#i liked demons of the punjab! and the ghost monument was fun.

[andthematteroftime]

I've been rewatching thirteens series because I haven't actually watched most of them since seeing them on telly and it's weird because there's some really good bits every now and then, and then they hit me with the most out of character, immoral bit of nonsense and I'm just blown away.

[autisticstevenuniverse]

Rating Every Nu Who Episode: Season 11

The Woman Who Fell to Earth: 8/10 fantastic character intro, she's so hyper I love her. Having a disabled companion WITH DYSPRAXIA YES. The story is nonsensical but in like a fun way. Lost a point for immediately fridging Grace.

The Ghost Monument: 6/10 the plot is soooooo slow, it has some fun parts but mostly they just trudge through the desert. Gained two points just for the self lighting cigar thing.

Rosa: 9/10 I appreciate the head-on addressing of historical racism, and I always love a time traveling villain we haven't seen before.

Arachnids in the UK: 7/10 shallow episode but in a fun way.

The Tsuranga Conundrum: 7/10 I love everything about the characters and pace of this episode, and even the "villain" is fine, but the solution felt a bit rushed to me like the writers weren't sure how to solve it either.

Demons of the Punjab: 10/10 very sweet and lovely historical episode, also love it when the threatening aliens are not actually the bad guys.

Kerblam: 3/10 and that's after gaining a couple points for the interesting setting of space Amazon. Why did the episode set up the company as evil and horrible to humans...and then have the bad guys be the humans trying to stop it? Even if they were going to do that, why was there no solution at the end to either dismantle the company or improve the system. Just, what?

The Witchfinders: 5/10 it felt a little all over the place and didn't hold my attention.

It Takes You Away: 8/10 love the characters, love the message that you can't get lost in your grief to the exclusion of life, love the genuine regret with which Thirteen leaves her new friend, love having a blind character for whom that is never the issue.

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos: 8/10 it was fun in a dark way.

Resolution: 4/10 the daleks are fine inside their shells, I don't need them coming out.

Bonus Character Ratings:

Thirteen: 10/10 no notes love her.

Yaz: 9/10 I like her dynamic with Ryan as having sort of known each other once but not being super close. She's clever and doesn't panic but also doesn't get lost in the thrill. Loses a point because she should have been a social worker not a cop.

Ryan: 10/10 love everything about him and his complicated, sometimes validly grumpy feelings. I love how compassionate he is without that being all he is.

Graham: 10/10 he provides a nice unique perspective as an older companion, and his arc with Ryan is very good.

[bambiesque]

New thread for Whittaker!Doctor.

Episode: The Woman Who Fell to Earth - Hi, Ryan, Yas, Graham! I love how Northern it is. Sonic Swiss Army Knife - thank you! The tooth monster is so horrible. I like that Ryan is the Doctor's favourite because he agrees with her, just like Five and Nyssa. Good start.

Episode: The Ghost Monument - I like the new credits more than Twelve's. Venusian aikido! Ohm, Ryan used a gun so he's no longer the Doctor's fave. Honestly, the Doctor running to greet the TARDIS was quite romantic. Love the new look.

Episode: Rosa - Great episode. Ryan especially is excellent - love that he keeps using Rosa Parks' and MLK's full names. A proper history episode, haven't had one of those in a long time.

Episode: Arachnids in the UK - Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Silly fun, enjoyable but no thanks to the giant spiders.

Episode: The Tsuranga Conundrum - Nice to see Brett Goldstein. Bit of a mixed bag though. I liked Graham and Ryan's story better than Eve's. The Pting is very cute.

Episode: Demons of the Punjab - Another lovely historical episode. I do like that it's teaching us things. Graham is very wise. Once again, the Doctor has learnt nothing about taking companions to see their relatives.

Episode: Kerblam! - That robot delivery thing is horrible. Poor Kira, I liked her. It was a fine episode but nothing very exciting.

Episode: The Witchfinders - I love Alan Cumming. I'm surprised The Doctor hasn't been burnt at the stake for witchcraft before now tbh. The historical stuff has been really great this season.

Episode: It Takes You Away - Yas wanting to reverse the polarity was a highlight. Sad but lovely. And Ryan calling Graham grandad was very touching.

Episode: The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos - Not a great series end but also not terrible. I enjoyed it on the whole. I love the whole TARDIS team.

Episode: Resolution - Your standard Dalek story but it was very enjoyable. Like the extended fam. I love how Yorkshire Whittaker!Doctor is.

Episode: Spyfall 1/2 - Great introduction for Dhawan!Master. (I still miss Missy though). Everyone looks fantastic in their tuxes. Fab Bond episode to start and then a nice historical ep with Ada Lovelace and Noor Inayar Khan. Love the Doctor's eyerolling over the Master's theatrics and then they go to the Eiffel Tower for a date. Bless. Aaand then Gallifrey is destroyed again. *sigh*

Episode: Orphan 55 - Nice exciting episode. Loved all the characters and the very tight plot. One of the best.

Episode: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror - I do enjoy the historical episodes and the little educational asides. Good but not one of my favourites.

Episode: Fugitive of the Judoon - Jack! I like Ruth. A very exciting episode, a good mystery and lots of interesting things going on. Whittaker!Doctor is brilliant.

Episode: Praxeus - I liked everyone getting to go off and do their own thing. Too many creepy birds though. Some nice educational moments.

Episode: Can You Hear Me? - Love Whittaker!Doctor talking to herself and forgetting she's alone. Love how awkward she is when Graham is trying to talk to her. Yaz's story made me cry.

Episode: The Haunting of Villa Diodati - Gorgeous, creepy, funny. A perfect episode.

Episode: Ascension of the Cybermen/The Timeless Children - I don't hate the Doctor's history reveal. I think destroying Gallifrey again was stupid and I don't understand why we're still associating The Master and the Cybermen this closely.

Episode: Revolution of the Daleks - Harriet Walter! Jack! I like that Ryan and Graham decide to leave and aren't forced out traumatically like all the other New!Who companions. It's just a continuation of Resolution and the Dalek story isn't as good as that one.

Episode: The Halloween Apocalypse - I like the way everything is set up for the whole season. It makes an interesting change. Not sure how I feel about Dan yet.

Episode: War of the Sontarans - Yay Mary Seacole! I do like Sontarans but I don't like the makeup this time. Swarm and Azure's makeup however is amazing.

Episode: Once, Upon Time - I love Bel. I think her and Vinder's story is the most interesting this season. I'm still not really invested in Dan.

Episode: Village of the Angels - A good episode but I didn't really like the ending. I do love a good weeping angel episode though.

