Death in Heaven

"How can you win a war against an enemy that can weaponise the dead?"

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 8th November 2014

Series: 8.12

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

With the Master now a woman and in command of an army of Cybermen converted from the dead, is there anything the Doctor, Clara and UNIT can do to prevent the extinction of the human race?

Verdict 

Death in Heaven was a superb conclusion to the outstanding story already set up following Dark Water. What a prospect we were given following that penultimate episode of the series. The Master was back as a woman! The Cybermen had returned. Danny was dead. The afterlife was realised and visited. Not too bad. I liked the immediate switch in the story though with the introduction of UNIT. Kate waltzing in to confront Missy and the Cybermen was fantastic and it was great to see her return after her successful previous episode. The reference to the Doctor's regeneration was magnificent. I loved how Osgood also returned and coined the Eleventh Doctor's phrase about bow ties being cool. Since Nightmare in Silver, the Cybermen really have had quite the upgrade! I'm not sure where I stand on their ability to fly but the ability to harness the dead and even convert them is something I am a fan of. What a frightening concept! As the Doctor said, how do you win a war against an enemy that can weaponise the dead? Michelle Gomez was simply superb as Missy and despite the gender change, she plays the Master wonderfully well. I can't wait for her return in the next series' opener. She really is bananas and it's brilliant. The Doctor being drafted in as President of Earth was a lovely idea and I loved his reaction also! It was nice how he still wanted Clara by his side despite having the command of every single nation's armed forces. When Earth was faced with a full scale invasion, who better to be in charge than the Doctor? The plane was good and I liked the tribute paid to the Brigadier with the painting. Kate was following in her father's footsteps ever so well. Clara pretending to be the Doctor was very good but it's almost worrying how much she knows about her best friend! The reference to The Doctor's Daughter was surprising and I do wonder how that cropped up in conversation, as well as the four wives mentioned! I liked the momentary belief that Clara might just be the Doctor being given extra credibility by the modification of the opening credits and it was sublime to see Jenna Coleman's eyes light up our screens. The Cybermen refusing to believe that they were wrong and that Clara Oswald was just a story was good but ultimately Clara had saved her life. She was then emotionally saved by a Cyberman who'd escaped control of Missy, later revealed to be Danny. The scenes in the graveyard with Clara and Cyber-Danny were very emotional and I think it was the first time in the entire series that I actually cared about their relationship. Missy escaping her handcuffs on the plane was devious and wonderful and the way she killed Osgood, just after the Doctor had offered to show her all of time and space, was typically excellent of the Master. She even told Osgood to expect and was courteous enough to give her a countdown. She even put lipstick on for the big event. Then, in cold blood, she just murdered her. Missy meant business. The Cybermen crashing the plane and Missy seemingly killing Kate as well was incredible. I thought the plane scene was sublime and I loved the determination of the Doctor to hone in on the TARDIS and get to safety, knowing that Clara was trying to inhibit Danny's emotions which would surely mean her death. Missy wasn't impressed, killed Seb instantly and then in Mary Poppins style descended on the graveyard to meet the Doctor and his friend. The revelation that she was the woman in the shop from The Bells of Saint John and the person responsible for the advert in Deep Breath was great. I'll say it again, Michelle Gomez truly is wonderful. The Doctor allowing Clara to inhibit Danny's emotions so he could connect to the hive mind and reveal how to stop the Cyber pollen clouds was slightly surprising but he simply had to know. Something else that pleasantly surprised me was Missy's motive for building a Cyber army out of the dead. She gave it to the Doctor to command. He could decide every war's outcome with an army spanning billions. The dead had risen from their graves and now the Doctor was commanding them. Missy wanted to show the Doctor that despite everything, they weren't all that different. I loved the Doctor's mocking remark to her about ruling the world, and I loved what Missy had given him here. But Danny was not anticipated and finishing off a theme of the entire series, including flashbacks, Danny took command of the Cybermen and basically ordered their destruction in wiping out the pollen clouds. The dead returned to their graves. The scene with Kate having been saved was most brilliant. The Brigadier got a stunning tribute. He was Cyber Leader and he finally got a salute from the Doctor. A very touching moment. Missy was thought dead at his hands, saving the Doctor from doing so. Clara's reference to the Doctor possibly allowing her to live making these events his fault set my mind back to a comment in A Town Called Mercy which I loved. The Doctor setting the coordinates for Gallifrey and finding that once again the Master had lied was tough to watch. It wasn't quite as tough as Clara and the Doctor both lying to each other in what was seemingly their goodbye. Danny let the boy he killed as a soldier return to normally instead of himself but Clara didn't tell the Doctor the truth. She wanted him to go home whilst he wanted her to stay with Danny. It's sad how they both didn't realise what they needed most was each other. Overall, a sensational two part finale! 

Rating: 10/10

Dark Water

"It's short for mistress. Couldn't very well keep calling myself the Master, now, could I?"

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 1st November 2014

Series: 8.11

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Clara betrays the Doctor. Danny is dead. A trip to the afterlife! Missy is here, but what's her motive? What is going on at the mysterious 3W and what are they keeping water tombs?

Verdict 

Dark Water is an absolutely outstanding episode to kick off the finale of the eighth series! It really is brilliant from start to finish. I remember being confused on broadcast about Danny's sudden death (I think I cheered a little though) and I was just waiting for him to come back to life or, what I thought was more likely, for it to be revealed that he didn't actually die at all. But there Clara was, ready to tell him everything about her adventures with the Twelfth Doctor in note form and after she tells Danny that the words 'I love you' from her are exclusively his, something I'd consider massively significant, he's silent. Then we hear a women on the phone and she reveals that Danny's been hit by a car and is dead. Clara's reaction was superb and I loved the determined look on her face when running to the scene. That span round into a dejected look as she returned to the scene what seemed like a short time after the accident. I thought the conversation with her gran was pretty sad though as she said his death was boring. But then she was on the phone to the Doctor and a lightbulb went off inside her head. After all the Doctor had done for her, she was prepared to betray it all and then some for the sake of her boyfriend. She quickly located the seven keys of the TARDIS the Doctor had hid and her threats were about to commence. The look of desperation was heartbreaking. I can't say I blame her though. If I lost a loved one and knew a time traveller, I'm sure I'd try and go back and save them! She chucked all seven TARDIS keys into the lava of the volcano Clara 'wanted' to see after the Doctor wonderfully refused to go back in time and save Danny. Capaldi was incredible in this outstanding scene. But when Clara thought she was in control the Doctor just laughed in her face as he revealed it was he who put her in a dream like state to see how far she'd really go. And he was surprised. She'd betrayed his trust, friendship and let him down. After all that, he set his sights on going somewhere that was bound to be off limits - the afterlife. As was in Listen, Clara was in control of the TARDIS only this time she did have to think about Danny. Her thoughts had brought the TARDIS to 3W, an intriguing institute very interested in the dead. Danny's arrival to the Nethersphere was great and I really loved Seb! A superb character who was actually quite comedic about everybody arriving here being dead. He did lay Danny down easily about it though. His embryo comparison was actually brilliant. I think it's good that we finally learned why Danny stopped being a soldier, that's one of the few interesting things about the character. He shot a young boy mistakenly and regretted it massively. The Doctor and Clara's first meeting with Missy was eccentric to say the least. I loved how she imitated being an android and laid an impression on the Doctor as to who she really was. The luring of what was really in the water tombs during the episode was wonderful and when it was decided that the dead of mankind should be harvested, the slow reveal occurred in style. The Doctor missing things is a common trait to this incarnation and the closing of the doors to reveal the tear duct eyes of the Cybus Cybermen was excellent. Obviously the design of them is different here but we now knew who was coming. Obviously on broadcast things had been spoiled sadly due to publicity shots and what have you so the big lead up seemed wasted then but I thought it was magnificent here. And then came Missy running back revealing she was a Time Lady who the Doctor had abandoned. My mind immediately thought back to Warriors' Gate and Romana but what we got was even more shocking. Danny, after an emotional call to the other side with Clara and seeing the boy he'd killed, was seemingly giving himself up to the Cybermen by 'deleting' his emotions. Clara was trapped in a room with a Cyberman. A horrific theory on the dead being conscious and begging not to be cremated didn't pale in comparison to the shocking revelation of Missy's identity! She was a woman and she's the bloody Master! Amazing. I don't think I have ever been more shocked by a Doctor Who cliffhanger. I never suspected her being the Master so this truly was incredible. Overall, an astounding start to the finale! See you on the other side for the rating. 

