In the opening 20 or so minutes, I had this marked as my second favourite of the series so far by a long shot. The tone was darker, heavier, and a little more bleak. Suitable for the story it was telling! We get actual stakes related to 13's gender, and every companion gets a lot to do!

By the half hour mark I was still really invested, though my focus was dwindling a little. Something about the alien menace, as great looking as it was, wasn't fully clicking with me.

And then unfortunately the reveal and the last 10 minutes happen. And the resolution is just sooooo rushed, and it's literally just The Doctor turning a thing back on again, which I'll be honest was a huge letdown after all that had been set up and happened!

In the end though, I still think this is a very solid story dealing with the evils of humanity's past, and misogyny.

Oh and don't worry, I didn't forget to mention the main man himself. Needless to say, Alan Cumming is the absolute best here! Hammy and entertaining at all times, but with a little bit of nuance and sinistry behind the camp. Wonderful stuff!

So I'll say this: the infamous line - in isolation of the speech isn't as bad as people say (it's still bad). Unfortunately, the speech frames not the rich executives who are replacing workers as the people who exploit the system, but instead people who go against the systems in extreme ways as those who are the exploiters. Meanwhile both the asshole manager and the head of HR happen to just be good people who want the best for their workers :) The speech as a whole, plus the scenes surrounding it in the climax, are the problem.

And it's a shame that this ending, even ignoring the specific line, is so politically gross and weird because the rest of the episode is fun! I like the setting, I like the idea of Robots of Death meets (what initially appears to be) criticism of Amazon and commentary of automation removing jobs. The guest performances are great - I love Kira, and I always adore Lee Mack. Even every companion gets something to do and some fun, plus Jode continues to be amazing! This should have been a solid 3-3.5!

But the ending is just really weird and undoes any good will. It goes against what we know of as The Doctor as a character, especially immediately following 12, and the fact that nobody questions it is ridiculous.

Also like.... Is this really how the villain is gonna draw attention to his cause 😭 It just makes him look irredeemable and like his cause isn't a good thing to root for. Tbh the villain should have been the warehouse boss and things would have worked MUCH better.

This feels like a less extreme version of Interstellar Song Contest, a story which I did initially give a higher rating to but I know on rewatch I'll cut down with a hatchet the same way I did here because of the political messaging being muddied and directly harming characters. But at least with it, I feel like there was somewhat of an attempt to not side 100% with the corporation. Here it really does feel like Amazon apologia.

Shame. Well, I hope 13 enjoyed being at Bezos' wedding.

Out of all episodes in this rewatch, this was the one I was most nervous to reach. It's the most beloved of the era - especially on the forums - and while I remembered enjoying it on initial watch, that was years ago and my memory isn't great. So I was feared that this would not live up to the hype.

My fears were for nothing.

This is, for my money, perhaps the best historical I've seen in the show, or certainly a contender. Maturely telling a story about a part of history that I wasn't aware of, with depth to it and never talking down to the viewers. And adding the personal touch by not only having a very small cast, but also by honing in on Yaz's family. Every character here feels real - especially the very human and very tragic radicalised villain. And being a story about love, and how the Partition split families and peoples apart, it was core that the main couple would need to brilliantly performed. Thankfully, they both are - with very subtle and nuanced performances matching the tone of the story. The aliens do not distract, like the space racist did in Rosa, but instead enhance the episode by adding to the themes and showing more love while all being a subversion of our expectations. And they only have a light touch in the events of the episode, which helps a tonne. This isn't their story. But remove them, and the episode loses a thematic core to its heart.

Visually, this might be the best Doctor Who has ever looked. With gorgeous lighting and direction, the episode was stunning. My favourite shot - one I literally went "wow" at - was when Manish walked through the barn to disavow the marriage, and the shows moved over his face - focusing first on his mouth to show ambiguity about what he'd say, to his cold eyes full of nothing but hatred. Stunning storytelling & characterisation through camera work and lighting alone.

This is also Segun Akinola's best work on the series thus far, with the music always complimenting the scene and beautifully flowing with the vibe of the episode.

Script wise, this is the best yet of series 11 too. Fantastically paced, with enough action moments at the right places, but knowing when to breathe and slow down. Never too slow or too contemplative like the episodes beforehand. And with very few lines of dialogue I didn't care for. Maybe only one scene where I thought it was too "tell and not show" - an issue I've raised in these reviews. For the most part, the episode spoke for itself and it did so beautifully.

