how does every single episode with a huge plot like this feel so stupid. Like i cant even express how flat everything about this is. The daleks were actually a high point of the episode BUT everything else just brought it down. I dont even feel like jack being here really added much of anything to the episode at all. Spyfall was so good but evidently those will be the only 2 episodes chibnall can write that will get a positive response out of me. Also I don't get why this one was titled a "festive special" but there was nothing festive about it. No new years or christmas or anything. Honestly the only positive of this beyond the daleks is Jodie's acting which really carries it after the awesome reveal of the timeless child (that also, somehow, had to take place between really stupid annoying boring plot!) as far as series 12 goes I'd dare to say the only actually consistently good aspects are the doctor (would be concerning if not) and the master (why did he get barely anytime at all here... Like he seriously got the least screentime in 1 season I've seen from any incarnation of the master who got a place in any seasons overall plot). Sure the companions are nice. I'm a little sad to see Ryan and Graham go. But 3 companions is so bloated and evidently chibnall couldn't handle it. He can barely handle writing one character, the main one everyone watches the show for! Insane they brought back some dude from series 11 here who I did not remember at all, looked up, and realized hes from one of the most god awful episodes I've sat through. The fact I have stuck with the show through all of this has proved I have genuine brainrot from not getting over the absolute peak of moffats era. Every new episode is a disappointment (except spyfall, that was genuinely good). Why even bother to show yazmin having feelings for the doctor when she's the companion who got the least characterization. Like she literally does not have any character traits that I can name of beyond the fact she has family and apparently struggled with being bullied. And she's a cop (YAWN). It's really impressive how Chibnall can show how little he truly cares about writing this show, or is the production team behind him just truly incompetent. I honestly think it's a mix of both. The timeless child was absolutely genius on paper but that might've been a stroke of luck from him that he even was capable of thinking of that (I could've thought of it too though if i was in that studio immediately after i finished playing xenogears). I'm honestly just flabbergasted this show has been allowed to be this terrible for 2 straight seasons and they let chibnall on for a third one. Genuinely BBC I have beef with you and you need to get your shit together I literally volunteer to get in there and fix everything because you need help.

Another good Dalek story. I really liked how this episode handheld the 'loss' of the Doctor, and the effects on the companions, as well as Graham and Ryan's exit.

Captain Jack, yay! That american guy again, boo! The Silence, the Ood, the Weeping Angels and the Sycorax getting cameos, yay!

As those of you who follow me on Twitter know, I'd been looking forward to this episode more than ever, and it did not disappoint. Revolution of the Daleks was a thrilling ride from start to finish; so much was packed into that 73 minutes; Captain Jack's return was exactly what I wanted, and more. His chemistry and interactions with Jodie Whittaker's Doctor was just as I pictured they would be in my head; it's clear that Chibnall knows exactly how to write for Jack, and John Barrowman plays the part so effortlessly.

Jodie Whittaker gave her best performance yet. I absolutely loved her little nicknames for the monsters in the prison, the escape with Jack, and her confrontation with the Dalek Death Squad.

But honestly, her stand-out moment overall was that amazing exchange between the Doctor and Ryan about the events of The Timeless Children. The character work in this episode was outstanding; Chibnall really dug into the fam and their individual personalities here, and what makes them tick. The companions now feel more developed than ever.

It was a really unique Dalek plot also; a narrative revolving around a human being creating their own Daleks and growing a Kaled mutant is really unique, and the imagery of Daleks alongside riot police is quite arresting. It all feels strangely topical to 2020 despite it being filmed in 2019, what with talk of uncertainty and the Dalek tear gas.

So great to see a Dalek Civil War again too. That hasn't been done since Remembrance of the Daleks!

I'm relieved Graham didn't die. Thank God the option of him returning has been teased and left open, and it was nice to see things come full circle with Ryan trying once again to ride his bike.

Loved Jack's reference to Gwen Cooper, even if it's a shame we didn't see Torchwood. And John Bishop as a new companion? Great news!

Well after The Timeless Children, I didn't expect much out of Revolution of the Daleks. At first though, I do have to say this episode peaked my interest. It was fun as a sort of pseudo-sequel to Resolution, an episode I actually enjoyed, at least a bit, and Jack Harkness returned, which was extremely exciting, again, at least at first. Even the return of Chris Noth was kind of fun when it started. Don't love how many abusive men have been attached to the show in some form or another, but I disgress, Noth's performance as a cartoonish Trump was fine enough, even if the character is kind of ridiculous, at least it is vague amusing.

Then the episode unravels itself and it all kind of feels... empty. The Dalek storyline feels empty and indistinct from any old Dalek adventure. If you took all the elements of past stories, jumbled them around, and spit out a net average, you'd end up with something like this. Jack is there but doesn't really feel all that different from the other companions - just here to shuffle the plot from one point to the next without the charm of his earlier appearances. It's also weird how he kind of just disappears from the franchise from here, which sucks, his whole situation feels a lot less black and white compared to someone like Noth. The alien prison seems like it could have been a great setting for the story but it felt underused as a concept.

I don't know. These Daleks holiday specials the Thirteenth Doctor got were always a fun little tradition and each kind of brought an energy sorely lacking from the main run of episodes, but this one just didn't resonate with me quite as much as Resolution or Eve of the Daleks. And even then, the stories are just okay. Passable at best, and at worst, well, a little more like this - emotionally unengaging. Empty of character growth and sensible storytelling, with just this kind of general sense of malaise permeating the entire Chibnall era.

I'll tell you one thing though. If Ryan and Graham had actually been built up on until now - if Ryan's disability had been mentioned and actually used in Series 11 and 12, or if Graham and Ryan actually had a chance to bond over these episodes, I would have been just weeping at that last scene. I contend that Ryan in particular could have been one of the most moving and memorable companions of all. Instead his last scene with Graham kind of feels hollow and cynical. that scene was done well enough on its own but it wasn't ever earned by the show. This doesn't match with Ryan as he actually was on Doctor Who - a character with struggles on Earth that just witnessed the traumatic death of his grandmother and is instead whisked away on an adventure while seemingly leaving behind every trace of his past behind - rarely grieving his loss or even experiencing dyspraxia since the Woman who Fell to Earth. What an absolute, soul-crushing waste.

Yeah, this is great - and the political aspect is well done. Unlike S3 & 4, Jack actually had a purpose and did stuff - but there's no connection to his appearance in Fugitive, so why was he even in that? Shame the editing is bad and Lee Haven Jones can't direct crowds very well. Nice Ryan/Graham exit.

HOWEVER; even though I do like Revolution, I do question this special wasn't a prison break episode, make it more special than just another Dalek invasion and all that. It just seems like the obvious choice. Because as it stands, the Doctor's imprisonment is barely a footnote and she doesn't even escape by herself, she has to get rescued by Jack. It's super weird.