Episode: Survivors of the Flux - Yaz looks fantastic in all her 1904 outfits. I don't really care about the Flux or Division - I don't think more mysterious secret organisations were needed. Kate!!!!

Episode: The Vanquishers - Oh there's two Whittaker!Doctors in the same place at the same time. Yaz is having so many impure thoughts. Poor Jericho.

Episode: Eve of the Daleks - Time Loop! My favourite trope. I loved it. And yay to Dan for giving a few home truths to the Doctor and listening to Yaz.

Episode: Legend of the Sea Devils - Pirates, beautiful ships, swordfights, Whittaker!Doctor being brave and honest with Yaz. Lovely ending.

Episode: The Power of the Doctor - This episode is going to make me cry isn't it? Oh yes, the regenerating Cybermen. Ugh. ACE!!! TEGAN MY LOVE!!! Bye, Dan. I'm so pleased they all made their own choice to leave. "Your Master awaits." But what do they mean by that? Really? KATE!!! She did not sign up for this drama. The Master is looking good like a professor. "How did you escape from Gallifrey?" How does he escape from anything, Doctor? FFS. Love a bunker. Lava pools seem to be Whittaker!Doctor's quarry. Poor UNIT. Dear lord, just ask her on a date, you idiot. It's not really regeneration, so much as a body swap. Oh Tegan <3 Lol at the Master wearing a bit of every Doctor. All the Doctors. I'm crying. Yaz is awesome. I love Tegan so much. I love Ace. I love the Master's emo hood. Brave heart, Tegan. *crying forever* "All children leave home!" *yeah I'm never going to stop crying* Graham! Oh Kate <3 The only thing I like about the regenerating Cybermen is the beautiful Galifreyan swirlies. Oh poor Master. He needs some hugs and some therapy. Him and his bisexual TARDIS. I do love that there's five women here and one man. And the Cloister bell. Oh Yaz <3 Jo!!!!!!! My darling, Jo. Ian! Mel! Tag, you're it! Incredible. Hello (again) David.

Whittaker!Doctor Era Roundup

I love Jodie. I love the fam. I love how Yorkshire it is. I don't really have a strong opinion about the Timeless Child revelation, but I do think getting rid of Gallifrey again was a mistake. I hope we can dispense with the Master & Cybermen connection now too. Overall, I love how Whittaker!Doctor was brave, excitable, full of nervous energy and a little bit steampunk!

Favourite Companion: Yaz

Least Favourite Companion: Dan

Favourite Episode: The Haunting of Villa Diodati / The Power of the Doctor

Least Favourite Episode: Revolution of the Daleks

Final Doctor Rankings:

Smith

Davison

Pertwee

Tennant

Capaldi

Whittaker

TBaker

CBaker

McCoy

Troughton

McGann

Eccleston

Hartnell

Top 10 Companions: (Yaz goes in at 13, Kate at 16, Ryan at 20, Graham at 21, Dan at 41)

Jo Grant

Amy Pond

Tegan Jovanka

Rory Williams

Barbara Wright

Vislor Turlough

Clara Oswald

Sarah Jane Smith

Martha Jones

Donna Noble

Top 5 Masters:

Gomez

Delgado

Simm

Dhawan

Ainley

[roseposts-stuff]

doctor who rankings series 11 edition!!! we've reached the series that inspired this series because basically i think it is NOT that bad. anyway, just my opinions that i will probably disagree with in a moment, so feel free to disagree as well

1. Resolution (11x0) - it's peak i fear... i think chibnall actually understands the daleks unlike moffat. the dalek is overconfident, extremely cruel and sadistic and distinctly evil by nature. the resolution is good and actually creative, and i like that they explored ryan's character a bit more. i don't really have any complaints about this episode, there are slight questions about how the dalek stayed alive like that etc. but it can be overlooked VERY easily, suspension of disbelief is an important thing to keep in mind. can i say that this is currently one of my favourite dalek stories in new who or will i be executed

2. Demons of the Punjab (11x6) - i love it. i love prem. i love the wedding. i love that the aliens weren't evil. i love this episode so much, and also man am i glad to get HISTORICALS THAT AREN'T SET IN EUROPE OR NORTH AMERICA, yeah i really really like this episode and i've literally got no complaints

3. The Witchfinders (11x8) - i really like the historicals of this series!! i like the whole theme, it's interesting and i like the story, alan cumming is brilliant as king james, and it's just pretty good doctor who, i think. it might've been better as a pure historical, but i do like the aliens too, so i'm not mad about it

4. The Woman Who Fell to Earth (11x1) - i think it's an alright introduction to a new doctor. it's very tell not show, but there are some cool scenes and i think it establishes her pretty well, the villain doesn't take too big of a role etc., but honestly, there were a bit too many new characters in it

5. Rosa (11x3) - (as a white person) i think this is such an important episode to have on doctor who, and i'm glad chibnall got a black woman to co write it (russell t davies, take notes), and i'm really glad they actually paid attention to the racism and didn't have it just be one moment, it's a constant in the background and you're a bit scared for ryan and yaz. it makes you uncomfortable and it should, because racism should make everyone uncomfortable. plot is okay and though the dialogue is pretty stiff (which is common for this era), i think it's an alright episode. this episode also has some great jokes balancing it, i love the jokes as well they're actually pretty funny

6. Arachnids in the UK (11x4) - i won't actually tolerate any slander against this episode, it was far better than i remembered, and i enjoyed it a lot. the ending is weirdly out of character for the doctor and her being so against killing the big spider is stupid when she was going to do the same thing except slowly, but other than the ending it's really enjoyable and fun

7. The Tsuranga Conundrum (11x5) - it's not exactly anything special, but still enjoyable and a fun ride in my opinion. the pting is a funny looking little guy, and i actually kinda liked the side characters tbh

8. The Battle of Ranskoor av Kolos (11x10) - it's surprisingly good for a first draft i'm not going to lie. it is not good, and it being a first draft shows, but i actually do think there's some good and creative stuff happening, and i can appreciate that. i like the way it's resolved with the psychic powers and i like the idea of a planet affecting people's minds, but it's far from being as good as it could've been because it is a first draft

9. The Ghost Monument (11x2) - i don't hate it but it's a bit boring at places and very tell not show to the point that it's just annoying, it's a problem with especially the first few episode of the series. still, i really liked the opening, it was really good, and the scene with the floating cloth things is GORGEOUS and really cool. also, i think the ending is nice and i like the introduction to the TARDIS