What about our main performers though? Bradley Walsh continues to be a gem, who I severely underrated in my memories of Graham. What a great dramatic actor, playing the scene where he comforts Yaz beautifully. And where he reassures Prem even moreso. He just makes Graham feel like such a lovely, vulnerable person; and one much wiser due to age and life experiences than other companions before or after. Mandip Gill finally comes into her own here, with a script that gives Yaz much to do for once, and a lot to chew on emotionally. And I think she succeeds in showing us the conflict Yaz goes through, learning all this about her family history. And watching her gain confidence and trust for Prem after initially doubting him, and the knowing tragedy of his fate was beautiful. She played that progression totally naturally. And as always, Jodie Whittaker shines. She does still very funny, awkward jokes (the gender one was 10/10), but I always feel when she plays the role subdued it's her best work and we see that again here. The way she wants to help. The way she wants to change things. But knows that she can't. So instead, she shows empathy and love, and is there for everyone. It's a beautiful performance played with a lot of nuance and care.

Unfortunately, I'm really not sold by Tosin Cole as Ryan here though. Ryan gets little to do other than point out the obvious, and even that I feel is played flatly. I do think he's a better actor than a lot of people online give him credit for, but this episode really doesn't prove me right there. Just a very nothing performance sadly.

Oh, and unrelated to all the above: that final scene was beautiful and made me tear up. Goddamn, this show is so good man.

In the end though, this is a beautiful episode of both Doctor Who, and of television as a whole. Not a perfect one, but I loved it so much. The first true winner without any caveats for me of this era. Here's to more.

Wanted to give this 3 star cause it's better than I remembered, and I genuinely unironically do like the pting as a concept. I find the side cast mostly decent, Yaz gets something to do for once, and Jodie continues to be incredible as 13, putting in a very strong performance here. Especially in the scene where she talks about the drive.

But it's still a pretty boring base under siege, especially considering how cool the Pting is in theory as an unkillable untouchable threat that doesn't even have any malice.

The real reason this isn't a 3 star isn't even that though. It's the weirdly pro-life instead of pro-choice messaging it has??? Why the Hell do Graham and Ryan peer pressure a dude to give birth and keep the baby when he really doesn't want to???? Baffling stuff.

Inaccessible, overly long, boring and with nothing happening. I'd give it a 2.5* because at least performances are good and there are snippets of good ideas, but unfortunately it loses half a star because Garundel is genuinely the most annoying character Big Finish have ever created

It's extremely rare that I've come out of a Doccy Who story thinking "what was even the point?"

And yet.

And yet.

When this set was announced, I recall being excited. The idea of the Time War being started early by 4, who'd regenerate into a more ruthless incarnation, sounded interesting and like it'd have a lot to explore.

Then I read reviews and thanked the lord I didn't buy this at the time.

Unfortunately, for NarvinQuest TM, I've had to listen to this. And I am genuinely baffled at the direction of this set.

Let's take the above premise. Now let's sit in on the pitch meeting for the first set of said premise. I imagine it went something like this:

"Hey Big Briggsy, what if we open our first set of our new exciting alternate universe Doctor who's more ruthless and started the time war early by not focusing on him at all, and instead on the 6th Doctor being erased by the timeline changes?"

"Wow that sounds great!"

"And for our second story, The Warrior - as he now calls himself - not knowing where he is, why he is or what's going on. With The Master telling him stuff and him denying it!"

"Oh so you mean our new interesting incarnation will have zero agency until the end of the story?"

"Yeah! And when he does have agency he does a bunch of nonsense that makes no sense!"

"Damn. You're a genius! Have a raise! We're gonna sell a gazillion copies!!!"

And that's what gets me most. I can forgive the lack of agency The Warrior has [lie], I can forgive the lack of focus both the previous story and especially this one have [lie], I can forgive the waste of Narvin (despite some good ideas with The Daleks conquering Gallifrey and being his boss, that ruled) [lie], but what I can't forgive is that absolutely nothing happens other than a couple cool ideas that come to nothing for the first 60 minutes of a 70 minute story, before tying up in a way that is incomprehensible and annoying.

This is boring art. This is frustrating art. This is a good concept completely and utterly wasted. Why should I even care about what's going on?

Urgh. I still have one more story left. What a waste of time.

P.S. Both Colin Baker and ESPECIALLY Geoffrey Beevers are great despite the material. Just not enough to elevate how much this both simultaneously bored and annoyed me.

I was almost tempted to completely and utterly skip this one, due to my extreme arachnophobia. But I decided to power through it and watch. Admittedly, I had to look away and go on my phone/laptop during any scene with the spiders (as soon as I saw the first one, I knew I couldn't cope and watch normally) but I powered through the full episode!