In the Forest of the Night

"I hope I'm right. It would be slightly awkward if the world was destroyed at this point."

Writer: Frank Cottrell-Boyce

Format: TV

Broadcast: 25th October 2014

Series: 8.10

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

With a potentially fatal solar flare heading towards Earth, what can the Doctor do when he exits the TARDIS to see that London has become engulfed in a forest? He quickly joins with Clara and Danny and the year 8 gifted and talented group to find the answers. 

Verdict 

In the Forest of the Night was a very good episode but unfortunately for the first time in my Series 8 rewatch an original rating has gone down by two clear marks. I'm not sure why I enjoyed it so much on broadcast that I thought it deserved full marks because whatever I felt then, I didn't get it this time around. Don't get me wrong, the episode is very good but it doesn't garner full marks! I liked the start with Maebh knocking on the door of the TARDIS, apparently lost but looking for the Doctor. The Doctor not seemingly interested in the lost little girl at first was what's become typical of this incarnation. I love it and think it's brilliant I must say. The Doctor's reaction to finding out that the TARDIS had landed in the middle of London, but was surrounded by a giant forest was superb. Capaldi really is already a sublime Doctor. I was suprised by Maebh's reaction to the TARDIS being bigger on the inside as she just seemed to ignore the fact! She just thought it was supposed to be that way which was pretty intriguing. Once Maebh had mentioned Miss Oswald, the Doctor's description of her was fantastically hilarious. It seemed obvious that a little girl wouldn't quite understand. I love his continued stance from The Caretaker in calling Danny a PE teacher despite everyone around him reiterating that he's a maths teacher. I liked the later reference to Time Heist also, whilst I'm speaking of past story references. The class trip for the year 8 gifted and talented group was a nice idea and I liked how they were staying over in a museum. The reactions of the pupils and their teachers, Clara and Danny, to seeing London engulfed by a forest was terrific. I liked the Doctor's mentioning of that throughout history, the forest has always been included in the nightmares of mankind. So here it was, our nightmare realised. The entire planet had become one great big forest. The Doctor working out why a conglomeration of trees had just covered the planet ever so slowly but surely was superb. The connection with Maebh was good and I just loved the Doctor's asking of what she was doing constantly with her hands. Clara ringing the Doctor up to tell him that she was going to show him something amazing this time was wonderful as he'd already seen the grand thing she was ebullient about. Poor old Clara. The Doctor always knows more than you. This episode was easily my favourite of Danny's and the first one where I think I might have actually liked him. It was nice seeing how he put the children before everything. I was surprised by the comment that the present day setting was actually in 2016. I know during the Third Doctor era that the production team liked things to be set a little into the future but I'm not entirely sure I'm a fan. At least we're getting closer to Salamander taking over the world! Only a few years now. The revelation of the thoughts that connected Maebh to knowing what would happen was great. I wasn't sure though about including wolves and a tiger as a threat for the Time Lord and companion. The use of animals is something I'm not a fan of in Doctor Who. The few times it happened in the Classic series I can't say I enjoyed it for the most part. The revelation that the trees, which somehow were flame resistant despite being wood, has spawned to protect the planet from an incoming solar flare which would've proved fatal was actually quite nice. Despite everything we humans do to ruin the climate and increase global warming, it's comforting to know that our planet likes us and will protect us. Ruby was a great little character I must add - I really liked her bluntness. The scene where the trees held off the flare was nice and I liked the lead in to the finale with yet another appearance from Missy. Overall, a very good episode but I'm not sure what I was thinking on broadcast giving this full marks! 

Rating: 8/10

Flatline

"Could you not just let me enjoy this moment of not knowing something? I mean, it happens so rarely."

Writer: Jamie Mathieson 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 18th October 2014

Series: 8.09

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Clara mistakenly land in present day Bristol. Upon arrival, the TARDIS has shrunk and something is draining its power. With the Doctor stuck inside the miniaturised TARDIS, Clara must go it alone in tackling creatures from the universe of two dimensions.  

Verdict 

Flatline was an excellent episode and my opinion has greatly changed from what I thought on its original broadcast back in October of last year! The episode only just scraped an 8/10 rating from myself and I had it as the worst episode of the series (excluding the Christmas special), not to say it wasn't good but it just lacked something the rest of the episodes had. Now, maybe that was the Doctor? This was what seems to be a pretty much traditional Doctor-lite episode but thanks to some great writing from Jamie Mathieson, following up from his incredible Mummy on the Orient Express, you wouldn't notice that the Doctor wasn't supposed to be featuring as much. It started off very well and with immediate fear as a man on the phone was literally pulled into the ground. The arrival of the Doctor and Clara was quite humorous with the TARDIS not quite landing close to home for the latter. Instead they'd arrived in Bristol and the TARDIS was considerably smaller on the exterior. The Doctor could only just manage to wedge himself out and I adored how despite things obviously being precarious, he revelled in not knowing what had happened! Clara was worried whilst the Doctor was excited. The finger point to Clara saying she was annoying was superb. The Doctor had his moment of not knowing and now it was time to fix it. He wedged back into the TARDIS whilst Clara set off around the estate to see what she could find. When she returned, she could pick the TARDIS up in her hands! Something was draining the TARDIS of its exterior dimensions and now there was no way out for the Doctor. Clara was on her own. The way she pretended to be the Doctor was excellent but I loved how this gave us an insight to the Doctor's mind in similar situations he's faced in the past. The comment about lying to his immediate associates so they'd run quicker was quite harrowing but it's nice to see the Doctor does all he can to keep them alive. Clara realising that she had to do all she could to keep these people alive was a wonderful moment. The Doctor telling her that a leader was soon to emerge within the group was magnificent and I loved how Clara immediately took that position. This was one of her better episodes and I think that's down to her having the absolute lead role. She commanded the use of the sonic screwdriver and psychic paper and she even took up a trait of the Doctor's that she hated. Lying. The Doctor hearing in on her conversation with him was good but I liked how he didn't judge. I really like Jamie Mathieson's style in having a silent enemy. We didn't hear the Foretold speak in the previous episode and we didn't hear the Boneless speak here. To be fair, they were 2D creatures. The idea of an invasion from a universe made of two dimensions was incredible. It took the loose concept that also featured in Fear Her and just wiped the floor of that episode! The Boneless were reaching out and seemingly studying three dimensional creatures. The nervous system and blown up skin murals were rather disturbing. The ability of the Boneless to flatten objects was great and posed great awkwardness to Clara and co. I really liked her relationship with Rigsy who was a very good character. Fenton was a right bastard though and it seemed even the Doctor wished he hadn't survived. He didn't even seem grateful. I did like his remark about them being up against killer graffiti though! The Doctor being trapped in the TARDIS for the episode was good and I loved the Addams Family reference with the Doctor pulling the TARDIS to safety from the oncoming train with his fingers. His little dance followed by the TARDIS falling back on to the tracks was hilarious. Drive mode saved the day though and I loved seeing the TARDIS as a little cube! Clara using the Boneless's power against them to give the TARDIS the energy it needed to be restored, thanks to the graphic help of Rigsy, was superb. Out emerged the Time Lord and proclaimed to the evil creature that this plain was protected and he banished them into oblivion. Overall, a great episode and I'm so glad I enjoyed it more this time around. Just a shame with the unmissable production era surrounding Capaldi's haircut. 

Rating: 9/10

Mummy on the Orient Express

"I'm the Doctor and I will be your victim tonight. Are you my mummy?"

Writer: Jamie Mathieson 

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 11th October 2014

Series: 8.08

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

On board the Orient Express, in space, lies the Foretold - a mythical mummy who once is seen by its victim has only only 66 seconds to live. Can the Doctor and Clara, during their last hurrah, solve the century old mystery?