10. Kerblam! (11x7) - thing is, it's actually a pretty well written episode. but it is SO out of character for the doctor. the doctor would NEVER side with the big corporation my guy is basically a socialist, their every-day activity is hating rich people and siding with the workers, so why on EARTH is the doctor saying the systems aren't the problem??? why on EARTH would you make an episode for doctor who that's trying to convince people, especially kids, that the systems want their best when they absolutely DO NOT??? thank you for coming to my TED talk

11. It Takes You Away (11x9) - it's got a brilliant premise and it's such a good idea, but it just falls flat. there's so much completely unnecessary stuff that takes away from the ACTUALLY IMPORTANT THINGS OF THE EPISODE, like it should've used way less time having a completely unnecessary adventure between the universes and way less time trying to find the NON-EXISTENT MONSTER and we would've needed way more time with solitract-grace and graham because everything in the solitract universe felt rushed and didn't really have an impact because of that. i like the frog tho, but again, the scene with it and the doctor was way too short and had no impact

there we are then, thank you!!!

[esonetwork]

Timestamp: Series Eleven Summary

New Post has been published on http://esonetwork.com/timestamp-series-eleven-summary/

Timestamp: Series Eleven Summary

Doctor Who Series Eleven Summary

Jodie Whittakes’s debut series was an average performance for the Timestamps Project.

This set of adventures felt like something in line with television movies from the 1990s and 2000s. The filming styles and productions reminded me of syndicated science fiction similar to Rick Berman-era Star Trek, the Stargate franchise, or even the Doctor Who TV movie itself. That’s not a bad thing – the 1990s and 2000s were a big part of my growth as a science fiction fan – but the production values are a big shift from those of the well-funded Steven Moffat era. The stories follow the production values, offering a bare-bones, pulpy sci-fi set of episodes with neither “clever” twists nor convoluted overarching plot threads.

That said, this series suffers from a major writing flaw when it comes to endings. Chris Chibnall is no stranger to writing and producing for the franchise – his fingerprints are on several episodes of Doctor Who and Torchwood – but each of his credited works was overseen by someone else. In Series Eleven, Chris Chibnall has the full reins. In comparison to something like Broadchurch, which told a set of serialized stories over a trio of eight-episode series, this series of individual episodes crash to rapid endings instead of tying up narrative loose ends in a tidy bow. Almost as if he just ran out of time for the stories he wanted to craft.

In other words, I wonder if Chris Chibnall’s writing strength lies in longer-form storytelling. Perhaps these episodes would have fared better in 70-minute timeslots or as multi-part stories?

The writing drags on this era of Doctor Who when everything else seems to fire so well. I do like the pulpy stories, the companions are fun, and Jodie Whittaker is fun and energetic in the title role. Notably, the stories with less Chibnall influence clicked better with me, and I feel like a better writer could really make this choir sing.

Series Eleven comes to an end with a 3.9 score. In the larger scope, it stands alone at seventeenth place among thirty-nine seasons in the scope of the Timestamps Project. In comparison, it sits between the small 4.0 group (the classic Twelfth Season and Series Ten) and the rather large 3.8 group (comprised of six classic seasons: Seventh, Tenth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Twenty-Fifth, and Twenty-Sixth). Average to be sure, and not really my favorites to revisit.

The Woman Who Fell to Earth – 5 The Ghost Monument – 4 Rosa – 5 Arachnids in the UK – 2 The Tsuranga Conundrum – 3 Demons of the Punjab – 5 Kerblam! – 4 The Witchfinders – 4 It Takes You Away – 4 The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos – 3 Resolution – 4

Series Eleven Average Rating: 3.9/5

Next up, the Timestamps Project continues through the Thirteenth Doctor’s era with Series Twelve. The adventure continues in a straight line afterward to Flux and the franchise’s sixtieth anniversary.

UP NEXT – Doctor Who: Spyfall

The Timestamps Project is an adventure through the televised universe of Doctor Who, story by story, from the beginning of the franchise. For more reviews like this one, please visit the project’s page at Creative Criticality.

[sandymybeloved]

The Tsuranga Conundrum

Why is this one so widely disliked? I was fairly sure going into it that it'd be on a similar level to Arachnids in the UK, but it was so much better than that, probably my second favourite so far. The first ten minutes were pretty rough, but once the Pting gets aboard, its great.

Introduction and links to other reviews

Okay, so, I guess I should address those first ten minutes, because I think that’s probably turned people off from the episode. It is just 10 minutes of non-stop exposition from every character except the Doctor (who's asking the questions to get the exposition from everyone else). I think writing exposition is one of Chibnall's weak points, because its sort of turning into a recurring issue in episode he wrote. The Woman who Fell to Earth had Tzim-Sha explain his whole plan, there was nothing stand out in the Ghost Monument, but there was definitely some weaker exposition there, you get the idea. But anyway, its particularly bad here, the fam wakes up on a ship, the medic tells us they were hurt and are on their way to a hospital, they start walking around, they enter two rooms, both of which contain relevant characters who immediately explain who they are, then the fam immediately leave again. It feels quite, I don’t know, ploddy, and it’s a shame, because it distracts from the good stuff in people's impressions of the episode.

So why do I like it? Basically, it’s a lot of fun, my kind of fun. I think I just love Doctor Who stories where the aliens aren't malicious, where there's nothing to be don’t to stop them, the goal is just to survive. That, combined with the Pting just being fun to watch, leaves me with nothing negative to say about the core plot. It might just be a personal taste thing, I may just have an affinity for these kinds of episodes, it could be really awful the whole way through and I just didn't notice because I was having too much fun, but I don't care, I loved it.

This is going to a short review, but I go and watch Demons on the Punjab, its worth mentioning that this episode does also have a 'Chibnall cast of thousands' like the last, but this is a cast of thousands done right, and that’s because we actually have a focal character, in this case, the Doctor. It doesn't matter that everybody else has faded into the background, because rather than taking the same amount of attention from everyone, The Doctor has none taken, so she really stands out. There's nothing new about her character that I haven't mentioned before, but it's sort of like it's all finally been pulled into focus as the Doctor has been given a focal episode for the first time this series.

So yeah, in summary, I really loved this episode, but I'd be interested to know how popular or unpopular an opinion that is, because I'm baffled by the gap between my opinion and the prevailing one, that its one of the worst of the era.

[weerd1]

The New Season of Doctor Who

I haven’t said a lot about Doctor Who the last year or so, because I was a bit disappointed in the last season, and I hate to say anything negative about something I love. Please hear me out on my issue, because it’s not what you might think.