Positives first: Graham's B-plot is genuinely powerful stuff and a great examination of processing grief. With an outstanding performance from Bradley Walsh, who's able to prove he's more than just comic relief as an actor. Yaz's family life is genuinely fun to see and all of her family feel fleshed out in their interactions with her, despite how little we get to see. And Jodie! She continues to just do a great job, especially with her dismissive and bored look at Robinson when he brags.

Unfortunately. The rest of the episode is. This. Even when the spiders aren't on screen, it's just boring (outside of the family life stuff and everything with Graham). And Jack Robinson is not only played completely flat and boringly, but he's not at all an interesting satire on Trump, and is a bit too on the nose without any of the joy or entertainment value a satirical character should provide.

Also, I'm sorry (and I know I'm nowhere near the first ever to say this) but it's absolutely criminal that the episode genuinely actually paints the idea of giant spiders suffocating to death slowly and painfully as much more humane than being shot and put out of their misery. And that our good ol' Doc is in favour of the former over the latter.

All I could remember from this one after watching it back in the day is that the spiders were too much for me, and nothing of the plot. And now I can see why. It's not unsalvageable, again the human B-Plot stuff saves it from being completely and utterly horrendous, but it's still really really bland and bad with a muddled aesop that feels distinctly out of character.

Admittedly I am saying this as a white person, but I'm one of the Rosa likers! Robinson puts in an amazing, nuanced performance as Rosa Parks, and actually so do all of our TARDIS Team too! Whittaker plays a much more subdued 13 than in the previous two stories and it works super duper well, showing off her range and adding depth to the character.

I also enjoy seeing everyone get more to do! And I appreciate the story explicitly drawing attention to the companions' race, and that playing into the setting.

The story isn't perfect though. It really is yet another example of tell not show dialogue that has annoyed me with the series so far, and feels very very surface level education of this moment in the civil rights movement. It's good that they're educating kids all this, but I think a gentler touch that's a bit less like a lecture would have helped. And Krasko is one of the worst villains the show has ever had. He's such a nothing character other than being comical racist, and not even his performance adds any depth as it's incredibly flat. Honestly, this should have been a pure historical.

Still, the episode has good intentions and as far as I can tell it executes them decently well. Plus it's entertaining enough to watch on top.

Next up: arachnophobia!

In the first 10 or so minutes of this on this rewatch, I was wondering why this was rated so low. It looks gorgeous, Whittaker is really on form already, and the Graham/Ryan stuff is great!

But then past that the episode kept going.... Felt like not much was happening, but not even in an introspective way. Just very boring. The side characters are also like... really annoying? Oh, and the Ryan Vs Robots scene is just cringe as hell

I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as the average rating says. 13 and the fam are great, as are the performances and the visuals. And that all carries it despite the boringness and annoying side cast.

So I'll give this a 3, but it's very very barely one.

What a strong debut! Beautifully shot and directed, with very slow and thoughtful pacing. Beautiful tonal shift from what we had in the Moffat era.

While Whittaker is still finding her footing and feels a little generic NuWho Doctory, her performance still shines with lots of great moments.

Each of the companions get something to do, which is lovely! Though they're all pretty underwritten, except for Grace.

My main issue though with all of this, is that there's a lot of tell and not show. And this makes some of the dialogue incredibly clunky.

But overall it's a very fun, entertaining Doctor and era opener!

I'm still giving this a 3.5*, as I have done for the rest of the series so far, but holy hell am I conflicted. Everything about Apex here is red flags, and as flawed a person as Cleo is I find it hard to believe that she'd suddenly go from calling Apex a trafficker to falling for him, especially as her best friends are warning her. I know they've fallen out somewhat but this just makes Cleo pretty unlikeable to me. It's a shame cause I do think Craggs is a great actress in the role and I love having a trans main character where transness is key to her story. But it's just hard for me to understand, relate or like her when she's choosing a man she literally didn't trust 5 minutes ago over her besties, just cause he showed her space. (Even if that's 100% the point, and she's definitely intended to be flawed)

But on the other hand, the idea of an interdimensional brokers to avoid real estate prices is awesome, and I am really really invested in the Shawna and Abby storyline.

In the end, the 3* that comes from my issues with Apex and Cleo, and the 4* that comes from my love of the Shawna and Abby storyline average out to a 3.5*.

In my heart this is a 4 star because it's actively fun to watch, but in execution it's an absolute mess of multiple ideas that don't really coalesce into anything particularly coherent. Plus the performances aren't amazing. But it's such a fun time I can't resist giving it at least a 3.5*! Even though I do wish it was better and felt less like two completely disparate ideas glued together

The date is the 27th of April. My bestie and I are talking about how fun Doctor Who is at the cinema and they wanted to watch it. We pray that it will get announced.

