The Woman Who Fell to Earth

"She just saved our lives."

Writer: Chris Chibnall
Format: TV
Broadcast: 7th October 2018
Series: 11.01

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Ryan, Yasmin, Graham

Synopsis

In the South Yorkshire city of Sheffield, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O'Brien are about to have their lives changed forever, as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky...

Verdict

The Woman Who Fell to Earth was a fantastic start to life with the Thirteenth Doctor! The show has certainly changed with this series opener and Chris Chibnall gave us a very neat introduction to our brand new regular cast. Jodie Whittaker burst into life as the Doctor and I have to say, I thought she was absolutely sublime! She really was wonderful, quirky and the energy she had made this a stunning start to life as the first female incarnation of our beloved Time Lord. I was incredibly impressed. The introductions of the new companions in Ryan, Yasmin and Graham were handled very nicely and I rather liked that they all had their connections to one another. Grace was an unsung hero of the episode and her demise at the story's conclusion was very emotional and quite upsetting. I loved how much she liked the whole alien thing and the twist with Ryan's opening YouTube video actually being about her was very nicely done. I'm sure her legacy will last throughout the series. The cinematography of this episode was sublime and it really did have a brand new feel to it, and that's not just because the cast has changed. It felt very real and modern and I think a lot of that had to do with the unfamiliar setting of Sheffield. That worked very well for me. I know a lot of people on social media have moaned about the accent but that's just ridiculously petty and you can't please some people. The actual plot of the episode was decent and I thought Tim Shaw was a rather intimidating villain who worked well and was exactly the kind of enemy for an introductory episode. His appearance was quite horrifying though as he took a tooth from his victims and wore it as a trophy. The Doctor being offended by that was magnificent though. The merged data-coil creature was intriguing and I liked how it was actually a weapon sent ahead by Tim Shaw to help him cheat in his quest to find the human target and takeover as leader of his race. The DNA bombs were a very good concept and Graham reminding us of them showed how scared he was which was another fine example of things being very real. I wasn't too sure about the Doctor being able to construct her own sonic screwdriver in a Sheffield warehouse, nor the design, but with her brilliance I can let it slide. The absence of the TARDIS was interesting and I liked how the Doctor used the Stenza technology to find its location. She really did like the company of Ryan, Yasmin and Graham but she needed to go and see the universe and be reunited with her beloved time and space machine. Whilst this episode had an incredible shift in direction change, I really liked the nods to the past with the mention of the Doctor previously being a white-haired Scotsmen before regenerating into a woman. The effects of the regeneration were handled excellently and I liked that it didn't become the focus of the story. The Doctor talking of her family was an unexpected bonus but I like to think of her as holding them in a special place in her hearts. I really liked that. The resolution to the problems presented by Tim Shaw was good but quick but I think its simplicity was welcomed as I don't think the series wanted to try and do too much too soon. This was a very good, simple and effective opener with Jodie Whittaker being the absolute highlight. I really, really like her and I can't wait for the rest of her adventures! Overall, a great start!

Rating: 8/10