Verdict 

Mummy on the Orient Express is just an outstanding episode and reiterated exactly what I thought on broadcast - that this is the best Twelfth Doctor episode so far. He's already had some classics in Deep Breath and Listen but this surpassed both in my opinion. I loved every minute. I liked the loose continuity from The Big Bang with the Orient Express once before hoping to lure the Doctor on board. Or rather more specifically, Gus was hoping to solve a mystery. I absolutely loved the Foretold. A wonderful monster! The design was excellent and the concept itself was remarkable. This really did seem to have a Classic feel to it. The 66 seconds between seeing the Foretold and dying at the hands of it is a frightening concept! The fact that only the person about to die can see it is superb and adds a whole new level of fear to the story. People think you're acting stupid being petrified of thin air or referencing freak mummies but the bang, a minute and six seconds later you're dead. The culprit was hidden in view. The capabilities of the Foretold were quite frightening! It took the term silent killer to a mightily new level. It could teleport and its touch meant death! Not a bad enemy for a story set on a space train. Following Kill the Moon's conclusion with Clara storming out of the TARDIS, I was pleasantly surprised to see her exit the TARDIS with a smile on her face alongside the Doctor. She looked, yet again, absolutely dazzling in her 1920s dress and even the Doctor had dressed for the occasion. The design of the Orient Express interior was fabulously reminiscent of my knowledge of the famous train. The fact it was going through space was wonderful too! Foxes making a guest appearance performing a rendition of Queen's 'Don't Stop Men Now' was lovely and I really enjoyed her cover! The moment the Doctor and Clara were staring out of the window was probably my favourite of the entire series. Well, maybe excluding the revelation of who Missy really was. Clara was describing what I expected to hear at the top of the episode in how she really thought she hated the Doctor for taking the stabilisers off her bike and making the decision regarding the Moon. But all the Doctor was interested in was telling her all about the planets that once inhabited the space they were looking at. He seemed to just pass off Clara's hatred, or what she thought was hatred, towards him and just made remarks about her confusing doubly emotional smile which I thought was magnificent. Clara referencing the trip to be the pair's last hurrah was quite sad and it made me think that during this series alone there have been many references or hints towards Clara leaving. But here we are with Jenna Coleman currently filming series 9! Yay! The lies the Doctor told during the episode were great and I really am loving the Twelfth Doctor's awkwardness and lack of compassion for the deceased. Peter Capaldi is just brilliant. His remarks to Clara regarding Maisie were quite shocking though but I loved them! Never have we seen the Doctor say something like that before. Captain Quell and Professor Moorhouse were both very good characters and I really liked the latter's take on mythology. I adored the Doctor's comment about them generally being true, especially in space! Perkins was the shining star amongst the guest characters though! An absolutely wonderful character and you could almost swear that the role was written for Frank Skinner himself! His working with the Doctor on the mystery after they both found each other sneaking around at night was fantastic. You could tell how well they'd get on immediately! The Doctor's working out of the true nature of the train was magnificent and I liked how he once again took charge of the situation once the interior was transformed into a lab. It was worked out that the Foretold targeted the weak and ill and from that they could simulate who was next. Using the 66 seconds to tell those lucky enough not to be dying what they could about the Foretold was great. I loved how the myth continued with there being something that can be said to prevent your death. Once the Doctor took Maisie's proneness away and into himself, the Doctor had 66 seconds to work out what it was. He did so in staggering fashion and then a second before death, "we surrender" was muttered and the soldier was relieved of its duties. After the Doctor then saved everybody from the wrath of Gus and the Express blowing up, I loved the scene on the beach. The Doctor's little joke was so rubbish it was brilliant. Clara's change of heart after speaking to Danny was a punch the air moment, not quite when I actually did punch the air following her staying as companion in Last Christmas but still good. Overall, Capaldi's best episode and I think it'll take a lot for it to get beaten! I can't give much more praise than that.

Rating: 10/10

Kill the Moon

"One small thing for a thing, one enormous thing for a thingy-thing!"

Writer: Peter Harness

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 4th October 2014

Series: 8.07

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Clara is faced with a dreadful choice - to kill an innocent creature or save the future of the human race? With time running out before the Moon hatches and the Doctor leaving Clara to make the choice for herself, what will she choose?

Verdict

Kill the Moon was a very good episode but sadly in my DVD rewatching of Series 8, this is the first episode to drop down from its original rating on broadcast. I'm not a fan of what we see in the pre-titles being way into the future of the episode but it actually worked decently well here because we were looking to see just why the Doctor had left Clara alone. I liked the opening scene in the TARDIS with the Doctor almost somewhat disgusted that he had to tell Courtney she was special! I'm not sure what changed with the new regeneration cycle as previously the Doctor always said nobody wasn't special or unimportant. Just look at A Good Man Goes to War for a recent example. Whatever's changed though, I like it. After his comments in The Caretaker about how humans should be in a continuous state of panic, I like how it seems humans seem puny to the Twelfth Doctor. Maybe that's why I thought Clara ridiculously overreacted to what was probably the episode's main talking point and where the topsy turvy relationship between Clara and the Twelfth a Doctor started after being hinted at in Listen. The Doctor taking Courtney to be the first woman on the moon should certainly have made her feel special but I don't know why she was riding along anyway. Did we really need her? I'm not convinced we did. I'm not overly struck on children travelling along for an adventure or two. I didn't like it in Nightmare in Silver and I didn't approve of it here. Arriving inside a plane destined for the Moon was pretty fun, especially as it was in the process of what seemed to be a crash landing. Lundvik and her team greeting the temporary TARDIS trio was very good. The Doctor's gravity tests were eccentric to say the least and I liked how almost immediately, as in Into the Dalek and Time Heist, the Doctor took charge of the situation and was also asked why he was in charge. I thought that was brilliant. The threat of the Spider Germs was pretty good and despite them perhaps being defeated a little too easily, they did look impressive. Their method of killing was pretty instant though! I loved the Doctor telling everybody to move slowly to the exit. Did he say it enough times? Coining the phrase of the Second Doctor, "when I say run, run." was wonderful. Despite being dressed up in a horribly orange spacesuit, Jenna Coleman still managed to look absolutely sensual. Her hair was stunning in this episode! Courtney almost being caught by the Spider Germs was good but it just highlighted why we didn't need a child stand-in companion. The Doctor working out what was going on was fantastic! Slowly he worked out that the a Spider Germs were just bacteria, and in comparison to what they were inhabiting they were puny. Then came an incredible bombshell from the Doctor. The way he told everybody that the Moon was an egg was just superb. He seemed genuinely excited and why wouldn't he be? What an extraordinary revelation! The gravity change was due to the Moon putting on weight ie the baby inside was growing and beginning to hatch the surface. We then came full circle with the pre-titles and the Doctor left the decision up to Clara, Courtney and Lundvik. The continuity from Blink with the DVDs bringing Courtney and the TARDIS to the Doctor was an unexpected and great inclusion! Once the TARDIS was returned to the Doctor I liked how he left the humans to decide what to do about their future. Did they kill the moon and ensure it didn't crack up or did they let the innocent creature inside live? After the plea broadcast to Earth, I thought it was brilliant how Clara pushed the button allowing the creature to live. Lundvik wasn't too happy despite everything working out fine. I do wonder though if the Doctor knew what would happen or if it truly was a grey spot. I'd like to think the latter. The hatching creature looked pretty spectacular crashing the moon into smithereens in the sky. I know that the newly born creature laying a new egg (and therefore new Moon) received a lot of criticism in DWM but who's to say that's not how that species reproduces? For the story, it seemed like a logical answer in my opinion! The reaction of Clara towards the Doctor was way too much of an overreaction I thought. We didn't see Amy acting hysterically when she had to decide the future of the human race in The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood. I've loved Clara up to this point but I really didn't like her in storming out of the TARDIS! Overall though, an excellent episode. Who cares if the science arguably doesn't make sense! 

Rating: 8/10

The Caretaker

"I'm the caretaker. Look at me, I've got a brush."

Writers: Gareth Roberts & Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 27th September 2014

Series: 8.06

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

With a lurking danger that threatens the pupils of Coal Hill School and the people of the Earth, the Doctor goes into deep cover and becomes the school's caretaker, much to Clara's disapproval. But what will the Time Lord think of his companion's new boyfriend?

