This is a pretty fun episode. Not only did I enjoy the Weakest Link parody, though it does date Bad Wolf severely, it's also a great pay-off to the season arc in a way I found the show would always struggle with more in the future. Here, it feels a lot more organic and I get quite a bit out of the growing dread that occurs in the Doctor as events unfold around him. We go to a silly retread of The Long Game into some really solid set-up to the finale. A good episode that I find really replayable.

New Who Review #12

Bad Wolf

This episode was good. It serves as a good first part of the series 1 finale. The deadly game shows are really cool and a fun idea. The scene where rose gets shot with the disintegrater beam was a shocking one. The reveal that the daleks are behind all of this hiding in space controlling the games is scary and the fact there's half a million daleks is truly terrifying. This is a strong 9/10

📝7/10

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

"Bad Wolf: Reality Bites"

The penultimate episode of Doctor Who Series 1, Bad Wolf, brings the Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack back to Satellite Five, first seen in The Long Game. This time, the station has been transformed into the Game Station, a dystopian haven for deadly reality TV shows inspired by early 21st-century hits like Big Brother and The Weakest Link. With Russell T. Davies taking a sharp jab at media culture, this episode aims for satirical critique, though the commentary already feels somewhat dated.

The story centres on our heroes navigating these bizarre and lethal game scenarios. While the premise is intriguing, it leans heavily on both comedy and drama, sometimes overplaying each to the detriment of its social commentary. It’s a far cry from the nuanced media critique of classic episodes like Vengeance on Varos. That said, there’s undeniable entertainment value in watching Captain Jack strut his stuff in a fashion makeover segment or the Anne-Droid delivering cutting quips in her robotic rendition of The Weakest Link. Anne Robinson’s cameo as the voice of the Anne-Droid is a delightful touch, adding a layer of authenticity to the absurdity.

Christopher Eccleston shines as the Ninth Doctor, delivering a performance brimming with intensity and wit. John Barrowman’s Captain Jack is reliably charming and resourceful, while Billie Piper’s Rose takes a bit of a backseat until the shocking climax. The guest cast does well, with particular praise for Jo Joyner as Lynda, affectionately known as “Lynda with a Y.” Her cheerful resilience makes her a standout and leaves viewers lamenting that she never became a full-time companion.

The return to Satellite Five offers a chance to revisit the consequences of the Doctor’s earlier interference. In The Long Game, he freed humanity from oppressive manipulation, but here we see how that victory has soured. A century later, humanity is still enslaved, now by the darker forces running the Game Station. However, this exploration of cause and effect doesn’t get the depth it deserves, overshadowed by the episode’s quirky tone and game show antics.

Visually, the Game Station feels less grand than its earlier incarnation. The sets are serviceable but lack the awe-inspiring scale of The Long Game. However, the atmosphere shifts significantly in the final act, with the eerie Controller (an unsettling but underused character) revealing the true villains behind the chaos: the Daleks.

The episode builds to a stunning climax. Rose’s apparent disintegration is a gut-punch moment, leaving the Doctor visibly shattered. Eccleston’s performance in the final moments is unforgettable, as he transitions from despair to fiery resolve. The reveal of thousands of Daleks waiting to attack is chilling, and the Doctor’s bold promise to save Rose sets the stage for an epic showdown in the finale.

Final Thoughts:

Bad Wolf is a mixed bag. Its satirical edge feels blunted, and the tone sometimes wavers between goofy and grim. However, strong performances and a gripping conclusion make it a worthy lead-in to the series finale. The sight of the Doctor standing defiant in the face of impossible odds remains one of the season’s most iconic moments.

"You're evicted...from life"

Happy twenty year anniversary to just a banger of an episode. Honestly, this is a 4 or 4.5 but I give it a 5 just because of that epic cliffhanger. The parody of reality tv shows hasn't aged a day, and the hilarity of the Ninth Doctor in the Big Brother house is great. Eccelston is fantastic, his complete horror when he learns that he is responsible for the rise of the Game Station and his quiet fury at Rose's death. Billie Piper does great work as well with her initial laughter at the ridiculous set-up turning into horror, but the real breakout star is Lynda with a y who is instantly a likable potential companion. Even the two technicians running the station have their moments. Really, it all builds toward that crescendo where the Doctor tells the Daleks he's coming for them. "No weapons, no defenses, no plan!" It's the perfect cliffhanger.

A lot people, myself included, agree that while Bad Wolf is an excellent part one, it's is more of a setup and the real meat of the story is all in the finale. But that doesn't mean we should overlook a lot of what Bad Wolf offers that makes it an all-timer in its own right. The highlight of course being the game show setting where all these game shows we're familiar with are now used to kill contestants. It builds to my favourite scene of the story where the Doctor learns about the consequences of his actions in the past that unintentionally shaped the Earth into the nightmare world it is today. It’s something that doesn’t come up a lot in Doctor Who where they reveal that while the Doctor in the moment may have saved the day, in the long term he actually made things worse because he was too busy flying off to his next destination instead of cleaning up the mess.

The other highlight of course being the reveal that the Daleks had been pulling the strings this entire time, slowly building their fleet for an invasion of Earth. Which leads to an hell of a cliffhanger and one of Eccleston's best scenes setting the stage for one massive battle in the finale. It's an excellent part one to one of Modern Who's best series finales