I think this might be the oddest episode of this program that I've seen, and not cause of it's actually contextually weird, but because it feels like it's genuinely been pulled from a false reality into this one. One giant afterthought, really. I don't this story was meant to be a two-parter originally but it was stretched out- without the thought that there would be an actual regeneration. I think Billie Piper coming back is actually lovely, but the expense of Ncuti Gatwa? I don't know, man. I think it's fairly obvious that HER coming back and oddly not being credited as the Doctor was a deliberate choice, so I'm not saying it wasn't entirely thought out, but, like... It was rushed. We all know it was rushed. And yet, that doesn't mean it's bad television on it's own. I like the potential it promises, and the actual writing is pretty nice. The emotional beats were there, they did hit for me. Perhaps I shouldn't like it as much as I do, I can also acknowledge that.

It does act as a good time, even if there's a lot of flaws to it. Kind of a mix of "so bad it's good" and "so unnatural it's interesting". Definitely going to be hated for a wide majority of the audience, though.

I'm honestly rather shocked at how much I underestimated this story, I didn't expect anything too good, and, as such, I was rewarded with a dark, yet thoughtful script that fed my inquisitive mind quite well. I think it would've been perfectly topped with Zinc's actor returning on top of it, making it one of those rare three-handers, especially because he's given more focus than I was initially expecting. I honestly wish this was once of those two-hour entries into this series, it would've been a perfect fit. The idea of Zara freshly explaining how things feel to her as a being that popped into existence is brilliant and I enjoyed her inner monologue very much, although there were also some minor moments where the chronology was a tiny bit confusing.

Wish it focused more on Jackie's psyche, the bits we do get are quite fascinating. I really like the idea that she- therefore we, as the audience- doesn't quite like this Doctor, nor completely trust him. There was a good bit of dramatic tension there, hope it continues.

I am being slightly overly harsh with my rating as there is one very, very specific section of this episode that I can't help but hate conceptually so much so that it almost entirely overshadows and drags the story down. Perhaps I'm allergic to fun, I don't know, but the reveal of the Rani made me audibly wince. It is astounding how the show treats such an event so backhandedly- there is no reason it couldn't have been tacked onto the next episode. There's a giant amount of breathing room that's needed for me to accept it, one that simply wasn't provided by the episode itself. Bi-generation being treated as suitably fantastical for the Fourteenth/Fifteenth Doctor, said to be a myth, essentially rewarded to the Doctor as a result of battling the Toymaker- is now casually being thrown at the Rani, of all people? Thank you for dismantling the concept into something almost mundane, I guess. I'm hoping the next episode does something to justify it, but it currently leaves a bitter taste in my mouth for the episode as a whole.

I'd say this story does a bit too much for it's runtime. It's very, very fast, while also doing what it does very, very well. Part of me yearned for it to slow down and take it's time- it felt like it should've been two part story. The ideas were plentiful, the emotional beats were lovely, I just would've loved to savor all this story's bountiful gifts for far longer. As it is, it feels a bit muddled by it's own pacing, sadly deflating the plot ever so slightly. Need this writer back. I am sure that, with this notch under his belt, he will continue to get better and better.

Excluding a brief moment of exposition at the very beginning turning me off from this story for a good bit, "Bernice Summerfield and The Criminal Code" was quite a lovely little adventure. Nothing much, mind you; perhaps I shouldn't enjoy it as much I do, given it's not actually too ambitious for this specific Doctor to be surrounded in politics. Lisa Bowerman's narration does a lot to enrich/make the story as whole for me. The whole forbidden language itself could have perhaps been expanded and played on far more, however.

A mighty bit more complex than one might expect for a story of it's kind, a reintroduction of the Kaldor androids that isn't merely content with rehashing their initial appearance, instead poignantly utilizing them to foster themes of, ultimately, fear- the synonymous robophobia, in fact. There's a good deal of gritty nuance established throughout, a cutting atmosphere that it never really lets up on. Wonderfully emblematic of the Seventh Doctor, his darker, more brooding elements played with to masterful effect. Liv Chenka (Nicola Walker) was also quite good and full of potential, albeit somewhat lost in the shuffle during the later half. Delighted to know she comes back around at some point.

Though this story is indeed quite good, it's not necessarily to my personal tastes at current. I feel it's one I'd really have to listen to in a specific mood to be able to fully appreciate. I also would have preferred if some plot elements were made a bit more prominent earlier on rather than seemingly only taking precedence later on (particularly Elicien and her music); however, I will freely admit that this is my first time listening, so perhaps some little hints simply slipped my mind at the time.

There's a few sticking points to this story, I can readily agree. I can mostly tune them out and enjoy the romp for what it is, but, at times, the moral amplifications pierce at you like a cactus. The ending is especially abhorrent in this regard; it picked just the wrong cards, then continued to deal them. The fact these sentiments are here at all is a genuine shock. I don't think there was an inherent malice at work here (I think the ending was more about everyone becoming equals than anything else, it was just done in a disastrously misguided way), so my overall "eh" score feels a fair compromise in light of my overall enjoyment.

I really, really wish I had loved this story. I think the concept of setting a story in an amusement park is actually incredibly noble and would have worked beautifully on the screen, whereas on audio it ends up being fairly middling, not actually doing very much. I absolutely adored having the Doctor and Peri actually having fun together- I wish they'd ditched the mediocre plot for the sake of giving us more of it. As it is, however, it's... Fine. Kind of unengaging, to be honest. I wouldn't consider it a great starting entry, yet the potential for the range is more than obvious.

I really vibe with this story. This is the kind of drama I feel like Chibnall tried to do in "Arachnids in the UK" but failed at, a corrupt, horrid little blemish on the boot of humanity given spotlight without feeling overly preachy. I got bad vibes from the get-go about that Conrad guy, so seeing my gut feeling prove correct, combined with the unexpected terrestrial motivations, made it an intensely satisfying watch. A completely unexpected gem, especially considering I didn't necessarily vibe with Ruby during her first season.