Rosa: A Rambling Review

I'm going to start this by talking about the opening titles for a minute. I listened to the first two episodes of Flight Through Entirety's Thirteenth Doctor flashcast titled Jodie Into Terror a few days ago and it was mentioned that these opening titles are the most alien since Hartnell. I'm inclined to agree. The darker colors, the almost liquid fluidity of the visuals, the more alien/less orchestral theme music... it's very alien. As for the episode itself, the atmosphere is well-realized, if slightly unsettling (though I think that's on purpose). The sets and location work is excellent and I love seeing all the old cars. I'm noticing the music a little more on this viewing than back when I watched it on airing. It's very subtle, which is fine, but makes a drastic change from Murray Gold or even some of the more out there musical choices in the Classic Series. I'm enjoying Yaz and Ryan here, but I'm not loving them yet though there is some personality to them. Graham is still the standout in this era companion-wise. I enjoyed the fact-finding conversation between the Doctor and Krasko, even if Krasko is a bit of a rubbish one-note villain. While I like the idea of "little moments are what makes history", I do feel like history is more complex. I'm not an expert on this period of history, but I know that it's a bit more complicated than what is laid out here. But I also get get that they had to fit a lot into fifty minutes while still having a fun adventure featuring the Doctor and her companions. In the end, it's a quite good episode, just not one I'd wtach very often.