Overall, it's not a great episode, but a decent enough companion introduction/series opener. The plot itself is a bit on the thin side, relying heavily on the confusing nature of the time fracture to handwave the out-of-order abductions and appearances. This is not an unforgivable sin in and of itself; watching back, there was at least modest foreshadowing for the twist, and a thin plot is understandable given the nature of this as a companion-focused episode. However, it needs to make up for that lack somewhere else; the theming, the character development, emotional beats, etc., and it really didn't quite manage that.

The emotional beats were... there, to an extent, but the biggest one was the death of a woman we'd known for about five minutes (which could not have been more signposted. Survival tip for Doctor Who characters; never overtly say that you're about to start traveling with the Doctor right before doing something immensely dangerous.) Ncuti delivered the impact on the Doctor well, but it really didn't hit very hard. Show don't tell is a rule for a reason.

The thematic elements were a little confused. It seemed to be going for an AI critique before zagging abruptly into commentary on incel culture and toxic controlling behavior. Both of these are real and present issues in the world which deserve coverage, and they certainly do overlap in some notable ways, but the end result was a lack of meaningful commentary on either. Did the AI generator even generate anything? Certainly nothing was mentioned about art, or accuracy, or power levels, or any other common critiques of these generative models. The commentary on incels was clearer, but not exactly deep, and seemed wholly disconnected from the AI bit. In the most generous possible interpretation of the episode, one could suggest that RTD intended to have a message about how generative AI is used by a certain type of powerful, controlling man to shape society to their views, and that the type of coercive control* Alan used represents that in microcosm. A more realistic interpretation is that he wanted to do the big twist of the AL generator.

*Separate critique, but please PLEASE RTD, stop using therapyspeak in your dialogue. "Male-Presenting Time Lords" didn't hit, and neither did this. People don't talk like that irl.

The character moments actually did hit for me. I really enjoy Belinda so far, and I'm eager to see more of her. I was so happy that she called the Doctor out on his charismatic manipulative bs and total lack of regard for boundaries right to his face. Sethu and Gatwa knocked my socks off with that scene, and credit where it's due to RTD for writing it. I appreciate that there's a more contentious dynamic between these two, and I hope that continues throughout the series.

Stylistically, I thought this was a gorgeous episode; I adored the retrofuturistic aesthetic of it all, and the lighting was gorgeous. I did think that the music was perhaps a little over the top in parts, but nothing that majorly damaged my enjoyment of the episode.

The rest:

It's a little insane to me that the Doctor knocked out the power of an entire hospital. They need that power, Doctor. It does really emphasize a theme I'm really picking up on with this incarnation, namely that he's kind of a stalker; he did it to Ruby, too! I do love it, it's a very interesting character flaw, and it's reminiscent of 11's relationship with Amy and Clara as puzzles to be solved. Again, very glad Belinda read him for filth on that.

It's a little f**ked up that they killed the cat. I don't want to make a big deal of it or anything, because they also very much killed a lot of human people in this one, but it's a little f**ked.

Also kind of nuts that they turned the villain into a sperm and an egg. And vacuumed him up. And the Doctor did a little happy dance high kick about it. I'm not entirely mad at it, but also, what??? Surely that's the first time the word 'sperm' has been used in TV Doctor Who, yes? I'm not going to dig through Chakoteya or anything, but I'm still quite confident.

I really loved that they did get sent to psychedelic time hell in this one. Very Pertwee/early Tom Baker aesthetics. I dig it.

Overall, this wasn't a great episode in story terms, but I did enjoy watching it. I probably wouldn't watch it again anytime soon, except for the psychedelic time hell bit which I actually want to see on a loop. 5.75/10

It's the one with the furries that either kill you or assimilate you. It's as though it were made for me. Seriously though, this was a great one, worthy of being the finale of the original series; it's a well-constructed mediation on violence and survival and what that turns people into, on what 'home' means, on the strength that pacifism requires. It's also about Lisa Bowerman as Ace's furry girlfriend, the absolute cherry on top of this magnificent finale.

A fantastic story, delightfully dark and emotional. There's so much here that sticks with me; the chess puzzle, the Doctor's betrayal of Ace, vampires being repelled by Communism -- it's a really intricate, well-crafted story. If you don't like a darker, more manipulative Doctor, you won't care for this one, but if you do? It's great.

Also the subtle moment about the Doctor's absolute faith in his friends and companions makes me go a little crazy. Love that for him.

I loved it. I had no idea what was happening, but I had a great time with it. The guest cast were all phenomenal, and the visuals were a perpetual delight. Nimrod is an icon, Control is an icon, Redvers Fenn-Cooper is an icon. Josiah is less of an icon because of his adherence to being a Victorian gentlemen, but I can appreciate keeping the husks of your former selves in the basement as the slay that it is. Light, unfortunately, cannot be an icon due to lack of screentime and also trying to eradicate all life on Earth, but I do respect his drip. Seven and Ace were slightly outshone here, sadly, but they had some great moments as well (Ace in a suit!!!!) Go into this with an open mind and no expectations that you can actually follow the plot, and you'll have a great time.

This one's always a delight; the Doctor is Merlin, the Brigadier returns, and Ace becomes the King of Britain. There are some seriously great moments throughout, from the chalk circle standoff to the Brigadier battling the Destroyer to the Doctor's scenery-chewing rant against nuclear warfare to Morgaine. And of course, Bambera x Ancelyn, a ship which perpetually delights me. I do love a battle couple.

It would be nice to have a future episode explore the Doctor being Merlin; that they haven't yet is quite a shaaaame.

Pretty good, but it could've done better as a three-parter; there's a lot of padding here, and as has often been remarked, the part one cliffhanger is the weakest in Doctor Who. All the same, I do like it as a metaphor for Doctor Who itself, though Captain Cook is a particularly unpleasant foil to the Doctor.

I went into this one expecting to be disappointed, but it was better than I'd anticipated. Not good, mind you, but an enjoyable enough watch. I really think this one suffers from having too much happening at once; Lady Peinforte, the Nazis, the Cybermen, at least one of them needed to go (preferably not Peinforte, though). The whole thing felt pretty bizarre, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it really could have done with a few more rounds of editing. Mind you, I did quite enjoy Seven and Ace here, and Peinforte's gambit at the end was interesting indeed. Overall, I think that this story is just overshadowed as the 25th anniversary story when compared to Rememberance. On its own, it's pretty fun, though I'm not in a hurry to rewatch it anytime soon.

A fairly middling episode; some interesting aspects, but ultimately let down by poor design choices and a meandering script (e.g., Belazs and Kracauer are killed off only to be replaced with a different pair of soldiers, and that little girl is just wandering around for no meaningful reason). Still, we at least got Ace out of the bargain, complete with her can of deodorant that registers on the Richter scale!

A short and sweet story about the dangers of nostalgia; efficiently crafted and quite potent.

If I think about this one too much I go a little crazy. like. Katarina's so brave you guys.