I overall liked the season, and in fact the Indian Partition and Rosa Parks episodes were pretty outstanding.  “It Takes You Away” was almost one of my five favorites ever, if not for the completely superfluous sections in the land between the mirrors with Ribbons which slowed down a marvelously conceived pocket universe episode.

But something bugged me about the season, and it wasn’t Jodie Whittaker; I think her take on the Doctor is splendid, and she’s absolutely great in every scene.

Yes, that too, thank you Doctor.

The problem was the writing didn’t let her be the hero in her own stories. With initially four, then soon three companions acting as a “Fam,” the show’s makeup made more of a team dynamic, and I wanted her to be the same standout, vivacious, sun in the middle of her own solar system that every Doctor has been. 

Again, don’t get me wrong: I LIKE the fam, especially the Ryan/Graham interaction, and Yaz is great (wouldn’t have gotten the terrific “Demons of the Punjab” without her), but all too often the Doctor seemed to be trapped by circumstance, and stepping aside so the Companions can act. 

 Even in the eps I love, the resolution (especially “Rosa”) calls for the Doctor not to act in order to fix the problem.  After years of hints, The Doctor was now a woman, and instead of seeing how well that can play on a show with this structure, I felt like she was getting sidelined in her own show.

Season 12 I am happy to say has fixed a lot of that.  The Doctor is out front, taking action, figuring out solutions, and in this week again a little dangerous.  I love that about the modern Doctors: Nine is an affable chap...until he isn’t.

 Ten is a cutie patootie flirt...until he isn’t.

 Eleven is a buffoonish man-child...until he isn’t. 

Twelve is a gruff curmudgeonly gentleman...until he isn’t. 

Suddenly, the chap, the flirt, the buffoon, the curmudgeon can turn on a dime and become the  “coming storm.” Demons run when a good man goes to war. 

This week, we finally get a hint of that from Thirteen, and I have been needing that to show me it’s the same software in a different case. Yes, each Doctor has their own traits, but in the end, that tragic finality lurks beneath.

(We don’t have a GIF yet, but The Doctor’s speech to the Skithra Queen is pretty damn cold! “I gave you your chance...the chance to evolve. But you were too stupid to take it. When you die, there’ll be nothing left behind; just a trail of blood and other people’s brilliance.” Hard not to tie that idea to Edison too...)

Season 11 also felt a bit haphazard to me in a way 12 doesn’t, seeming to introduce things without ever really paying them off either.  The Doctor builds her screwdriver out of spoons and tech she gets off of the Stenza warrior Tzim-sha, giving it the yellow crystal look.  Then, in “The Ghost Monument,” they mention the planet has also been a weapon production location for the Stenza, and sure enough when the TARDIS turns out the BE the Ghost Monument, there’s all that yellow crystal tech integrated within.  It’s an easy set of dots to connect, and maybe something that would play somehow when Tzim-Sha reappears at the end of the season.  Yet, no, it’s seemingly not important.

The new season seems to be back on the Davies/Moffatt model of building an overall arc over the separate stories of the year, and I am all for that. I do hope there are some legitimate surprises regarding the new Master and Gallifrey’s apparent fate.

So, to summarize, I think the writing team has worked out some bugs from their first season, and Ms. Whittaker continues to brilliantly expand what she is bringing to the role of The Doctor. Here’s hoping they continue to keep her the hero of her story, while her Companions are still fun, cool, and support. Jodie Whittaker IS The Doctor...now let her be.

[novantinuum]

jen’s doctor who s11 review

On the whole!

I really enjoyed series 11 for its nice change in pace and especially the relationship built up between Graham and Ryan. I really liked how many of the episodes were lighter and kinda more adventure-y in nature than in past, instead of constant “the world is gonna end” danger. Like I love those kinds of episodes, believe me, but the lighter tone is very welcomed after many series of heart wrenching angst ahahahah! 

I loved how they handled the historical episodes this series, and really dug into the truth of human condition within those time periods, and took risks there. I actually learned a lot about the time periods they visited- for example, I never really heard much about the Pakistan partition in school. 

Thirteen is precious and I want to hug her. She’s so full of hope and that makes me so happy! :DDD I love how she’s a sciency tinkerer and likes cobbling stuff together out of whatever loose ends she can find. I’m still waiting for her to snap, though- maybe that’s just me as an angst lord talking, but I want to see her super super angry. The scene in The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos with her sternly disagreeing with Graham was very good though. But anyways, I love her positivity and her quirky alien charm, and her character feels like a natural progression of where the Doctor left off at the end of Twice Upon a Time. The Doctor has gone through a lot of healing since the Time War, a lot of self reflection and forgiving themself, and Thirteen is absolutely a product of that and it shows. It’s so nice to see them back on their feet, unshackled by that guilt finally, just wandering about the universe like they always did. 

Yasmin is so sweet and so loyal, and h o h boy if there’s anyone I can see sticking with the Doctor until the bitter end out of this crew it’s her. (*nervous laughter*) Out of all the crew she’s the one who’s had the least development though, so I’m looking forward to seeing where she goes as a character moving forward. Also, I hope we see her family more, I like them! Maybe in the New Years special, we’ll see. I’ve absolutely hit the “ADOPT KID” button on Ryan, the more I think about him the more I love him- just, all this time he’s been looking for belonging, for people who aren’t gonna leave him behind like his dad, and he had that with his nan Grace- but he didn’t know if Graham was gonna be the same or if he was only there for him bc of association with Grace. But now through all these adventures through space and time he has absolute proof that Graham will be there for him, and so he’s made the conscious decision to make Graham his family. And Graham, hhh... his grieving throughout the series, while not acting as a shadow on it, was always woven through and it’s nice to see both him and Ryan actually make peace with things through seeing Tim Shaw again and giving him his humble pie. 

In the end when it comes to this series, I love the strong found family vibes it gives. Graham and Ryan and Yaz, they all knew each other in some way before, but they didn’t truly know each other. And through being thrown together with the Doctor, entering her wild adventurous life, they got to grow closer as friends, but more importantly, as a family. The whole series the Doctor was looking for a word to describe her little ragtag group, and she wasn’t exactly sure if “fam” was the right one, but in the end it’s what she settles on because this has become a family. 

Now, what I’m hoping to see more of in the future! 

1) I’d love to see more extended domestic-y TARDIS scenes! We’ve got a lot of pre/post endcap TARDIS scenes, but I’d love to see more small little convos between characters on the way to their destinations, in between, etc. For as long as these episodes were I feel like so much time was spent providing exposition and story for the plot, but I’d love to see more fun nonsense. More glimpses at what they get up to in between, if that makes any sense. (As an example of what I mean, we got a bit of this in The Tsuranga Conundrum, at the very beginning when they were just poking about a junkyard planet, and I quite liked that.)

