saw this coming a mile off I didn't mind this story as rtd probably tweaked the story so it fits better with his vision as showrunner the problem is you have to remember the core of the story is still written by chubby, the follow-up stories he wrote have the same problems and thats why when the doctor regenerated into shitekicka I turned off, only Canon moment with her is the moment the tardis ditches her
Oh Chibnall. His stories start off good, then they just.........end. look at the Power of Three. Maybe he is suffering from adult ADD. Here's an example: Once upon a time deep in the forest there was a house. And in that house lived an being. This being looked older than time itself. This being grew tired of being in the house. Alone. So it decided that it will conquer first the near by village, the world and then the galaxy. Then one day the Doctor and his perky young companion appeared and killed the being. The end.
He is just not a Doctor who writer, he doesn’t really grasp the meaning of Doctor who in my opinion. Im sure he’s a great writer, but just not a Doctor who writer
the problem with Chibnall is the fact that he doesn't let us care about anyone. Every single one of the doctor's companions has been iconic from Rose all the way to Clara and even Bill Potts but I have no connection to any of the new companions it just seems like they're there for vibes
i don't know graham was actually a pretty good companion if you ask me but maybe i just really liked the idea of a slightly jaded old guy being along as a companion. then again he quickly became much less intresting as he soon became just another person along for the ride trusting the doctor mindlessly.
@@theguyyouhateit was a silly decision to start a new Doctor with three companions. Feel out the first few episodes and then stick with one? Sure that would have been fine and probably worked out ok, but three companions for two seasons? And none of them were handled well on top of that.
I disagree to an extent. Graham was always fun to watch, and his dynamic with Ryan gave us the only arc from Series 11. I feel that Yaz (excepting "Demons of the Punjab") only got more interesting around "Revolution of the Daleks" and the "Thasmin" teases. Dan's introduction was great and instantly endearing. However, I do feel like the crowded TARDIS hurt things in the long term, and that Yaz's family wasted the domestic angle I was hoping for (especially after Chibnall gave us Brian Williams, the only good domestic stuff in the Moffat era).
@@wiseguymotionpictures1416 There had to be 3, so it is all inclusive. An old person, a black person, and a gay person, paving the way for all the mindless woke bullshit.
At the end of the first phone call, Martha could have said something like: "I'll call you later, if I can.", which would then explain why Saxon's...henchmen (and henchwoman) were there for the second call. It's not difficult.
@@Jedi_Spartan To be fair, they didn't know that Martha wasn't on Earth, because why would they? They should just have been confused, as no result comes back. There was definitely reason for them to turn up and to try though. I imagine the trap has already been laid at her house, by now, because The Master knows The Doctor will come back to around this time at *some* point, if he survived and escaped the end of the universe.
@@Jedi_Spartan They know he isn't. Martha's mother doesn't... but "Saxon" and his henchmen know. The point is to check that Martha and the Doctor are still "travelling" & not in the nearby area whilst "Saxon" continues on his election campaign. Remember that they've got bombs already set in Martha's flat sometime after Lazarus too, and that they're gearing up to take her family into custody as soon as they hear any indication that Martha is returning to Earth. They're not listening in specifically for tracking.
The reason Chibnall's episodes before Jodie Whittaker seem generally better is because he wasn't the one who established any of the characters' personalities - the other writers already did that for him. So he can play around with the Doctor and their companions' relationship but he can't establish new ones. That's why "the fam" feels so disconnected
All I remember from my first viewing of this episode was that there was some sort of mistake made the previous week so the preview after the Lazarus Experiment was actually the preview for The Family of Blood. I spent the entire time I watched 42 wondering when and how the scarecrows would come in.
Compare with "countdown episodes" by Moffat and Jamie Mathieson (Face The Raven, Mummy On The Orient Express), which are far better written. I really don't dislike 42, but it's pretty average in the scheme of things.
Power of Three always makes me sad because the first 2 thirds were so interesting to me, it was something new and interesting and I loved seeing the Doctor have to stick around... and then Chibs went and ruined it with that ending. I wish he had someone equal to him to bounce ideas off, I think he could develop his stories better then.
@@frances7575 to be fair the ending was because the director and actor who played the villain had an argument which meant that they had to change the ending.
