I know at least the 5/28 episode received some significant editing due to the terror attack. One featuring armed rebels likely also saw some adjustment. I wonder how much that interfered with the story.
edit - the last scene seemed very disjointed, almost as if it was from another episode. I wonder if it originally was.
How did they go from the coolest opening episode (the pope crashing your gay date has got to be the best cockblock in the history of first dates) to the dullest, most uninspired, literally-derivative-of-even-Doctor-Who-itself episodes to finish the story? And why would they drag on for three episodes if they knew they had weaker material at the end? (Or worse: They thought it was good.)
They had even managed to make the sonic sunglasses make sense, and now that’s out the window again.
The middle episode was the worst of the 3, but for sure one of the worst multipart episodes they’ve done.
Seriously? Aliens with the power to actually heal the doctor’s blindness from halfway across the world. To intercept submarines and carry them through the air to land them in the desert.
And once again, they are defeated by the Power of Love ™
Just once I want to see the Doctor beat somebody with the Power of Hate. Or the Power of BigAss Guns. OR ANYTHING else besides the fucking Power of Love!
And last weeks Queen of Mars episode was not great. :|
This season overall has really been less than what I was hoping for, with story quality all over the place.
At least this weekends Roman episode looks like it could be fun.
I imagine most Roman historians had a heart attack watching the episode. Also it was terrible and made even less sense than the average doctor who episode.
So the monsters (With four legs?) EAT LIGHT, which will somehow CONSUME THE SUN (whilst still on Earth, or will they fly to it?), but they are paralysed by a MAGNIFYING GLASS magnifying a FLAMING TORCH. Got it. Also Doctor Who was happy to try and battle these demons forever with the magnifying glasses?
I agree - quite fun and, um, yeah … historically accurate!
(my son and I watched it and he hadn’t realized the 9th Legion was a thing)
Also the other best thing about the episode is the self imposed educational spree I went on, I googled about the 9th legion, I also googled about Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall.
:D
Much better episode than the Mars one!
If you going to insist that the rise and necessarily abrupt defeat of interdimensional aliens must make sense, perhaps Dr Who just isn’t your kind of show.
It isn’t! It’s my partner’s, I just happen to be in the same space when she’s wathing it :p
You sound like my parents. My mother is a fan of the show, and my father tries desperately to solve crossword puzzles and ignore it while she watches. Thanks to the show’s bombastic nature, he typically fails and follows along.
It was certainly consistently a lot more coherent on old Who, other than in a few brief spans of silliness. This show now seems to be primarily about providing the right messaging rather than just telling good stories. Even the Eccleston season and most of the early Tenant stuff had some tension and drama and sensible resolution.
I really wasn’t a fan of the last episode. There was no reason for the threat to be universe ending, that was pointless escalation to the detriment of the story. The monster also made little sense, it ate light, but mostly it just attacked humans and sucked vitamin D out of them or something, it ignored plants, or even just basking in the sun, then it’s poisoned by certain wavelengths of light but the universe is at risk? it made little sense even as Who monsters go. What’s most disappointing though, is at the core there’s an interesting concept with time moving at different rates and generation after generation sending a fighter in to effectively fight the same monster for what to it would be an ongoing short battle.
It’s been a pretty lackluster season but I have to say - today’s ep was great!
I loved it as well, and I’m seriously looking forward to next week
All is forgiven! Whatever dump they grabbed this season’s garbage from is clearly on the other side of the universe from the gold mine where they found this episode.
Missy has been fully redeemed, Bill got to wander around in full-on creepy horror Who mode, the basic premise of the plot proved a genuine obstacle for the Doctor (although there was less payoff for that part), and the whole thing served as one of the best origin story retcons I’ve ever seen. If this arc is the season finale & Capaldi’s last hurrah, I’m in.
Also shout-out to the score. Effective music used throughout.