I liked Bill well enough. She and Capaldi have very natural chemistry, unlike Capaldi and Clara, which felt forced from start to finish. That said, I am extremely disappointed that they decided to yet again have a plucky modern girl as the companion. I really wanted her to be from another era. Even... like... 80s or something would have been a good change of pace.

Also... why did Bill not remember the Daleks? They've invaded how many times in her lifetime? Is there some weird continuity wipe I've forgotten or is Moffat really getting that lazy?

Everything else about the episode... meh. Nardole's comic relief is way too try hard and I hope they acrually develop the character beyond throwaway humorous lines. Plot was clean, but predictable.

 

The Daleks haven't been to Earth since the universe was reset after the whole Pandorica thing, before which Amy couldn't remember them due to the cracks. She should remember the Cybermen when they show up (or, given that they're a different version, at least be familiar with the concept), but I expect she won't due to the desire to have this as a kind of reboot series.

 

I had given up caring about Doctor Who, but decided to catch this on a whim.

Ovrerall, I actually quite liked it. It was genuinely creepy in a few different places, though I thought the end where he 'changed his mind' was quite poorly done. I'll watch the next episode.

 

So the crack in the wall shit was planet wide, not just Amy? Ummm.... where is my suspension of disbelief hat... oh there it is.

 

The cracks were universe wide - off the top of my head, they appeared in:

Amy's bedroom.
The British spaceship on the back of the star whale.
The Silurian city.
Whatever planet the fish vampires came from (admittedly, we didn't see that one, but we heard about it).
The Byzantium (crashed spaceship infested with Weeping Angels)
Random street in whatever city the episode where the Doctor moved in with James Corden was set.
I think it cropped up in WW2-era London, as well, but I'm not 100% on that.

Bullshit? Maybe, but at least it's consistent bullshit (unless, of course, there's been something said about the cracks and their effects being removed post-Pandorica).

 

They really could do better with a clip they chose to introduce Bill few months ago because I was prepared she's going to be horrible, but in her first episode she turned out to be a quite good companion.

That said, the show is in a need of a new showrunner and a new direction. Not because it's bad, but because it's just is.

What's lacking is the excitement for the new episodes. While it's certainly not a case with everyone, I feel like viewers aren't as invested in Doctor Who as they were in earlier seasons.

Like when they were waiting for the Tenth's reunion with Rose. Or his final showdown with the Master and regeneration. Or in the Elevent's case when they were waiting to discover what's the deal with the cracks and what is the Pandorica. Or how he was going to avoid being killed by River.

The last event that really got people excited was the 50th anniversary and then the regeneration, but afterwards everything got rather lukewarm reaction. Part of it was a little problematic beginnings of Capaldi's Doctor, but even after much better second season and few amazing performances from him, it wasn't enough to make people care again.

Of course, it's just my impressions based on general comments from various sites.

 

Another good episode. Thought the concept was pretty clever, if a little reminiscent of several SF stories in parts, although the ending was a little rushed.

Spoiler

Lampshading your reset button only serves to make it really, really obvious that there wasn't time for a better thought out conclusion, although in fairness it was a reset button with consequences.

Would have liked more Nardole.

Miles better than the writers previous story (Earth becomes a forest planet, back in Capaldi's first series).

 

It was. For a moment, I was confused as well because it wasn't as clear as it had been the previous season, but I recognized it after a few moments, and I think it explains the changed of mind quite well really.

I was pleasantly surprise by Ep.1 (haven't watched 2 as of yet), and Bill's performance. I really think Moffat is due to retire though; the amount of plotholes in the first episode alone were just annoying, I enjoyed the episode despite them but it could've been done so much better.

 

Ep2 was pretty meh. Robots killing humans because they dont understand human emotions... talk about an overused SF trope.

I'm liking Bill a lot though. Her outside the box quips and non sequiturs make me chuckle.

 

Thought tonight's was the weakest one of the series so far, but it wasn't bad, just a bit forgettable. The character beats between the Doctor and Bill were the highlights.

Spoiler

So, the Vault. Given the four knocks, and the fact that John Simm is back, we're clearly supposed to be assuming it's the Master locked up in there (or Missy, I suppose). Given Moffat's track record though, that probably means that it isn't. Or it's a double bluff. Anyway. Whatever it is in there, Nardole is scared of it, which can't mean anything good.

Also, I hadn't realised that Frost Fairs actually happened. Kinda cool.

 

My personal review of the episode:

This was, without a doubt, my favourite episode of the season so far. To begin, the acting was phenomenal. Peter Capaldi’s Doctor and Pearl Mackie’s Bill have astounding chemistry and screen presence, both profiting from each other’s dynamic in some magnificent cycle of ever increasing talent. Both of them are capable of expressing every single one of their respective characters’ thoughts and feelings through expression alone, and this is multiplied once they start speaking.

The Doctor and Bill were great this episode as well. The former displayed both the darker and lighter sides of his character (allowing for Capaldi to show off his spectrum of talent) in a way fitting what we already know about this iteration of the iconic figure. His actions can be questionable one moment, repulsive the next, returning to questionable and culminating in sensational the next, fitting a hero or a villain depending on not just the character arc, not just scene but beat by beat.

Bill is quickly becoming my favourite companion the show has produced since its triumphant return in 2005. Her character has been consistent in her kind manner, and her relationship with the main protagonist grows and evolves as she learns more about him and his history. Her streak of stating queries that the audience has and reacting in a way the audience would react endears her as a relatable character with relatable problems and relatable desires, as exhibited in the previous two episodes.

