1 minute ago, 777666jason said:

Was him provoking Bill to shoot him out of character though, half a season before he basically killed (ok they regenerated) a fellow Timelord to pull clara out of her time a millisecond before her death. That said I do think the monks were a bit too easily defeated after being set up as a huge threat so do agree with TLOTL low placing even if it did do well to further Missys redemption arc

I think it strikes me as weird after the character work between 12 and Clara in series 8. I tried to think of Clara in that situation, and I know there was brainwashing from the Monks etc, but compared to the volcano scene in Dark Water and the immediate aftermath, where 12 was compassionate and understanding, it felt strange to effectively trick his companion later down the line just to prove some trust. Not to say the Doctor shouldn't sometimes act somewhat "alien", or just distant from humanity, but it felt wildly out of place to me!

I rewatched Praxeus recently and really enjoyed it. It is clunky in its messaging at times and is a bit messy in places, but there is a good story there.

Also Hide this low 🤦‍♂️

153 Let's Kill Hitler

Series 6 Episode 8

Doctor: 11th

Companion: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, River Song

First aired: 27th August 2011

Writer: Steven Moffat

The first episode written by Steven Moffat to drop is the premiere of the second half of series 6. The episode title of Let's Kill Hitler was teased at the end of mid-series finale A Good Man Goes to War, and it's certainly one of the most intriguing titles on paper! When the episode came around, I couldn't help feeling underwhelmed. Not only did it not really pick up on the cliffhanger of A Good Man Goes to War, but it relegated Hitler to a punchline and he was dealt with in minutes! Any potential of an intriguing, perhaps morally complex story with such a title were dashed. Much of the episode focuses on River Song immediately after a regeneration, and there's some strong character work there, particularly as the Doctor fights to instil the core foundations of who River is into a much more reckless Melody Pond. It becomes a little slow in parts, but Matt Smith and Alex Kingston particularly shine. What lets this part of the episode down is the clunky handling of the arc of who River is, and Melody's disappearance. We meet Amy and Rory's long-time childhood friend Mels early on, and Mels turns out to be Melody, their daughter, but this would've packed more of a punch if we'd met Mels before, even earlier in series 6. Skipping over any real search for Melody, or Amy and Rory having to deal with their missing daughter, is a confusing move and I think leaves a lot of untapped potential. It's a mixed bag of an episode for so many reasons!

Yeah Let's Kill Hitler was really for shock value and a punchline that was used up within the first 5 minutes of the ep and then a confusing plot here after it.

I agree the impact would of been more significant if we had met Mels before, it didnt have to be Mrs flood or missy amount of teases but 2 or 3 times , I also think the reveal should of happened later in the episode it could of been any setting too as you said Hitler was an afterthought so wasn't really needed

152 Arachnids in the UK

Series 11 Episode 4

Doctor: 13th

Companion: Yasmin Khan, Graham O'Brien, Ryan Sinclair

Also featuring: Grace O'Brien, Najia Khan, Sonya Khan

First aired: 28th October 2018

Writer: Chris Chibnall

I had a good time watching this episode on first viewing. The problem was when I started to think about it...! Unfortunately it just unravelled in my mind and it's littered with plot holes and inconsistencies. The Doctor takes Yaz, Graham and Ryan back home and gets roped into a mystery involving enormous spiders, centred around the hotel Yaz's mum is about to begin working at. I must say, I really enjoy Shobna Gulati's performance as Najia in this episode, I wish she'd played a more significant role in Yaz's story! Much of the rest of the episode is a little messy. The spiders make for quite a cool concept, but I really don't like the resolution - lock them all in a room and let them die off. It's surprisingly lacking in compassion for the Doctor to advocate for such an idea. The obvious Trump reference in Jack Robertson is quite surface level and I don't think he was really needed for there to be an interesting story here (and that's without the actor being so icky), and the spiders that were discovered outside the hotel were totally forgotten about by the end of the episode, so it wasn't even resolved. Some decent concepts here but the execution didn't quite come together sadly.

Another downside of the multi companions with lack of depth was the families, the Khans were no Tyler's or Jones or even Nobles, so really had no emotional attachment to them, the Soiders were an interesting concept but really had no resolution

4 minutes ago, 777666jason said:

Another downside of the multi companions with lack of depth was the families, the Khans were no Tyler's or Jones or even Nobles, so really had no emotional attachment to them, the Soiders were an interesting concept but really had no resolution

Honestly nobody does the families like RTD! Carla and Cherry both felt more developed too (obviously Belinda never quite got the chance to have a developed family as the entire point was that she wasn't on Earth). Chibnall at least made a more consistent effort than Moffat did with companion families

