My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: th-cam.com/video/aN4uc0HZrWE/w-d-xo.html Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: th-cam.com/video/b4buJMMiwcg/w-d-xo.html Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: th-cam.com/video/qfjTG6SVjmQ/w-d-xo.html Shaun’s recent 3rd video: th-cam.com/video/fRn1UZ4fhdE/w-d-xo.html Laura Kate Dale's recent protest speech outside the BBC offices: th-cam.com/video/hBjGnWkwAjI/w-d-xo.html
as a disabled person with a mobility condition that affects me in similar ways to Ryans i was so hyped for him as a disabled companion and so let down over and over because it feels like its only ever relevant for throwaway lines to remind the audience he's disabled and completely ignored when it would be inconvenient for the story which absolutely breaks my heart as someone who's been left behind when hanging out with friends when i became so inconvenient to hang out with i've had friends leave me behind while they take the stairs and i've had friends who help me find the elevator so i wont be stuck waiting and then trying to catch up on my own but i've only ever had one friend who honest to god piggy backed me up two flights of stairs so i wouldnt get left behind when i was a kid i used to think the doctor was the creative solutions and if all else fails piggyback type of person but it's always been apparent to me that the writers distinctly Are Not and for some reason whenever a characters disability is erased to avoid having to address how their being there would affect the way they have to go about getting things done i always get this feeling of sitting on the ground on my own in public because nobody wanted to stay behind or help me find a place to sit for a minute when a characters disability vanishes for convenience it just tells me as a disabled audience member 'this would be easier if you werent here' (and to anyone who wants to pick fights that it'd be impossible to have a disabled companion like me so i should be happy with what i get (eyeroll btw) i didn't choose to write a disabled character into the show they did - the least they could do is not forget that every other page of the script)
As a disabled person with dyspraxia whos loved and watched the show since the revival, you've put into words how I've felt about all of this, thank you. Preach it from the highest hill as shall I.
I 100% agree with this. I have dispraxia and grew up in the urban North, so i should have really strongly connected to Ryan, but i just didn't. It feels like he has very little personality beyond dispraxia, but also that his dispraxia only gets a passing mention (when a ladder or something is shoehorned in). I'd have really liked to have seen some of the social elements of dispraxia from Ryan, as well as a general presence in the way he's acted, and more focus on how it can hurt self-esteem ect, rather than his arc being learning to throw a bomb at the cybermen.
It would be wrong of me to lecture someone with dyspraxia when I don't, but in terms of Ryan, it's not ignored as such but it's done subtly. He always trips and always runs slower than others. Chibnall said it was important to not make the disability be his only trait
Is it bad I have dyspraxia and just knew it was never going to be used as an example of anything? And just found it silly from the outset? Because it wasn’t going to play into anything really important. Yes you could argue it’s there but it’s there but if you missed a line you would never get it. But maybe this is where I ding the actor for not being great at movements
Agreed. They are brilliant and really the closest to the classic Who intro, plus the theme gets a similar treatment - its my favourite iteration of the theme in NuWho. I was nodding my head along with the video, that its otherworldly and alien and I love it.
A lot of Chibnall's Doctor Who is concerned with empty build-up. At first it was weird that the poison water was never brought into play despite being mentioned multiple times. Then you realise it is just part of setting up the mystery that the planet is in a type of fallout state. That, in turn, just leads to the reveal of the Stenza being the cause, which would only mean something if it ever was paid off down the line. It's not fun to watch because it doesn't impact the present, instead just stringing you along on the promise of a payoff that doesn't come. It's my main issue with the Timeless Child arc's implementation in Series 12 and with the entirety of Flux, where episodes spend unholy amounts of time teasing the finale instead of being entertaining on their own. They hinge so much on the payoff that if the payoff is bad, it can retroactively cheapen everything that came before.
I'd forgotten that the Stenza were a part of this planet's story. At the time it seemed like they were going to be the new big bad, ruminating in the background but nope, yet another thread dropped. Its like Chibnall has lots of ideas and he doesn't want to trim them out so puts them all in but then has nowhere to go with them, potential but no destination.
Not to armchair psychoanalyze Chibbers, but as an autistic person myself his "let's talk about your emotions" moments are relatable. It's been a source of lifelong confusion to me that others often say that I appear to lack empathy or vulnerability, yet I am often the only person in a group who explicitly discusses their emotional/subjective states. It's led to some weird impasses with regards to trust.
I’m autistic too, and I too try to openly discuss people’s emotions, so I totally get where you’re coming from. And yet I personally feel that Chibs writes these moments in such an awful manner that they’re impossible to watch. Do you not feel that way? Plus, the characters themselves are not autistic (mostly, I believe), so they shouldn’t really behave as we do, right?
@@Yan_Alkovic - I didn't mean that those scenes are relatable to watch, and agree that they can be awkward. It's more that I relate to Chibnall's difficulties in writing the interpersonal bits.
@@voltijuice8576 Fair, but there’s the issue of Torchwood and Broadchurch having some really nice interpersonal moments. Even on Doctor Who 42 and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship had serviceable dialogue. We can’t say for sure who wrote what and when, but me personally I feel extremely disappointed in Chibs because I KNOW that he can do better and it looks as if he isn’t doing his best on purpose. This kinda strayed far from the initial point so let’s stop there.
@@Yan_Alkovic - True, he has done better. And worse, I think Cyberwoman was transcendentally bad. Recent Who scripts seem undercooked so I'm wondering if they are rushed, if Chibnall's various production duties stretch him too thin, or some other problem.
That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Though, speaking only for myself, the reason the scenes can often feel off is because they feel so detached from the rest of the proceedings. That actually isn't the case here (as I noted I feel like it works here given the setting and circumstances), but often it feels either like the story stops dead for such a scene or it's tacked on at the end like an after thought.
Chibnall has this tendency to have so many "things" in his episodes, dozens of characters, half a dozen plot points and several locations and the barely skims the surface with a couple of them and just leaves the rest hanging. "Wide as an ocean deep as a puddle" exemplified.
I have dyspraxia - everyone’s is different but I’ll say ladders are very hard for me, especially those narrow strait upward ladders depicted in this episode and last. That was always quite accurate to me. What was an accurate was indeed a the scene Ryan was hitting the bots - I can’t even play shooter games like that - nevermind actually replicate it - that always came across as a scene written by an old man that doesn’t get video games…
Something very specific to the Chibnall era that I spotted was the excessive use of ADR exposition. Quite often there would be an off camera line of dialogue as if to wallpaper over a missing scene or highlight a crucial plot point that may have been otherwise overlooked or too ambiguous. It's actually quite jarring once you notice.
With Ryan's dyspraxia and his ability to shoot that could have been fixed with one simple throw away line, you could have Ryan mention that maybe even as part of working on ways of dealing with his issues with coordination he played a lot of video games and got good at shooting games. That would have cleared up the issue.