The date is the 29th of April. It gets announced. I joke that if I lived closer we'd watch together. A few hours later I pitch to them maybe me travelling the 4.5 hours to do it anyway. I am now going cross country to see my mate, and to watch the finale of a series I quite enjoyed.

By end of the week everything's booked, I'm £160 out of pocket, and it is scheduled.

The date is the 24th of May. I wake up at 7:30am. I get ready for my morning. I go for a jog at 8am. I eat a Baynes breakfast roll while I watch Wish World at 9am. I enjoy the episode somewhat but have tonnes of issues with The Rani's characterisation and the amount of set up. I am tentatively excited for Omega.

The date is the 30th of May. I decide to relisten to Omega at the gym in prep. I like it but find it messy and overly long.

The date is the 31st of May. On the train, I watch The Three Doctors (Tales of the TARDIS) in prep. I love it. Omega is such a dominating presence and continues to be one of my favourite villains ever. I then read some Heavenly Tyrant and reach some great twists and reveals before getting off the train to meet my friend.

They walk me to my hotel where I accidentally get two keycards cause they walked in with me. They are not staying with me. Amusing.

We then walk down the canal and go to various manga shops. I buy Show-Ha Shoten volume 1, Frieren volume 6, and One Piece volumes 46-49 in an omnibus as they have a three for two deal. The teller is lovely and gives my friend loyalty card points from my purchase.

We went to a Japanese restaurant literally next door afterwards. My friend orders the best looking Udon I've ever seen. I get takoyaki and ramen. Both are great. They have an Utada Hikaru playlist going. I'm in such a good mood.

We then go to Waterstones and window shop before heading to the cinema.

I enjoy Wish World more this time and then go for a pee. Turns out the intermission this time is only about 5 mins and barely make it back in time.

I watch the worst episode RTD has ever written and leave annoyed. My friend has fun but doesn't really love it either. They are very patient with my complaining.

We went to an arcade bar after and played Switch for 2 hours while having cocktails during happy hour. I win at Smash and we draw at Mario Kart. Neither of us know how to play Mario Super Strikers.

I go back to the hotel and say good night. Tomorrow we will go wander around town again before my train at 2pm.

Day out: 7/7

This episode?: 2/7

This one is a hard one to rate and review. It's very much a first part, but I don't think it really takes advantage of the format. It adds more mysteries on top of more mysteries, without really answering too many questions until the end. And the answers at the end just set up more questions, leading to me fearing that The Reality War will be overstuffed.

Something that annoys me is that The Doctor has little to no agency. He doesn't solve what's going on or work it out by himself at all; he gets it explained to him just as he was on the cusp of things. He was so close to cracking it! And then just didn't get to at all.

After being set up amazingly in TRR and being fun for the rest of the year, Belinda has felt somewhat wasted and I'm sad to say that she really felt it here today. She didn't get much to do other than just help contribute to the doubt mystery and uh.... Get captured and uh... That's it! Ruby got more to do and it's frustrating honestly.

And final thing to be negative about: The Rani here felt to me very Mastery. Campy, loving doing her schemes, flirting with 15.... It just felt off. There were glimmers (I love that she says she isn't an enemy due to death, this rules and feels like her) but so many times it feels less like she's a scientist with no ethics, and more just like a NuWho Master wanting to conquer and destroy with only a few good moments. Pity.

Enough negativity though! I did love a lot of things!

The dystopian setting was done and paced beautifully. The world here felt well realised and fleshed out, and the mystery box was super fun to watch unravel.

I really liked Ruby's moments (even if the camp was too similar to Curse of Clyde Langer....) and the performances were all great (Panjabi is fantastic even if I think she's barely The Rani), and I love the idea of Conrad not even acknowledging or noticing the oppressed so they can rebel without issue.

Also wow this was gorgeous !!!

I liked this episode and had a fun time watching it, just unfortunately there's more negatives to talk about than positives sadly.

I liked this a lot! But I didn't love it by any means, I'm sad to say. I'd place it above Lucky Day and Robot Revolution in my rankings, but below Lux.

I was cautiously optimistic going into this. Eurovision has become fairly famously propaganda for a certain.... country that helps sponsor it. Banning flags, banning "political messaging" (but always happens to be messaging in a specific direction... curious, eh?), refusing to ban said country despite banning Russia, etc. And thus, despite having complete confidence in Juno Dawson, I feared that the BBC, Disney, and higher ups on the show would make this propaganda.

