Really enjoyed this one. Captures 9 and Rose really well, with a strong story surrounding “Frankenstein’s Monster”. There’s a lot of heart to it, and it really captures Rose very well, keeping her humane, understanding and ultimately the Doctor’s emotional support.

"At least your special effects are improving."

Certainly solid. Feels like it needed maybe 10-15 minutes longer to really nail down its characters and story without being too rushed, but it's a fun concept.

Some of the writing is a little surface level, things like Ruby coping after leaving the Doctor needs a little more exploration I think. It's nice to have Kate and UNIT involved again, especially Kate as a stronger, even motherly figure without the Doctor here. Adored UNIT being in a little sleepy village, just like the 70s.

The villain is pretty fun, but again fairly surface level aims and motivations. With some fun monster costumes too.

Still with 8 episode a series now, we shouldn't be getting Doctor-Lite episodes.

I like the idea better than the execution. No Doctor and Jo, leaving UNIT and the Master is fun, giving plenty of characterisation to these side characters. Ian and Barbara too, though it’s their inclusion that makes the whole thing a little too ‘fan fictiony’.

The reveal of the story is fine, but makes it so convoluted and messy, with boring villains and far too many characters introduced to then be quickly dispatched. It happens over and over, making it hard to care about a lot of the side characters.

just all a little too messy.

"Please don't turn your back on me." 

A really strong episode. Perhaps the strongest of Gatwa's era thus far. A tense, atmospheric, well paced adventure, that feels pretty tightly packed in its scope. It's a science fiction horror, and that's what it does. The sets are brilliant at creating a sense of claustrophobia and unease, and the main villain is brilliant. A well thought out premise and powers, with interesting uses.

Rose Ayling-Ellis is the total stand out.

“I’m a two dimensional character you can’t expect backstory!”

Really enjoyable episode, the meta commentary worked far better than I expected with a really lovely but mad scene in the middle that worked. The villain is a great idea, and there’s some great moments for the Doctor and Belinda. It still feels quite rushed however, with some awkward dialogue choices and exposition, but certainly a lot better than last week.

"Timey wimey? What, am I six?"

Eh, super rushed opening, and tonally all over the place. I like Varada Sethu a lot but I don't think this is an ideal opener for a new companion, I don't feel like I know too much about Belinda other than she wants to get home?

The robot story was on the nose, a bit cringe at times, but entertaining enough. The robots have a fun design, and while the plotting is a little convoluted, it just about works.

At least we have a companion who seemingly isn't going to be worshipping the Doctor instantly. That final scene in the tardis was well written nicely.

A really strong and enjoyable historical romp. Gatiss manages to capture the atmosphere and horror of the era, but also make it fun and enjoyable to read. Every character is well developed and fleshed out, with plenty of mystery and intrigue for the plot. It really does feel like a story dropped right out of the early Troughton era.

Not terrible but pretty generic overall. Its strength lies in the characterisation of Ben and Polly, actually exploring them beyond their tv counterparts quite nicely. It’s a shame that the story itself is fairly generic, with dull villains and too many side characters to keep track of. The murder mystery is fun, but once it leads into the base under siege I found myself losing interest.

I wasn't huge on this one. The base under seige is pretty generic, and not all that memorable. Though, it does do a good job at giving Valerie some more development and insight, her story is probably the strongest aspect of this.

Didn’t love this one really. I will say that it captures the era well, with the Third Doctor, Liz and the UNIT characters well written, and adds something to their characters quite nicely. It’s just a shame the story around it is a bit of a bloated mess.

sadly the villains are dull, the aliens and the human villains, and the spy/political intrigue side of the plot is confusing and doesn’t really lead anywhere all that satisfying. There’s so many characters that sadly a lot don’t get much to do, and the finale of the book feels rushed after all the build up.