Monday 10 December 2018

Doctor Who Season 11 Review

The Woman Who fell to Earth - Decent start but very jarring as the new production team sets down its style. Visually very dark and murky, momentum wise the story is very stop start. I fully expect this to improve on a second watch 6/10.

The Ghost Monument - Very flat and again visually murky, it feels like Keys of Marinus without any of the fun 6/10.

Rosa - Very good stuff and it feels like the first meaty story of the season with lots of characterisation for the first time. Interesting topic and a very good historical 8/10.

Arachnids in the UK - A very poor episode which doesn't come off for me. A few good moments and again good characterisation but I feel like I only watched half an episode 4/10.

The Tsuranga Conundrum - Funny, engaging and the first story of the season with flair. Also this is a proper Doctor episode giving her more time and showing more depth when we've only had the odd scene up to this point 8/10.

Demons of Punjab - A good engaging historical about a time and topic I'm not fully aware of full of punch the air moments 9/10.

Kerblam! - Absolute bat shit crazy full of amusing moments and brought back memories of my time with Amazon 7/10.

The Witchfinders - Good fluff with a wonderfully OTT performance by Alan Cumming 6/10.

It Takes You Away - It starts off like its going to be Dog Soldiers and turns into The Frog Princess, brilliant stuff 10/10.

The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos - Good little story albeit lacking the flair of recent episodes and not having a closing night feel. Lots of good character moments but I wanted more 6/10.

Summing up, I enjoyed this season a lot more than I expected going in. Personally I think three companions in a collection of one part stories is a little bit too busy. I enjoyed the cheeky flavour of the season but it did get off to a slow start. Chris Chibnall strikes me as a better producer than a writer and I want to see more of the cheeky aspect of the series. Overall I give this season a B and look forward to the future.

Individuals of note:

Jodie Whittaker - Strong start from her and a strong personality for her Doctor. Manages to squeeze in character in unexpected moments. She's more of a Doctor who likes to get her hands dirty.

Chris Chibnall - Good start as producer, got the new feel of the show over quickly, established a good writing team, behind the scenes team and onscreen team. However as I've said many times his writing is very "route 1" and perhaps should write less next season.

Jennifer Perrott - By far the director of the year for me, brought to life a pair of cheeky scripts.

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