Doctor Who

60th Anniversary Thoughts

September 9 2025

Decent, but underwhelming for a 60th anniversary

Here are my ratings for the 3 specials:

1. The Star Beast: 6/10
2. Wild Blue Yonder: 8/10
3. The Giggle: 8/10

I wasn't really planning on writing my thoughts on this one, but since it's very crucial I thought I should. I'll start by saying that 10 and Donna weren't my favorites, I would've much preferred if Jodie stayed on for this, but I get it was necessary, and if Tennant had to return, I'd rather it be with Martha (she was my favorite of 10s companions). It doesn't get to the best of starts with The Star Beast, it starts of well but the ending is pretty bad. After 3 series' defined by lackluster 3rd acts, this just wasn't it. Wild Blue Yonder is a great step up, offering a good story with all the hallmarks of a grat NuWho story, and a sort of return to the old feels of NuWho. The Giggle was really ambitious, but I think it just missed the mark for me.

Now, the problems I have with these are one, Tennant returning, because it's an entirely "new" Doctor (14), and I think returning for only 3 specials just doesn't warrant that. Two, because it just doesn't feel "special" these episodes feel like just more Doctor Who episodes, The Giggle was the only one which felt remotely big, but it has it's own problems. I get that not everything needs to be high stakes, but for a 60th anniversary, it needs to be special. Three, bi-generation just feels like a getaway ticket to keep Tennant's return possible again, which I do not want to see. Anyway, that's my short thoughts on this. These episodes were fun, but I can't wait for Ncuti's run.

Series 13 (Flux) Thoughts

September 9 2025

Wasted potential as Chibnall still fails to wrap up a good story

Overall series rating: 6/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the series:

1. The Halloween Apocalypse: 7/10
2. War of the Sontarans: 7/10
3. Once, Upon Time: 6/10
4. Village of the Angels: 9/10
5. Survivors of the Flux: 5/10
6. The Vanquishers: 4/10

Facing a limited series due to covid, Chibnall decided to make the entire series 1 big story. This follows the recent trend of low episode shows with a continuous storyline, and I think this works for Flux. The cliffhangers are mostly good, apart from episode 5. But somehow, this series still fees overstuffed. A part of that is because Chibnall introduces new things and plot points in each episode, and only diving deep into it in the finale. Even in the second to last episode he still introduces new concepts, and even brings back another antagonist which makes the main villain of the series (Swarm and Azure) feel overshadowed.

The cast in this are at their best, Yaz and the Doctor are great, and in addition with Dan I think this is a great improvement compared to the previous TARDIS crew. Dan feels like the perfect addition, he's just inherently kind and good hearted, really funny aswell. Sort of feels like the series 10 trio again. The "main" villains I think are decent, they're introduced as this great big villain, but feel overshadowed with everything else going on, and by the end they're defeated in the most anti-climactic way ever. The side characters are also decent, personally I didn't care for Bel but Inston-Vee Vinder was nice. The actual Flux isn't really there, it sort of gets solved after episode 1 and almost reappears in the finale. We get dialogue of how the Flux killed a while bunch of people, but the show doesn't really show it well.

I like that this series tackles the Division plot point from the end of S12, but its resolution was underwhelming. With the Doctor suddenly not wanting to find out about her past anymore, although she spent the entire series looking for it. It's really disappointing, because I was really interested in this, but judging from the backlash I don't think it's ever going to be touched upon again. Also, you can really feel that some of these stories got shoved into the Flux storyline (War of the Sontarans and Village of the Angels), because they're good episodes, but the Flux additions (other characters' POV, connection to the Flux event) kind of holds them down.

Well, that's it for 13s era. Honestly, it was fun, Jodie was definitely a highlight for me, she's my kind of Doctor (quick, quirky, sort of weird, yaps a lot), and I really wished we could've gotten her in the 60th instead of Tennant returning as a new Doctor, but oh well.