@@glenaitken3471 the shakespeare code was one of the better ones for me - daleks in manhattan/evolution, the lazarus experiment, and gridlock were all misses for me, just not a fan of much of season 3
You're so right! The problem with the Chibnall era is setting up interesting stakes & abandoning them. Like the Partition episode. I watch gymnastics, so I like to say, "Chibnall can't stick the landing" on any story!
Ah, the Chibnall Who writing style-great ideas with terrible execution. The bad execution doesn’t change the fact that there are great ideas, but it does limit any appreciation we can form for them.
Billy from 5 Who Fans: The one pro of this episode is that it checks your watch for you. Also I'm legitimatly questioning if there was actually a member of the film crew labelled as the "Grease guy."
I rewatched this episode the other week, and to be honest, I actually enjoyed it more that I remembered from the last time I watched it, which was probably back when it originally aired. I really just liked how it went from 0 to 100 immediately, and I enjoy ideas that are really out there, like a star being alive. Still, I've never watched any of the newer seasons of the show when Chris was running it, so perhaps I have less to be resentful about and can just enjoy this as an alright episode haha.
I think had this episode aired during the Whittaker era I think I would have dismissed it for the most part, apart from the villain which I found menacing in certain ways. I don't think Jodie would have managed to pull off the desperation of the Doctor being possessed by the sun creature and the fact that he admitted he was scared and helpless (something which rarely happens) and eventually had to give in to its power - something which has always stayed with me about this episode. Also, Murray Gold's captivating score and the fast-paced editing which became quite synonymous with the RTD era really save this episode and still make it watchable for me. In part, it really gives it that epic, thrilling edge which had Segun Akinola done the score instead, I don't think it would have achieved anywhere near as well.
Why wouldn’t they do a stakeout waiting for Martha to call? If they have her mom call and ask a bunch of questions it might tip their hand. Remember who’s in charge. Also, have we ever seen someone receive a call from their family while time-traveling in Doctor Who? Think about when Rose was missing for a year, she had to have tried calling. It would make sense then that it only works one-way.
This episode is more like "impossible planet" than you seem to think.. its the doctor, his companion, and the crew of a space mission running through corridors away one of the crew who's been possessed (while slowly uncovering the mystery and falling into an giant space thing)
god, i grew up watching doctor who and have fond memories of most episodes. Wathcing ur analysis of them has been extremely nostalgic. This episdoe however, I have no recollection of. I definitely wathced it at least once (I had all the DVD's as a kid) but each point you say seems like a fever dream. How can this episode be so unforgettable?
Chibnall just doesnt seem to be able to write people. Your characters should drive the plot and should be the most interesting part of a story (or at least AN interesting part of the story) - Chibnall has'nt shown any ability to write any character arcs, relationships, growth, anything at all.
@@presentfuture7563 He had the same problem with Broadchurch. All the characters were just props that came in and out of frame as required. Broadchurch really isn’t as good as we remember.
@@lewiskazinsky7334 Really not my experience at all, especially compared to American crime dramas (other than HBO). You did accurately describe Deadwater Fell, however
You’re absolutely right that chibnall doesn’t make us care about the characters. His stories are okay but because I don’t care about the characters no matter how good the plot is I just don’t care. In his time being show runner I knew some things about the companions but not enough for me to feel they’re real people. Like Graham, I knew he was a bus driver but does he have friends? What does he get up to in his retirement? In RTDs writing you saw what Wilfs hobbies were, his family, his friends and you saw Wilf in multiple places not just the tardis or a different planet. And wilf wasn’t even a main companion. Same with Yaz we met her family but we never saw how much she loved them. We saw Yaz as a police officer in episode one and never again. Chibnall has some good ideas and characters but he fails to add details that would take his writing from a 1 to a 10. His stuff isn’t bad he just needs someone else’s help to create something amazing. I also feel like chibnall is afraid to be silly. Some of the best doctor who episodes are fun because they’re silly.
