I'd challenge this, in my view it did not redeem S12 at all.
Was nice to see the Judoons again, but after the absolute mess S11 was, and how the previous episodes in S12 held up, this was... certainly not better.
The ONLY element this had going for it was the other Doctor, and on its own the scenes between them (the two Doctors that is) had an interesting dynamic, they certainly had entertaining banter and it was nice to see them try to unravel the mystery, and then the writers just completely dropped the ball, not explaining anything about this.
The basic theme of the episode was meh, the companions were abysmal as usual (at least Yaz had some lines alluding to the fact that she is police, but that's it), and the appearance of Jack was utterly pointless.
Since the Two Doctors mystery was not resolved, I'd rate this episode 4/10 for a tiny bit of creativity, but otherwise it's back to the same 2/10-3/10 standards of S11 and S12 (so far). The feeling of intrigue over this was extremely fleeting and ultimately, since the show did not care, I also don't really care about the explanation. Would have been nice to have one, mind you, but it comes off too much as a one-off thing, which is a shame, especially considering that later episodes also did not provide any more information on this. It's sad that this has to be regarded as a high point in S12, but that clearly shows the overall quality of the season...
reply
share
peter_t_2k3 (957)
3 years ago
I thought it was a great episode but if I remember rightly did 13 have to tell Yaz she was a police officer. Like it sounds like a great idea having a police officer travel, someone who might know how to deal with certain situations, mediate etc. but that's my problem with Chibnall, he underuses all the potentials.
One of the issues also with arcs is they tend to give you something big and then decide to go on some adventures and ignore them.
reply
share
dt123 (688)
3 years ago
Yes. That we now have the advantage of multiple episodes since we saw the other doctor, with absolutely NOTHING else told about her, we can see now what a disappointment it was. Sigh. I hope Chibnall steos aside. He has no idea what he can do with the show.
reply
share
[deleted]
3 years ago
I wouldn’t at all be surprised if Chibs bows out at the same time as Jodie. Perhaps the show’s current run is nearing its end too. I mean 13 seasons is an incredibly long run for any series these days, let alone a sci-fi show with a 60 year history.
Even if that does happen I firmly believe that it’s a story that will never end and we’ll see it revived again. It captures the hearts and imaginations of its fan base like nothing else, bar perhaps Star Trek.
Long live the Doc ✊
reply
share
peter_t_2k3 (957)
3 years ago
I don't want the show to end but think it might need a break at some point. I don't hate 13 as some do but I'm not a massive fan and wouldn't be keen if that was where the show left audiences for a while.
I have however noticed that the show possibly doesn't bring in newer audiences like it did back in 05/06/. I was born in 89 but got into the show before it returned thanks to my dad. When the show returned, you'd see children playing doctor who outdoors, and it was nice to see a show that no one really seemed to know about grow in popularity all of a sudden. But those children have grown up and the show doesn't seem to be able to attract the same age range again. I suppose everything has its time.
Part of me however wonders if the shows history also plays a part. I mean any show with a long history is going to be off-putting to newer people. I mean apart from the Daleks, most non fans won't even probably know who the master is. So maybe a break at some point might help, and bring in newer people, with less baggage.
Part of me questions if the timeless child fixes or adds to this problem. It can either be seen as a clean slate in a way, as it basically changes a lot and possibly makes some things not as important. However it could also be seen as adding to the problem, by adding more backstory to a show that already has a lot of history. While I've always preferred Moffat over Davies, I do like what he did with the Time War, having a lot of stuff happen during the shows hiatus but stuff that wasn't in classic who, so it was new to everyone.
reply
share