Series 12 Thoughts

August 24 2025

It's certainly better than Series 11, but only by a bit

Overall series rating: 6/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the series:

1. Spyfall (1): 7/10
2. Spyfall (2): 6/10
3. Orphan 55: 2/10
4. Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror: 7/10
5. Fugitive of the Judoon: 8/10
6. Praxeus: 4/10
7. Can You Hear Me?: 5/10
8. The Haunting of Villa Diodati: 9/10
9. Ascension of the Cybermen: 6/10
10. The Timeless Children: 6/10

It's definitely better than series 11 was, the episodes are much more interesting and there's an actual arc throughout the series. It started off well with Spyfall, but then we got Orphan 55 which is undoubtedly the worst episode of the show so far. The stuff with the Master is decent, but they never really explain how he's alive, and some of the acting is a bit too insane. I liked the way he's involved throughout the entire series though.

Now about the Timeless Children, it wasn't anything super terrible. Adding new backstory to the Doctor isn't a bad idea, but the way it's executed is horrible. It's just the Master giving us exposition instead of the Doctor finding out for herself, and it makes the reveal less personal than it should be. It also doesn't change the Doctor much, yes she's angry that they hid her past. But that's about it. They also never really do much with it, just revealing this and leaving things for the next series to solve. I thought the lone Cyberman was interesting, but severly undercooked when the finale actually begins. It's just also a really confusing story in itself.

Overall it's an improvement compared to S11, but not by much. The series long arc is interesting, but never really expanded upon in a satisfying way. The episodes in this one I felt were an improvement, definitely more consistent compared to S11. The companions were still the same, not really much going on with them, and I really support the decision to reduce it to 2 companions for Flux.

I still enjoyed this, a bit dissapointing, but still fun. Hopefully Flux can be a highlight.

Series 11 Thoughts

August 8 2025

Well, it's time for the dreaded Chibnall era, it's pretty disappointing.

Overall series rating: 6/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the season:

1. The Woman Who Fell to Earth: 7/10
2. The Ghost Monument: 5/10
3. Rosa: 7/10
4. Arachnids in the UK: 4/10
5. The Tsuranga Conundrum: 5/10
6. Demons of the Punjab: 8/10
7. Kerblam!: 6/10
8. The Witchfinders: 8/10
9. It Takes You Away: 9/10
10. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos: 4/10

Yeah, it's not really good. There's a lot of issues with this series. This new era isn't looking too good, my main problem with this is everything is explained over and over again. It's exposition heaven. Some episodes are still enjoyable, in fact this series overall still is enjoyable, but it's not really a highlight.

The new team is decent, although the characters sometimes have nothing to do. Thirteen herself is good, but her morals are a bit twisted sometimes. The acting aside from Jodie is mixed, with some performances being downright awful. This series also doesn't have a clear arc, with the finale just being a returning villain. Chibnall feels like he doesn't know what he's doing, in fact the best episodes this season weren't written by him.

It's weird since this is still enjoyable, and it's a bit overhated. But that hate is justifiable I guess. By far the worst season of Who, and it's still enjoyable. Says a lot about how muh I love this show I guess. I loved the visuals in this, the music is also good sometimes, but the writing is atrocious. The Doctor is sometimes completely different from one story to the next, and barely evolves. Mos of the time she comes off as weird, and Jodie absolutely carries with her performance, not as much as Capaldi, but still good.

Well, that's it for this one, hopefully Series 12 is better.

Series 10 Thoughts

August 7 2025

It's time for Capaldi's final stint as the Doctor, here are my thoughts!

Overall series rating: 8/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the series:

1. The Pilot: 8/10
2. Smile: 8/10
3. Thin Ice: 8/10
4. Knock Knock: 6/10
5. Oxygen: 10/10
6. Extremis: 10/10
7. The Pyramid at the End of the World: 8/10
8. The Lie of the Land: 6/10
9. Empress of Mars: 6/10
10. The Eaters of Light: 4/10
11. World Enough and Time: 10/10
12. The Doctor Falls: 10/10

I was really excited for this one since it's popular among the fanbase. Honestly, I was a bit disappointed, not to say it isn't good, just not as good as I expected, shows how damaging having too high of expectations can be. This is a really standard season, apart from the finale which is absolutely the best in the series. There's a lot of new stuff in this one, almost like a soft reboot. The first 5 episodes certainly seem that way, slowly explaining the tropes and the Doctor alongside the adventure.