Verdict 

The Caretaker was another great Twelfth Doctor episode and his reign in this eighth series has started off mightily impressive. I really enjoyed this story as it was a lot of fun and humour. I liked how the Doctor refused to tell Clara what he was up to because, as she pointed out, she wouldn't approve. Mysterious Doctor is a brilliant Doctor. The opening scene in the TARDIS was great with Clara quickly opening the TARDIS door again once exiting. The Doctor's arrival into Coal Hill School as the step in caretaker was wonderful as I just loved his and Clara's reaction. Once the Doctor was introduced to everyone, the conversation between he and Clara was brilliant. The humour in such a serious fashion that Capaldi brings to the role is just magnificent. It really is wonderful. My opening quote is probably pretty rubbish in comparison to what could have been used but as soon as I heard, now and on broadcast, I was almost in tears. The school setting is a fantastic one as was previously demonstrated in Remembrance of the Daleks and School Reunion and despite us not quite having an enemy carrying such a threat, it worked well. The skipping between days was good as it allowed us to see Clara in some amazingly stunning different attires! Jenna Coleman truly is gorgeous. Despite my love of Clara, I just can't buy into her being a teacher. She looked out of place in a school, especially in a teaching capacity. I did like how the pupils were clued on about Clara and Danny being in a relationship though. The conversation at Clara's classroom window about Pride and Prejudice was gold. Clara gave a big antagonising speech about how the Doctor probably had adventures with Jane Austen but he simply responds by saying he saw the date in the bio of one of the prints. Superb. The Doctor laying the trap for the Skovox Blitzer with the chronodyne generators was good but I think Danny cancelling his date with Clara to investigate the new caretaker showed just how incapable the Doctor was in fitting in with human society, especially in a school. The Doctor luring the Blitzer to the school with the invisibility watch was great and I liked the use of the watch during the episode. The Doctor knowing Clara had snuck Danny into the TARDIS using the watch was superb. The Doctor thinking Clara's boyfriend was Adrian was fantastic especially with his resemblance to the Eleventh Doctor. When he found out Danny was actually Clara's boyfriend things immediately changed. The relationship between them was already edgy with the Doctor's complete indifference to believing a soldier could teach maths and now they just took another big twist. It's lovely seeing how much Clara means to the Doctor even if he doesn't openly show it. I thought it was very nice how he wanted to make sure Clara's boyfriend was good enough for her though. Not that I care to be honest. The direction with the revived Doctor Who including the family and love life of the companion isn't my cup of tea at all. I just don't understand why it needs to happen and whilst it does the Classic era will remain promptly my favourite era. I doubt that'll ever change regardless though to be honest. The arrival of the Blitzer during parents evening, some 24 hours before the Doctor believed it was scheduled after the last lob through time, was great. The Doctor revising his resolution plan from 24 hours to 2 minutes was quite brilliant and humorous! The resolution though I thought could have been better. It was basically a Danny front flip over the Blitzer that was meant to be depicted as impressive but I didn't think it was anything too special. I just don't like the character. I'm hoping the Doctor stays that way too! Overall, a very entertaining episode but I thought the resolution should have been better. The story though had great humour, another stellar Capaldi performance though a namedrop specific reference (or appearance) of Ian or Barbara would have been special! Seeing Clara in a sweat was pretty appealing I must say and I also liked the brief return of Missy and the Nethersphere.

Rating: 8/10

Time Heist

"Whoever planned all this, they're in the future. This isn't just a bank heist. It's a time travel heist."

Writers: Steve Thompson & Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 20th September 2014

Series: 8.05

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Waking up in a chamber of the most secure bank in the galaxy with their recent memories wiped, the Doctor and Clara face to face with two strangers. Together, they've agreed to break into the Bank of Karabraxos, and they don't even remember why.

Verdict 

Time Heist was an excellent episode and once again an improved rating from my originals thoughts on broadcast back in September! Only five episodes in and three of them have gone up a mark! I'd really love it if that continues! I'm really enjoying watching the DVD boxset back through but I am really surprised how much I'm remembering from the episodes considering it's been six months since they broadcasted and I haven't watched since. I guess six months doesn't suffice but I wanted to get the series completed before the extreme revision drive and the broadcast of Series 9. The beginning of this episode was very good with Clara getting ready for a date with Danny. She looked absolutely mesmerising but I loved how the Doctor just picked up on her face being coloured in and the fact that she was taller. The comment about the shelf almost in tears because the way Capaldi plays comedy in a serious manner is just wonderful. A truly excellent trait that this incarnation of the Doctor has. I like how we're being reminded about the woman in the shop from The Bells of Saint John giving Clara the Doctor's phone number. But somebody else was ringing this time and then suddenly after answering... we were taken to a chamber in the Bank of Karabraxos. The Doctor and Clara had been joined by Psi and Saibra after agreeing to wipe their own recent memories. The revelation about that surrounding their guilt being hidden was very good. I liked both accomplices but Saibra seemed to stand out between the two. She was so alone because every person she touched she took their form. Imagine touching someone and instantly you're looking back at yourself. Saibra was a hacker and I loved what his prize for partaking in the robbery was! The concept of a time travel bank robbery was brilliant and I really did love the bank setting. Miss Delphox was wonderful! She was so devious and callous and there was something subtly attractive there about her. The Teller was very interesting and despite looking pretty grotesque, it seemed like it was in pain from the very moment we saw him. Obviously it would prove right in the end but there was a long way to go before we got there. The mystery surrounding the architect of the robbery was fantastic and I really loved how they were getting step by step instructions. But wasn't it a paradox of sorts? Or had the Doctor forgotten he'd set the whole thing up because of the memory worm? Either way, I enjoyed it. The trek through the bank was good and the threat of the Teller literally turning your brain into soup, as earlier demonstrated in the lobby, was a pretty serious one! The 'escape strategy' was very clever and I was surprised that the Doctor didn't realise it was actually a teleport. It was very Bad Wolf-esque. I did love the Doctor's reaction to seeing that his newfound friends had not only survived but had now gained a huge initiative in retrieving what they came for. After the Doctor and Clara found what Psi and Saibra were after (a Metebelis III crystal giving him his memory back and the cure to her genetic mutation), it was time to head for the Private Vault where the Doctor and Clara's prize awaited. I loved how Karabraxos used clones of herself to run operations but the fact that those that were fired were literally burned to death was quite disturbing. How could someone orchestrate seeing the image of themselves dying in torment. The Twelfth Doctor's use of telling everyone to shut up when they're not talking once he's worked everything out is just magic. I loved Capaldi on broadcast and I think I'm enjoying him even more now on rewatch! The fact that it wasn't actually a robbery or heist was great. It was a rescue mission for the Teller. That was his price. But the Doctor and co had put a stop to the torment and the Teller had his love returned to him and they set off apparently on their home planet into the sunset. The flashback to seeing what set up this episode was very good with the Teller giving the Doctor his memory back. Overall, a fantastic episode with a great concept! The snapshots of the Sensorite, Slitheen and Captain John Hart plus more were an unexpected pleasure! I loved how the Doctor seemed to be in competition with Clara's date as well. We all know though, she'll always favour the Time Lord, won't she?

Rating: 9/10

Listen

"Question: Why do we talk out loud when we know we.'re alone? Conjecture: Because we know we're not."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 13th September 2014

Series: 8.04

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor sets out on a mission to find out why we talk to ourselves when we're alone. Or are we? A children's home in the 1990s and the last planet at the end of the universe seem to hold the answer. 

