Doctor Who episodes 7-8

Can You Hear Me?

Does anyone remember “Amy’s Choice”, where the Doctor and companions were forced into a dream state which exposed their fears, insecurities and culminated in the reveal that the villain was the Doctor’s own unconscious mind? It was much better than this.

Does anyone remember “Listen” which was all about how fear of the unknown can lead to obsessive and dangerous behaviour which undermines your friendships and those of your closest confidants? It was much better than this.

This episode was a rip off of far better predecessors, that had far better writers and far better actors.

Tosin Cole takes the cake with his wooden concern for his friend Tibo. Although perhaps the line delivery is so wooden because it’s so obviously redundant. When a person sits in silence and is openly living like a slob, you don’t need to spell out to the audience that they’re not in the best mental health. That’s what all the mise en scene was for.

 We also get to learn that Yas was bullied when she was in school and had to be talked out of sitting on a hill by a police officer. I believe the phrase is ‘first world problems.’

I’m not trying to be mean to anyone who has suffered at the hands of brutal bullies here, by the way. We’ve never been shown anything in Yas’ personality that suggests she suffered anything other than a normal education. This piece of ‘character development’ comes out of nowhere and is probably destined to go to the same place as Ryan’s vlogging (admit it; you forgot that Ryan’s a vlogger  - like Chibnall did).

And the big one of course; no not that the Doctor saves the day with her sonic screwdriver (that’s a given when you let Chibs co-write); The Doctor brushes off Graham’s fear of his cancer returning.

This has been rightly called out as at best a colossal screw-up on the part of the writers or at worst a mean-spirited attack on cancer survivors.

In a response to Radio Times (that was apparently not intended for publication) the BBC claimed that they wanted to use the exchange to highlight the important issue of social awkwardness. Yeah I can see why they’re claiming that wasn’t for publication.

A scene that plays like fear of cancer returning and killing you should come second to being uncomfortable at parties, followed by a complaint response that doubles-down on the level of stupidity involved in that perspective.

The Haunting of Villa Diodati

Does everyone remember reading Byron’s work for GCSE English? Does everyone remember reading Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein for GCSE English?

Maxine Alterton and has re-purposed what I can only assume is the essay she wrote about them into a script that can be described as… ‘approaching something that may have been quality at some stage’.

Like Fugitive of the Jadoon, this episode had the seeds of a good story.

However, it was written for the wrong television program.

It’s like Chibnall got hold of it and said ‘well there’s some good sci-fi ideas in here but I’m afraid we don’t accept quality here. Can you dumb this down a bit, add a lot of redundant explanation for things happening on screen, a non-amusing piss joke and some sorry attempts at comedy handed to the one cast member who we can comprehensively say is the worst actor.’

But the true downfall of this episode; the moment that drop it from meh to bad, is the Doctor’s speech.

Here we have a concept that can only be explored in show like this.

If the Doctor doesn’t surrender the glowy thingy, she will risk polluting the established time line (something which could have massive consequences). If she does surrender it, the Cybermen will ascend once again and restart their conquest of the universe.

Following a telephone call from Tosin Cole to phone in the line ‘it’s him or the whole universe’ Jodie Whittaker delivers her monologue as though she’s bitching about someone stealing her lunch at work.

Remember the sorrow in Christopher Eccleston’s performance in ‘The Parting of the Ways’ when the Ninth Doctor admits that he’ll have to sacrifice Earth in order to stop the Daleks? In the space of seconds he strips away all the glamour and excitement of being a time traveller. He shows the terrible weight that rests on him and the torment that he suffers as the person who always has to make these choices.

Whittaker, on the other hand, comes across like she’s pissed off that Ryan’s questioned her authority. Talking about a metaphorical mountain that she’s on top of with everyone else at the bottom. Aside from being poorly delivered, the metaphor just instils the Doctor with a false sense of superiority. She’s never played this character as assertive before, so it’s just not convincing.

We are now arriving at the two-part series finale next week or as I believe it will be sub-titled, the lowest rated episodes in 40 years.