He did say that. But twiddling your thumbs well doesn't mean that you can run, aim, and fire at real targets at once -- especially when his dyspraxia makes it hard for him to climb a ladder latter on in the episode...
@@abbymitchell5948 it would have made more sense if the gun had been so alien no one else could figure out how to use it, and when handed to Ryan he realises it works like a game pad so coordination wasn't necessary.
@@imaginarypiggcreationsRight, or make it be like a remote-controlled drone that feels more like a video game than actually running around with a laser gun
Dyspraxic person here! I can't speak for everyone with this condition, but personally, my aim's not bad (I've never fired a gun, but was a member of an archery club in my teens). It's usually when I have to co-ordinate moving my arms and legs at the same time (like when climbing a ladder or riding a bike) that problems arise.
Thanks for that perspective - but that just leads me to think Ryan's Call of Duty charge really shouldn't have worked, as he was specifically shooting on the run which seems like it would require coordinating his arms and legs.
With regards to the Timeless Child memory thing, when 10 went under the Chameleon Arch, memories still bled through, and the Master still experienced the drums when he was disguised as Yana. Assuming it was the same process that removed the Timeless Child memories from the Doctor (and that pocket watches aren't just a standard storage medium used in a variety of procedures), it isn't out of the realm of possibility that a more powerful, and/or directed Chameleon Arch session could close off any stray doors to the TC memories while leaving them intact -- both the Doctor and the Master did their own Arches during times of distress and urgency, whereas the Division would have had time to fine tune all the details. Alternatively, the flashes of memories both characters received happened in close proximity to their pocket watch, so the TC watch being outside of the universe entirely could have made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for something similar to happen with those memories.
The first time I watched this one I got really excited for the intergalactic war between the Stenza and an unnamed force that was being alluded to all the way through this episode and the one before it. I'm so glad that that storyline got a satisfying resolution.
I don't like being the conspiracy theory fan, but I feel like the Stenza were planned to be used again in the future but the reaction (or lack thereof) to Tzim-Sha put that to rest
They could have recurring aquentices of tim shaw met along the way. That ccould have been a fun enemy that is not the daleks. It could even be left vague what stenza society is with clues through various dialogue. It dint need neart resolution but at leat they could have brought back othe stenza at least reacurring.Maybe even a nice outcast stenza. I wich chibnall would have stuck to reusing them at least, even i the finale was weird, doesnt mean youcant have stenza that are more interesting. Seriously they could have added a level of identity to his run. Even not great stenza episodes. Even if they are some weird cruel society that is neve shown . But dunnoif the studio wasnt the one, who knows.
@@marocat4749 Yeah there's no reason other Stenza can't show up (and be well written) it's not like Strax being jokey stopped the more serious Sontarans we saw in Flux being introduced.
In "Spyfall Part Two", the Master actually said about the Timeless Child: "It's buried deep in all our memories", implying all Time Lords. Why that is, I don't know.
He meant that the Time Lords hid that secret and hid the Doctor’s DNA in them. DNA is a kind of memory, too, though it would be kinda weird for him to refer to it as that, I’ll give you that
Most of this episode felt fun but kinda forgettable but I loved the final sequence when they reach the TARDIS. "Come to Daddy... I mean Mummy", the look on the Doctor's face as the TARDIS materialises and the custard cream dispenser. Moments like those are where Jodie absolutely shone. Moments like those are why I love Who and I'll always be fond of this episode as a result.
I’m sure that Chibnall’s original plan was to keep coming back to the stenza over each of his seasons. To build them up into a new recurring ‘classic’ race. But then he changed his mind after lack-luster response to Battle of Ranskor Av Kolos.
Dyspraxic person here it does seem to be true that it effects people differently since I learned to ride a bike just fine but learning to do things during my gymnastics lessons tended to take me longer because I had to co-ordinate my limbs properly which can be hard. Other parts now shown through Ryan which is at least true for me and other dyspraxic people I know is that larger gross motor movements tend to be affected like running looks more like flailing I can’t always walk into a straight line and I try to squeeze myself into spaces I can’t fit because I find it difficult to work out where my body is in space
Just watched the episode for the first time 1. The coincidence of them being found/ picked up in the middle of space is actually explained: they weren't in some random spot in space, they were where the TARDIS was - which is also why the race was there, with the TARDIS being sort of like the finish line. So it does track, imo. (The "I only saw 2" thing is still weird; I hc that the dude got there first, only managed to grab 2 and didn't care to backtrack for the others, then the woman picked them up, so there really were only 2 by the time she got there) 2. I agree that they pretty much forgot about Ryan's dyspraxia, just want to point out that it WAS sort of explained (the throwaway line about his playing Halo or whichever game it was they name-dropped finally paying off, with the following sequence being shot like an FPS game). It just would have been more believable had it been a different companion, here it felt like they wanted to do it because they felt it was cool or something
The more I think about it, the more I reckon that it's 13's closed-off emotional state that made her so hard for me to actually love (I do like her, I just don't love her). It's clearly a character choice by the writers, but I don't think it's a good one, because if the Doctor can't even make a proper emotional connection to the companions, then how are we, the audience, supposed to connect with her? I think we need to see the Doctor vulnerable (and being open about that vulnerability) to bond with them - because ultimately it's the only thing we really have in common with a semi-immortal time-travelling alien.
I'm kind of sad they didn't re-use the callous villain here as an overarching character for the series. He could have been really well done as pulling some strings throughout the entire thing, I'd have loved to see him again too.
Never really liked this episode, it just feels like such a huge wasted opportunity. The planet doesn’t feel nearly as threatening as it should (they never use the fact that the water is poisoned despite bringing it up constantly). My main problem is probably just the sheer amount of exposition. I think I’d grown used to Moffat’s great dialogue as he’s my personal favourite showrunner.
@@chaserseven2886 True, but there is no danger surrounding it. Nothing happens to any of the characters and we never see anything dangerous from the planet itself. It just felt like an un fired Chekhov’s gun as it was brought up a fair few times.
In terms of the ships at the opening, I don't see this is an issue. It is explained that they landed where the Tardis should have landed but the planet moved. This caused the Tardis to land poorly and therefore the race is staged around it. So that is why the ships land where the Doctor lands. They're all following the same thing I am glad you otherwise enjoyed it. I was a little sad that you felt this episode is what Jodie's era SHOULD be, cause I felt this episode is what her era IS and I think that's a good thing. But I'll be interested to follow this series
Thought it was some of the somewhat better episodes that season too, just because of said vibe. Gotta say though that I never felt the "chase" they were talking about and the actual impression I got from it was a glacial stroll. I never picked up any sense of urgency from this episode.
I did like this episode overall in spite of some the writing choices seeming overly contrived. On first viewing I was almost immediately upset by the idea of 4 people floating in the vacuum of space, and the Doctor's hair gently waving in (the vacuum/breeze?) and suddenly two buses arrive going to the same destination - one express and one local (dontcha' just hate when that happens?). Looks like floating in space is mostly fine, no frostbite, no eyes or lungs exploding - so thats a myth that all other SciFi plays into. Anyway, it did get better from that point on. I think the episode could have used some additional editing.