Verdict 

Listen was an outstanding episode of Doctor Who and certainly a lot better than I remembered from original broadcast! Now, given that I originally gave the episode a rating of 9/10, I guess you can see where this one is going. I complained hugely about the character of Orson Pink last time around with me wrongly thinking he was a distant relative of Danny and had actually survived all the way until the end of time and the universe itself. When watching on broadcast I must have been distracted slightly at a pivotal moment for the episode when it was said that Orson was the first recorded human to time travel. I missed that last time around and once I noticed my mistake I just knew this episode would get full marks. I think it was in his DWM column that Steven Moffat stated that he wrote this episode to prove that he can write stories other than series openers, finales and specials. I'm not sure what he felt he had to prove after the massive successes of the likes of The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink but I'm glad he did feel a need to write a mid-series episode as what he gave us was phenomenal. I just love the idea of the Doctor coming up with his own theory on why people randomly talk aloud when alone. I think we've all done it but his curiosity was overcoming like never before! It was even more extreme than in The Daleks and that's saying something. The dinner date between Clara and Danny was pretty irrelevant to the episode and I do wish they stopped with series arcs. I really don't care who the companion is dating! However, Clara did look unbelievable. Jenna truly is mesmerising. The Doctor parking the TARDIS in Clara's bedroom, knowing she was on a date, to be hiding in case the date was a success was just brilliant and perfect for this incarnation of the Doctor. He'd summoned her for help with his theory. The preceding moments with the Doctor giving his thoughts on a creature evolved to hide were sublime. I loved how the Doctor wanted a sign of their existence and he got with the chalk being taken and 'Listen' appearing on his blackboard. Clara linking up with the TARDIS interface was good and I liked the Doctor giving her instructions not to get distracted but just at the pivotal moment her phone rang and the thoughts of Danny were implanted into her mind. The arrival at the children's home in Gloucester was very funny because of Clara's reaction. The moment she saw little Danny, or Rupert, in the window was nice. The Doctor entering the home for a 2am inspection was brilliant and I liked how Clara blatantly ignored his instruction of going back to the TARDIS. She knew that it wasn't her childhood that they were visiting. The prospect of going back and seeing your own childhood from the perspective of being grown up is a magnificent one and I really would love to go back and watch myself from afar. I'm so glad technology wasn't what it is today 10 years ago. I'd adore going back to see myself playing the Playstation 1, GameBoy Advance and Snake on my Nokia phone! It's not quite the mid-'90s but it suffices. I really adored Clara in consoling Rupert about his nightmare of someone grabbing your ankle from under your bed. Except it wasn't a nightmare. The idea of the hiding creatures was marvellous and the moment Clara and Rupert were under the bed and something sat on it was chilling. The Doctor's arrival was fantastic and I liked how he encouraged Rupert to hold on to being scared. I loved the fact that Moffat kept it open about these creatures actually existing. It really could have been just one of Rupert's friends fooling around. But that's not my consensus. I absolutely despise religion but the supernatural is something I'm really open to believing. Why do we talk to ourselves when we can just as easily here our own voice and what we'd want to say in our heads? Are we alone? Who knows. I'd love to think that we're not. The Doctor massively encouraging the creature that it had been given what it craved in not being seen was stunning and I liked Clara guarding underneath Rupert's bed with the gunless soldier. That was a nice touch. Orson was an intriguing character and after my disaster of not picking up that he was a time traveller on original broadcast really is embarrassing. I liked how it was mentioned time travel runs in the family suggesting what appeared the obvious that Clara and Danny will end up together. Where that leaves Death in Heaven though I'm not sure. The journey to the very last planet is a daunting prospect and I loved how immediately the Doctor noticed the door was locked. If there was nothing left then what was there to be scared of? The Doctor's curiosity was at an all time peak and I really can't recall a time where he went this far because he just wanted to know something. His aggressiveness in ordering Clara into the TARDIS or she doesn't travel with him again showed just how much he wanted her safe, but how much he wanted to know. He strived for the information and despite the ambiguous nature once again, I hope he got what he was looking for. After Orson rescued him, something even more incredible happened. The TARDIS landed on Gallifrey. The scene in the barn was just amazing and once the word 'academy' was mentioned I was overwhelmed with excitement. There she was, Clara Oswald, giving the Doctor his nightmare. The flashback to The Day of the Doctor with the War Doctor returning to the place he cried as a child to destroy his planet and people in order to wipe out the Daleks was excellent. Clara striding back into the TARDIS knowing that she'd set the motion in works for the Doctor's nightmare theory was wonderful. It left the ambiguity open once again as to whether there are creatures perfectly adapted to hiding. I was surprised though that the Doctor did as he was told and left without asking questions. However, that shows just how much Clara means to him and how he values what she says. Overall, a Moffat masterpiece and I'm really intrigued to see where this story will rank in DWM polls to come. Much better than on broadcast! 

Rating: 10/10

Robot of Sherwood

"When did you start believing in impossible heroes?"

Writer: Mark Gatiss 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 6th September 2014

Series: 8.03

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

Clara is offered the chance to go anywhere she wants. She decides that she wants to meet Robin Hood. Upon arrival in Sherwood Forest, could the Doctor and Clara really be standing face to face with a fictional legend?

Verdict 

Robot of Sherwood is a wonderful episode and was just as good as I remembered from its original broadcast some six months ago! It's crazy how fast time flies by and it really does beggar belief how it's been half a year since this episode broadcast! Series 9 will be here before we know it but by then I'll be moved out and studying at university for a History degree! Scary thoughts. Anyway, I liked the start of this episode and despite how incredible Clara looked for most of the episode, the more simplistic look Jenna Coleman had for the TARDIS scenes was just amazing. She truly is an extraordinarily beautiful woman. I love the fact that when given the choice of going when and wherever she wanted she chose a fictional character in Robin Hood. The story is a legendary one and I liked the Doctor's immediate ridiculing of the idea of going to see a fictional character. Fictional so we thought. The moment the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and an arrow stabbed his time machine was magnificent! There he was in all his glory. Robin Hood, face to face with the Doctor. What more could you ask for! Clara's arrival from within the TARDIS was just sumptuous as she had changed into a stunning red dress, trying her best to fit in with the 1190 setting. Looking as gorgeous as she did, I think she'd fit in just about anywhere. The Doctor doing battle with Robin with a spoon was maybe a tad silly but I loved the elegance Capaldi oozed in knocking Robin off the ledge and into the water. But then rather humorously the Doctor took a bit of a soaking himself! Clara being introduced to Robin Hood's merry men was fantastic and it was nice to see her genuinely chuffed and just having fun. Knowing what she'll face with this incarnation of the Doctor in the immediate future, the fun and laughter was nice to see. The Doctor refusing to believe what he was seeing was very Carnival of Monsters-esque, especially after the mini scope reference, only this time he'd be proven wrong. Granted that it was just a bit too sunny for Nottingham, but Robin and all his merry men were very much alive and real! A baffling thought but that's what we got. And I loved it. Why can't fiction exist in a fictional universe such as the Whoniverse? It's just beautiful. The Sheriff of Nottingham was a superb villain and I liked how he and his knights were the ones out of time. Ben Miller played the Sheriff so well and if the Master/Missy ever does shift back her sex then he's the perfect man to play the iconic arch nemesis of the Doctor! However he was occupied with the role of another synonymous arch nemesis - Robin Hood's! The archery competition for the golden arrow was great fun and I loved the revelation that the Doctor actually cheated to split Hood's arrow. Peter Capaldi was once again superb as the Doctor and I've said it many times before but his voice is just astounding for the role. I don't think there's been a more perfect voice for the Doctor than Capaldi, not that I've ever thought about before but the accent and authority the Twelfth a Doctor has just oozes a man in charge. The relationship between the Doctor and Robin throughout was just brilliant. Exactly how I'd imagine it really! Oneupmanship at its finest. The moments when the pair were locked in the cell along with Clara were just marvellous. The escape was a nice throwback to The Smugglers as well. Speaking of past stories, I liked the references to The Crusade and Deep Breath. I think I remember mentioning in my original blog entry six months ago that I approved highly of the Doctor acknowledging the series arc of the Promised Land. Obviously he won't see Missy, who didn't appear here, but that'll leave us to have one of the greatest and most shocking cliffhangers in the show's history. The Robot Knights were great and I liked how very robotic they were in design. Shooting out of their face was quite something too! The way most of them were destroyed in the castle was excellent. The dinner meeting (of sorts) between the Sheriff and Clara was wonderful and I loved how the latter used her good looks and flirtatious capabilities to get the information she wanted. The Sheriff's reaction to finding out that Clara had no story was fantastic. I liked the idea of the castle being a disguise for the ship and the fact that it needed all the gold it could take to repair the engines and see it on its way into orbit. The slavery at work nicely captured the essence of the Sheriff as I imagined the legend. The fight on the ledge between the Sheriff and Robin was wonderful with Robin using the Doctor's trick used against him to send the Sheriff into a pot of gold. Quite literally. The Sheriff was no more. The Knights continuing with the ship's take off was good and I liked how the trio of the Doctor, Clara and Robin managed to shoot the golden arrow into the ship, giving it the extra push required to get into orbit before the engine's reached critical and the ship blew up. The goodbye moment was a nice touch to an overall lovely episode! Homage to Patrick Troughton was paid and I love how the legend of Robin Hood is in fact reality in the Whoniverse. 

Rating: 9/10

Into the Dalek

"Imagine the worst possible thing in the universe and then don't bother, because you're looking at it right now. This is evil refined as engineering."

Writers: Phil Ford & Steven Moffat

Format: TV

Broadcast: 30th August 2014

Series: 8.02

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara

Synopsis 

The Doctor is forced to go somewhere he never thought he'd find himself - inside a Dalek. Facing antibodies and his own companion not knowing if he's a good man or not, can the Doctor fix Rusty and put a stop to the Dalek-Rebel War?