I am pleased to say that this did an attempt at being critical of Eurovision, and succeeded in many ways but failed in others. The Hellians are very obviously a stand-in for Palestinians, and the Corporation for Israel. Initially I thought this was just going pure anti-capitalism because of, well we'll get to that, but once the ball dropped for me I was so happy. And that ending with Cora! Beautiful stuff! I do hope though this isn't seen as "wow now all prejudice is fixed!" and more just as "people are reminded that these demonised victims of a conflict they did not cause are people too with their own cultures and lives, and deserve love and respect.

Now unfortunately, as I alluded to, I think it failed too. I think by having the villains be Hellian terrorists who want revenge, there's an angle of almost "both siding" this, especially as they don't just revenge solely on the Corporation, but on everyone at large. Is that really fair? Does that not give a lot of the right and the lobby that this episode is trying to criticise some ground to stand on? You can't give it to them, if you concede on even small points, you are opening the gateway for them to push more and more and deny your arguments entirely. I won't say this ruined the episode for me - again, it was more critical of Eurovision happily accepting said sponsor and banishing Palestine entirely than I was expecting - but it did leave a somewhat sour taste in my mouth.

Enough about the politics for now though (WOW DOCTOR WHO MORE LIKE DOCTOR WOKE AM I RIGHT FELLAS????), let's talk about the episode itself.

I had heard going in it was Die Hard meets Eurovision and I am SO glad it was more Die Hard than Eurovision. The plot was fairly light despite a lot going on, but it was fun! Maybe a tad too camp for my liking at points, but still fun! I love the idea of 15 and Belinda getting separated, though I don't think Bel got enough to do (other than continue to be a very good beating heart as all companions should be). I just wish she got some action or got to use her nurse skillset in some way.

Fab performances from the main cast as always, and I'm so glad that darker 15 has been pushed more and more to the forefront! I always love seeing companions scared of The Doctor's rage.

Side performances were fine this time. After the delight that was The Barber and the absolutely realness that was Aliss; the side cast were kinda just... There. Also how convenient is it that The Doctor ran into a nurse and a hologram engineer when he needed to? I wish these skillsets - especially Gary's engineering - were established beforehand because it felt almost like a copout to me.

Overall, the story itself was fine for me. I had a good enough time to give a 4 star, but nothing elevated it for me.

Oh wait. I forgot to talk about the reveals.

I jumped out of my chair when I saw Susan. I famously on the forums am super critical of her not appearing in season 40, so having her appear her - still portrayed by 84 year old Carol Ann Ford, who looks gorgeous for her age btw - made me SO excited and happy! Russell. Do not let the side down. We need her to have a sweet moment with 15. And preferably keep it vague so it doesn't retcon her adventures in the 8DAs <3

The Rani reveal was fine. I think the performances are fun, but I hate bigeneration! Why can't it be gone!! And why did Anita Dobson's Rani suddenly do a 180 personality wise and become subservient? It felt weird. The new Rani has amazing screen presence though and I'm hyped to see what Panjabi can do in the role. Also the reveal felt so weird in that it was just? Very casual? It left me with little impact. Though by having it here I'm hoping it means the two part finale will get plenty of room to breathe.

The everyone is The Rani meme is dead. Long live the everyone is The Rani meme.

4* - a very fun time that I have quite a few issues with, but the strengths of it carry me through those issues

I wanna give this a 4.5 but there's just enough detractors. But before that: this is one of the funniest stories ever, with amazing dialogue from Adams, fantastic wit, a very fun villain performance from The Captain, and great nuanced performances from both Tamm and Baker. And the premise!!! It's such a cool sci-fi concept executed decently.

But the Mentiads are just sooooo boring. And the Queen Xanxia twist comes kinda out of nowhere and hijacks the entire story, making the final part a bit of a letdown and a drag. More than enough for me to dock half a star.

Oh and on a neutral note: the bad special effects this time made me laugh hard, but I can't really be too critical of ambition

I can never trust Brax ever again.

In one ear. Out of the other. Though I am happy to hear Narvin being Narvin :) The ending has some good 8 stuff too

I love Macqueen!Master and I love Molly but I just genuinely could not care less about the Eminence

I absolutely adore stories about stories, and stories about creation. Look Back, Akane-Banashi, Blue Period, Eizouken are all favourites of mine. Uh whoops, all of these are all anime/manga, but like, you get the gist right? Art about art gets me to my soul.

Now combine that with a story structure, setting and voice we have never had before. Inua Ellems' voice shown throughout this. This didn't feel like anything we've had before in Doctor Who (other than the resolution, slightly. Which we'll get to shortly). The dialogue flowed in a way that felt wholly unique. The concept was fresh. The conflict itself even! This is why I've been begging for new voices since the start of the era! And while it's great when we get episodes like Rogue, which are done by new writers but feel like standard Who fair with new penmanship, this is a whole other level. This was brand new!