The series arc is, again, pretty simple. First half is building up the vault, and the next is about the Doctor and him trying to make Missy "good". It kind of works, but still a bit undercooked in some areas. This series also has a 3 parter midway, can't say it works. It starts amazingly but gets worse with each episode. I've heard Moffat had less to do with this series as a transition into the Chibnall era, so that might explain the shortcomings.

The new team (Bill, Nardole, and the Doctor) are great, I feel like Bill is a bit annoying sometimes but with Nardole they get the balance just right. The Doctor is also the best he's ever been, feeling like a properly loving and wise person. Him and Missy, who was also great, share a lot of great screentime aswell. The episodes aren't anything too special, just standard Doctor Who, which is nice sometimes. I do think they shouldn't have done the 3 parter, espcially since the episodes were written by different writers.

This series is similar to Series 2 for me, a lot of standard Who ending with an amazing finale. This is better than 2 obviously, but it's weird how similar they are. Anyway the finale is so good, and I think is a great ending to 10 years of NuWho, the stakes aren't ridiculously high, and the return of the Mondasian Cybermen and John Simm were incorporated perfectly into the story (aside from the spoiler in the trailers). It really is heartbreaking and a great sort of send off for Capaldi.

Well, that's it for Capaldi, next up is 13.

Series 9 Thoughts

August 1 2025

Finished this 2 weeks ago, but I didn't have the time to write it until now. So here's my Series 9 thoughts!

Overall series rating: 9/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the series:

1. The Magician's Apprentice: 10/10
2. The Witch's Familiar: 10/10
3. Under the Lake: 9/10
4. Before the Flood: 9/10
5. The Girl Who Died: 7/10
6. The Woman Who Lived: 6/10
7. The Zygon Invasion: 7/10
8. The Zygon Inversion: 9/10
9. Sleep No More: 4/10
10. Face the Raven: 10/10
11. Heaven Sent: 10/10
12. Hell Bent: 10/10

This Series isn't really that popular, atleast I think. I don't really know where that comes from, this is a really great series of Doctor Who. The more fleshed out stories, the performances from Capaldi and Coleman, and some fantastic writing from Moffat makes this a really fun and satisfying series for Doctor Who. The only real weakness for this series was the series long arc, which was a bit underwhelming, and Sleep No More. Moffat once again decided to experiment with the series structure, which he did well in this one. The two parters make the stories a lot more fleshed out, and they feel less rushed than some other stories.

The series arc is a lot less prominent than the previous Moffat series', atleast in the beginning. By the mid season it's a lot more obvious, which is about the Doctor and Clara's addiction to each other. Wrapped in a weird "Hybrid" concept within the show, it has a great idea, but wrapping it in the Hybrid creature was a bit undercooked. The Doctor mentioning "the Hybrid" every few episodes gets a bit tiring and weird by the mid-season, but it all gets wrapped up in a great season finale.

The farewell to Clara was, in my opinion, the best ever for a companion. With the Doctor being hit really hard by her death, and the final episode just being about him trying to get her back. It's a simple idea, but works really well, especially since Capaldi's Doctor feels a lot better than last series. In fact, both Clara and the Doctor feel a lot better than last series, and the arc revolving around them both was a great choice.

The 2 episode structure for most of the episodes was really refreshing. Sure, it gets a bit tiring sometimes, but it's definitely worth it. The stories aren't anything big or special, they're just stories, which I think is a good thing. It takes things slower than other series', and it harks back to the original show. Sure, the Ashildr episodes were probably better as just one episode, but the others were elevated by the 2 episode structure. This series also features the best episode in the show's history, Heaven Sent, which coupled with Hell Bent is a great finale for the series.

