So I'll say this: the infamous line - in isolation of the speech isn't as bad as people say (it's still bad). Unfortunately, the speech frames not the rich executives who are replacing workers as the people who exploit the system, but instead people who go against the systems in extreme ways as those who are the exploiters. Meanwhile both the asshole manager and the head of HR happen to just be good people who want the best for their workers :) The speech as a whole, plus the scenes surrounding it in the climax, are the problem.

And it's a shame that this ending, even ignoring the specific line, is so politically gross and weird because the rest of the episode is fun! I like the setting, I like the idea of Robots of Death meets (what initially appears to be) criticism of Amazon and commentary of automation removing jobs. The guest performances are great - I love Kira, and I always adore Lee Mack. Even every companion gets something to do and some fun, plus Jode continues to be amazing! This should have been a solid 3-3.5!

But the ending is just really weird and undoes any good will. It goes against what we know of as The Doctor as a character, especially immediately following 12, and the fact that nobody questions it is ridiculous.

Also like.... Is this really how the villain is gonna draw attention to his cause 😭 It just makes him look irredeemable and like his cause isn't a good thing to root for. Tbh the villain should have been the warehouse boss and things would have worked MUCH better.

This feels like a less extreme version of Interstellar Song Contest, a story which I did initially give a higher rating to but I know on rewatch I'll cut down with a hatchet the same way I did here because of the political messaging being muddied and directly harming characters. But at least with it, I feel like there was somewhat of an attempt to not side 100% with the corporation. Here it really does feel like Amazon apologia.

Shame. Well, I hope 13 enjoyed being at Bezos' wedding.