The Story and the Engine didn’t feel like anything else I’ve seen the show do. It’s definitely my favorite performance from Ncuti, really leaning into the mythical and otherworldly vibes. Also kudos to that bit where the Barber turns out not to be every trickster archetype-adjacent thing from all world mythology. I hate it when everything is actually the same thing. Points off for kind of being about how great Doctor Who is, I’m sick of self congratulatory metanarratives and it’s time to retire the trope where we see a bunch of past Doctor clips. This does not apply to the Jo Martin cameo, which actually fit the tone of the episode. The spider looks absolutely gorgeous though.