#i think the eleventh hour changed my brain chemistry

[master-missysversion]

I know it was sort of Moffat's thing but i wouldve loved to have a 13 episode centred around children. I love seeing the doctor interact with kids, especially Eleven, and thirteen is very like him

[yellowsuspenders-dot-com-blog]

The Chick Who Fell onto, and Through the Roof of, a Train

The Chick Who Fell onto, and Through the Roof of, a Train

 Pros:

+ Interesting introduction to companions and new Doctor.

+ Quite possibly the best Doctor entrance in New Who.

+ Interesting, if not a tad disturbing, new villain.

+ Pretty good comedy (i.e. “I’m an alien, and I’m here.” followed by: “Grace, we’re going.” etc.).

+ Jodie Whittaker is pretty damn good as the Doctor –she just needs more time, I think.

+ Having three companions is done surprisingly well.

+ Very cinematic, almost every shot looks pretty damn beautiful.

+ They made the guy who hosts The Chase one of the best characters.

+ A great starting point for newcomers.

 Cons:

- How exactly did they cover up the train thing, how did they explain Grace’s fall from a crane? (-not entirely important, but still irksome to not know).

- Some of the jokes fell flat (to me personally –but to each their own, I suppose).

- An underwhelming “I am the Doctor” moment (especially compared to the ‘Eleventh Hour’ or ‘Voyaged of the Damned’) –the latter of which may be an unfair comparison. But either way, not a deal breaker.

- I am still low-key freaked out by all the teeth on Tim Shaw. Like I see them and I can feel them in mouth, dunno why.

 Comments/other ramblings:

           Overall, I liked this episode. It’s a solid microcosm of the entirety of Doctor Who (DW), the comedy is diverse (guaranteed to get at least one laugh), the quirky sci-fi, plus the weird-ass villain(s), and essentially everything else I’ve said in the ‘Pros’ section. Additionally it also gives both old and new DW fans enough to go on, without feeling completely alienated. Mostly in regards to the Doctor’s regeneration, but also her past (i.e. the fact she is essentially alone and has no family).  

             In this episode Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor does seem a bit all over the place and not very defined. Which normally would be a bad thing, but given it’s set directly after 13’s regeneration it completely makes sense. I definitely wanted to see more of her doctor as the episode finished, especially given that this was more of a ‘getting-your-shit-back-together’ episode for the Doctor. As of posting this, two more episodes have been released, and Jodie is steadily figuring out what her Doctor will be (but that’s not relevant). This episode was certainly a foundation-building episode with a whole lot of introductions and world-building for Chris Chibnall’s Doctor Who –this fortunately, isn’t boring like Class’s second (and probably following, right?) episodes. Also the Doctor doesn’t take too much of a backseat –but instead shares the screen rather equally with the rest of the cast.

           The companions themselves are pretty damn good. Much more interesting and likeable than some past companions (*cough* Rose and Mickey *cough*). Sorry, that was a weirdly snarky coughing fit. Anyway, all the companions are likeable, and I actually feel kind of invested in their lives. And I will happily swallow my pride, because I was a little mean about the fact that the guy who hosted ‘The Chase’ (Bradley Walsh) was picked to be a new companion. Little did my tiny millennial brain know that this guy, who I had only seen on the screen in the mid-afternoon at the gym or at home when someone left channel 7 after lunch, was an actual actor. And a damned good one at that. Just watching the final few scenes of this episode really hammers that point home.

           Regarding the companions and the Doctor, their chemistry is nice too (again, I just wanted to see more at the end of this episode). Additionally they’re all pretty funny and charming. Like with the above dialogue I mentioned in the ‘Pros’ section. But also the Doctor is quite funny -even though I didn’t laugh at all of her jokes. One of my favourite bits was when she decides to track the origin of the neck-bombs via using Ryan’s phone. And as she puts it to her neck she just slams into a wall, which I don’t know why exactly I thought was great. Also her make-shift sonic just being a sparky health hazard was a nice tough too.

           Even though there were some minor plot holes (or at least plot puddles), and an underwhelming “I am the Doctor” moment with an awkward/minorly cringy “fair play” bit (maybe that’s just me), I would say this episode is above average. Like a seven out of ten. My ratings are pretty subjective and may change overtime –hence why I am trying to review each episode as an isolated thing, without trying to compare it to great episodes like ‘Heaven Sent’, ‘Blink’, and so on. I’m also quite tired and unsure if I am just pumped for the new Doctor.

           So yeah like seven-ish out of ten, above average. Definitely not bad, but not quite mind-blowing either. But something to be proud of nonetheless.

TL;DR: 7-ish out of 10, see pros and cons for more details.