It looked gorgeous too. I love mixed media and the mixed media storytelling on the windows was beautiful. The direction? Fantastic. And oooh it was a bottle episode <3 Love those!

Performances were incredible. Abby and The Barber both felt liked nuanced characters not just due to their dialogue, but primarily due to their performances. There were layers to each and honestly, both of them are some of the best guest stars we've ever had (other than Ayling-Ellis in The Well, who I still think is maybe the best side character performance ever). Fab stuff.

And 15! I feel like I'm learning more and more of who he actually is this series, and Ncuti Gatwa plays a quiet wrathful Doctor who is also open to give second chances to those who deserve it, and to those who aren't necessarily evil so well. While I've had issues in the past with how undefined this Doctor has felt to me, Gatwa himself has never once let me down with his performance, and this week he elevated it to a whole new standard. He's such a stellar actor, and I really hope we get him for a few more years, rumours and fears be damned!

Resolution wise, while yes "I am The Doctor and I am old and cool!" is a very NuWho standard resolution at this point, here it felt like it was better set up and earned after Ol' Doccy Who got access to the engine. "I'm born. I die. I'm born." Beautiful stuff. I genuinely thought this landed because it was old hat done in a way that felt new and unique.

Oh and yes, I did lose my mind at the Jo Martin cameo. I gamer leaned and physically gasped. Amazing having you here, Fugitive darling <3

Fantastic episode and on immediate gut feeling, my favourite of the series so far.

We're so back.

It is no secret to those who know me that Robert Shearman is my favourite Doctor Who writer of all time. Chimes of Midnight is probably my favourite Doctor Who story of any medium. Deadline is probably my favourite Big Finish script. Even Scherzo and Dalek (TV), my two lowest rated Shearman stories, I gave 4.5 stars to; with Dalek (TV) being one that I could arguably bump up to 5 stars. I feel like Shearman understands the show in ways few others do, and he is incredibly skilled as a storyteller, especially in his use of tone.

So of course, I was excited for the Target novelisation. And when I first read it a few years ago, I enjoyed it but didn't love it.

For its 20th anniversary, I rewatched Dalek (TV) and loved it, giving it aforementioned 4.5 stars. My only criticisms being that Adam Mitchell isn't a good character and wastes time and space; and that I wish Rose felt more guilt for her actions leading to the deaths of so many. After watching this episode and adoring it, I decided I'd give the novel another shake to see if I'd enjoy it more this time around, especially with the episode it's adapting still in my mind.

This is my least favourite Shearman by a large margin, and it frustrates me to no end that it is because so many of his best qualities shine throughout.

Let me start with the positives: this is an incredible read. As prose, it's easily a 4-4.5 star. The way that Shearman writes is beautiful, compelling and accessible. The story flows from one word to the next with ease, and I felt it was definitely a bit of a page turner. I also feel like that there two significant changes both work: Goddard becoming an FBI agent gives her so much more depth, and it makes her betrayal of Van Statten feel more fleshed out and real; and the Van Statten's fate not only adds a karmic justice, but also makes the titular Dalek feel more calculating, and cruel. To cause this fate not through physical violence or death, but purely psychologically hurting Van Statten. It's very Whittaker in the Dalek portrayal, and very Shearman in the psychological sense.

I will be talking more about the backstories in a moment, but there are two that stand out: the first and the last. The first is just a very good short story with great prose and character insights. The latter.... It's just spectacular, and the insight it gives into the Dalek's past is just absolutely stellar.

But here we get to the crux of the issue I have with this adaptation: there are only 2 significant changes to the narrative itself, and there are multiple new backstories with only one that truly gives me new insight into the story, with the other one I praised being great in and of itself, but in the context of Dalek the story? Why do I care? It didn't make me feel for the torturer more, nor did it make me feel for his death. I just thought it was a nice, unrelated short story that Shearman had glued into his Dalek novelisation.

For me, these backstories are just distracting. They interrupt the flow of the narrative and no matter how well written they are, it just makes the story feel bloated as they don't really make me feel more invested in the characters they're about, with exception of the final backstory character, and to an extent Goddard.

I also feel like because the rest of the book is a fairly straight adaptation and so much time is spent on these side characters, 9 and Rose almost feel sidelined in their own story... And it really does harm it for me. There are a few great small moments where added depth is given to both, but the breakneck pace at which the normal adaptation happens while the backstories get fleshed out and more time to breathe makes it feel like Shearman almost wasn't too interested in actually doing Dalek. It genuinely feels almost bizarre having the main characters rush along while side ones get so much focus.