You forgot the coincidence that the selfish guy happened to pick up the doctor, who is the only one of the four capable of helping him land/safely crash his rapidly deteriorating ship without casualties.
I guess I just assumed that when they were transported into space, that it was tardis shenanigans. Because the tardis always takes them where they need to be instead of where they want to go. 🤷🏻♀️ Maybe I assume too much.
The space pickup coincidence I can live with because the Doctor was targeting the planet coordinates before they did the transport but the planet had moved so ended up in space. The racers were heading to aforementioned planet so they were in their flight path as it were. Crashing on a massive planet in the same place as the others, on the other hand…. 🤔 I haven’t watched in a while so from memory I did like the part where Angstrom had a moment of shared experience and grief with Graham over having lost their wives to the Stenza, that was pretty heavy but in a good way. I’m somewhat disappointed that it seemed to setup the Stenza as a new force to be reckoned with, traipsing through the universe wreaking havoc one planet at a time but alas it came to nothing. Shame as it was a good setup, meeting one of them in ep1, then discovering the writing on the floor in ep 2. I get the feeling at this point Chibnall knew he wanted to do the Timeless Child story but hadn’t fleshed it out, he knew the _what_ but not the _how_, so all we get here is a tease, a bit of intrigue, which in hindsight doesn’t quite match to what we learn later, unless you subscribe to the idea that all Timelords have a little of the TC history buried in their collective minds somehow. 🤨 I remember quite enjoying this episode, despite its flaws as it was fresh and put me in mind of the style of classic Who story (with the visuals of the 21st Century). It also holds the accolade of having one of my all-time favourite lines: DOCTOR “Do you two know what that is?” EPZO “It's a tent.” I know people complain about Chibnall’s humour but that always tickles me.
For me this is a strong example from the Chibnall era of a story where the 50 minute runtime is a detriment. It's booked ended well, everything after Art Malik leaves and until he returns is really rushed, a lot of awkward exposition, this isn't a concept that works with a small cast which all have to survive. I can picture this as like a Hartnell six/seven parter like Marco Polo or Keys of Marinus, with a large set of characters, those we like/dislike and the red shirts. If this ever gets a novel, this could be a good place to retroactively setup Yaz's arc, where instead of just saying she misses her family, have the lack of water and death around every corner, perhaps a section of the planet where mirages bring to life her worst fear's causing potential trauma, but the Doctor keeps her sane and makes and oath to protect her, thus establishing the bond and leads to eventually love. Also, the way this story "set's up" the Timeless Child is pretty weak, much like planet of the Dead and Witch's Familiar. I wouldn't be surprised if Chibnall had no real interest in doing an arc, and the condition for having S11 off was he needed at least one line that could potentially be brought back up in s12.
10:49 "What I've seen _some_ TH-camrs refer to as the "Hey, how're you feeling" scene" Nice sneaky Jay shout-out! Sadly this episode is textbook Chibnall badness for me and I really kinda cannot engage with what little good moments it had.
As you say, the initial rescue was highly improbable, but it was the only way out of that situation. It's a nod to Adams's concept, while not drawing attention to it. Also, I imagine Chibnall knew it was a cheeky get-out. I mentioned this in your last video, but dyspraxia isn't a constant problem. It tends to manifest in moments of stress, i.e. climbing ladders. Doing something with confidence - hence the Call of Duty line - isn't the same thing. It's less stressful because it's something Ryan believes he can do. Also, it's not as if the gun's a revolver or anything (which would be an issue), it's a bloody great space gun. Frankly, if your knowledge of dyspraxia is limited, then that's what the internet's for. I mean, until recently I didn't fully understand the issues surrounding gender-fluidity and the like, but I read up on it. In all honesty, you've had a fair few years to get up to speed with the research surrounding dyspraxia and other co-ordination issues, and it's surprising that you haven't availed yourself of that opportunity. I certainly don't mean to cause offence, but I genuinely don't understand why you haven't done, especially in the last couple of years.
Wasn't there a line about the sniper bots being slow because they were reactivating from sleep mode or something like that? I took that as enough to justify their bad aim here - not so much on their next appearance though. I remember this episode just being kind of boring and unremarkable for the most part. I also thought that for a supposed hell-world, it honestly looked quite a nice, pleasant place and was one of the early examples of telling rather than showing. I feel like the episode could have either done with having a couple of extra competitors or giving the two main guest stars a few red shirt crew so there'd be some spare bodies to get killed by the water, the snipers, the rag things etc and SHOW the danger rather than just talking about the hazards and having the main cast easily evade them. On the dyspraxia thing, I'd never heard of the condition until Doctor Who so can't really comment on how it's depicted. However, I did watch a panel with Chibnall (IIRC at an event where the first episode was aired) where he took an audience question about it and had said he had a close relative with the condition which was what led him to include it. While my feeling is I don't think it is handled very consistently across Ryan's time, I think it's interesting context to know that Chibnall does have some experience with the condition and I think he did try to include it in good faith even if it didn't pan out that well.
It is mentioned they're coming out of sleep mode but how well they are or aren't functioning is never tied to that. In fact that show and characters never broach the idea that they're functioning poorly at all, so far as I noticed.
I went from disliking it but not being too bothered, to just accepting it from exposure but never really able to say I like it. If I look at it objectively it’s cool but it’s just overwhelming on the eyes
With regards to the contrived nature of them being rescued by the participants of the race, isn't that technically justified once they realise the end goal of the race, the Ghost Monument, is actually the TARDIS?
First of all, I have dyspraxia, I love Ryan, I feel very represented, though I think it's also valid to dislike it. Maybe some people who complain about it and don't have dyspraxia should, like, look it up? That might help Secondly, the Doctor built the thingamajig at the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth to transport her to the TARDIS. The TARDIS is on Desolation, the Doctor (+3) is transported to Desolation at the right time when the TARDIS appears. Thus, they are not at a totally random place in the vastness of space, but "just a bit off" - as fits the Doctor. Angstrom and Epzo are likewise there to get to the Ghost Monument as part of the race. So, while it may be improbable, it really is not a Douglas Adams situation of improbabilty.
I guess the robots were interesting. Ryan may have worked better if somehow they managed to cast someone who was actually Dyspraxic instead of someone having to remember his character is dyspraxic when Chibnal and the writers mention it. Previously I got bored by the fact we spend 50 minutes learning the back stories of two characters who were never seen again. The mention of The Timeless Child was almost interesting until over a year later...
I really like your reviews… I think you are between the better ones on TH-cam… I never understood how they understand the aliens in this episode… there is no Tardis… so aliens speak English?