That's it for Series 9, one more left for Capaldi. I'm looking forward to Series 10, as some people say it's one of the best.

Series 8 Thoughts

July 13 2025

I know I said I would do a Day of the Doctor and Time of the Doctor but I don't have a lot to say about them. They're just really good (TDotD 10/10, TTotD 9/10). Anyway, here are my thoughts on Capaldi's first season on the show, Series 8!

Overall series rating: 8/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the series:

1. Deep Breath: 9/10
2. Into the Dalek: 7/10
3. Robot of Sherwood: 7/10
4. Listen: 10/10
5. Time Heist: 9/10
6. The Caretaker: 8/10
7. Kill the Moon: 4/10
8. Mummy on the Orient Express: 10/10
9. Flatline: 10/10
10. In the Forest of the Night: 5/10
11. Dark Water: 8/10
12. Death in Heaven: 9/10

After Series 7, Moffat really needed a comeback. This is exactly that. The overarching plot of this Series isn't something as grand or big as the previous Moffat seasons, it keeps things really simple. In the 3 series' of the epic 11th Doctor and his legendary exploits, we see armies and villains shiver at the mere mention of his name. This series has us question if he is truly is a good man? Capaldi's Doctor starts off pretty rough and at times unlikeable, but as the Series goes on we see that he isn't so bad. Regeneration is a lottery and this series definitely plays with that concept, with Clara almost leaving the Doctor (and also literally threatening him).

The series starts really well with Deep Breath, a great opener and an introduction to 12. It shows that this Doctor is very different to 11, and sometimes is a bit tough to like. But he is still the Doctor that we all love to see. The hints about Missy and the "afterlife" is already introduced here (technically it began in series 7B). I think Clara and the Doctor definitely improves their dynamic in this series, sometimes Clara is a bit unlikeable aswell, but overall it's a great improvement from series 7B. The more simpler concept of the episodes work really well for me, episodes like Mummy on the Orient Express or Flatline aren't too big, but they're really enjoyable and are an absolute highlight.

Some downsides of this Series are that it's episodes are sometimes slower than usual, but I think it works in most cases here. Clara and the Doctor are fantastic here, but some scenes between them were a bit too much for me (Kill the Moon especially). Danny Pink is also a bit underdeveloped, he starts off well I think, but towards the end gets a bit annoying with his supposed grudge against the Doctor. He does make us question about the Doctor's ethics, but it gets a bit too much around the end. Missy and the Cybermen I think were great as the finale, albeit the reveal was a bit disappointing. Missy is a big character in 12's run, and I think she starts off really well here.

That's it for now, this series was really great. I actually finished this in about 5 days, the fastest I've ever finished a DW series, and I think it shows how enjoyable this was. Anyway, I'm hoping Series 9 is great aswell. I've heard good things about it.

Series 7 Thoughts

July 4 2025

My thoughts on the very flawed, but fun Series 7 of Doctor Who

Overall series rating: 7/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the series:

1. Asylum of the Daleks: 8/10
2. Dinosaurs on a Spaceship: 7/10
3. A Town Called Mercy: 8/10
4. The Power of Three: 8/10
5. The Angels Take Manhattan: 10/10
6. The Snowmen (2012 christmas special): 8/10
7. The Bells of Saint John: 8/10
8. The Rings of Akhaten: 8/10
9. Cold War: 6/10
10. Hide: 9/10
11. Journey to The Centre of the TARDIS: 5/10
12. The Crimson Horror: 7/10
13. Nightmare in Silver: 5/10
14. The Name of the Doctor: 9/10

This Series has a pretty bad reputation among Whovians, usually treated as one of the worst series of modern Who. A series that Moffat sacrificed in order to focus on the 50th, and 11's regeneration. First of all, this series was split into 2 parts, Series 7A (episodes 1-5) and Series 7B (the christmas special-13). Series 7A is focused on saying goodbye to the amazing companions that are Amy and Rory, and it does that well, with the Doctor realising that they can't keep travelling with him forever. Series 7B on the other hand, has to juggle the Impossible Girl arc, the Great Intelligence, the lead up to the 50th anniversary, and the lead up to 11's regeneration. It does these things not very well.