Chibnall always strikes me as a writer who would rather be writing something else, like he's a crime writer who got stuck writing Sci Fi and now he can't be asked to put in anything more than a first draft
I found a similar thing watching Moffat's early episodes. I love Silence in the Library/Forests of the Dead but it's really hard to watch nowadays without all the Moffatisms jumping out at you. Particularly the character who dies but not really and the Doctor winning by trading on his awe-inspiring reputation. I love Blink but it's really hard to watch nowadays without thinking of how he used the exact same sort of Bill-and-Ted-esque timey-wimeyness in The Big Bang. It's even hard to watch The Empty Child two-parter because the moment of crowning triumph "Just this once everybody lives!" reminds us that Moffat goes on to have everybody live again and again and again as the show continues. :(
While the points listed here are all valid, unlike Chibnall era Doctor Who there actually is characterization in this episode and the threat of the monster of the week is of significant scale. Much more enjoyable than any of the last two seasons of Who, and almost certainly the greatest Chibnall Who script ever. Unlike in most of his other stories here he actually understands his characters.
I always enjoyed this episode and I still do. Someone made a point saying how there are people above people like Russel, Moffat and ofc Chibnal. The reason why I say this is because Chibnal might have wanted to do more in his current story writing. But I enjoy listening to everyone's point of view.
I feel like the way they reverse the phone call tracing roles almost makes it even more sinister than they are almost holding Marthas mum hostage in her own home until Martha calls. This may not be intentional from Chibby but I likes it
The reason they don’t feel like a team is because they are being pulled apart by their situation - you can tell they’re a tight crew, but the temperature has skyrocketed, a newcomer has just declared himself their new leader, and every crew members will have their own theories and solutions about why the captain’s husband has started killing people. Again, classic claustrophobia stuff. Also, you completely forgot to mention that fact that the entire crew is aware they’re doing something illegal, and all of them are trying to hide it. All of them are constantly on edge, and I really disagree with the notion that they were forgettable or bland.
I enjoyed this episode, although it was veeery similar to The Impossible Planet 2-parter that I absolutely LOVE and I think is my favorite series 2 episode. I like the eoisodes where the humans are the bad guys, and I especially love the episodes where The Doctor turns and works against the people he originally was working with, either through finding out that they are the villains or becoming posessed or cloned or whatever. But I see how the context changes when you see more of Chibnall's stuff. I was the same with Moffat, loved his episodes and how they were different from the rest, but then I realized how repetitive it became once I rewatched his run.
The 42 Episode didn't have too much political intersection but in Chibnall's series it's there in almost every episode. It becomes a trope and very tiresome. That was the death of the time and made a foundation that the Doctor wouldn't be accepted. Rather than win fans over - Chibnall pushed those fans away in favor of a different foundation. Very sad indeed.
This is easily the most forgettable episode in the the Third Series to me. The only thing I could remember about 42 is that the sun was alive, there was that bit with Martha's mum and the Doctor gets possessed... not much there to draw any attention back to that episode. I wish Chibnall could have had made 42 more remarkable.
I'm clicking on this hoping your not talking about 42... 42 is honestly one of my favorite episodes of doctor who. It has a lot wrong with it, but I still like it. 42 sort of proves to me that Chris is much better at writing single episodes then overall seasons. There are some pretty good episodes in chibnal era, the problem is he sucks at payoff and establishing characterization. If you notice, 42 has little of either. While we do learn about the doctor and Martha, these are traits they had before hand, theyre just being brought to our attention. And now ill click play and see what you have to say about 42.
I hated 42 when I first watched it during the 2007 run. It was such a drop in quality. Upon rewatching it, the only thing which saved it is Murray Gold's music, David and Freema's performances and the RTD team's execution. Chibnall's script however is absolute tosh.
I was so disappointed by this episode. I had thought, because: 42, that it would have something to do with the hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy. I was sadly wrong. Instead of an adventure with writer Douglas Adams, or some sort of crossover (not that I like crossovers) I got this. I will be forever disappointed.
I like some parts of it. It's just that episodes like Orphan 55 cannot be defended, no matter how hard one can try. 13 herself can be defended given that she's actually a good actress and 90% of her character is affected by bad writing and storylines Chibnail pulls out of his Hawaiian T-Shirt and never bothers to expand further. The other 10% was affected by lack of details of how she should be portrayed. Keep in mind the characters that did return from previous eras of the show were shells of their former selves too.
A ship in space with an imposter killing off people... while the rest of the crew has to complete tasks and games to succeed? And the reactor/engine is having a meltdown? Reminds me of a game....