And that's the other issue: the pacing. The start and end (especially the end) feel rushed, and scenes from the TV episode really are just in here almost verbatim with only minor changes for the most part, and we move on from them super quickly. But again, the backstories get very long, very dedicated sections. And it just emphasises the problem of them being distracting from the narrative.

2.5 may feel harsh when I loved the writing so much, but it's what I feel in my heart. Because while I think this is an amazing book, I don't think it's a good adaptation. I wish it fleshed out the actual scenes of the episode, instead of brushing past them. I wish it tied the backstories more into the narrative. I wish the backstories weren't given almost entirely to characters who die and we don't care about.

It's just a frustrating book because I know Shearman can do better! He has before, multiple times! He hopefully will come October with his next adaptations! Hell, he has in this very own book at points. But in my heart of hearts, I feel this is just a let down. Maybe it could one day be a 3 for me, but with how much it annoys me in the way it's done, I doubt it.

What a shame.

The phrase "this is your Lucky Day" was said multiple times so this story is a 5/5 and McTighe is certifiably not the hack I feared he would be going into this.

Seriously though, this is a great episode. A great episode that I can't appreciate as much as I'd like to because of one thing: "Ruby gets a new boyfriend and he's secretly evil" is the most obvious twist of all time. It's no exaggeration to say that I rolled my eyes and groaned at the reveal. I didn't even see the leaks and I still went into the episode expecting this, so having it happen is a huge letdown and annoyance - especially when up until that point the episode had successfully set him up as a naïve toxically masculine buffoon who was maybe just a little too interested in The Doctor despite how small an impact 15 had on him as a kid. I thought that this was a more interesting interpretation of the character than just him being a flat baddie, so I was frustrated as hell. But I acknowledge entirely that this is an issue of my own creation; caused by my expectations alone.

I think the fact that I got so annoyed at the above though goes to show that the execution was really good. I was truly convinced by the first half of what was going on that when it happened I elicited a response, even if not necessarily the one McTighe wanted. And that's good! That's a great twist!! That's a great reveal!!! Even if it's one I didn't want to happen!!!

Okay. Fine. Let's move on and talk about everything else with the episode.

What did we do to deserve Millie Gibbo? She's such an incredible talent, as we learnt last year, and she further shows that here. While I did find her character flat in spite of her amazing performance in season 40, here we get a lot of depth and we get to examine something NuWho's done a few times: what happens to a companion after The Doctor leaves? What is their mental state? And I love love love what we get here. Yes, The Doctor improved Ruby's life significantly. But he also ruined it. She's got PTSD. She's paranoid. And she feels alone. Yes, she has 100 mums (great gag from Shirley btw), yes she has a great support network, but she feels alone with him. And like she's unable to have a normal life and process what's happening. It's a natural extension of 73 Yards and it's fab! It's fantastic character writing and development for her, played beautifully by Gibson.

This is Kate's best episode on TV by far. She has a lot of depth and so many layers to her, and Redgrave puts in her best performance in the role yet. I loved her in Legend of Ruby Sunday and everything I loved there is on display here in spades. She is cold. She is angry. And she is willing to go to any lengths to defend her duty, and her father's legacy. And what she's doing might not be morally correct, but have UNIT ever been truly the good guys? They have an important role in the universe, and they're fundamentally more good than bad, but they are still a military complex! They still have wrongdoings! And she plays that moral ambiguity and greyness perfectly. And I love that the script does go into this and explores that! I feel like sometimes Doctor Who forgets that UNIT aren't just 100% good guys.

I also love that this episode criticises the manosphere, and in such a real feeling way. Conrad was a truly believable villain, and I think it's fundamentally important he didn't learn his lesson. He didn't get a redemption. Sometimes people are just bad people. And brilliantly performed too! He felt so real.

But of course the stand out of the episode was the scene with 15. I've always wanted more angry 15 because the few glimpses we get have been amazing, and here it was: unsubtle and unafraid to call out toxic people. And fantastically performed by Gatwa. The sheer rage he felt towards Conrad was palpable. And the way it was shot! I loved the darker colours of the TARDIS to reflect the mood.

I came out of this episode immediately thinking it was the weakest of the series so far. But considering how much positive I have to say.... I think maybe it was actually kinda great, and I'm just mad that the premise was so predictable - even if the execution was brilliant and took it in a direction I never expected.

Fine. I'll give it to you. It's your Lucky Day, McTighe.

