Thirteenth Doctor - First Season - Thoughts? (SPOILERS WELCOME)

[Nutation]

A rather clumsy caricature of current politics.

Not afraid of spiders, so the show was emotionally dull. Maybe the writer or director is? We didn't get the usual slow reveal that we usually get, delayed until one to three victims have met a sticky, screaming end. Puzzled by the Doctor's "solution", which was to herd them all into a box to die. Also, people were dangerously certain that they'd attracted every last crawling thing.

I did like the interplay among the companions and our view of their lives that set up a desire to return to the Tardis.

 

[Tonguez]

yeah the episode was a bit too preachy for my liking with its take on the evils of corporatism, industrial waste dumping, vivisection and American politics. I felt like I was watching something from the 90s (which may have been intentional) and the OTT of the ammoral American business tycoon was just cringey (He was worse than Henry van Statten the guy who owned the Internet and the Dalek who got emootions from Rose). In fact the whole episode seem to be channelling a lot of past series and the end scene when the Doctor gives the speech about them having to be really sure and she cant give any guarantees was so very very familiar.

The bits I did like were the Doctors developing personality (its got bits like Tenant, Smith, Davidson and Troughton) and I'm likeing the accents too. The animatronics of the spiders was also much better than past efforts from the Doctors creature labs and I did like the interactions between companions and Yaz' family, and also Grahams grief .

The mother spider suffocating under her own weight (despite still being able to cling to the ceiling) was just hokey and I have no idea of the logic of the Doctors plan of trapping the spiders in a small room until they starve to death? -um, I'd think that shooting them was certainly more humane than the likelihood of them starting to cannibalise each other to survive. Not to mention - how do they stop other people going to the hotel and opening the safe room door?

Anyway it was an okay episode, nothing noteworthy, but a let down after last weeks glories

 

[Morrus]

I thought Bradley Walsh was great this week, especially the scenes of grief. He’s proving to be much better than I expected. I do wish he’d stop calling her “Doc”, through.

The spider CGI was OK, I guess.

 

[trappedslider]

The mother spider suffocating under her own weight (despite still being able to cling to the ceiling) was just hokey

I was actually impressed that they decided to inject that bit of realism dealing with the Square-Cube Law and I chuckled at the Ryan making shadow puppets in the lab.

On a different note, I finally figured out where I knew Sheffield from..the BBC docudrama Threads...*wonders if any of you old folks saw it when it originally aired in the mid 80s*

 

[Ryujin]

I was actually impressed that they decided to inject that bit of realism dealing with the Square-Cube Law and I chuckled at the Ryan making shadow puppets in the lab.

On a different note, I finally figured out where I knew Sheffield from..the BBC docudrama Threads...*wonders if any of you old folks saw it when it originally aired in the mid 80s*

I vaguely remember "Threads." I want to say that I saw it on WNED (PBS), but can't remember any more than it was post apocalyptic.

Sheffield is famous for its steel, especially with reference to knives and swords.

 

[trappedslider]

I vaguely remember "Threads." I want to say that I saw it on WNED (PBS), but can't remember any more than it was post apocalyptic.

It was basically the U.K's version of The Day After.

 

[jonesy]

I really wish that that hadn't been the title for the episode. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't been waiting for the spiders to show up.

When they did show up they looked pretty good. The effects team gets a thumbs up from me.

"He's running for president."
"Ed Sheeran?"


I'm starting to get the feeling that we'll be seeing many of the characters/villains again later in this series. The way they've been dealing with them leaves things hanging in a way that looks very intentional.

 

[Morrus]

I'm starting to get the feeling that we'll be seeing many of the characters/villains again later in this series. The way they've been dealing with them leaves things hanging in a way that looks very intentional.

Yep. Every one so far has run away or teleported or whatever (though the villain in Rosa didn't do so under his own steam).

 

[billd91]

yeah the episode was a bit too preachy for my liking with its take on the evils of corporatism, industrial waste dumping, vivisection and American politics. I felt like I was watching something from the 90s (which may have been intentional) and the OTT of the ammoral American business tycoon was just cringey (He was worse than Henry van Statten the guy who owned the Internet and the Dalek who got emootions from Rose). In fact the whole episode seem to be channelling a lot of past series and the end scene when the Doctor gives the speech about them having to be really sure and she cant give any guarantees was so very very familiar.

Now, that's part of what I liked best about the episode - the villain wasn't some alien bent on enslaving (or eating) the human race. He was just an amoral ignoramus, a buffoon with no sense of responsibility, and too much power in the form of his wealth. That made it particularly topical - I just hope it ages well.

 

[Morrus]

Now, that's part of what I liked best about the episode - the villain wasn't some alien bent on enslaving (or eating) the human race. He was just an amoral ignoramus, a buffoon with no sense of responsibility, and too much power in the form of his wealth. That made it particularly topical - I just hope it ages well.

On the other hand, it’s weird for a Who episode not to feature an alien at all.