2) As the characters keep developing I’d love to see more conflict arise between them to test their friendships. We saw some good moments of this with the Doctor telling Ryan to stay behind with Hanne in It Takes You Away after he made a kinda narrow-minded comment about her disability, and when the Doctor flat out told Graham that if he killed Tim Shaw he wouldn’t be traveling with her anymore in the finale. I’d love to see more of this.

3) This may just be because I’m really queer, but I want the Doctor to snap and yell and get really angry at something. That’s the ONE thing that felt entirely missing from this series. In the end I get the sense that this Doctor has a far greater reign on her emotions and self because she’s healed quite a bit, but I still know she’s capable of that righteous anger and I’d love to see Jodie show off her full range with a scene like that.

4) We’ll probably get this in the New Years special, but I’m super anticipating Thirteen facing the Daleks. This is a quintessential thing for every Doctor, in my opinion, and I can’t wait for when they (hopefully!) eventually do that.

5) More of a plot arc. I definitely know the lack of a tight plot arc was because they wanted it to be more accessible for people to just tune in and watch without context,, as they’re gaining some new fans, but I hope that there’s more of a return to an ongoing series plot arc with this next series since everything’s been established. I personally really like those, because I get to be a plot arc detective! I will say that I’m very pleased that Tim Shaw was brought back for the finale, though- that acted as a very nice bookend and helped tie up all the emotional threads.

6) Also not exactly anything I can fault this series for, because I can tell one of the points/themes of it was “not everything is what it seems on the surface” and “sometimes the real monsters,,, are humanity” and I very much respect that, but I do wanna see some more just... alien baddies who ARE baddies and not misunderstood. Listen,, I’m a simple minded person. Love me some monsters! 

My rankings! 

For context, I’m generally very easy with my ratings. I’m not rating them on how critically perfect they are as plots or anything, this is purely based on how much I enjoyed them. I’ve only actually rated nine episodes of Doctor Who 2005-present with scores of 6 or below.

10- Absolutely SUPERB  9- Excellent! 8- Great! 7- Good 6- Okay

1) Demons of the Punjab    (10) This ep made me cry more than any episode of Doctor Who has in a very long time. Incredibly poignant, stunning music and cinematography. Taught me a whole lot I never knew about the partition and how it affected everyday people. I liked how the Doctor assumed the whole time that these aliens were  A good Yaz centric ep, too. It ranks 7th in my list of all-time favorites.  

2) It Takes You Away   (9.5) Wowee, another very poignant one! Some FANTASTIC acting from Jodie in this ep, and a very trippy concept with the sentient universe. Loved getting to see each companion getting a good role to play. ALSO CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT HOW MUCH I STAN THAT FROG??? AND THE DOCTOR SEDUCING AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE???? B R U H. Hanne’s actress did a wonderful job too! 

3) Kerblam!   (9) What a heckin fun episode! This one will definitely become one of my comfort eps, I can already tell. The secondary characters were all lovely, and the bots were delightfully unsettling too! I spent the whole thing going “wow I totally experienced this working at Amazon” and I thought that was pretty funny. Also, I might highlight all the wonderful Graham snark we got in this one. 

4) Rosa    (9) Gahhh this was a hard one to watch, but very truthful in its depiction of the time period, and a lovely tribute to an incredibly courageous woman. Shout out to how the ep forced Graham to recognize and accept his white privilege (and the Doctor too for that matter), the scene with Ryan and Yaz discussing racism they’ve had to endure, and also for the scene with the Doctor making jokes about Banksy. That made me laugh. “Banksy doesn’t have one of these! Or do I?”

5) The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos    (9) I was VERY glad to see Tim Shaw return for some finished business, and how it allowed Graham and Ryan to finally get a bit of peace for what happened to Grace because of him. This was a solid ep, with some SOLID character moments between Graham and the Doctor and Graham and Ryan. The Ux were interesting, too.

6) The Woman Who Fell to Earth    (8.5) Solid, fun episode. It wastes no time in setting up who Thirteen will be. Still one of my favorite scenes in this whole series so far is when she builds her own sonic screwdriver- GOD the music there is so damn iconic. And gahhh I love Grace so much. How dare they make me love a character so much and then let her die? Rude. That’s homophobia. XD

7) The Witchfinders   (8.5) The Doctor gets dunked in water and has soaked hair. Dare I say more? No, but I was glad to see an ep with an alien danger that actually IS an alien danger that seeks to destroy and conquer, I always love those- and this one, with weird sentient mud that can fill corpses, was delightfully grim. Willow was a great secondary character, too- loved her especially. 8) The Ghost Monument   (8) Okay so I really loved how slice-of-life this episode was? We actually got to know our secondary characters Angstrom and Epzo and I appreciated that. The bit with the Doctor thinking the TARDIS was gone forever at the end... hhhhhhng... that was such a good scene. You could just see the hope drained from her face, and then to see it all rush back as she finally found her?? W o w I’m so emo, y’all ;D;

9) The Tsuranga Conundrum  (7) So I enjoyed this one, but there were some kinda oddly phrased bits of dialogue in it that marks it down for me. The Pting is a delightfully weird and cursed creature, 10/10, would yeet out of a spacecraft. I already mentioned this, but I LOVE the scene in the junkyard and how slice-of-life it was. I also appreciate how someone called out the Doctor on being selfish during this. 10) Arachnids in the UK   (6.5) So this episode was riding right on the edge of “ehh” for me, but it still has some great moments in it, with the Doctor awkwardly interacting with Yasmin’s family and all those heckin spiders bee-boppin down the hallways to the tune of rap music. XD I can’t exactly pick out why it was an “eh” for me, but it just didn’t click. Maybe I was just hoping it’d be an alien thing and was kinda left wanting with the way the episode felt kinda... unfinished. Like, there’s still a bunch of giant spiders? They didn’t solve that. They just- trapped them and left. I dunno I was left wanting with this ep.

[jolivira]

season 11 ranking!

Jodie Whittaker is freaking fantastic, let me just get that out of the way. Thirteen is becoming one of my favorite doctors easily.

Spoilers bellow! Don't read if you haven't watched all 11 episodes of season 11! Well, you can read if you don't care about that stuff, just a warning  =D

I like all the main characters but (just like many people have pointed out) I don't think the three companions shouldn't have been introduced at the same time. Or actually, they shouldn't have become companions at the same time. The TARDIS was too crowded and we didn't get a lot of focus on the Doctor herself because of it.