Let's start with 7A. This is probably the best strings of episodes in this series, while the overall arc is light, it still does enough in 5 episodes to justify a split. The foreshadowing to Amy and Rory's departure is done really well I think, and The Angels Take Manhattan is a very great mid-season finale. I think Amy and Rory supposedly breaking up before the series was a useless plot point, with it being resolved quickly and not affecting anything in a big way. But other than that you can really feel Amy and Rory's relationship shine in these episodes, while the episodes are not of the highest quality, the dynamic between the Doctor, Amy, and Rory reaches it's peak here in my opinion. It's a short and sweet ending to their story that hits all the right emotional beats.

Series 7B starts in The Snowmen, the 2012 christmas special, which is why I included it in the episode list. This series introduces Clara, the new companion. It also features a reintroduction of the 11th Doctor after losing Amy and Rory, featuring a new TARDIS, new clothes, and a changed attitude. This part of the series features a more comedic Doctor, which makes sense considering he's trying to recover from the loss of Amy and Rory. It gets a bit overplayed sometimes but it does work. The Impossible Girl arc was interesting, but it was definitely underwhelming. We're introduced to the gimmick of Clara coming back after she dies immediately, and so by the mid point of these 9 episodes it starts to get stale with no real developments until the finale. The "main villain" of this was very underwhelming, featuring a body-less character known as the Great Intelligence. He only appears in 3 episodes though, and by the finale is rushed to being treated like a big bad, taking revenge on the Doctor. These episodes do feature some highlights, but are very forgettable. Series 7 also doesn't feature a single 2 parter, which is quite dissapointing meaning that every story needs to be done in 45 minutes, leading to most of these endings feeling rushed.

That's it for my yapping, I'll be back in a few days (hopefully) with reviews for The Day of the Doctor and The Time of the Doctor.

Series 6 Thoughts

June 13 2025

Hello! I've just finished watching Series 6 of NuWho, and thought I'd share my reactions and thoughts.

Overall series rating: 9/10

Here are my ratings for each episode of the season:

1. The Impossible Astronaut: 10/10
2. Day of the Moon: 10/10
3. The Curse of The Black Spot: 5/10
4. The Doctor's Wife: 10/10
5. The Rebel Flesh: 7/10
6. The Almost People: 8/10
7. A Good Man Goes to War: 10/10
8. Let's Kill Hitler: 8/10
9. Night Terrors: 6/10
10. The Girl Who Waited: 10/10
11. The God Complex: 10/10
12. Closing Time: 7/10
13. The Wedding of River Song: 9/10

As you can see, this series has some heavy hitters, but good episodes without a real overarching plot leading to a satisfying ending doesn't really do it in Doctor Who. This series has a good overarching plot, but it gets diminished by the 1 part finale which sort of rushes through things.

The story arc, River Song and The Doctor's supposed death are great ideas, and it started really well, but around Let's Kill Hitler it gets really confusing. It sort of makes less sense, and by the rushed finale it doesn't really seem to work. The finale doesn't do a stellar job at resolving this, but it does it just enough for me to understand (a reccuring theme in the Moffat Era so far). The series is a lot more inconsistent than Series 5 as a whole aswell.

Now I know I sounded really negative, but I really enjoyed this season, which led me to rate it highly. It helps that this is basically what I consider to be the peak of Moffat-isms, where you really get to experience the Moffat style writing of big concepts and twist and turns throughout the season. Sure, it's a bit messy, but it's charming in a way. The River Song arc was really interesting aswell. But I think my favorite part about this series is the TARDIS crew. 11, Amy, and Rory are just so good together.

I'd say my favorite episode of the series was A Good Man Goes to War. It was really epic and a great look into the consequences of The Doctor's legendary status as a hero, but also as a destroyer to his enemies. The River Song reveal was also great.

Well, I think that's it for now. I'll be back for my Series 7 thoughts, hopefully they're better than I expect them to be.