I personally find "The Ghost Monument" to be a step down compared to its predecessor. There are a few things about it that I rather like - the opening titles are really cool; I enjoy the opening setpiece with the Doctor on the crashing spaceship; Art Malik's guest performance is great; and while I don't like the design itself, the actual reveal of the new TARDIS interior is a rather nice sequence. Aside from that though, everything else about this episode is a miss for me. Pretty much all the problems I have with Chibnall's writing are here and present, from the dialogue being overly reliant on exposition, to the Doctor's weird binary moral code getting shown once again with her whole "no guns" spiel. Also, the Doctor's characterisation in this episode is mostly alright, but that bit near the end where she basically gives up and says she failed her companions always felt weird to me, like this episode (and most of series 11 for that matter) was trying to push the Doctor as the bringer of hope, and she's already fallen into self-pitying defeatist mode at the end of her second episode. But the biggest problem I have with the episode is it's failure to flesh out the main characters' relationship and dynamic. From my perspective, the second episode of a new showrunner's tenure should do three things - set the tone and feel for the new era, establish the main story/theme for the rest of this run, and leave the audience with a good impression of what the new Doctor/companion dynamic is going to be. Say what you want about their stories, but Davies and Moffat were able to successfully accomplish all three things in "The End of the World" and "The Beast Below" respectively. Here, Chibnall manages the first point, and mostly accomplishes the second (even if he does nothing with it for another season), but he fails to meet the third. He spends so much time blathering on about the backstories for the two side characters that we don't meet again after this episode, that he completely forgets to develop the Doctor's relationship with any of her three companions. This makes the scene where the companions reassure the Doctor that they're still with her and encourage her not to give up at the end feel way more hollow and unearned, because it feels like Chibnall's not interested in the companions and their connection with the Doctor at all...which is going to be yet another big problem going forward
The Dyspraxia theme really annoys me. My daughter never watched DW and she got hooked in when she found out that a character was Dyspraxic because she is too. Yet its handled really badly.... dyspraxia is way more complex than 'clumsy' .... its got layers of issues - and Ryan never shows these difficulties - so if they didn't want to give it proper attention - they should have left it well alone.
Normal people couldn't shoot this good, shooting while moving without aiming. As a soldier it is call combat shooting. Take months if not years to train to get this good. With their own weapon that they familiar with. It also not everyone capable even with training. Its about eye sight and hand speed reaction, aka talent. Some one like him, have issue with left and right, can't even properly ride a bike or claim a ladder... the whole episode make everything impossible, possible lmao.
I used to like this episode better than WWFTE, but now I like it slightly less; nonetheless, I find it passable (C). I like the concept, I like the killer towels, I like the one-off characters, and I like the Gram/Ryan relationship stuff. That said, I think that sniper bots look fairly bad (from an effects perspective), the episode is really slow-paced, the doctor’s moment of self-doubt really doesn’t land, and this is the first main instance of ‘Ryan and the Magically Disappearing Dyspraxia’, which… I’ll be honest, I really dislike.
honestly even when watching it for the first time this was just one of my least favorite episodes either. I was just so bored by it, and I shouldnt have been.
I dont know if its studio and , i dont know if its on chibnall but they should have waited till at least next episode to find the tardis. Or that could have been a 2 parter, because the alien planet and deadly game setting is really enoyable. Its good but a 2 partr, would have been aloong and really let that mourning better sink in too. An i think its cool a dr without a tradis, like if in episode or they travel as hitchhiker and finally after the mor hardships, find it. It a good concept, i like she unwittingly took them on a journey without tardis. Is missed opportunity to give that a find the tardis multiple episode arc to let them th got lost feeling fully sink in too much, because i still like chibnalls, but he could fun and unlike moffat uncomplicated character arcs like they ar lost, emotional, physical and have to find the way to the tardis thats somewhre. Give it one more episode to ah we still not know , and have to do something to finally find it, because the end somewhere in the universe without a tardis. Its fun for a time. Alo i donr mind plot contriveces, its unfair when every other dr who run has that too, thats a staple. I feelits nitpick to harkon not joybreaking things, and octors rable things and hold speeches, let her ramble. I just wish he got more , chibnall really with the cramming this season would be better off as arcs over mor episodes. I ant blame him aftr moffat, but he isnt as contrived as moffat with a mor emotional focus, which breathes better, over more than one episode.
Since I am a major fan of post-regeration episodes, I really liked TWWFTE. Ghost Monument, hmmmmm. I will say that it is an absolutely beautiful episode... that I fell asleep to.
Like I said before I don't like the inconsistencies with Ryan's dyspraxia throughout this tenure. Like either don't write it in or hire an actor that actually has Dyspraxia. They exist. Like two really big Hollywood stars have Dyspraxia. One of them is freaking Harry Potter. Like when something like this is not handled properly it feels egregious. Like representation for the sake of it. Like no. Base level is not good enough. Commit. Hire an actor with the condition. Show the complexities of it. Yes it will affect people differently but show them struggle.
Again the pattern is set for the irritatingly quick resolution to the forced and artificial cliffhanger. I'm left thinking of Dragonfire, it's that frustrating, and so frequent in Chri's tenure. They don't even bother to show it.... resorting to telling us! The vistas are magnificent, and sadly have more depth than the characters. The scripts are the things that don't convince. If I had to choose, I'd rather have an intriguing script, than a pretty backdrop.
To me, Chibnall seems to throw every idea he has at the wall, & whatever sticks, he writes about. It’s totally disjointed & nonsensical. Say what you want about the 6th & 7th Doctor, but 99% of their stories are better than 13’s stories.
My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: th-cam.com/video/aN4uc0HZrWE/w-d-xo.html
Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: th-cam.com/video/b4buJMMiwcg/w-d-xo.html
Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: th-cam.com/video/qfjTG6SVjmQ/w-d-xo.html
Shaun’s recent 3rd video: th-cam.com/video/fRn1UZ4fhdE/w-d-xo.html
Laura Kate Dale's recent protest speech outside the BBC offices: th-cam.com/video/hBjGnWkwAjI/w-d-xo.html
as a disabled person with a mobility condition that affects me in similar ways to Ryans i was so hyped for him as a disabled companion and so let down over and over because it feels like its only ever relevant for throwaway lines to remind the audience he's disabled and completely ignored when it would be inconvenient for the story which absolutely breaks my heart as someone who's been left behind when hanging out with friends when i became so inconvenient to hang out with
i've had friends leave me behind while they take the stairs and i've had friends who help me find the elevator so i wont be stuck waiting and then trying to catch up on my own but i've only ever had one friend who honest to god piggy backed me up two flights of stairs so i wouldnt get left behind
when i was a kid i used to think the doctor was the creative solutions and if all else fails piggyback type of person but it's always been apparent to me that the writers distinctly Are Not
and for some reason whenever a characters disability is erased to avoid having to address how their being there would affect the way they have to go about getting things done i always get this feeling of sitting on the ground on my own in public because nobody wanted to stay behind or help me find a place to sit for a minute
when a characters disability vanishes for convenience it just tells me as a disabled audience member 'this would be easier if you werent here'
(and to anyone who wants to pick fights that it'd be impossible to have a disabled companion like me so i should be happy with what i get (eyeroll btw) i didn't choose to write a disabled character into the show they did - the least they could do is not forget that every other page of the script)
It's just virtue signaling like all minority characters. BBC is not the network to look to for good representation.