Chibnall's writing is just dull. That's my issue with him. Like say what you want to about RTD or Moffat, but they were not boring. Chibnall's DW just feels stagnant and bland, like the ideas are there but they don't want to explore them. Same with this episode, the concept and idea isn't that bad, but Chibnall does nothing with it. He adds nothing to elevate it, so it ends like a drama rather than sci-fi show.
Like there are very interesting possibilities and ideas you can do with a female Doctor, but Chibnall does nothing to explore them. He's trying way to hard to make 13th like the others which in turn makes her worse. You have a female doctor, why are you trying so hard to make her like her male predecessors. Have her embrace being a female and do something unique
Davies and especially Moffat had loads of idea (Moffat had so many sometimes I wanted to smack his face and tell him "We know you're clever! Now just give us a story!"). Chibnall had a couple of things in his mind, most of them dull, and so he had to reach back all the way to the Hartnell Era and destroy everything I loved about Doctor Who.
@@jvblhc true. Rtd and Moffat actually had their ideas and visions, Chibnall's era just feels more corporate. Like you can tell, its the executives and producers who are now driving the storg rather than the writer.
@@iusedtowrite6667 he just seems to use her gender to attack men. Every comment is a negative when gender is mentioned... she could have been so much better, look to ripley in the alien films to see how to do it. He and the bbc are to busy box ticking to actually be concerned with what these characters that they have box ticked actually do.. dreadful..
I think the saddest part about this episode, is that it is still probably one of Chibnall's better episodes. I mean I would watch 42 over 'The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos' (yes I went to Wikipedia to see how you f***ing spell it) or 'Ascension of the Cybermen' any day.
Agreed! It's a little adventure episode with The Doctor and Martha. I never skip it, but I would never say that it was a great episode or a "must watch". And, to pick up on a point of yours, it is so much easier to say "42" than saying "The Battle of Krankor Columbo" or whatever the hell the title of that one was.
Tbh I find Ascension of the Cybermen to be one of the less unbearable Chibnall stories. It got ruined by The Timeless Children, of course, as everything else did, but before that, it actually had me gripped
Just saying- I like how the Doctor, wearing a suit, the most sweltering outfit anyone on that ship is wearing, isn't sweating as much as the rest of the crew. I like to think it's due to the Doctor's low body temperature.
The Fourth Doctor didn’t so much as put his hands in his pockets when he went to Antarctica and he was completely fine. I guess Time Lords are just very temperature-resistant.
Id assume 2 hearts means a higher body temperature, meaning its easier to survive some hotter areas. If that makes sense? Less work for the body to regulate inside and outside temperature when theyre closer to begin with
@@zeallust8542 It's actually established that Gallifreyans have significantly lower body temperature than humans so... so... so that means absolutely nothing, because apparently the doctor isn't Gallifreyan. Sigh, I almost forgot for a happy second there.
@@Notanothercrayon The Time Lords spliced the genetic code of the Timeless Child into themselves. So they're effectively the same race as Timeless Children now anyway.
@@irrevenant8724 Tecteun didn't dump the doctor's entire genome into her own race, that would just be straight up erasing the Gallifreyan race and making a bunch of clones of the single individual doctor in their place. She spent years and years looking for what specifically coded for regenerative abilities. While it's possible she nabbed other traits along the way, it's not in any way implied that she did. It's also not in any way implied that Chibnall gives a shit about continuity or making sense, and I highly doubt he put that depth of thought into this idea of his.
Its gonna be interesting when we eventually get a showrunner whos been active during the age of social media... you know eventually some Whotuber is gonna end up writing for, heck maybe even running the show... thats gonna be fun...
@@Eckskalibur I mean like a millenial who has grown up in the age of twitter and youtube... active since before being a professional and having to apply that filter
@@Eckskalibur Steven Moffat's a lifelong fan so he had a personal investment in making Doctor Who good. A genuine fan will always put more effort into their work than somebody who's just doing it for a pay check.