Verdict 

Into the Dalek is a brilliant and audacious second episode of this eighth series with our brand new Twelfth Doctor. Typically a new Doctor's first story sees him come to terms with his regeneration and new body but now we're into the thick of things and the action can commence! How wonderfully audacious to have this Doctor's first 'proper' adventure against the Daleks! He's certainly been thrown right in the deep end. Not only is he going to be up against his deadliest enemies but he's going to go inside of one! A magnificent idea and I loved how the Doctor was genuinely terrified of the prospect, so much so that he couldn't face it alone and called upon Clara. For her it'd been three weeks since the events of Deep Breath but it wasn't clear how long it'd been for the Doctor and I think that's subtly a good thing as by now he should be used to his new body which certainly seemed the case here. I really love Peter Capaldi's voice, it's so authoritative and perfect for the Doctor. The quirks that seem to genuinely be a part of his personality are fantastic. The comments about babysitters, Clara being his carer so she cares whilst he doesn't have to and the questioning over whether he made up that Colonel Blue was Journey's uncle were all just brilliant. The nanoscaler was a good device and I thought the seemingly silly lasagne in the microwave analogy was actually very effective! The design of the Dalek interior was pretty impressive I thought and I really liked the threat of the antibodies. Just how dangerous they were was soon realised when the Doctor asked his comrades if they could control their own. I was quite surprised by the Doctor's reaction to Ross dying and how he joked about him being the top layer of the protein food supply of the Daleks. Rusty, a name the Dalek seemed to accept, was great and I liked how this Dalek being good, even saying that the Daleks should be destroyed, was wrong. That just showed how evil the Daleks truly are. It appeared that the Doctor has been counting every star that the Daleks have burned. But to Rusty all that seemed in vain now as the Dalek had bore witness to the birth of a star and realised that life is never ending. The Daleks will never realise their goal of becoming the sole or supreme beings. The continuation from Asylum of the Daleks was good but I'm not sure I'm a fan of it continuing in every story. The Daleks not knowing the Doctor hurts the encounters a tad I think. The moment where the Doctor stood eye to eye with Rusty was my favourite part of the story. The reference to The Daleks was simply stunning with the Doctor realising there and then who he was and that his name wasn't merely just that. His first encounter with the Daleks allowed the Doctor to work out who he really was and what had to be done. His linking up his thoughts with Rusty was excellent and I loved how devastated he seemed when all Rusty could see in the Doctor's mind regarding the Daleks was a divine hatred. He'd known them long enough and seen them take so many innocent lives that all he could hope for was their extinction. Journey was a good character and I loved the way the Doctor wanted her to ask to take her back to the Aristotle after rescuing her from death. It was an emotional end seeing her approach to be a companion rejected on the grounds to her being a soldier. That's a for more critical part of a CV than having a criminal record it seems! The anti-climatic sealing of the radiation breach was quite humorous and I loved how the Doctor was right about Daleks being naturally evil and I think he knew he was always going to be right. He just wanted to prove it. The good broken Dalek was repaired and once again it was evil and destructive. The Dalek-Rebel war subplot was very good and provided some wonderful action scenes! Clara was just wonderful, looking amazing, and I loved her persistence in asking the Doctor and co what they'd learned. Once the Doctor finally caught on and questioned why he wasn't paying Clara, the memory of the birth of the star needed to be replayed in Rusty's mind to make him see good again. With the moment anxiously and finally flooded back into the Dalek's memory by Clara, Rusty saw that the Daleks needed to be destroyed from the Doctor and embarked on carrying out that mission, aiding the Rebels. The moment Rusty told the Doctor that he was a good Dalek mirrored Dalek where the Ninth Doctor was told he'd make a good Dalek. I think that was taken a step further here! Missy's appearance with Gretchin was good though I still maintain my disapproval of series arcs being given in this way. I really don't see the need for them. Speaking of not seeing the need for things, this brings me to Danny Pink. I just don't care. He's boring and just unnecessary. Why can't Clara just continuously travel with the Doctor like nearly every companion before her? It really frustrates me and I do hope Series 9 isn't like that. Overall though, this was a brilliant episode to continue along Peter Capaldi's tenure.

Rating: 9/10

Deep Breath

"This isn't a man turning himself into a robot. This is a robot turning himself into a man."

Writer: Steven Moffat 

Format: TV

Broadcast: 23rd August 2014

Series: 8.01

Featuring: Twelfth Doctor, Clara, Paternoster Gang

Synopsis 

A dinosaur walking the Thames in Victorian London spits out the TARDIS which inside contains Clara and the newly regenerated Doctor. Can the Doctor, suffering from regenerative effects and Clara, unsure who the Doctor is anymore, along with the Paternoster Gang put a stop to the eery Half-Face Man in his quest to reach the promised land?

Verdict 

Deep Breath is an excellent episode and I actually thought it was better than what I originally thought on its original broadcast nearly 7 months ago. How time flies! It's almost not believable that the eighth series of the revived Doctor Who started way back in August of last year as the episodes still seem fresh in my mind despite the volume of other stories I've blogged since. You may have noticed that my everyday blogging has been thwarted and that's down to me knocking down and getting on with revision ahead of my final A-Level exams! But I thought now was the right time to finally break the seal on the Series 8 DVD that I had for Christmas and I was mightily impressed. I just loved it from start to finish and I think the feature length cinematic feel certainly helped in me giving an improved rating from the original broadcast. Having the benefit of seeing an entire series to feature Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, watching back on his debut was great and I was really impressed with his performance. The opening scene with the dinosaur in the Thames was impressive with the superb effects! I liked how the TARDIS was spat out of the giant creature's mouth. The Paternoster Gang were magnificent as always and I think this was Vastra's best performance to date. I loved how she took command of affairs with the newly regenerated Doctor becoming accustomed to his new body and face. The way she had Jenny pose looking as stunning as she did when she was merely drawing a map was brilliant! I also thought the scene where Vastra was wearing the veil and asking Clara if she was judging the Doctor was phenomenal. I absolutely loved it. Strax provided us with his usual fantastic humour and I thought the level and amount was spot on. Clara was absolutely brilliant in this episode and I just adore Jenna Coleman in her tartan and bow-tie clothing. The scene in the larder where it appeared the Doctor had abandoned Clara to die was marvellous. Clara's attempts to hold her breath in order to escape the robots were heartbreaking to watch because she just couldn't quite do it. But the way she stood up to the Half-Face Man was just magnificent and perfectly portrayed why she's my favourite companion of the revival era. I loved how she wasn't impressed with the eery robot starting with his final sanction after remembering the difficulty of her first day teaching. She genuinely seemed to lose all interest in if she would be surviving or not but the moment the Doctor triumphantly took her hand was lovely. Of course he couldn't abandon his impossible girl! That's the beauty of a debut episode for a new Doctor - we're never quite sure what to expect from the hero. The Doctor's meeting with the tramp was very good and I love how the fact Peter Capaldi previously appeared in The Fires of Pompeii was actually referenced on screen. The Doctor actually remembered seeing his own face somewhere before. I was intrigued by Clara questioning the fact that his appearance seemed old despite it being fresh on. Even the Doctor acknowledged that. The death of the dinosaur was pretty spectacular with a combusting Jurassic beast lighting up the skies of Victorian London. The imagery of 1800s London was done wonderfully well I thought. I thought the Half-Face Man was a fantastic villain and I liked how he was rebuilding himself into a man, rather than a man doing vice versa. The fact that he'd been rebuilding since at least the time of the dinosaurs was quite astonishing! All to reach the promised land, where it seemed he actually reached after death with the first appearance of Michelle Gomez's wonderfully wacky Missy, or as we'd later find out another incarnation of the Master. Foreknowledge is a good thing on times I must say, even if there's nothing like the thrill of a brand new episode. The advert also seemed to involve Missy after The Bells of Saint John reference. The similarities of this story and The Girl in the Fireplace were excellent and I liked how the regenerative effects were still playing an effect on the Doctor allowing him not to initially pinpoint what just was going on. The skin powered escape pod was a tad disturbing but I thought the conversation between the Doctor and the Half-Face Man. Who'd budge? Who was lying? Could the Half-Face Man self destruct or did the Doctor have it in him to murder? In my opinion we found out that this Doctor did have that capability in him but I love the fact that it's kept ambiguous and open for viewer interpretation. The look the Doctor gave after the Half-Face Man was killed, landing through a spiked building, spoke volumes for me. With the threat removed of more combusting deaths, the Doctor taking Clara home, via Glasgow of course, was great. I like how the Doctor is happy at being Scottish! The cameo of the Eleventh Doctor calling Clara from Trenzalore during The Time of the Doctor, just prior to his regeneration was an amazing inclusion. Not only would it help Clara through the transition of a new Doctor but I think it would help any doubtful viewers as well with Matt Smith assuring us that Peter Capaldi will hold things in good stead. The hug between the Doctor and Clara was a lovely way to end the episode. Overall, a quite outstanding debut for the Twelfth Doctor! I really can't recall much being wrong at all. 