"Would you still love me, if I were a worm?" - Albert Einstein, 1932

What is there to say about The Daleks Chase Walter the Worm? Some art speaks for itself. And yet despite this, it is only human nature to dissect and analyse art under a microscope. To break it down both into its component parts and its artistic merits. It's never enough for The Daleks to only just Chase Walter the Worm. We must understand why. We must understand how.

Before I delve into this further, what I appreciate here is the ambiguity of the piece. We know that The Daleks are bad guys, this has been established over the past 62 years of this show, and we know that Walter the Worm is a worm. And we know that the Daleks are Chasing him. But why? Why would all powerful, all hating creatures such as the Daleks go after one measly worm? What did he do to them? Did he do something to upset them? Also there are multiple Daleks after one worm. We know that only one alone is enough to destroy a world. So what did he do? How powerful is this worm to be a threat to more than one Dalek? Did he ally himself with The Doctor? Let's table this for now. I have a theory.

How evocative is this piece though? In only 10 seconds, it communicates this ambiguity and leaves you wondering these questions. It doesn't just start en media res. It ends that way too. And yet in this vertical slice, we understand that The Daleks are mad. They are yelling Exterminate. We understand that they are chasing Walter the Worm. We understand that he is a worm.

What's interesting though is that they are only chasing him. Despite yelling Exterminate, they are not shooting at him. Maybe Walter needs to be captured? Perhaps the Daleks are chasing not only He, but somebody else who is shown off screen?

There are so many ways to interpret this.

It fascinates me that the sun is smiling. It wants this chase. It wants Walter dead. Is it an ally to The Daleks? How did The Daleks get the sun on side? How can humanity survive if even the sun is against us? Frightening existential questions are raised.

I also appreciate that the 10s loop clues us, the viewers, into the fact that this is a time loop. Walter will never be caught. The Daleks will never exterminate him. There's a safety and comfort to that. I also interpret this as being a metaphor for the art of art itself. You can chase your dreams but you should never reach your final goal, if you want to keep your passion. The true passion is in the chase, the process, the improvement. Never stop chasing. Never stop improving. Never catch Walter the Worm.

On a more literal level though my theory is that Walter the Worm is the 17th Doctor, having regenerated from David Tennant.

I'll be thinking of this piece for a long time. There are so many layers to it. Will Walter ever escape? If he dies, will be turn into two worms? Was this foreshadowing for the bigeneration? What is art? Why do we analyse it? Who am I? Who are you? Why are you in my house?

All important questions raised by this pinnacle of the art form. The most important story in Doctor Who history.

This is incredibly fun and incredibly silly and made me laugh a couple times. Love the Megaloss gag especially.Perfect for what it was trying to do!

Watched again for the anniversary.

This one’s incredible and lives up to its reputation for me. Eccleston gives easily his best performance yet. van Staten plays an incredibly hateable Musk like character who gets his commuppence. While I have a couple issues with Rose’s character at the end, Piper brings her A-game too.

The way it reintroduces the Daleks is perfect. Having only Dalek instead of loads for the introduction really establishes them as a threat, which leads to the oh sh*t moment we get in the finale. It also does what I’ve repeatedly said I like most when the Daleks are done well: it makes it a manipulative schemer. It’s not a yelling shouty robot, it’s a living creature trying its best to survive and do its mission. It’s efficient and it knows how to use people like Rose to get what it wants.

The score is one of Gold’s best. It’s purely atmospheric and it hits perfectly.

I love 9’s characterisation here. It’s so much darker, and the first time we truly see him wanting something dead whatever the cost. Which further establishes the threat. And as I already said, Eccleston puts in an all-timer nuanced performance that sells the fear, rage, trauma and guilt perfectly.

Is it Jubilee? No! But I think despite being loosely based on it, and having some of the same core ideas, it’s tackling totally different themes and has the different missions statement of reintroducing Daleks to a new generation. And I think it succeeds on all fronts. It and Jubilee are both great, even if I do prefer the latter for sure.

Unfortunately. Adam exists. He’s annoying, and his actor uh… Doesn’t put in a good performance to put it very gently. And also as some folks alluded to earlier in the thread, Rose doesn’t show any guilt at all about what she caused and almost seems more concerned about the Daleks than she does human lives.

But I love that ending, whatever folks say. The idea of a Dalek scheming to absorb human DNA to recover itself but due to decades of isolation, years of torture, and the existential discovery that it’s the last of its kind when it thought otherwise all that time made it miscalculate and not realise it too would become a little more human. And that isn’t pure. And to not be pure is a fate worse than death for a Dalek.

In the end I have one word to describe this story…

Fantastic!

4.5-4.75 stars