I think a big part of why this episode was interesting is that it was the introduction of that formula. At the time it didn’t feel like a formula because it was the only episode, so despite being formulaic, it did actually stand out from the rest of the episodes and that season, and feel like a unique way of matching the quality. 42 is genuinely a good episode, I just wish we didn’t get three seasons of damn near the exact same thing
I remember people in the fandom complaining about Chibnall's writing as far back as 2010, not just in relation to Torchwood and Who but also Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. It frustrates me endlessly that he basically got the show runner job due to the success of Broadchurch rather than anything he did on Who, but I think consideration has to be given to the question of whether RTD or Moffat really did enough to encourage and nurture other talent, because there wasn't any obvious alternative when Moff left.
Mark Gatiss and Toby Whithouse both turned it down due to the crushing responsibility and Chibnall only agreed after the second pitch. He wasn’t the first choice and he didn’t even want it. The BBC put pressure on the production team when they should’ve spent a year looking for an ambitious and enthusiastic show runner. It’s no small secret that Doctor Who is an extremely unforgiving show to work on. The gruelling production blocks, fan anticipation and public expectations are too frightening for a lot of writers.
@@lewiskazinsky7334 to be fair, I don't think anyone would have been turning cartwheels at the idea of Gatiss or Whithouse as showrunner either. It's not good when you can't think of anyone in a group of writers who would make an interesting showrunner.
@@oldusernamewasbadlol Whitehouse would've been great because of his show Being Human. He gets how to have a show that's fantastical, which grounded characters, and knows how to balance drama, comedy, and plot.
"Who do we call to write a scifi time travel adventure series? I know, put the guy who wrote the worst modern Who episodes because he has one good soap opera."
I love how chris chibnall critisised doctor who for silly monsters when in one of his first episdoes as show runner the monsters were basically blankets
I like this episode fine, it was never my favorite, but it's not horrible either. Up until he became showrunner, I never found any Chibnall episodes to be horrible, just alright at best (usually the meh writing was just overshadowed by some great acting from the cast) and kind of boring at worst (like The Power of Three). Then he became showrunner and things really fell apart.
I think the problem was that he was “meh”. He could write an okay to watch surface level story, but they never said or did anything. And this was WITH established characters (for the Doctor and companions), over arching storylines, and already expressed themes by the current showrunners (RTD or Moffat), so what happens when Chibnall is in charge of all of this? Using 42 and dinosaurs on the spaceship as an example, they were okay to watch and that’s about it; not good or bad. They were sometimes a fun mindless watch BECAUSE they did nothing. The Doctor’s character wasn’t challenged; no substantial themes were expressed; no messages were made. The episodes just felt “just-kinda-there”. And they had interesting ideas. Dinosaurs on a space ship sounds cool and a living sun (personally I could argue that everything in the universe is alive so that was especially interesting to me), but none of those ideas ever went anywhere or were properly used. If you say something interesting and then trail off and don’t expand on it, I’m not going to care. Also I noticed Chibnall’s episodes both had a countdown timer (a simple trick to make the story seem more exciting and increase tension) and a lot of acting out by the characters. He very obviously didn’t know how to expand on his ideas or write something interesting back then and knew an hoped to distract from it
@@vullord666 yes. I think the fact that the other episodes in the series were either good or very good there was a tendency for us all to overlook the bland (ie "Chibnall") episodes.
Power of Three got off to a great start - the slow invasion, the bored Doctor etc. Unfortunately the actor playing the Shakti was a complete jerk and most of his scenes were unusable so they had to hack together a new ending out of what they could salvage. :(
Always though this episode was an inoffensive bit of fun. Won't skip it when I get round to it on a re watch but don't exactly look forward to it. Probably a 6/10 not bad.
I don't really have anything against Chibnall but my god, it would be hilarious to see the 80s version of him watching "The Tsuranga Conundrum" for its running up and down corridors and silly monster!
But that's the thing though... when people bring up that interview - why hold a writer and producer who's been through many years of productions to the word of what they said as a teenage fan with no experience over 30 years ago?
I totally agree. We all say things we don't mean when we're younger. It's just an unfortunate case of people really disliking Chibnall and having this interview on TV that makes them feel like they're better than him.