IN MY OPINION, I believe it would have worked best if we had met Yaz, Ryan, Graham and Grace in episode 1, then only Yaz ends up on space with the Doctor (episode 2)  and they travel together for maybe 3 or 4 episodes. That way we get to know her and flesh out her character and start setting up thasmin and the sexual tension between those ladies.

Then  have Ryan, Graham, Grace and  Tim Shaw show up again (set up for the finale) and THEN Grace dies. Imagine how much more impact that would've had on us, how deeper it would have felt.

Later the Doctor invites Graham (who is running away from the empty house) and Ryan (who is learning to accept Graham) and from there develop their relationship.

Just some alternate ideas.....

Now.... to the episode ranking!

11-  Tsuranga Conundrum

It's not that bad, I was just feeling uncomfortable the whole way, probably because it's hospitals and also pregnancy. We also should have had more backstory about that general! She seems awesome. And if her brother knew how to pilot the ship why didn't he do it from the start? Oh but I loved that initial scene where the Doctor is kind of dazed and selfishly tries to mess up the ship to go back and the medic in charge argues with her. I liked that.

10-  Arachnids in the UK

Little bit too boring. It's a DW episode, I wanted giant alien spiders! Also missed opportunity to learn more about Yaz's family or just her character in general (thanks for creating thasmin though!) And we already got one donald trump no need to create another.

9-   The Ghost Monument

I liked it just didn't feel it was that memorable compared to the others. I liked the idea of an intergalactic race and that fun stuff, though! Also new TARDIS, I just love the Doctor talking to her ship in general.

8- The Battle of Ranakoor Av Kolos

Horrible name for a planet but Jodie shined here, perfectly captured the Doctor's essence. The Ux are a really fun (actually really tragic) concept, I hope they return sometime! There were some frustrating parts for me but the good stuff balanced it out. Also a companion disagreeing and going against the Doctor? My jam. And it was so funny when Graham shot him and shouted "it was just the foot! Doesnt count!"

7- The Women Who fell to Earth

I'm just a sucker for post regeneration stories. And this one in special, everything was so new and fresh and exciting!  But Jodie's accent (all of their's to be honest) is so strong that it shocked me the first time I watched it.  English is not my first language so I needed subtitles, couldn't understand anything! Hahaha

6- Resolution

This reminded me of the episode "dalek" from season 1. I love me a full blown out dalek attack with ships and thousands of those little shits but honestly? Just one dalek can cause so much harm, that's why they are so scary. Also the closest we got to dark 13! I loved the scene where she confronts it face to face. This episode also finally showed the TARDIS interior properly! For all the other episodes it almost felt....smaller on the inside. The panels and buttons were also lacking, in this one they really made it look incredible! But again, the TARDIS was too crowded. Why introduce two new characters added to Ryan's dad? Didn't really like how Ryan forgave him at all in the end either :/

5- Witchfinders

The Doctor could go anywhere in time because he was a white brittish male, I liked seeing her getting frustrated about it a little but never actually regretting being a woman you know? The alien stuff in the end was pretty bad and the king was acting really creepy with Ryan, didn't like that at all. But yes! If anyone would be a witch in there it would be the Doctor. Also that hat, kudos for the hat

4- Kerblam!

Pretty fun! It honestly reminded me a lot of Tennant's era, I'm not sure why though..... Clever episode with interesting charcaters. OOOH! I also have a theory that before trading with Graham, the Doctor was placed in cleaning and stuff right? That's because the system knew Charlie was the problem so she was sent to work with him.

3- Rosa

I love how the civil rights movement is symbolized by Rosa and not MLK, although he has a great appearance in it! I am glad that there was no speech to inspire Rosa to protest, none of the characters told her about her impact on the future or how she needed to do this. It all came from her. Oh and important to see how Graham and the Doctor felt to be on the other side, on the ""evil"" side of history, being white during apartheid and having to act accordingly. I feel that's also important. I missed more talking between Ryan and Yaz about their experiences but oh well, nothing's perfect...

2- Demons of the Punjab

Teaching parts of history we don't hear much about! Yes!! And the only reason I have it second and not first place because I felt the Doctor and Yaz didn't properly... react? I mean, no tears and no talking about what just happened? They followed her nan and saw Prem die, knowing they could have easily stopped it. It's some heavy stuff, also the reason why he died. But I LOVE how the aliens aren't actually the villains, the doctor got it wrong, it happens. And she immediately apologized and thanked them. Beautiful.

1- It Takes You Away

The setting, the acting, the plot. I loved it start to finish. I even got emotional with the whole writing on the wall thing (assume her dad is dead, take care of her, etc). And eventually when the dad got back and read it, realizing how stupid he was. It portrayed a really messed up relationship between father and daughter, but also showed us the doctor can't fix something like that. I would have made the conversation with the frog (the solitract) deeper and to make more sense? It didn't feel earned when it allowed her to go back to her own dimension. They needed to have talked for longer but I understand the episode has a time limit.

And that's all! Thanks for reading and feel free to comment with your thoughts, whether you agree or not. See you in 2020 with more! *me sobing in the background*

[andthentheywilleatthestars]

I did a ranking of season 11 and wanted to post it somewhere where people might actually read it

Demons of the Punjab. The story was compelling, it looked great, it put a spotlight on an often forgotten piece of history, and it didn't feel quite like anything the show's done before.

It Takes You Away. I thought the Antizone was cool (or at least my inner 13-year-old did) and it made me cry over a talking frog, which is more or less exactly what I want from this show.

Rosa. Pulled off a somewhat questionable premise for a show like this, started some conversations, and I actually did like that the villain was just some random alt-right coded dipshit.

The Witchfinders. It was... pretty fun. I'm not sure if the beginning deliberately called back to the line in Beast Below about the Doctor not interfering with other peoples or planets unless there's children crying, but kudos if it did.

The Woman Who Fell To Earth. I was excited when I first watched this because Jodie was good.

The Ghost Monument. It was bad in a different way from when Doctor Who was the last time it was bad, and for a moment that can feel similar to being good.

Resolution. Just like Dalek except without everything that made that good and a clunky joke about those damn Millennials and an uncompelling subplot about Ryan's dad.

The Tsuranga Conumdrum. Boring. It pretended it had a big theme about hope and stuff but it didn't. Seeing gifsets and stuff I thought that the Pting would appear near the end, and before that it would seem to everyone like all the problems were caused by some hostile force instead of a little animal just trying to survive, but that would've put a theme in the actual story and we can't have that now can we?

