Story: The Woman Who Fell To Earth
Written By: Chris Chibnall
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2018
The new era of Doctor Who has arrived. It is a helluva start. Let me begin with the obvious, the Doctor is now a female. I was not one that was long clamoring for this eventuality. I used to, long ago, be kind of against the idea. I liked that the Doctor was a dude. I can't explain it, it is just how I felt. But I have sort of shifted in the years from not really for it, to sort of indifferent about the whole thing. This was a big deal to a lot of people. To me, it just sort of stopped being a big deal to me one way or the other. And quite frankly during the Capaldi era it pretty much became a given that no matter what, the next Doctor was going to be a woman. From the Master's gender swap, to a Time Lord General doing the same. To me it was just Moffat telegraphing that it was going to come. Whether it was going to be Chibnall taking over or anyone else...I think it was just bound to be the thing that happened. So I guess I was prepared for the eventuality. So when it was announced it was terribly surprising, nor was I shaken to the core in either delight or utter disdain.
As it turns out it's the totally right call. Whitaker is perfectly cast in the role, and it really doesn't take long to see her as the Doctor. She just is. She nails it from the word go in this one. The moment she crashes into a train car, temporarily defeats an alien tentacle monster, and then starts taking control of the situation...she just IS the Doctor. Much as Matt Smith's debut 8 years ago felt like a fresh new era for the Doctor with a lead who seemingly came out of nowhere, I feel that the Whitaker era has had a similar top notch beginning. Whitaker is great, her new supporting cast is solid, and the show looks better than it ever has before in it's long storied history.
Seriously, this show has never been photographed better and with better special effects. Not that this is the most ambitious special effects heavy story, but it is clear they've upped the ante a bit in terms of quality. Not that the effects have been bad over the decade or so since the show returned, but they have steadily gotten better with each year, and there is something that makes me think this series is going to look phenomenal.
As to the episode, it is a story about the Doctor meeting new friends, making a new family, and taking on an alien being that is trying to kill a randomly selected human as a trophy, in order to become king of his world. Of course the Doctor and friends manage to stop him, all without a TARDIS and a hastily slapped together Sonic Screwdriver. And in the end the Doctor has her new friends help her in launching a device that can hopefully send her back to her TARDIS wherever it has gone in the universe. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work, and it sends the Doctor floating into space. Unfortunately it has sent her friends floating to die with her. Cliffhanger!
I really liked that the series has launched and the Doctor still hasn't found the TARDIS. I was really expecting her to just happily have it at the end of the episode, thus diminishing the effect of her losing it at the end of "Twice Upon a Time." But luckily, that game gets to be played for a little bit longer. And their predicament has me excited to see how they get out of this one.
NEXT TIME: Lost in the Universe
Written By: Chris Chibnall
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2018
The new era of Doctor Who has arrived. It is a helluva start. Let me begin with the obvious, the Doctor is now a female. I was not one that was long clamoring for this eventuality. I used to, long ago, be kind of against the idea. I liked that the Doctor was a dude. I can't explain it, it is just how I felt. But I have sort of shifted in the years from not really for it, to sort of indifferent about the whole thing. This was a big deal to a lot of people. To me, it just sort of stopped being a big deal to me one way or the other. And quite frankly during the Capaldi era it pretty much became a given that no matter what, the next Doctor was going to be a woman. From the Master's gender swap, to a Time Lord General doing the same. To me it was just Moffat telegraphing that it was going to come. Whether it was going to be Chibnall taking over or anyone else...I think it was just bound to be the thing that happened. So I guess I was prepared for the eventuality. So when it was announced it was terribly surprising, nor was I shaken to the core in either delight or utter disdain.
Seriously, this show has never been photographed better and with better special effects. Not that this is the most ambitious special effects heavy story, but it is clear they've upped the ante a bit in terms of quality. Not that the effects have been bad over the decade or so since the show returned, but they have steadily gotten better with each year, and there is something that makes me think this series is going to look phenomenal.
As to the episode, it is a story about the Doctor meeting new friends, making a new family, and taking on an alien being that is trying to kill a randomly selected human as a trophy, in order to become king of his world. Of course the Doctor and friends manage to stop him, all without a TARDIS and a hastily slapped together Sonic Screwdriver. And in the end the Doctor has her new friends help her in launching a device that can hopefully send her back to her TARDIS wherever it has gone in the universe. Unfortunately it doesn't quite work, and it sends the Doctor floating into space. Unfortunately it has sent her friends floating to die with her. Cliffhanger!
I really liked that the series has launched and the Doctor still hasn't found the TARDIS. I was really expecting her to just happily have it at the end of the episode, thus diminishing the effect of her losing it at the end of "Twice Upon a Time." But luckily, that game gets to be played for a little bit longer. And their predicament has me excited to see how they get out of this one.
NEXT TIME: Lost in the Universe
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