@@joeduffy4547 Exactly, the real unoriginal cliche here is now people reusing that clip for a cheap joke. Pretty sure he even said in an interview before Series 11 broadcast that it was just some dumb shit he said as a teenager
Thats not even the worst part of the episode imo. I just watched it for the first time b4 reading any reviews and what gets me is that LITERALLY EVERYONE did more to save the situation then the doctor did. Because the doctor essentially made an indestructable monster a different ships problem. Any other doctor wouldve done more
@@212mochamanI have watched The Tsuranga Conundrum recently and she does mention the bomb it eats will satisfy its hunger for a long time so I guess she made sure to feed it something that would make it the least harmful after it was released. Hopefully, off screen she properly dealt with it before it got to another energy source.
I don't think the similarities between 42 and The Impossible Planet just on aesthetics, it's practically a list: - stranded on space base/space ship with disheveled crews. - Doctor and co. locked up from TARDIS because of the emergency on the space base/ship - the space base/ship is *impossibly* heading on sun/black hole and it's unstoppable - there some kind of power that attacks them by possessing them - the crews died one by one, the chief is starting to feel helpless - The Doctor and her companion got separated in the end and it seems like it's the end/death of The Doctor.
A lot of these points are just what happens in a typical base under siege story. Similar stories include Oxygen, Under the Lake, The Rebel Flesh, Cold War, The Doctor's Daughter, Waters of Mars, and I personally enjoy most of these episodes as they establish a good setting, interesting side characters, and a clear threat. However, I do think that 42 is the worst of these kinds of stories
@@EmTom44 The Doctor's Daughter was done really well tho, even when that fish person died you actually cared about him. And the episode shows Martha's compassion and medical skills.
@@EmTom44 But imo, the setting, the stakes and the psychic-based attack just too stands out to be similar. Not to mention how both of the story also have similar pacing and plot development. The aspect that differs the most is probably that The Impossible Planet - thanks to its two parter format - gives the space for the story to breathe and the characters are less forgettable.
Chibnall seems to berate characters sometimes for no reason? Sorry we didn't scan the sun for life? Sorry I didn't know that people were disposing of spiders in the thousands of trash bags my business takes in every day? How are these people in any way responsible.
TBF it was an illegal extraction. Leave the fact they basically committed a crime for the sake of mining energy, but if they're from the far future they should know that some planets still have life it, either with population or the planet itself. It's that recklessness from the Captain that caused most of her crewmates to be in danger.
now that you mention it I had no idea this episode did the "set in real time" thing at all. usually in those situations you can /feel/ the clock counting the seconds, but here I don't think the tension was enough for me to notice - it felt like it was paced the same as usual
Chibnall is a writer, that’s better off in dramas and grounded mundane stories, which is the complete opposite of Doctor Who His mind just can’t adapt in sci-fi, or in bizarre fantasy, fantasy sci-fi, etc...
I'm not sure if a lot of people noticed, but the medic woman who is disintegrated first is actually Vinette Robinson, who plays Rosa Parks in series 11.
42 in a nutshell Random exec : "what if we take the impossible planet/Satan pit two parter and force it into a single episode" Chibnall : "give this man a raise"
Actually it's more planet of evil the classic 4th Doctor episode about a living planet in which they take precious minerals and the planet gets angry and starts dragging the ship back towards the planet in a time limit, they have to eject the minerals to stop it
Whut? Like the video specifically pointed out this episode has basically nothing in common with the Impossible Planet two-parter other than the costuming - which was included for continuity with the setting.
i always saw this as a background episode. like say you were flicking round the TV and this episode was on one of the channels and was the only decent thing on you would leave it on in the background whilst you are doing something else like cooking or ironing or stuff like that. you'll glance back now and then to see if it is still on but it doesn't catch your attention. it's just their on in the back ground for some background noise to stop you going mad in the silence. does this analogy make any sense or is it just word vomit?
The thing that bugs me the most about Chibnall is the potential. Everything he writes in Doctor who has SUCH potential to be amazing for doctor who, but he just...mishandles it. Awfully. Everything he does feels like he writes ideas and then just never does anything with them. It's a shame really. His creative mind isn't too bad, it's just that when it comes to developing them he's abysmal.
