This episode is a return to form while also being inventive in new ways. Alan Cumming as Mr. Ring-A-Ding steals the show, the animation is great. And the fact that the Doctor’s race is addressed in a constructive way is great to see. What ultimately impedes the story for me is the meta moment with the fans. Meta commentary is sparsely done well anywhere and I don’t feel like it works here, because it feels like the work isn’t being trusted to be whimsical and outlandish without the caveat of having the characters make some post-ironic quip about how ridiculous it is. Otherwise, very solid.

Very good, got as much out of the premise as it could. I don’t think it’s possible to not have a great time watching this.

THE SILLIEST GUY TO EVER SILLY!!! mr ring a ding I love you so much you absolute icon. not only did he break the 4th wall he also made and broke a fifth wall

the diner guy's acting was so bad that it ends up being good. he was the absolute best part aside from mr ring a ding and deserved far more screen time . the halfway 1950s voice he does is absolutely awful I love it so much

Odd how this series feels like a complete reboot of the previous, taking the same format for it's first two episodes exactly. Episode one, sci-fi world. Episode two, fights against actual gods in a historical setting; this time it even has the same dressing up scene. This isn't a shock, RTD always used a formula for a the beginning of a series (and it was quite similar to this one, actually), just it does feel almost like a retelling, in a way. A second attempt. This naturally invites comparison, and, to be frank, while I did like "The Devil's Chord", this is a far better exploration of the exact same concept, more akin to "The Giggle". This was, I think, the first episode of the Fifteenth Doctor's era that actually justified the budget attached to it. There's not really anything negative to say, this is just peak Who. Imaginative, unique, the kind of things that makes you want seconds. Delights me to know there's a Target novelization on the horizon (wink, wink).

Very impressive animation overall, and a pretty solid story.  I like how the 1950s was portrayed pretty honestly - with some time spent on the period's gross flaws around segregation, but also acknowledging these people are human and still care for one another.  Mr. Ring-A-Ding was impressive as a villain in how he looked, but also in how production made him both silly and scary.  I love the scene where he was talking about how learning about perspective is slowing him down as he has to climb what are now giant steps to him - this episode is full of humour and ideas like that and it really works well.  I maybe didn't respond as strongly to this one as others, but I still very much enjoyed it and had a good time.

I like how RTD is still featuring godly characters for the Doctor to go up against.  They are fun villains who add a new dynamic with the Doctor we don't often see.  However, it does feel like RTD has no means of ending these kind of stories in any satisfying way.  The Toymaker, Maestro, and Sutekh all had pretty disappointing endings, and Lux hits that trend hard.  He literally just floats away in space at the end of the story and that's that.  It's a deeply and profoundly lame way to end an otherwise fun and fine story.

Still, along the way we get a lot of good character work with Belinda and 15, which makes a big difference in a positive way.  I really like the scene where our protagonists become a 2D, simple animation, and have to "give themselves depth."  That's some really fun and memorable writing which definitely helps make up for that lame ending.