward the end, with Ryan's dad happening to come up with a solution... Just absurd.

The not so thinly veiled Brexit bit was amusing. The "I suppose we'll have to have a conversation" bit - with completely random people with no connection to anyone or anything in the episode - was just stupid.

Hopefully the next series - whenever it appears - will be much better than this ridiculous nonsense.

 

[Starkers]

Overnight was 5.15 million, but we can expect to see that go up with time delay/iPlayer etc. TV ratings overall yesterday weren't great. Who was 4th highest watched show of the day after Luther, Corrie and Emmerdale (and Luther only got 5.63 million). Would it have got more on Christmas Day? Maybe, we'll never really know. The numbers aren't great but given the ratings of other shows on the day Who did very well. The way we watch telly has just changed I'm afraid.

 

[VDCNI]

And it did perform better than the programme in the same slot last year.

Will likely go past Emmerdale to be third for the night on consolidated numbers. Could possibly get past Coro as well but would expect a bigger than usual timeshift for Coro given they were up against Eastenders.