Arachnids in the UK. Also boring. Maybe if they'd given the appearance of Biggest Spider an actual buildup and had had the team have to think to come up with a nicer way to kill the spiders that actually made sense it would've at least been memorable.

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos. I had fun watching it, but that was because I was making fun of it and was also drunk.

Kerblam! Man, you're really going to use this show to tell a story about corporate exploitation being good actually. I kinda want to vomit. What happened to not just giving up and making a stand and saying no? I get that not everything I watch is going to have the same political opinions as me, but there's that and then there's like, basic morality.

[captainjulliets]

Favorite Doctor Who S11 episodes from top to bottom:

1. Demons of the Punjab

2. Rosa

3. The Woman Who Fell to Earth

4. Kerblam!

5. The Witchfinders

6. Arachnids in the UK

7. The Tsuranga Conundrum

8. It Takes You Away

9. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos

10. The Ghost Monument

Verdict: I’ve really enjoyed this series in overall. I think Jodie is BRILLIANT as The Doctor and possibly the greatest asset this series has. She brings something new and fresh yet also familiar. All in all, she is The Doctor. The companions have great potential and all are very likeable. I especially like Graham - he stands out among the three of them. Ryan (he’s funny) and Yaz (her dynamic with The Doctor is interesting) are also great fun, but I hope they’ll be even more fleshed out in S12. Also, I have to give a huge credit to Segun Akinola and the soundtrack he made for S11...it was breathtaking! The drama has been profound with some very emotionally memorable moments that stick with you. However, the sci-fi bits have rooms for improvements.

The biggest downside this series is perhaps the writing, especially when it comes to presenting conflict build ups and action sequences - they’re too linear and plain with lack of tensions and mystery. Another thing that can be included in S12 is a continuity storyline that would arch through the series and build up towards the finale. There’s many characters and subplots in S11 that can be further explored in the next series and I’m looking forward to it. Also, bring back some of the older monsters (and even some characters) from previous series! I wanna see 13th goes face to face with the Daleks.

[handfuloftime]

Demons of the Punjab thoughts.

Oh wow, I absolutely loved that.

And not just because we’ve finally made it to the guest writers after more than a month of Chibnall.

But yeah, much stronger writing than the past few weeks. And the visuals and the music were gorgeous too--it was just a really well-put-together episode.

I really like all of the DIY science that Thirteen does. Building a screwdriver from a handful of spoons, improvising a way of analyzing a substance when the sonic breaks, etc. 

Focusing on a single family was a really good way to do such a big and fraught topic. I’m really emotional about Yaz and her grandmother.

The aliens were fantastic. Both the design, which was incredible, and also the concept. Witnesses for the forgotten dead of history. 

The scene at the end with the spaceship full of dead faces and dead planets. Just wow.

This was the first episode of the series that I actually feel like rewatching. And next week’s sounds fun, although that might just be the title. Anyway, I’m optimistic for the second half of the series.

Rankings: Demons of the Punjab, Rosa, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, The Ghost Monument, The Tsuranga Conundrum, Arachnids in the UK

[artemisegeria]

Overall Doctor Who Series 11 Thoughts and Episode Ranking

My feelings about this series of Doctor Who have pretty much remained the same since the first few episodes. They are mixed, but there are a lot of good things to celebrate.

Jodie Whittaker is wonderful and was consistently the best part of every episode. She was a joy to watch and really fit the part well. I enjoyed all the companions, but Yaz wasn’t given quite enough to do. The visuals of the episodes were probably the best the show has ever had, aside from a few of the creature designs. It was refreshing not to rehash the same villains over and over again. 

I’m not fully there, but after the last few episodes, I could become a Yaz/Thirteen shipper. Their chemistry has seemed to grow organically over the course of the series. I loved how in sync they were at the end of the series finale.

However, the rest of the writing was very inconsistent. I felt that many of the episodes were highly forgettable, and a couple were downright bad, which is something I rarely feel about Doctor Who. There were only a few episodes that really stood out. 

Rosa -- I felt the writing for this episode was the strongest, and it really hit me emotionally. That feeling stayed with me for quite a while.

Demons of the Punjab -- I also felt the writing was strong, and the episode over all was well-balanced.

It Takes You Away -- I enjoyed the horror movie feel of the opening, and I thought the ending was impactful. 

The Witchfinders -- I always like the historical episodes, and parts of it were fun, but it was nothing spectacular.

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos -- It was nice to come full circle with Tim Shaw, and I liked the moment when Graham refused to shoot him and the Doctor’s final monologue.

Kerblam! -- This one was pretty forgettable. Nothing really stuck with me that I particularly care to comment on.

The Woman Who Fell to Earth -- It was a decent introduction to the Doctor and her companions, but after about two months, not much has stuck with me.

The Ghost Monument -- I don’t have much to say about this episode.

The Tsuranga Conundrum -- This was one of the ones that I actively disliked. I just hated the direction they went with one character, and there were too many story lines and characters to keep track of. 

Arachnids in the UK -- A lot of this episode was just painful to watch. I did not like it. 

I heard that Jodie Whittaker is officially staying on for another series. I’m excited to see what else she can do. I can safely rank her as a pretty close second to the Tenth Doctor. I just hope they tighten up some of the writing problems.

[drwhowatch]

Resolution

So here we have the first New Years special, and I have to say it is refreshing after the show doing Christmas to death for 13 years! This is my favourite for this new series, and I’m glad an old monster finally came back for it after a well deserved break for over 3 years. The Dalek’s appearance was a proper surprise and I like it’s new design. Still annoyed that Sheffield is still the team’s go-to place instead of London for example. Very upset that UNIT aren’t around (despite the fun call centre scene) and I hope it’s addressed soon. Maybe Chris had more time with this one, or maybe because it’s longer, but the writing is better quality here in terms of both the dramatic and the fun scenes. The soundtrack (mostly guitar and drums) was shite, missing Murray Gold! Ryan was way better here thanks to his estranged dad, their long scenes together made him grow as a character whereas before he was flailing. Yaz doesn’t do much yet again. Graham is lovely as usual, balancing his humour with emotional depth. The Doctor does her best against a familiar foe and whilst she is her usual bubbly self, she also is above par.