As a disabled person with dyspraxia whos loved and watched the show since the revival, you've put into words how I've felt about all of this, thank you. Preach it from the highest hill as shall I.
I 100% agree with this. I have dispraxia and grew up in the urban North, so i should have really strongly connected to Ryan, but i just didn't. It feels like he has very little personality beyond dispraxia, but also that his dispraxia only gets a passing mention (when a ladder or something is shoehorned in). I'd have really liked to have seen some of the social elements of dispraxia from Ryan, as well as a general presence in the way he's acted, and more focus on how it can hurt self-esteem ect, rather than his arc being learning to throw a bomb at the cybermen.
It would be wrong of me to lecture someone with dyspraxia when I don't, but in terms of Ryan, it's not ignored as such but it's done subtly. He always trips and always runs slower than others. Chibnall said it was important to not make the disability be his only trait
Is it bad I have dyspraxia and just knew it was never going to be used as an example of anything? And just found it silly from the outset? Because it wasn’t going to play into anything really important. Yes you could argue it’s there but it’s there but if you missed a line you would never get it. But maybe this is where I ding the actor for not being great at movements
I would describe the new credits as what would happen if you made the classic credits with modern technology. They're amazing.
That's your oplnion.
@@the-scamp Yes, that is how opinions work, thanks for your support :D
Agreed. They are brilliant and really the closest to the classic Who intro, plus the theme gets a similar treatment - its my favourite iteration of the theme in NuWho. I was nodding my head along with the video, that its otherworldly and alien and I love it.
A lot of Chibnall's Doctor Who is concerned with empty build-up. At first it was weird that the poison water was never brought into play despite being mentioned multiple times. Then you realise it is just part of setting up the mystery that the planet is in a type of fallout state. That, in turn, just leads to the reveal of the Stenza being the cause, which would only mean something if it ever was paid off down the line. It's not fun to watch because it doesn't impact the present, instead just stringing you along on the promise of a payoff that doesn't come.
It's my main issue with the Timeless Child arc's implementation in Series 12 and with the entirety of Flux, where episodes spend unholy amounts of time teasing the finale instead of being entertaining on their own. They hinge so much on the payoff that if the payoff is bad, it can retroactively cheapen everything that came before.
I'd forgotten that the Stenza were a part of this planet's story. At the time it seemed like they were going to be the new big bad, ruminating in the background but nope, yet another thread dropped. Its like Chibnall has lots of ideas and he doesn't want to trim them out so puts them all in but then has nowhere to go with them, potential but no destination.
Not to armchair psychoanalyze Chibbers, but as an autistic person myself his "let's talk about your emotions" moments are relatable. It's been a source of lifelong confusion to me that others often say that I appear to lack empathy or vulnerability, yet I am often the only person in a group who explicitly discusses their emotional/subjective states. It's led to some weird impasses with regards to trust.
I’m autistic too, and I too try to openly discuss people’s emotions, so I totally get where you’re coming from. And yet I personally feel that Chibs writes these moments in such an awful manner that they’re impossible to watch. Do you not feel that way?
Plus, the characters themselves are not autistic (mostly, I believe), so they shouldn’t really behave as we do, right?
@@Yan_Alkovic - I didn't mean that those scenes are relatable to watch, and agree that they can be awkward. It's more that I relate to Chibnall's difficulties in writing the interpersonal bits.
@@voltijuice8576 Fair, but there’s the issue of Torchwood and Broadchurch having some really nice interpersonal moments. Even on Doctor Who 42 and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship had serviceable dialogue. We can’t say for sure who wrote what and when, but me personally I feel extremely disappointed in Chibs because I KNOW that he can do better and it looks as if he isn’t doing his best on purpose.
This kinda strayed far from the initial point so let’s stop there.
@@Yan_Alkovic - True, he has done better. And worse, I think Cyberwoman was transcendentally bad. Recent Who scripts seem undercooked so I'm wondering if they are rushed, if Chibnall's various production duties stretch him too thin, or some other problem.
That's a perspective I hadn't considered. Though, speaking only for myself, the reason the scenes can often feel off is because they feel so detached from the rest of the proceedings. That actually isn't the case here (as I noted I feel like it works here given the setting and circumstances), but often it feels either like the story stops dead for such a scene or it's tacked on at the end like an after thought.
Chibnall has this tendency to have so many "things" in his episodes, dozens of characters, half a dozen plot points and several locations and the barely skims the surface with a couple of them and just leaves the rest hanging. "Wide as an ocean deep as a puddle" exemplified.
I have dyspraxia - everyone’s is different but I’ll say ladders are very hard for me, especially those narrow strait upward ladders depicted in this episode and last. That was always quite accurate to me.
What was an accurate was indeed a the scene Ryan was hitting the bots - I can’t even play shooter games like that - nevermind actually replicate it - that always came across as a scene written by an old man that doesn’t get video games…
Something very specific to the Chibnall era that I spotted was the excessive use of ADR exposition. Quite often there would be an off camera line of dialogue as if to wallpaper over a missing scene or highlight a crucial plot point that may have been otherwise overlooked or too ambiguous. It's actually quite jarring once you notice.
... as if he hadn't already put enough exposition into the dialogue captured on film!
@@ftumschk Yeah, it was mostly superfluous.
With Ryan's dyspraxia and his ability to shoot that could have been fixed with one simple throw away line, you could have Ryan mention that maybe even as part of working on ways of dealing with his issues with coordination he played a lot of video games and got good at shooting games. That would have cleared up the issue.
He did say that. But twiddling your thumbs well doesn't mean that you can run, aim, and fire at real targets at once -- especially when his dyspraxia makes it hard for him to climb a ladder latter on in the episode...
@@abbymitchell5948 it would have made more sense if the gun had been so alien no one else could figure out how to use it, and when handed to Ryan he realises it works like a game pad so coordination wasn't necessary.
@@imaginarypiggcreationsRight, or make it be like a remote-controlled drone that feels more like a video game than actually running around with a laser gun
Dyspraxic person here! I can't speak for everyone with this condition, but personally, my aim's not bad (I've never fired a gun, but was a member of an archery club in my teens). It's usually when I have to co-ordinate moving my arms and legs at the same time (like when climbing a ladder or riding a bike) that problems arise.
Thanks for that perspective - but that just leads me to think Ryan's Call of Duty charge really shouldn't have worked, as he was specifically shooting on the run which seems like it would require coordinating his arms and legs.
With regards to the Timeless Child memory thing, when 10 went under the Chameleon Arch, memories still bled through, and the Master still experienced the drums when he was disguised as Yana.