151 The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe

2011 Christmas Special

Doctor: 11th

Also featuring: Amy Pond, Rory Williams

First aired: 25th December 2011

Writer: Steven Moffat

A rare episode where the Doctor is effectively companion-less, this is also the first Christmas special to drop out. The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe is an obvious Narnia reference, following a year after the show's own take on A Christmas Carol, and it sees Claire Skinner guest star as Madge Arwell, who is newly widowed, as she gives children Lily and Cyril a positive Christmas before breaking the news of their father's passing. There's plenty of cute elements to this episode and some fantastic character moments for the Eleventh Doctor in the role of the caretaker, though I find the plot a little thin on the ground. Guest stars Bill Bailey, Arabella Weir and Paul Bazely don't really further the plot in any way other than giving Madge a hurdle to face in reuniting with her kids, and the conclusion is clichéd, although it's got a lot of heart to it and Claire Skinner does give a good performance. Nothing I actively dislike about the episode but I think it's a pretty thin storyline that's only really enhanced by the performances of the core cast.

The thing i never got with Moffat christmas specials is why we're Amy and Rory always suddenly minor characters (ok this one was to show he had a break from them i guess) was there an ulterior motive behind the scenes was Karen Gilan already filming something big

I agree with the sentiment the episode was just there , like seemed like a placeholder between 2 big story arcs, it was terrible but it wasn't great either

5 hours ago, 777666jason said:

The thing i never got with Moffat christmas specials is why we're Amy and Rory always suddenly minor characters (ok this one was to show he had a break from them i guess) was there an ulterior motive behind the scenes was Karen Gilan already filming something big

I agree with the sentiment the episode was just there , like seemed like a placeholder between 2 big story arcs, it was terrible but it wasn't great either

I always found that a bit odd too! Especially given Clara and Bill were active players in Christmas specials (even when the latter's story had technically finished in the episode before). I'm sure it's just a coincidence, surely a narrative decision in both cases, but it's easy to forget they were in any Christmas episodes at all despite how long they were around for!

150 Fear Her

Series 2 Episode 11

Doctor: 10th

Companion: Rose Tyler

First aired: 24th June 2006

Writer: Matthew Graham

I've defended this episode somewhat in the past as I find it gets a pretty bad time from the fanbase. That said, it's still towards the weaker end of Doctor Who episodes, and it lands as the second lowest episode of RTD1 regardless. The Doctor takes Rose on a trip to the future to the 2012 London Olympics (!), only to encounter a neighbourhood with an abnormal number of missing children. The story focuses on Chloe Webber, possessed by a small creature called the Isolus who was desperate for friendship. I find it a cute story, particularly as mum Trish tries to reconnect with her distant daughter, a story strand enhanced by the backstory of Chloe's father. There's some solid stakes as the Doctor becomes one of the Isolus' victims, leaving Rose behind to solve the problem herself, involving some iconic comedy scenes with council worker Kel. Despite this, in parts, the episode feels a bit amateur, and the acting can occasionally be shaky from the guest cast. Not a highlight of the show but it's at least a little better than it's given credit for in my view.

Gosh, you work fast, catching up!

The Tsuranga Countdown - don't feel there's much else to say there x

(I can't remember much about this one, just a generic space episode with bad Chibnall writing, the pregnant man was a slightly baffling edition, and them genuinely acting like an oversized moshi monster was the most fearsome creature on the planet)

Legend of the Sea Devils - Was cool to see a classic villain return and they looked very good, but otherwise this was an unremarkable special with the usual contrivances that lumbered this era, I'll credit it with some great underwater shots and the Doctor/Yaz relationship could've been good had it been handled well.

Love & Monsters - Ah, remember when this was the most hated episode? Good times x There have been good, even fantastic, Doctor-lite episodes, but this was not one of them (not that I expected much given the villain was the result of a children's competition), mainly cos the protagonist wasn't really that likeable, Jackie was definitely the best thing about it.

The Woman Who Lived - I remember so little about this and it's predecessor apart from Maisie Williams' Me who was never executed that well, this was peak Game of Thrones time so the fact she was there probably sacrificed a decent story, and...a lion I think. I don't remember it being anything special though x

Victory of the Daleks - I think this is a great concept, especially given the Daleks are inspired by the Nazis, and 'Would you like some tea' coming from a Dalek is incredible indeed, but it was just a bit naff in it's execution, with the pastel coloured Daleks and space battles. Not bad, just a bit throwaway.

Hide - Another one I remember very little about, Haunted House episodes and Doctor Who have never been the best combination.

Praxeus - Better than Orphan 55, but still another really bad Chibnall climate change episode with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, quite literally jumping from one scenario to the next with no character development or plot given space to breathe, some characters died and there was next to no reaction from anyone lmao

The Lie of the Land - The Monks three parter had a lot of potential and they looked great, but it wasn't the best and ended up feeling very unsatisfying. I didn't think blindsiding his companion was necessarily out of character for the Doctor though as he did the same in Kill the Moon, while he had made progress, it showed he was still prone to not always think of how others feel in times of danger (incidentally, I did find that one of the most interesting Doctor arcs and Capaldi portrayed it beautifully)

Let's Kill Hitler - This in the midst of this super-confusing River Song storyline which I admittedly haven't revisited it much, there were good episodes here despite this but I don't recall this being remarkable.

