Aliens of London is really very good. It has a strong and gripping plot, plenty of tension and action, a good sprinkling of humour, and some excellent character moments. The dramatic irony leading up the the cliffhanger is so well done, and the way the episode subverts expectations with its handful of twists and turns is really good. The humour in this episode may not be for everyone, but I loved it. The characters feel real and believable, and the dialogue really works to support this. Some of the effects look a little dated, but I felt that most held up really well and that the episode looked very solid.

I felt that Lucky Day started really strong, and managed to maintain this quite well. Around a third in (just before the twist), I felt it was starting to slip, but it recovered really well (due to the twist, which caught me completely off guard). I think that this is the most interesting way they could have done an episode with UNIT, and I enjoyed watching it.

I felt that there was some really nice directing throughout this episode, and I also thought that it all looked great in general. The special effects worked really well, and the music was largely good in my opinion.

One of the main issues, for me, come from some of the mixed political messages of the episode. I think that conspiracy theorists and missinformation are really dangerous, and the episode conveyed this well. However, it did also deliver the message that all authority is here to keep us safe and should not be questioned. Sometimes, this is very true. Other times, not so much. I think that it's interesting to note that the episode's writer, Pete McTighe, also wrote Kerblam!, another episode somewhat infamous for messy politics.

I also felt that the episode was not very subtle at points, and I'm not sure I liked how they did the social media short-form video segments. I also felt that some of Conrad's characterisation was a little inconsistent considering the twist.

On the whole, I enjoyed this and it far surpassed my expectations, but there are a few things holding it back from the top ratings.

The first thing to note is that, despite being released after Project: Lazerus, it is set before. I think they can be experienced in either order, but going in release order is probably better. You loose out on some tension here (as you know who survives), but your experience with the audio will probably be better.

I think that this book starts off strong, if a little confusing due to shifting locations and time periods which, although clearly marked, are similar enough to be easily mixed up. However, I think that it quickly becomes rather generic, something that could be done by any sci-fi novel, and the writing is not strong enough to make up for it. I then felt that the ending was rather rushed and contrived.

I don't really like the book's cover, but, otherwise, I think it's presented nicely. The afterword gives an increadibly interesting, if brief, insight into the behind the scenes of the The Forge arc.

I thought that The Well was a tense and engaging episode, but flawed in several ways. I did feel genuinely tense throughout the majority of the episode and I felt that this was built up well. The peak felt really strong. However, I did feel that this was let down a bit by the somewhat abrupt ending. This is small in comparrison to the entire episode, though.

My larger issue is somewhat spoilerific in nature. I do not think that this should have been a sequel to Midnight. It would have worked best, in my opinion, as a standalone piece with it's own monster. This is because the entity in this episode is different to the one in Midnight. It has its own logic, different from the original. This did take away some of my enjoyment from this episode. 

I also felt that there were some issues with the episode's internal logic. A few of these I do feel are able to be explained, but are poorly communicated in the episode and only became clear when I spoke to other people after watching it. Others, like the entity now being behind the person right at the end, I think are actual issues. I think an episode like this is at its best when it has clear rules with clear consequences, and this episode just falls slightly short to me (and even more short if the fact that the rules don't match with Midnight is considered).

I also felt that some of the dialogue in the TARDIS at the start was... odd, and the changing scene was almost identical to the last episode.

I felt that the episode looked great on the whole. The stunts are impressive (and I loved seeing how they were done in Unleashed), the costumes solid and the sets looked good. There were a few first-person shots which I think were really good. I also really liked the cast. They were all really good in their roles. Unleashed shows how the actors playing the troopers were put through some "military bootcamp" training and I think that this payed off. However, quite a bit of the music from this episode (like the last episode) were re-used from previous series. I don't like this.

I think that Lux might be one of the most creative and interesting televised Doctor Who episodes ever. If you've not watched it and you're reading reviews, please stop reading and just watch it. This subverts so many expectations and is just so much fun, and even the hint of a spoiler could ruin it quite a bit at points.