Assuming it was the same process that removed the Timeless Child memories from the Doctor (and that pocket watches aren't just a standard storage medium used in a variety of procedures), it isn't out of the realm of possibility that a more powerful, and/or directed Chameleon Arch session could close off any stray doors to the TC memories while leaving them intact -- both the Doctor and the Master did their own Arches during times of distress and urgency, whereas the Division would have had time to fine tune all the details.
Alternatively, the flashes of memories both characters received happened in close proximity to their pocket watch, so the TC watch being outside of the universe entirely could have made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for something similar to happen with those memories.
The first time I watched this one I got really excited for the intergalactic war between the Stenza and an unnamed force that was being alluded to all the way through this episode and the one before it.
I'm so glad that that storyline got a satisfying resolution.
I don't like being the conspiracy theory fan, but I feel like the Stenza were planned to be used again in the future but the reaction (or lack thereof) to Tzim-Sha put that to rest
@@chaserseven2886 Absolutely! Never say never with Who characters, I mean look who are back next Sunday
They could have recurring aquentices of tim shaw met along the way. That ccould have been a fun enemy that is not the daleks. It could even be left vague what stenza society is with clues through various dialogue. It dint need neart resolution but at leat they could have brought back othe stenza at least reacurring.Maybe even a nice outcast stenza.
I wich chibnall would have stuck to reusing them at least, even i the finale was weird, doesnt mean youcant have stenza that are more interesting. Seriously they could have added a level of identity to his run. Even not great stenza episodes. Even if they are some weird cruel society that is neve shown .
But dunnoif the studio wasnt the one, who knows.
@@marocat4749 Yeah there's no reason other Stenza can't show up (and be well written) it's not like Strax being jokey stopped the more serious Sontarans we saw in Flux being introduced.
@@Faction.Paradox It could even have fun elements like i dont know, tim shaws mom wanting revenge. XD Which could still be scary
In "Spyfall Part Two", the Master actually said about the Timeless Child: "It's buried deep in all our memories", implying all Time Lords. Why that is, I don't know.
That doesn't track with how it pans out later.
@@CouncilofGeeks Maybe it means the image of the Child, but not what it actually means?
Idk. I'm trying to make sense of nonsense.
He meant that the Time Lords hid that secret and hid the Doctor’s DNA in them. DNA is a kind of memory, too, though it would be kinda weird for him to refer to it as that, I’ll give you that
That's very -Ood- odd.
“Come to daddy… I mean mummy”
Most of this episode felt fun but kinda forgettable but I loved the final sequence when they reach the TARDIS. "Come to Daddy... I mean Mummy", the look on the Doctor's face as the TARDIS materialises and the custard cream dispenser.
Moments like those are where Jodie absolutely shone. Moments like those are why I love Who and I'll always be fond of this episode as a result.
I remember the take away moment for me from that end part was the sheer joy and love she expressed for the old blue box.
I’m sure that Chibnall’s original plan was to keep coming back to the stenza over each of his seasons. To build them up into a new recurring ‘classic’ race. But then he changed his mind after lack-luster response to Battle of Ranskor Av Kolos.
Dyspraxic person here it does seem to be true that it effects people differently since I learned to ride a bike just fine but learning to do things during my gymnastics lessons tended to take me longer because I had to co-ordinate my limbs properly which can be hard. Other parts now shown through Ryan which is at least true for me and other dyspraxic people I know is that larger gross motor movements tend to be affected like running looks more like flailing I can’t always walk into a straight line and I try to squeeze myself into spaces I can’t fit because I find it difficult to work out where my body is in space
Just watched the episode for the first time
1. The coincidence of them being found/ picked up in the middle of space is actually explained: they weren't in some random spot in space, they were where the TARDIS was - which is also why the race was there, with the TARDIS being sort of like the finish line. So it does track, imo. (The "I only saw 2" thing is still weird; I hc that the dude got there first, only managed to grab 2 and didn't care to backtrack for the others, then the woman picked them up, so there really were only 2 by the time she got there)
2. I agree that they pretty much forgot about Ryan's dyspraxia, just want to point out that it WAS sort of explained (the throwaway line about his playing Halo or whichever game it was they name-dropped finally paying off, with the following sequence being shot like an FPS game). It just would have been more believable had it been a different companion, here it felt like they wanted to do it because they felt it was cool or something
The more I think about it, the more I reckon that it's 13's closed-off emotional state that made her so hard for me to actually love (I do like her, I just don't love her). It's clearly a character choice by the writers, but I don't think it's a good one, because if the Doctor can't even make a proper emotional connection to the companions, then how are we, the audience, supposed to connect with her? I think we need to see the Doctor vulnerable (and being open about that vulnerability) to bond with them - because ultimately it's the only thing we really have in common with a semi-immortal time-travelling alien.
I'm kind of sad they didn't re-use the callous villain here as an overarching character for the series. He could have been really well done as pulling some strings throughout the entire thing, I'd have loved to see him again too.
I never did call that number to see if it really was an Islington flat...
Never really liked this episode, it just feels like such a huge wasted opportunity. The planet doesn’t feel nearly as threatening as it should (they never use the fact that the water is poisoned despite bringing it up constantly). My main problem is probably just the sheer amount of exposition. I think I’d grown used to Moffat’s great dialogue as he’s my personal favourite showrunner.
@@chaserseven2886 True, but there is no danger surrounding it. Nothing happens to any of the characters and we never see anything dangerous from the planet itself. It just felt like an un fired Chekhov’s gun as it was brought up a fair few times.
In terms of the ships at the opening, I don't see this is an issue. It is explained that they landed where the Tardis should have landed but the planet moved. This caused the Tardis to land poorly and therefore the race is staged around it. So that is why the ships land where the Doctor lands. They're all following the same thing
I am glad you otherwise enjoyed it. I was a little sad that you felt this episode is what Jodie's era SHOULD be, cause I felt this episode is what her era IS and I think that's a good thing. But I'll be interested to follow this series
Thought it was some of the somewhat better episodes that season too, just because of said vibe. Gotta say though that I never felt the "chase" they were talking about and the actual impression I got from it was a glacial stroll. I never picked up any sense of urgency from this episode.
missed opportunity not to have the Celestial Toymaker masterminding this race
I did like this episode overall in spite of some the writing choices seeming overly contrived. On first viewing I was almost immediately upset by the idea of 4 people floating in the vacuum of space, and the Doctor's hair gently waving in (the vacuum/breeze?) and suddenly two buses arrive going to the same destination - one express and one local (dontcha' just hate when that happens?). Looks like floating in space is mostly fine, no frostbite, no eyes or lungs exploding - so thats a myth that all other SciFi plays into. Anyway, it did get better from that point on. I think the episode could have used some additional editing.
You forgot the coincidence that the selfish guy happened to pick up the doctor, who is the only one of the four capable of helping him land/safely crash his rapidly deteriorating ship without casualties.
The darker, heavier version of the theme always seemed like a mismatch for Jodie's Hopeful Doctor. I feel like it would've worked better for Capaldi.