The dynamic between the duo has certainly evolved, maturing over several scenes and revelations that are not glanced over, even if some could have been focused on for entire episodes.

The technical aspects of the episode were spot on, as well. For one, rarely has ‘Who’ ever had such fantastic lighting; this encapsulates the tension and atmosphere (both of which are amazingly conveyed throughout) of a mood perfectly, being sophisticated in its meaning and beautiful in its appearance. The progression of this aspect matches the progression of the plot, mirroring it and displaying it in a visual format.

Music-wise, Murry Gold is always a treasure. The music captures the emotion and triumph of a moment perfectly, displaying the visual content of a scene and atmosphere through musical means. Every scene which is granted Gold’s gift profits from it. Thin Ice’s cinematography was very much impressive this episode, even if it was rather distorted at times by objects and extras getting in the way. This cinematography allows for the scope of (scenes, characters and) structures and objects to tower over characters, expressing their magnitude and presence in a way possible through few other means.

However, this episode does have short-comings. As already mentioned, entire episodes could be dedicated to aspects that were comparatively/more or less glossed over in this episode, and the antagonist/s (whilst irrelevant in focus to the main pair, and the given detail was enough to sate our curiosity and be serviceable for the episode) were uninteresting and incredibly forgettable.

To conclude, this episode was spectacular. The dynamic between the characters matured as both of the protagonists grew, all of the actors were serviceable (with the leads being phenomenal) and from a technical viewpoint the episode was much more than average. There were issues with the episode, and it may not have factored into the other-all plot, but this was one of the greatest filler episodes I have seen recently. It was a truly incredible episode.

8-9/10

 

Basically more of the same with ep 3. Great acting, great banter, forgettable plot.

Thought the episode of Class that aired immediately afterword was far superior. Lan kin were cool.

 

Tonight's was a stone cold classic, for my money. Really great episode.

 

Yeah, not bad. Script was stronger than previous eps. David Suchet was a good classically creepy Who villain.

Climax was a bit of a dud though.

 

That is, in my opinion, 4 great episodes out of 4. If this keeps up (which it looks like it will) this season could legitimately be the best one that the modern Who-era has experienced.

On topic of the actual episode though, this was the fantastic. The atmosphere was continually progressing into a terrifying tone, the side-characters were good enough for us to take notice of their apparent deaths, the acting was phenomenal from the main actors, the cinematography was amazing and that ending-revelation was particularly chilling.

Also, it is absolutely the Master in that vault. There is no way it could be anyone else, not after that piano.

 

Clara has been my favorite companion so far; I felt like she had one of the best character development than the previous one due to the age conflict between Smith and Capaldi, but also due to her death which is the result of sentiment of invulnerability growing out of control. It was a really interesting concept to bring forward, one which we did not see much with previous companions.

That being said, Bill is starting to be one of my favorite as well. The actress is very good, and the new relationship between her and the Doctor is an interesting one. It's also very nice to see Capaldi's Doctor unburden by previous relationship; he truly shines in this season. I haven't watched episode 4 yet, but I'm actually looking forward to it.

 

A: That was an incredible episode. Everything from the acting, the atmosphere, the direction; all fantastic.
B: That ending scared me. I was legitimately frightened.
C: Definitely the Master in that vault.
D: My edited in review of the episode:

This was an utterly stunning episode. The atmosphere, the acting, the direction, the dialogue, all of these aspects combined into one seamless, masterful classic. All the elements just seemed to fit together as smoothly as if they were pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, and this -coupled with the amazing threat of the antagonists- kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and left me shaken and in awe at the masterpiece before me.

Supporting the episode was the talented band of side characters/red-shirts. The opening of the episode, without giving anything away, set the tone and basic ideas of the episode up and only did so as well as it did because of the more-or-less nameless extra who delivered a legitimately good performance. This episode is packed to the brim with talented actors, and that’s not even taking into consideration the main trio of Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie and Matt Lucas.

When actually considering the main characters, the overall quality of the episode increases tenfold. All three of those actors are fantastic, and I am honestly astonished by the fact that Lucas’ Nardole doesn’t make me want to rip my eyes out. He is actually a talented actor, and the character is one that I have come to find appealing.

Both Capaldi and Mackie were flawless today, delivering arguably some of their best performances yet. The characters of the Doctor and Bill were amazing this episode, and this allowed their actors to give performances worthy of them. Jamie Mathieson, who wrote the episode, proved himself a master of his art with the perfectly delivered dialogue and, of course, the chilling plot itself, which boasted of an incredibly clever and expertly done climax.

The episode, which was rather limited in scope, managed to portray the magnitude of events for the characters whilst not losing focus of the relatively small-scale nature of the event. This suggests the benevolent nature of the Doctor, an aspect of the character that has been focused on significantly both this season and in the previous two of the twelfth Doctor’s era.

The director of the episode, Charlie Palmer, was incredible. The cinematography was fantastic, and he directed the actors with a skill few possess. And of course, the music -whilst edited in rather choppily and blatantly at times- was great; it always is.

To conclude, this episode was fantastic. Every single one of the actors and characters were fabulous, the writing was phenomenal, the atmosphere terrifying, the direction spot on, the crew behind the camera meticulous in detail, the dynamic between the three main characters interesting and enjoyable and the finished product being a legitimately great episode. I do not hesitate in giving Oxygen such a positive review, and I am confident in giving the episode an

8-9/10