This episode relies a lot on special effects and, on the whole, I think that they were done really, really well (Mr Ring-a-Ding looked great!), althought there were a few bits I thought were shaky (mostly, the bit when the Doctor and Belinda are in the film but live-action as it looked a bit too much like it was just a greenscreen). I felt that the music was also pretty solid, and I didn't notice anything I disliked with the directing or acting. The plot itself was super interesting and unique, and I feel that this is really where Doctor Who shines: telling creative stories that other shows would really struggle to tell. I had high hopes for this episode, and they were smashed out of the park in this area. I also felt that the characters were a large step-up from the previous episode. I actually felt emotionally invested in them, and I felt sad and happy for them as the story progressed, which I think is quite impressive for 45 minutes. The next bit I'm going to say is a massive spoiler. Please do not read it if you have not yet watched the episode. You will ruin it for yourself. I feel that the real stars, character wise, were the Doctor Who fans from that crazy fourth-wall break bit. I felt that these in particular worked really well because, even though they're new characters, they're really not: they're me, and you, and all of the other Doctor Who fans across the world, and I felt instantly like I knew them, understood them and emphasised with them. Honestly, they're possibly the most represented I've ever felt in a piece of fiction.

While I'm doing spoilers, here's another spoilery thought that I want to share: the scene where the film cans were set on fire hit possibly a bit too close to home for me, considering Doctor Who's history of episode junkings. I do wonder if it was deliberate.

While this episode is mostly fun, it also has stuff to say about racism which I thought was interesting and well-done. I don't really have anything else to say here, but I wanted to slip it into this review somewhere.

Overall, I can't think of anything else like this. I've not given it a perfect 5 starts due to my minor quibbles with the VFX, and also because I don't really like the direction of the ongoing Gods of Chaos arc, and would have rathered this was standalone to that, but that's really me nitpicking more than anything. This is really good.

The Settling is a really interesting pure-historical story. It gives a very nuanced portrayal of Oliver Cromwell. His campaign in Ireland is not an area of history that I know too much about, so I can't comment on the historical accuracy, but it certainly makes for good and interesting drama to listen to.

Simultaneously, this is a character piece for Hex. The whole story is told via flashback which allows for plenty of opportunity to get into his mindset and understand his thoughts on the events of this story. He is deeply affected by the events of this story and this is interesting to explore. Ace's thoughts, as a more experienced TARDIS traveller, adds additional depth to this.

Moreover, I'm a fan of the score and most of the acting (although I did not like the acting for the English soldiers too much). Another small thing I enjoyed where the scenes inside the TARDIS which provided an interesting, if brief, exploration of the interior of the TARDIS.

My reason for giving this story 4.5/5 instead of 5/5 is that there were a few small bits that I felt were a little tonally incongruent, particularly the cliffhangers and some of the dialogue of the English soldiers. Other than that minor nitpick, I think that this is a standout story.

Personally, I found this largely very bland and generic. The plot felt like it could have been interesting, with a somewhat unique core concept, but I don't think it was executed that well, and I did find myself starting to feel a little bored at points. Visually it looks excellent, but I also feel it lacks a little in identity (although the timey-wimey sequences were really good). Moreover, there are also some aspects of this story that I felt really could have done with some more explanation or depth, such as the every-ninth-word-thing, some of the time elements, and Sacha 55. However, I loved the hospital sequence near the start, and my first impressions of Belinda, the new companion, are very positive. Furthermore, the brief bit with Mrs Flood was nicely intriguing, and I also liked the musical score.

The Unqiet Dead is not one of the most memorable series 1 stories, and it's by no means the best, but that doesn't stop it from being pretty good! It remains pretty simple up until the twist, but then I feel it concludes a little too quickly. Moreover, while the visual effects in the last episode still look great today, the same can not be said of some of those in this episode.

Following Rose, The End of the World is once again an excellent story, really showcasing what the show can do with modern effects and a half-decent budget. All of the aliens are so fantastical and wonderful but, more importantly, they all look great! The same goes for the set and CGI. The story itself is good, providing some nice character moments with plenty of action.

Rose is an excellent opening episode. It wastes very little time hooking us on the action, while introducing us to a strong cast of realistic-feeling characters on the side. The Doctor is excellent, as is Rose and the rest of the characters. I was not a Doctor Who fan when this first aired, but I can imagine how it must have felt: yes, this was new and different, but it was also fun and exciting, gritty and realistic. And still Doctor Who. Everything here, from the music to the directing to the sets to the effects, I feel is working to reinforce this: still Doctor Who, just new and modern.