Makes sense to me, not heard anyone else say that about the “moody” theme before
I guess I just assumed that when they were transported into space, that it was tardis shenanigans. Because the tardis always takes them where they need to be instead of where they want to go. 🤷🏻♀️ Maybe I assume too much.
The space pickup coincidence I can live with because the Doctor was targeting the planet coordinates before they did the transport but the planet had moved so ended up in space. The racers were heading to aforementioned planet so they were in their flight path as it were. Crashing on a massive planet in the same place as the others, on the other hand…. 🤔
I haven’t watched in a while so from memory I did like the part where Angstrom had a moment of shared experience and grief with Graham over having lost their wives to the Stenza, that was pretty heavy but in a good way. I’m somewhat disappointed that it seemed to setup the Stenza as a new force to be reckoned with, traipsing through the universe wreaking havoc one planet at a time but alas it came to nothing. Shame as it was a good setup, meeting one of them in ep1, then discovering the writing on the floor in ep 2.
I get the feeling at this point Chibnall knew he wanted to do the Timeless Child story but hadn’t fleshed it out, he knew the _what_ but not the _how_, so all we get here is a tease, a bit of intrigue, which in hindsight doesn’t quite match to what we learn later, unless you subscribe to the idea that all Timelords have a little of the TC history buried in their collective minds somehow. 🤨
I remember quite enjoying this episode, despite its flaws as it was fresh and put me in mind of the style of classic Who story (with the visuals of the 21st Century).
It also holds the accolade of having one of my all-time favourite lines:
DOCTOR “Do you two know what that is?”
EPZO “It's a tent.”
I know people complain about Chibnall’s humour but that always tickles me.
Was this episode inspired by The Hunger Games? A competition set in a world where everything is trying to kill you.
For me this is a strong example from the Chibnall era of a story where the 50 minute runtime is a detriment. It's booked ended well, everything after Art Malik leaves and until he returns is really rushed, a lot of awkward exposition, this isn't a concept that works with a small cast which all have to survive. I can picture this as like a Hartnell six/seven parter like Marco Polo or Keys of Marinus, with a large set of characters, those we like/dislike and the red shirts. If this ever gets a novel, this could be a good place to retroactively setup Yaz's arc, where instead of just saying she misses her family, have the lack of water and death around every corner, perhaps a section of the planet where mirages bring to life her worst fear's causing potential trauma, but the Doctor keeps her sane and makes and oath to protect her, thus establishing the bond and leads to eventually love. Also, the way this story "set's up" the Timeless Child is pretty weak, much like planet of the Dead and Witch's Familiar. I wouldn't be surprised if Chibnall had no real interest in doing an arc, and the condition for having S11 off was he needed at least one line that could potentially be brought back up in s12.
I wish it were the stenza that came back. They ar from first like a cruel intesting society that colul be fun recurring. An eplace daleks.
I like watching your first reviews as a comparison, so please post the link to them in your description.
th-cam.com/video/mj02j0U7D_k/w-d-xo.html
10:49 "What I've seen _some_ TH-camrs refer to as the "Hey, how're you feeling" scene"
Nice sneaky Jay shout-out!
Sadly this episode is textbook Chibnall badness for me and I really kinda cannot engage with what little good moments it had.
This is one of my favorite episodes of Jodie’s seasons.
As you say, the initial rescue was highly improbable, but it was the only way out of that situation. It's a nod to Adams's concept, while not drawing attention to it. Also, I imagine Chibnall knew it was a cheeky get-out.
I mentioned this in your last video, but dyspraxia isn't a constant problem. It tends to manifest in moments of stress, i.e. climbing ladders. Doing something with confidence - hence the Call of Duty line - isn't the same thing. It's less stressful because it's something Ryan believes he can do. Also, it's not as if the gun's a revolver or anything (which would be an issue), it's a bloody great space gun. Frankly, if your knowledge of dyspraxia is limited, then that's what the internet's for. I mean, until recently I didn't fully understand the issues surrounding gender-fluidity and the like, but I read up on it. In all honesty, you've had a fair few years to get up to speed with the research surrounding dyspraxia and other co-ordination issues, and it's surprising that you haven't availed yourself of that opportunity. I certainly don't mean to cause offence, but I genuinely don't understand why you haven't done, especially in the last couple of years.
Wasn't there a line about the sniper bots being slow because they were reactivating from sleep mode or something like that? I took that as enough to justify their bad aim here - not so much on their next appearance though.
I remember this episode just being kind of boring and unremarkable for the most part. I also thought that for a supposed hell-world, it honestly looked quite a nice, pleasant place and was one of the early examples of telling rather than showing. I feel like the episode could have either done with having a couple of extra competitors or giving the two main guest stars a few red shirt crew so there'd be some spare bodies to get killed by the water, the snipers, the rag things etc and SHOW the danger rather than just talking about the hazards and having the main cast easily evade them.
On the dyspraxia thing, I'd never heard of the condition until Doctor Who so can't really comment on how it's depicted. However, I did watch a panel with Chibnall (IIRC at an event where the first episode was aired) where he took an audience question about it and had said he had a close relative with the condition which was what led him to include it. While my feeling is I don't think it is handled very consistently across Ryan's time, I think it's interesting context to know that Chibnall does have some experience with the condition and I think he did try to include it in good faith even if it didn't pan out that well.
It is mentioned they're coming out of sleep mode but how well they are or aren't functioning is never tied to that. In fact that show and characters never broach the idea that they're functioning poorly at all, so far as I noticed.
This kind of felt like an episode of classic who. A lot of the ship now episodes are paced and scaled like old Doctor Who episodes
Who else hated the new TARDIS when they first saw it but now love it?
I went from disliking it but not being too bothered, to just accepting it from exposure but never really able to say I like it. If I look at it objectively it’s cool but it’s just overwhelming on the eyes
Started of not liking it and now it's my least favourite one in the nu-Who era.
It's just so dark and uninviting.
With regards to the contrived nature of them being rescued by the participants of the race, isn't that technically justified once they realise the end goal of the race, the Ghost Monument, is actually the TARDIS?
3:20 I mean, adventure story? Hitchhiker's is a comedy.
First of all, I have dyspraxia, I love Ryan, I feel very represented, though I think it's also valid to dislike it. Maybe some people who complain about it and don't have dyspraxia should, like, look it up? That might help
Secondly, the Doctor built the thingamajig at the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth to transport her to the TARDIS. The TARDIS is on Desolation, the Doctor (+3) is transported to Desolation at the right time when the TARDIS appears. Thus, they are not at a totally random place in the vastness of space, but "just a bit off" - as fits the Doctor. Angstrom and Epzo are likewise there to get to the Ghost Monument as part of the race. So, while it may be improbable, it really is not a Douglas Adams situation of improbabilty.
Chibnall has a relative with dyspraxia and worked with the dyspraxia foundation as well.
....you can't just say that it's valid to dislike it then say that people who complain should "look it up".