Arachnids in the UK - The title's great, otherwise it's one of my least favourite episodes. I just can't fathom who thought the Doctor would seriously think that trapping and suffocating spiders is more humane than just shooting them and ending it quickly (I don't understand why they had to die at all, couldn't she have just used the TARDIS to trap them and take them to another dimension where they're more at home or something? There clearly weren't that many given all of the spiders were seemingly drawn to that hotel), you know the writing's bad when you make the obvious Trump parody (very much necessary xx) look correct.

The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe - This episode's a bit overhated, it's not bad just cliched and schmaltzy, but I do find it quite cute, maybe I have a soft spot for literary sci-fi recreations.

Fear Her - The other obvious dud from S2, I do admire it as a time capsule as to how the 2012 Olympics looked from 2006, but that pretty much kills any replay value as it's firmly rooted in it's time (Shayne Ward's Greatest Hits tour!!), the concept had potential but the show's never been good with child-themed horror and the conclusion feels too cheesy. I didn't hate it at the time, but would never rewatch.

Fear her erm next 🤣🤣🤣

Not to say kids cant act , but i do feel its the child cast that let this down especially chloe webber actress, does also feel like it was kind of there because it was low budget and filled a gap

149 The Girl Who Died

Series 9 Episode 5

Doctor: 12th

Companion: Clara Oswald

Also featuring: Ashildr

First aired: 17th October 2015

Writer: Jamie Mathieson & Steven Moffat

Its follow-up story has already departed but now the original Ashildr story leaves too. The Girl Who Waited follows the Doctor and Clara as they're captured by Vikings and taken to their village, where a figure claiming to be Odin appears in the sky. The episode is effectively the Doctor training the villagers up to fight fake Odin, who's actually the leader of the Mire, and his soldiers, and there's a couple of good comedic moments, notably surrounding how much of an effort that project is for the Doctor, and we know 12 isn't the most patient or understanding incarnation! The Mire make for quite uninteresting villains, and I find it's a bit of a slow episode on the whole It mostly serves to set up Ashildr's story, providing us with a point of contrast for the following episode, but the Ashildr storyline in general kills much of the momentum of series 9 and takes focus away from the Doctor and Clara's relationship, which felt so central to every episode in series 8, during Clara's final run. A serviceable episode but nothing to write home about.

Never forget Rose Tyler fighting off the most terrifying monster of them all....A SCRIBBLE. The best part of the ep was how it taked such a adult topic in a children's show but idk as a ep it isn't one I look back on as a outstanding ep.



Also don't forget this icon



The Girl Who Died is one I am most wanting to rewatch because I don't remember much about it.

148 The Eaters of Light

Series 10 Episode 10

Doctor: 12th

Companion: Bill Potts, Nardole

Also featuring: Missy

First aired: 17th June 2017

Writer: Rona Munro

Just before series 10 unleashed its spectacle of a finale on us, we got a much more subdued episode. Returning classic series writer Rona Munro delivered a script set in Scotland about the disappearance of the Ninth Legion of the Imperial Roman army. The Doctor and Bill split up, with Nardole accompanying the former, and this provides some of the best moments of the episode, as the Doctor has to handle some angry natives in the typical 12th Doctor fashion, while Bill gets some good character moments as she finds some of the missing Romans. The rest of the episode is just a bit nothingy and I think the whole thing about crows talking is a little silly, but easily overlooked. The creature isn't memorable at all really, nor is much of the plot, but it's an episode I have quite a nice time rewatching on the rare occasion I revisit it.

The eaters of light is the definition of okay but safe episode lmao

The only good thing from TWWD was that if finally gave a reason for that face, although probably converluted and shoehorned in anyway, Part of me still thinks Ashildr story was only done because The had a huge star in masie Williams but it just wasn't as impactful as it could of been so let's it down

TEOL my biggest annoyance was why did it take Bill this long to get a Tardis Key to learn about the Tardis, To basically be an official companion, other than that was filler till the finale really and forgettable

(Apologise if feel like im responding to everything can't help it when im a stan of something 😅🤣)

Edited Sunday at 07:512 days by 777666jason

5 hours ago, 777666jason said:

The only good thing from TWWD was that if finally gave a reason for that face, although probably converluted and shoehorned in anyway, Part of me still thinks Ashildr story was only done because The had a huge star in masie Williams but it just wasn't as impactful as it could of been so let's it down

TEOL my biggest annoyance was why did it take Bill this long to get a Tardis Key to learn about the Tardis, To basically be an official companion, other than that was filler till the finale really and forgettable

(Apologise if feel like im responding to everything can't help it when im a stan of something 😅🤣)

No need to apologise at all, I'm loving the comments from you and everyone else! I never need an excuse to dissect Doctor Who