I never hated this episode, but I never loved it either. It was a nice time filler and it had David Tennant and Freema Agyeman, which is always a good thing. Interesting that while Chibnall couldn't come up with memorable background characters, he still had Martha shining throughout most of the story. Now think forward to some of the stories he did in the Whittaker Era, where he couldn't come up with memorable background characters, which should have led to at least one of the three Whittaker companions to step out and shine... and yet... nothing. They're still just there to cheerlead The Doctor and stand around looking like they don't know what to do. His writing, mediocre to begin with, has gotten worse. Within the first four episodes of Series 11, I knew the series was just not going to be that good and they should have gotten a different show runner (but I still like Kerblam, so sue me.) By the time they got to The Timeless Children, I knew I was done watching Doctor Who on any consistent basis.
Kerblam is actually quite fun and enjoyable during the plot and is one of my favourite Chibnall episodes but even so, man... That ending is so terribly conceived, rushed and poorly though out/ discussed it's actually horrendous.
I thought as a one off story this one was entertaining but not memorable. This is mostly cause every episode after this is pretty much solid series material. I should make clear though I dropped out of Doctor Who half way through series 11 so my experience with this story is limited compared to those who’ve seen more of his era.
I actually find the fighting over the control keys buttons to be really cool because it establishes how the world works a little and it shows they are not just helpless at first. Also, the reason the doctor has to climb outside to retract it is because the controls inside were busted, I thot that was obvious. This is actually something that Chibnall does wrong in 13th doctor episodes. Rather than just relying on the viewer to be clever enough to follow the plot he spoon feeds exposition.
I can never bring myself to blame a writer too much for the spoonfeeding. The longer you work on something like this, the more you come to understand that at least 60% of people watching are not that clever. Most viewers are indeed stupid enough to need the spoonfeeding. They also don't watch analysis videos, that hurts their heads.
@PosthumanHeresy While it is true people are stupid, doctor whos success comes from nerds who think they are smart following david tennant and matt smiths rants and subtley getting the message. Every rant from jodie was a brick to the face. Usually the there are secondary drafts where other writers review and tone down exposition, but it feels like every episode of jodies was a first draft mess
to be a TINY bit fair..in the impossible planet, there was a very good chance the tardis was straight up lost, and with 42 it was just in a tardis sauna vibing the whole episode. so it makes sense the doctor wouldn't have been as worried in 42.
Chibnall is an interesting case. I only saw 42 and the silurian two-parter out of his writing cause I only just ended season 9, but I can see that his way of writing is quite bad. He has ideas, he knows what to do, but he never goes above and beyond. He comes the first and second step, but not the third, final one and rather doing step 2 again. Step 1: Ideas and story. Step 2: querks and bits, reveals, reverse situations, atmosphere, the whole thing. Step 3 (not used here): good execution, interesting characters...
I cant lie i kinda like this episode its actually a time where we seen the doctor truly vulnerable and was totally dependent on the companion (which funnily enough is a very common occurance with martha more so than any other doctor who companion) and we seen in this episode how the doctor actually does value Martha highly in this episode along with gridlock and marthas future appearances after she left the doctor, which is contrary to the popular belief that the doctor didnt respect martha to which i have always strongly disagreed and this episode is a strong argument to my case.
I love how Chidnal apparently criticized the show as being heavily cliched. Meanwhile his first episode is almost nothing but poorly done cliches. Nice to know we’re dealing with an absolute hypocrite. PS: I’ve literally never heard of this guy until now. But if 42 really was a good summarization of his work in the show. Then that’s definitely a problem for him.
I actually always liked this episode -- the stakes were high, they were under a lot of pressure, there were two sun-possessed spacemen trying to kill them, and there seemed to be no way out. It got better when the Doctor was affected/possessed, and it really shows the strong connection that the Doctor and Martha has formed when she saved him. The episode also has a good foreshadowing element, and I honestly liked The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood from Series 5, too. I mean, they're not my favorites or anything, but they are not bad. HOWEVER, I do hate what he has done to the show of Doctor Who. As an occasional writer, he wasn't too bad, but as a show-runner, he has completely smeared the show, and has no idea how to bring major elements together or give the actors anything to work with. What's worse is that he is completely went against what has been established as canon in the show for more than 50 years, and might as well as just killed it. I wish someone would come in and retcon all of the stuff that he has made "canon" in the last few seasons. Maybe the REAL Thirteenth Doctor hit her head while regenerating, and everything with Jodie, and everything that Chibnail wrote, has just been a dream.