Rating: 10/10

Planet of the Ood

"The circle must be broken."

Writer: Keith Temple

Format: TV 

Broadcast: 19th April 2008

Series: 4.03

Featuring: Tenth Doctor, Donna

Synopsis 

The Tenth Doctor takes Donna to her first alien world - but the Ood Sphere reveals some terrible truths about the human race. 

Verdict 

Planet of the Ood is a great episode to continue along the fourth series and Donna's official tenure in the TARDIS! It gave us a loose origin story of the Ood and it's good that an original revival enemy (well, when they're possessed!) returned and I like how it's also with the same incarnation of the Doctor. It was good how the Doctor referenced the events of The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit and how he had to watch the Ood die after they were possessed by the Devil. I liked how he felt they owed the species one, that was quite nice. The arrival to the Ood Sphere was quite humorous and I love the fact that the Doctor set the TARDIS controls to random! It must have been a nice flashback for him to his early travelling days when he never knew where the hell he was going! The TARDIS actually brought him to a solar system he'd visited before, some time ago. The reference to The Sensorites and the Sense Sphere was wonderful as I really do love Classic story references in revival era stories. The Doctor telling Donna how lucky she was to be on a planet such as this and seeing what she was able to whilst she was actually getting a coat was brilliant. The relationship between the Tenth Doctor and Donna is fantastic and definitely rivals the comedy of any past TARDIS duo. The Fourth Doctor and Leela may just top that specific chart though! The opening scene was extremely intriguing with the Ood being advertised for sale. We knew from their previous appearance that they weren't naturally evil and here it was quite horrific what the human race were subjecting the Ood to on the complex. I liked the hints of how the Ood, despite saying they welcomed serving, weren't at all happy with being basically slaves. Solana was a wonderful character and I really liked how she was pretty much the sales rep for the Ood. The Doctor and Donna discovering the injured Ood was a sad moment but I really liked Donna talking to the Ood when on death's doorstep. The red eye 'infection' was good and I like the mystery that shrouded it. Upon first hearing that "the circle must be broken" and seeing the red eye, the Doctor knew something wasn't right at all and would invariably put a stop to it. Mr Halpen wasn't a nice chap at all and sadly he was only an average villainous character and despite scoring highly, that's where this story fell slightly short for me. He was lacking that aggressiveness required for the guy running a slave complex. The use of the rabid Oods was brilliant and I quite liked the action scene we got with the Doctor being chased by the crane claw, even if it seemed quite unnecessary. The Doctor and Donna discovering the natural Ood was quite a shock and it just showed us the true horrific scale of what the human race was doing to these helpless creatures. The fact that the brains of the Ood were actually secondary and literally in their own hands was quite a shock! The 4126 setting was good and I liked the continuation from The Long Game with a reference to this time the Second Great and Bountiful Human Empire. The climax was entertaining with the action packed rebellion bordering a revolution. The 'DoctorDonna' being friends of the Ood was nice and I loved how they reached out to their processed counterparts. The reveal of the giant Ood brain was quite a shock. The way the circle was broken was great and I thought Halpen's transformation into an Ood was pretty graphic! I was surprised to read that it was supposed to be even more graphic than what we actually saw! The closing scene was a nice touch and I liked the foreshadowing of the events of Journey's End and The End of Time. Overall, a very good episode! 

Rating: 8/10

The Horns of Nimon

"Skonnos shall rule the heavens!"

Writer: Anthony Read

Format: TV

Broadcast: 22nd December 1979 - 12th January 1980

Season: 17.05

Featuring: Fourth Doctor, Romana II, K9

Synopsis 

When the TARDIS collides with a spaceship en route to the planet Skonnos, the Doctor, Romana and K9 soon uncover the horrific truth about its cargo. The ship is carrying young sacrifices for a powerful, horned creature called the Nimon. 

But why is the creature so desperate for the delivery, and what other dangers await the time travellers? All will be revealed at the centre of the labyrinthine Power Complex on Skonnos...

Verdict 

The Horns of Nimon is a pretty good story but mostly it's a mixed bag and with the abandoning of Shada it's rather a let down for it being a, albeit premature, season finale. This was a breath of fresh air for me though as it was my first colourised Classic since December 2012! I must say it certainly did feel like a long time and I think the first time I watched this story would have been roughly September 2012. I'm going to be honest and say I really couldn't remember much at all from my first viewing so it was almost like a new story to me. After so long without physically watching Doctors 3-8, it was so good to see the Fourth Doctor once again! Whilst doing the audios and novels are brilliant, there's nothing quite like visual television stories in my opinion. Not only was I happy to see Tom Baker as the Doctor once again, I was overwhelmed by how incredibly gorgeous Lalla Ward looked! Romana II is probably my all time favourite companion so seeing her look as astoundingly stunning as she appeared was magnificent. I loved the usual good humour between the pair and that's something I've really missed as I didn't do one audio with the pair sadly. They had some great standout audio performances respectively with the likes of The Oseidon Adventure and The Apocalypse Element immediately coming to mind. The reason I've halted off on continuing with the Main Range audios from Big Finish is because I knew the Nimon were returning in the next listen but because I could barely remember anything about them, I really wanted to rewatch this story first and I think when I come to listen to said audio it'll be of great benefit. To the story at hand then and I thought it started off relatively well with the ship malfunction. The reference to the sacrifices as being the cargo was good and I loved how the co-pilot shouted "weakling scum" every time he laid eyes upon them. The Doctor's meddling with the TARDIS time rotor was humorous and I also loved how he recognised that every time he said nothing could possibly go wrong something did. And then he said it again. I loved how Romana had built herself her own little sonic screwdriver and the Doctor tried to swap his own for hers! The Nimon I must say were really pretty pathetic which was a shame. The fact that they were "a distant cousin" of the Minotaur, as stated in The God Complex, wasn't really believable based on this appearance. Speaking of appearance, I didn't think the costume was very good at all sadly. I did though like their voices and their attempts to take over Skonnos. Soldeed was an excellent villain and I loved his fascination with the arrival of the TARDIS and how it was impenetrable to open. K9 was very good in this serial though this made it clear to me that John Leeson is certainly the best actor for the voiceover of the robot dog. The look on Soldeed's face when he saw that 'Lord Nimon' was not the last of its kind in existence was wonderful. The plan of the Nimon was good with them building a hyperspace tunnel between two black holes enabling travel between any points in the universe. I liked the threat of how it blew up the planet at the starting point though. The cliffhanger of episode three was very good with Romana going to Crinoth! I loved the moment where the Doctor said "I can explain everything" and followed it with silence. Brilliantly typical of the Fourth Doctor. The climax was pretty good and the explosion at the end was impressive I must say! But overall, there were quite a few flaws that brought the rating down. I think I would enjoy the Target novelisation a whole lot more! 

Rating: 7/10

Fear of the Dark

"The cry of a dying planet: born on the wind of time and trapped in the rock that surrounds us; the eternal scream of a world desecrated and turned into evil."

Writer: Trevor Braxendale 

Format: Novel

Released: March 2013

Series: 50th Anniversary Collection 05

Featuring: Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan

Synopsis

On a moon of the ruined planet Akoshemon, an age-old terror is about to be reborn. Something that remembers the spiral of war, pestilence and deprivation - and rejoices in it. The Fifth Doctor joins a team of archaeologists searching for evidence of the planet's infamous past, and uncovers more than just ancient history. Forced to confront his own worst fears, even the Doctor will be pushed to breaking point - and beyond. 

