Doctor Who Series 11

[Lupine]

^Did it ever show up?

[RJDiogenes]

It did! I watched part of it, and I'll watch the rest when I'm not blinking so much.

[Gary]

It was an OK episode. I really like Jodi Whittaker's Doctor, and I got a kick out of the Sonic Mine. The idea to get the little guy to eat the bomb was rather clever It's interesting to see Graham's and Ryan's relationship evolving.

[RJDiogenes]

This was a decent episode, mostly because of the characterizations-- and there was a lot going on in that department. The plot was pretty straightforward, but it was really just there to hang the characters on, just like the sonic mine was just there to kickstart the plot.

It was unusual to see the Doctor so badly hurt that she was more focused on herself than others, but she quickly came around to her old self, rambling, free associating, and marveling at cool things like anti-matter engines. Yaz didn't really get a lot to do in this one, though I loved how she drop-kicked the Piranha Smurf down the corridor. But Graham and Ryan were hilarious and touching as drafted doulas for the pregnant guy: Graham with his bragging about having seen every episode of Call The Midwife and Ryan with his sage parental advice, after being forced to reflect on his own father from a new perspective.

The pregnant guy was funny enough, although I don't think they really thought through the mechanics of the process-- it's certainly possible that there is a species with two sexes that each reproduce their own sex, but it certainly wouldn't so closely resemble a Human with a British accent (not to mention the question of why this would evolve). But, of course, the purpose of the character was to force Ryan into the aforementioned reflection-- undoubtedly a reconciliation with his dad is in the works for later in the season (as is the long-awaited fist bump with Graham).

The sick pilot and her android companion were an odd and interesting pair, along with her estranged brother. It was a believable dynamic, and satisfying that the siblings had their own reconciliation and that she got to die a heroic death rather than simply expire from an illness. It's kind of a shame, too, though, because it would have been nice to see her and her android again to get a better feel for their relationship. Her brother seemed to kind of cop out there at the end, though, when the android stated that he was coming to the end of his existence-- I expected the brother to offer him a new home.

All in all, a decent episode with a couple of good messages (keep your baby, your enemy may not be as evil as you think) and a lot of good character moments.

[Lupine]

^Piranha smurf!

New episode tonight!

[RJDiogenes]

^^

I hope Yaz is in the spotlight this week. She's been a bit neglected so far.

[Lupine]

One of the better ones of the season so far, though it got really tragic towards the end. I really liked the design of the aliens though they reminded me a bit of Testimony towards the end. It shows what a cluster-bleep Partition really was and perhaps is a bit of a warning on how fast things can go bad.

[RJDiogenes]

Yes, this was definitely the best episode of the season so far-- a perfect example of the right way to do relevancy through allegory.

The script hit its several nails on the head each time: The older brother representing the generation who fought for unity and is now watching it fall apart because the naive younger generation has been swept up in ideology-- "reading pamphlets and listening to angry voices on the radio." The older brother is ultimately not only betrayed by his younger brother, but killed by a man who fought with him in the war. Using a seldom-explored historical event to illuminate the current political climate, and making it personal for one of the characters by involving their family history, was perfect and elegant-- and putting it in an unfamiliar, though very real, context is a great way of helping those who are repeating history see themselves. "Nothing worse than when normal people lose their minds."

And, of course, the Doctor has the cure, which is seldom implemented: "Love, in all its forms, is the most powerful weapon we have because love is a form of hope and, like hope, love abides in the face of everything."

If there was one problem with the script, it was that the speech patterns of the Indian characters in 1947 was much too modern. Maybe the Doctor's universal translator is really nuanced, or maybe the writer just wanted to make it comfortable for the intended audience so that the message would go down easier. But in terms of historical fiction, a little research would have lent some verisimilitude to the proceedings.

It was nice to see Yaz get the spotlight at last, although Ryan and Graham certainly had their moments. I love Ryan's mild-mannered affect when things happen like being transported into an alien spaceship. "Nice. That was cool." And poor Graham, talking to the bridegroom about everything going to hell, assuring him that he was a good man, and all the while knowing that he was about to die.

Oh, yeah, there were aliens in the story, too. The deadliest assassins in the history of forever-- except they've learned their lesson, and now they just stand vigil for people who die alone. That was a nice touch. Antagonists who are not really villains seems to be a recurring theme this year.

[Gary]

Another episode that knocks it out of the ballpark. Although it was interesting Nan didn't mention how Yaz reminded her of someone she met in Pakistan those many years ago.

[RJDiogenes]

^^ I was expecting something like that, too. Of course, it's been 75 years and she's been through a lot. I don't remember people I met last week.

[Jim Gamma]

Not to be a pedant but for Gary's info 'Nan' or 'Nana' is a common British name for grandmother. She's probably not connected the two as she's seen Yaz growing up, so wouldn't think about the four strangers at her first wedding on Partition Day.

Then again, it was pretty clear she didn't want to discuss it, maybe this was part of the reason?

[RJDiogenes]

That's what I used to call my Grandmother, whose family came from England.

[Lupine]

New episode!

[Jim Gamma]

Wow... that was an incredible episode. All the team had plenty to do, there was a well-orchestrated plot, and the perpetrator was in plain sight all along. I should've seen the hints, especially given his reactions to certain events, but somehow I missed them.

[RJDiogenes]

Can't wait. This season is doing good so far.

I heard that this year's Christmas episode will actually be a New Year's Eve episode.