As for the series overall, it’s sad to admit that it disappoints somewhat by being so very average. As I’ve said in the past, I place the blame almost entirely on head writer Chris Chibnall’s shoulders. The lack of any story arcs episodes themselves got better after he stopped writing them Jodie herself did an excellent job filling the Doctor’s daunting shoes and it’s a shame the material wasn’t there for her. Companion-wise, Yaz and Ryan were generally very dull and made the TARDIS overcrowded. Graham was a Donna situation, incredibly apprehensive before he came aboard but he definitely proved himself worthy of being a companion with his nice demeanour. So here’s my episode ranking best to worst for this series: Resolution, Demons of the Punjab, It Takes You Away, The Witchfinders, Arachnids in the UK, Rosa, Kerblam!, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, The Tsuranga Conundrum, The Ghost Monument, The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos.

[grassangel]

I am very much not emotionally up to looking at this episode critically.

But I can still go yeah and ehh and nah

Yeah: In my emotional state, which is currently 5 parts anxiety, 1 part panic, 1 part bereavement and 1 part ‘fuck it all’, I was able to follow along and all the tension was kept up well. So it was a decent episode from that point of view. Graham’s emotional arc has been completed, and he and Ryan are properly family now.

Ehh: That being said, a lot of it was speculated correctly in the week before the episode. The whole return of Tim Shaw and the Sniper-bots. The psychic blockers didn’t need that much secrecy in the end? (Unless it was the circular Gallifreyan that was spoilery.) Also I was disappointed the Thijarians weren’t brought up again, as I’m 99% sure that one of those planets was theirs. Not sure about the whole Darth Vader styling of Tim Shaw. Or the way the Doctor Who social media channels are... supporting 13/Yasmin in that vague fan-baity way.

Hmm: I do like the little thematic nods to stories like The Pirate Planet and Journey’s End. Those were fun.

Nah: I do get the impression Chibnall is more excited about writing for Bradley Walsh than he is for Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. The Doctor just spent a lot of time standing around and talking and getting explanations out of people. Which is part of the Doctor’s MO, but doesn’t contrast well with Graham doing stuff and making decisions and growing emotionally. There was plenty of options to give the Doctor an action to angst about, but none were taken.

So episodes in order of which I liked best? It Takes You Away, Demons of the Punjab, Rosa, The Ghost Monument, The Witchfinders, The Tsuranga Conundrum, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, Arachnids in the UK, Kerblam!

Episodes in order of quality of writing? Kerblam!, Rosa, It Takes You Away, The Witchfinders, Demons of the Punjab, The Woman Who Fell to Earth, The Ghost Monument, The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos, The Tsuranga Conundrum, Arachnids in the UK

[webbcrawler]

Okay, so here are my thoughts on Doctor Who series 11:

I liked it. I have some complaints and reservations, but I liked it overall.

With a bigger budget squeezed down into only 10 episodes, everything looked spectacular. They built some great sets, did a lot of on-location filming, and the special effects were on point like 90% of the time.

Jodie Whittaker knocked it out of the park as the 13th Doctor. She’s silly, scatterbrained, curious, compassionate, and wise. Her Doctor doesn’t have an obvious mean streak, but that just means she gets to join the ranks of the Nice Doctors with Patrick Troughton, Peter Davison, and Paul McGann. It’s a warm, friendly version of the Doctor (which is a nice contrast after Capaldi played one of the meaner incarnations), and Whittaker does a great job.

Graham is the obvious stand-out companion. He’s funny, emotional, and has the most sympathetic character arc. Bradley Walsh definitely does a good job. If this keeps up, he might go down as one of my all-time favorite companions.

Ryan is good, but he needs work. It’s difficult to catch, but I think he’s supposed to be a more stoic character, and his whole thing is that he slowly learns to open up to people around him. As a result, it’s difficult to gauge Tosin Cole’s acting. He spends the whole season/series learning to accept Graham as his grandfather, but Chibnall will need to find something else to do with him in series 12.

Yaz has a pretty interesting dichotomy going that I don’t think too many viewers have caught on to. She’s simultaneously family-oriented and sick & tired of her family. She’s probably the most relatable companion to me, as I understand that feeling of loving your immediate family whilst trying to get as far away from them as possible.

That said, I do feel like Ryan and Yaz’s voices are less defined than Graham’s. In any given situation, I know what Graham’s reaction would be, but Ryan & Yaz feel a little interchangeable. This problem reminds me of the 5th Doctor era, whose companions’ personalities overlapped. Tegan & Turlough were both complainers, and Nyssa & Adric were both naive alien teenage geniuses. Yaz stands out a little bit more than Ryan mostly because you can tell she’s more attached to the Doctor.

And then there’s the episodes themselves...

One of Chris Chibnall’s weaknesses as a Doctor Who writer is his villains (which is in stark contrast to his predecessor, whose main strength was scary villains). Before taking over the show, Chibnall gave us episodes like “42″ and “The Power of Three,” where the villains were either a bit underwhelming or completely forgettable. But you know what? He changed the show to suit his strengths. For series 11, the Doctor felt less like a monster-fighter and more like a troubleshooter.

“Arachnids in the UK” was the kind of episode you’d expect from Chibnall. It’s got a weak villain and a conclusion that feels unsatisfying. What makes it work is the sheer creep factor of seeing lots of spiders, as well as the character moments like Graham grieving and Yaz’s interactions with her family.

Two of the historical episodes, “Rosa” and “Demons of the Punjab,” were great stories and a great change of pace. As far as I’m concerned, they rank among the best historical episodes of New Who, along with “Father’s Day,” “Human Nature,” and “Vincent and the Doctor.”

“Kerblam!” was a fun futuristic romp with a decent twist and a thinly-veiled jab at Amazon. “It Takes You Away” was an unpredictable joy that got really bizarre in all the right ways. The finale was Chibnall in rare form, bringing his A-game. Even “The Ghost Monument” was fun despite being incredibly simplistic.

“The Tsuranga Conundrum” felt a little too... typical. It was too much like what you’d expect a Doctor Who episode to be. Don’t take this the wrong way if you’re a fan of Russell T. Davies, but it felt like one of the more forgettable episodes that would’ve been slotted into Davies’ era of the show. “The Witchfinders” ended feeling a tad too traditional, which is a shame because it was both creepy and bizarre for most of the episode.

I know a lot of fans were upset about this, but I really didn’t miss the recurring monsters/villains. I think we could all use a break from the Cybermen, and it’s simply not worth using the Daleks if you can’t do something new with them.

We’re walking into a new era of Doctor Who. It’s got a new vibe and new writers behind the scenes. We’ve got a long wait until series 12 starts in 2020, but hopefully Chibnall & crew will emphasize their strengths as writers, improve on their weaknesses, better define two of the companions, and give us more of what we loved.