The Ghost Monument

"How can a planet be in the wrong place?"

Writer: Chris Chibnall
Format: TV
Broadcast: 14th October 2018
Series: 11.02

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yasmin, Ryan, Graham

Synopsis

Still reeling from their first encounter, the Doctor and her new friends fight to stay alive long enough, in a hostile alien environment, to solve the mystery of Desolation; the mystery of Angstrom and Epzo and their incredible race...

Verdict

The Ghost Monument was a decent continuation of the new series of Doctor Who and whilst I very much enjoyed it, I couldn't help but feel that it was just missing something. Not much, but something was preventing it from getting a higher rating sadly. The immediate continuation from The Woman Who Fell to Earth was good and I liked how it was done from the perspective of a companion in Ryan. Him being stuck with Graham was good and I liked the development of their relationship. I think it was important to keep Grace's memory alive and I thought Graham's way of coping was terrific. They were on an alien planet! The Doctor and Yasmin were very good together but I can't help but feel the latter doesn't quite get enough screen time. If she wasn't around, I don't think it would make much of a difference and I think that's a great shame as I do really like her. I'm sure she'll grow into her role throughout the series though. Jodie Whittaker was full of energy in this episode and I'm really liking her vibe as the Doctor. There's the usual manner of authority and firmness but she's also a lot of fun and is prone to those usual Doctor-ish comments like seeing Pythagoras with a hangover. I think it's important to maintain that and Chris Chibnall has written his Doctor very well so far. I thought the actual plot of the story was pretty good but with the scale of the race, the final mission seemed a little too easy for a race of such enormity. I do appreciate that the Doctor's involvement in finding the tunnel system eased things, but it had a sense of being underwhelming. It was exciting though and I have to take time to mention the cinematography. It really is on another level this series and looks hugely impressive. I also have to mention the incredible new arrangement of the theme music! It's absolutely sublime. The credits themselves are good too which is a bonus. This era has a very distinct feel now. Angstrom and Epzo were both really strong characters and I liked the brash ignorance of him. He worked well and I thought it was good how he got shot. I wasn't keen on the scene with Ryan just going off shooting referencing Call of Duty. I think the Doctor needed to be firm there on her stance with guns but instead she used a bit of humour to teach Ryan his lesson which was still decent. Desolation was an intriguing setting and I was quite surprised by how unsurprised I was that the Stenza were responsible for wiping out life here. I also thought the Remnants were really intriguing. Their knowledge of the Doctor being a 'timeless child' really intrigued me and I hope there's some story development there but I didn't understand why they waited so long to devour the Doctor and co when they were just talking to distract them. It just gave them time to save themselves and I wasn't sure of the explanation as to how a cigar could literally explode. I understand that it was to do with the thin air and the gassy atmosphere but I felt that needed to be clearer. Right, I've sounded a bit negative so far which is a shame because I did think this was good. I really enjoyed the episode and I was absolutely thrilled that the Thirteenth Doctor finally got her TARDIS moment. The delight when the TARDIS appeared and the run, along with the TARDIS opening itself for her was magnificent. I had hoped that at least one of the companions would have mentioned it being bigger on the inside but that sadly wasn't to be. Let's hope they were just stunned. Now, the new TARDIS interior. Well, I hate it. It's not going to effect future episodes or anything but I really don't like it. It's just horrible and not recognisable as a TARDIS interior. It just seems a jumble of gems and stones scattered everywhere and I don't understand the design at all. The previous model was so good and I really wish that was kept. The custard creams though! I can get on board with them. Overall, a very solid episode!

Rating: 7/10