I guess the robots were interesting. Ryan may have worked better if somehow they managed to cast someone who was actually Dyspraxic instead of someone having to remember his character is dyspraxic when Chibnal and the writers mention it. Previously I got bored by the fact we spend 50 minutes learning the back stories of two characters who were never seen again. The mention of The Timeless Child was almost interesting until over a year later...
The title of this video makes me feel old
I really like your reviews… I think you are between the better ones on TH-cam…
I never understood how they understand the aliens in this episode… there is no Tardis… so aliens speak English?
It's not about current proximity to the aliens, it's about having ever been in the TARDIS or having spent enough time in the field of the TARDIS
The TARDIS works through the doctor as was established in the Christmas invasion
Rosa is next, isn't it? You had much problems on the first watch and first rewatch if I remember correctly.
I had zero recollection of this episode. Yet I must have watched it. So thanks for the prompt to go and (re)watch!
Hey council how interested are you in reading manga?
I just became a patron :D I'm King of the Sandmen
Welcome aboard!
@@CouncilofGeeks thanks! I'm happy to be supporting the channel! :)
💛💛
I personally find "The Ghost Monument" to be a step down compared to its predecessor. There are a few things about it that I rather like - the opening titles are really cool; I enjoy the opening setpiece with the Doctor on the crashing spaceship; Art Malik's guest performance is great; and while I don't like the design itself, the actual reveal of the new TARDIS interior is a rather nice sequence. Aside from that though, everything else about this episode is a miss for me. Pretty much all the problems I have with Chibnall's writing are here and present, from the dialogue being overly reliant on exposition, to the Doctor's weird binary moral code getting shown once again with her whole "no guns" spiel. Also, the Doctor's characterisation in this episode is mostly alright, but that bit near the end where she basically gives up and says she failed her companions always felt weird to me, like this episode (and most of series 11 for that matter) was trying to push the Doctor as the bringer of hope, and she's already fallen into self-pitying defeatist mode at the end of her second episode.
But the biggest problem I have with the episode is it's failure to flesh out the main characters' relationship and dynamic. From my perspective, the second episode of a new showrunner's tenure should do three things - set the tone and feel for the new era, establish the main story/theme for the rest of this run, and leave the audience with a good impression of what the new Doctor/companion dynamic is going to be. Say what you want about their stories, but Davies and Moffat were able to successfully accomplish all three things in "The End of the World" and "The Beast Below" respectively. Here, Chibnall manages the first point, and mostly accomplishes the second (even if he does nothing with it for another season), but he fails to meet the third. He spends so much time blathering on about the backstories for the two side characters that we don't meet again after this episode, that he completely forgets to develop the Doctor's relationship with any of her three companions. This makes the scene where the companions reassure the Doctor that they're still with her and encourage her not to give up at the end feel way more hollow and unearned, because it feels like Chibnall's not interested in the companions and their connection with the Doctor at all...which is going to be yet another big problem going forward
The Dyspraxia theme really annoys me. My daughter never watched DW and she got hooked in when she found out that a character was Dyspraxic because she is too.
Yet its handled really badly.... dyspraxia is way more complex than 'clumsy' .... its got layers of issues - and Ryan never shows these difficulties - so if they didn't want to give it proper attention - they should have left it well alone.
Normal people couldn't shoot this good, shooting while moving without aiming. As a soldier it is call combat shooting. Take months if not years to train to get this good. With their own weapon that they familiar with. It also not everyone capable even with training. Its about eye sight and hand speed reaction, aka talent. Some one like him, have issue with left and right, can't even properly ride a bike or claim a ladder... the whole episode make everything impossible, possible lmao.
I used to like this episode better than WWFTE, but now I like it slightly less; nonetheless, I find it passable (C). I like the concept, I like the killer towels, I like the one-off characters, and I like the Gram/Ryan relationship stuff. That said, I think that sniper bots look fairly bad (from an effects perspective), the episode is really slow-paced, the doctor’s moment of self-doubt really doesn’t land, and this is the first main instance of ‘Ryan and the Magically Disappearing Dyspraxia’, which… I’ll be honest, I really dislike.
4:09 The Fall of Doctor Who moment
honestly even when watching it for the first time this was just one of my least favorite episodes either. I was just so bored by it, and I shouldnt have been.
I dont know if its studio and , i dont know if its on chibnall but they should have waited till at least next episode to find the tardis. Or that could have been a 2 parter, because the alien planet and deadly game setting is really enoyable. Its good but a 2 partr, would have been aloong and really let that mourning better sink in too.
An i think its cool a dr without a tradis, like if in episode or they travel as hitchhiker and finally after the mor hardships, find it. It a good concept, i like she unwittingly took them on a journey without tardis.
Is missed opportunity to give that a find the tardis multiple episode arc to let them th got lost feeling fully sink in too much, because i still like chibnalls, but he could fun and unlike moffat uncomplicated character arcs like they ar lost, emotional, physical and have to find the way to the tardis thats somewhre. Give it one more episode to ah we still not know , and have to do something to finally find it, because the end somewhere in the universe without a tardis. Its fun for a time.
Alo i donr mind plot contriveces, its unfair when every other dr who run has that too, thats a staple. I feelits nitpick to harkon not joybreaking things, and octors rable things and hold speeches, let her ramble.
I just wish he got more , chibnall really with the cramming this season would be better off as arcs over mor episodes. I ant blame him aftr moffat, but he isnt as contrived as moffat with a mor emotional focus, which breathes better, over more than one episode.
Since I am a major fan of post-regeration episodes, I really liked TWWFTE. Ghost Monument, hmmmmm. I will say that it is an absolutely beautiful episode... that I fell asleep to.
Like I said before I don't like the inconsistencies with Ryan's dyspraxia throughout this tenure. Like either don't write it in or hire an actor that actually has Dyspraxia. They exist. Like two really big Hollywood stars have Dyspraxia. One of them is freaking Harry Potter. Like when something like this is not handled properly it feels egregious. Like representation for the sake of it. Like no. Base level is not good enough. Commit. Hire an actor with the condition. Show the complexities of it. Yes it will affect people differently but show them struggle.
Dan has dyspraxia?
Again the pattern is set for the irritatingly quick resolution to the forced and artificial cliffhanger. I'm left thinking of Dragonfire, it's that frustrating, and so frequent in Chri's tenure.
They don't even bother to show it.... resorting to telling us! The vistas are magnificent, and sadly have more depth than the characters. The scripts are the things that don't convince. If I had to choose, I'd rather have an intriguing script, than a pretty backdrop.
To me, Chibnall seems to throw every idea he has at the wall, & whatever sticks, he writes about. It’s totally disjointed & nonsensical. Say what you want about the 6th & 7th Doctor, but 99% of their stories are better than 13’s stories.
Can someone explain how the bbc is being transphobic or point me to the video where it is explained. Thanks
There is a pinned comment with various relevant videos on the subject.