Verdict 

Fear of the Dark is an extremely gruesome and creepy but excellent novel! It features the rare trio of the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan shortly after the events of Arc of Infinity and cleverly before those of Snakedance. I really enjoyed the prelude to the latter mentioned story with Tegan and it was particularly good how the novel started off with a theme of nightmares. Nyssa was the one getting them with her planet's destruction still haunting her mind but the many snake references Tegan experienced was great. This novel is a rarity in that every single guest character died. The only survivors of the events were the Doctor, Nyssa and Tegan. From the audios we know that the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa enjoyed quite a considerable amount of time travelling alone together following Time-Flight's cliffhanger and Tegan was worried about that possibility here. Was she now intruding, in a far different way to how she stumbled inside the TARDIS in Logopolis? I liked how her aunt Vanessa was mentioned on more than one occasion. I imagine that this book is about as close as Doctor Who gets to being a horror and the mystery surrounding the Dark really was just that - a horror. Its slave wasn't all that pleasant either! The Bloodhunter, just the name alone should tell you how horrifying it was! Courtesy of the medical creation gone horrendously wrong, we had some extremely explicit and gruesome descriptions of how people were dying. If you thought vampires was disgusting well you don't want to read about the Bloodhunter! It just sucked your body dry in seconds of blood and bile. After it had done that it then regurgitated the blood and bile and spewed it into a bottomless pit containing the ashes of an ancient evil. An evil that survived the Big Bang. An evil that existed before this universe was created. I liked that threat of something so terrifying and it didn't even adhere to the laws of physics. It's attempts to gain entry into the TARDIS via Nyssa's mind were great. The cave dominated moon of Akoshemon was a terrific setting and just absolutely perfect for the story. I loved how the deeper they got into the cave system the more dangerous things became. The characters in this story were all brilliant before they got picked off by the Bloodhunter or died. Stoker was fantastic and I liked how her archaeological cover story actually bore fruit with the discovery of the ancient crypt containing the Dark's remains. How Trevor Braxendale managed to include a love story into this gruesome story was amazing! It really was heartfelt between her and Lawrence despite their obvious troubled history. She was an independent rogue trader whilst Lawrence was part of the Consortium. After discovering that Akoshemon was rich in lexium, some 95% to be precise, Stoker and co knew their retirement was in should they get the claim first. And why wouldn't they? But things started to go horribly wrong with the death of Vega Jaal. His foreshadowing of things was scary I must say and the Doctor's almost virtual experience of continuous regeneration was rather disturbing! This novel at times made me uncomfortable which I thought was outstanding because it showed the power in the words. As Braxendale pointed out in his introduction for the anniversary, he attempted to make the Doctor uncomfortable. I never realised just how many worthy adversaries this incarnation of the Doctor had defeated at the point where this story was wedged in between the TV series. The Fifth Doctor had already defeated the Master twice, the Cybermen and the Mara! He'd go on to defeat the Daleks, Black Guardian and the Master two more times but I like the idea of putting this incarnation into something so uncomfortable that he'd never faced the likes of before. After reading I can safely say that Braxendale delivered on that promise! The death of Ravus Oldeman was probably the most awful. He had his neck simply wrenched open and his blood poured into the pit that contained the Dark's ashes. It was the final building piece in the resurrection of the ancient evil. The character himself was very good and I liked the revival from suspended animation some 160 years after entering it. The revelation to his creation of a creature blended of human and Akoshemon DNA was shocking but fantastically logical and it was quite sad that it ended up killing him. The Dark altering the perception of the Doctor was brilliant but possibly my favourite moment was when he thought he heard Tegan killed by the Dark. It turned out to be the crisped barely living remains of Lawrence along with Nyssa but not too long removed from Earthshock where Adric tragically died, the Doctor thought he'd lost another companion close to him and was utterly distraught. It also seemed that Nyssa had died as well so he really went through the mill here! Running away from the shadows was a terrific threat and I loved how the being that was the Dark could only manifest in total darkness. Once it did arrive, after Cadwell's death, it was clever how after millennia wanting to live in our universe, that's what resulted in its death. After eventually being destroyed, the consciousness died with the body. Lawrence and Stoker died very emotionally, Cadwell was ruthless but didn't carry out his mission and Bunny sadly never got to go home and see his daughter Rosie. Full of emotion, clever references and just horror, this was a brilliant novel! 

Rating: 9/10

Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters

"You're so stubborn, Doctor. You ought to have an L-plate on that Police Box!"

Writer: Terrance Dicks

Format: Novel

Released: 20th January 1977

Series: Target 08

Featuring: Third Doctor, Jo

Synopsis 

The Doctor and Jo land on a cargo ship crossing the Indian Ocean in the year 1926. Or so they think.

Far away on a planet called Inter Minor,  travelling showman is setting up his live peepshow, watched by an eager audience of space officials...

On board the ship, a giant hand suddenly appears, grasps the TARDIS and withdraws. Without warning, a prehistoric monster rises from the sea to attack...

What is happening? Where are they? Only the Doctor realises, with horror, that they might be trapped...

Verdict 

Doctor Who and the Carnival of Monsters was a superb little read! I've only seen the TV story that this novel is based upon once before, around two and a half years ago now, so this was almost like a relatively new story for me which is a bonus I think. Though in saying that, when I was reading Doctor Who and the Keeper of Traken, a story I've watched at least three times, I loved knowing what was coming. The anticipation was great but here I didn't get that and I was just looking forward for the story to unfold. The relationship between the Third Doctor and Jo was wonderful throughout and I loved the bickering between them. The Doctor's utter defiance to admit they had landed on Earth was just magic. After having his freedom of travelling in time and space restored following the events of The Three Doctors, it just wouldn't be fathomable for the Doctor to have misguided the TARDIS. The controls told him that they'd landed on Metebelis Three but the outside surroundings suggested they had landed fifty or so years in the past on Earth. Judging by the ship, the SS Bernice, all signs pointed to another landing on Earth but the Doctor was noticing little smidgens being out of place which to him made him think that something far grander was going on and that they weren't on Earth at all. To the reader, that was confirmed early on as we were introduced to Inter Minor and the main characters. Vorg and Shirna were very good and I liked how they had spent their last credit bars on coming to this planet which had only just reopened its trading lines after being corded off following the inspection of a space plague. The Officials and the Functionaries shared an intriguing relationship and I liked how utterly controlling the Officials were. Pletrac not understanding the concept of a game was great and I liked how he thought amusement was irrelevant. Despite that, he was mightily interested by the Scope. He thought entertainment might spark a Functionary revolution so demanded the Scope and its owners be thrown off but delays ensured that wasn't going to happen. Kalik and Orum were brilliant and I liked how the former was hoping to lure the Drashigs out of the Scope to force a revolution. Speaking of which, I liked the Drashigs and I thought the fact that they lacked all intelligence not enabling them to be controlled was wonderful. The front cover surprisingly didn't feature them though and instead showed the ancient dinosaur that lurked in the waters of the Indian Ocean surrounding the ship. The scenes on the ship encountered by the Doctor and Jo were great but when things started repeating themselves in a loop, I must admit I had a smile on my face as I love that concept. The way things beyond their comprehension such as the octagonal plate weren't seen was similar to my recent watching of The War Games. Andrews, Daly and Clare were fantastic characters with the former shining the brightest. The Doctor trying to use 1920s slang was hilarious. Jo getting riled up about the Doctor refusing to accept he was wrong was nice to see and I also loved how the Doctor went back into the Scope to save her despite the power becoming increasingly critical. The fact that Vorg had merely won the Scope and didn't know how to control its detailed components was quite funny but where the story slacked off a little was the resolution was perhaps a tad too easy. Would simply connecting it up to the TARDIS allow all the inhabitants to be returned to the moment they left? I'm not so sure. I guess it was quick and easy though. The Doctor's saving of Jo was nice and sweet and I really liked how the book ended with the SS Bernice characters reaching Bombay but after the loop it'd seemed an incredibly long journey. Daly finally finished his book and the mystery of its disappearance was no more. It seems that every Target novel I read is written by Terrance Dicks and whilst that isn't a problem and I'm more than used to his style of writing, I would like a change so I'm going to try and ensure my next Target reading isn't by the great man. I don't think I've read a book not by him since Doctor Who and the Keys of Marinus which was a long time ago now! Overall, an excellent novel and I liked the inclusion of Ogrons, Cybermen and Ice Warriors in the Scope. If the resolution was bit lees easy then I'm sure this would have scored higher despite the rating being an impressive one! 

Rating: 8/10