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Something I really liked in this episode was Donna just subtly calling out the fact that Sylvia was shitty to her - not antagonistically, but just reminding her not to be what she used to be. It felt like just a little snippet of the past decade that they've spent growing closer.

Regarding the new Tardis design, I have a strong feeling that coming into Ncuti Gatwa’s era, it’s gonna go a similar route to the Peter Capaldi Tardis design where there’s a lot more stuff added to it that makes it look more homely. I actually adore how large it feels, but I agree that it definitely could use a bit more stuff. I think that we might get that addressed though

For me the big question is if it's so easy to just let go, why didn't Donna just let go before? And I think there's an easy answer that would have been a nore satisfying conclusion. At the end of series 4, she had nothing to come back to on earth. Her mother was at best unpleasant, and her granddad was spurring her on to travel with the doctor. She couldn't let go because she wanted that life too much. At this point, she has a loving husband and a daughter who she would burn the world down for. That's a hell of a reason to let go of the power and would be far more narratively satisfying. As it stands it just feels like a cheap way out of one of the most devastatingly impactful endings for a character

The line about male presenting timelords was clearly meant to characterise them as power loving purely on the basis of their gender. A far better line would have been "you can't understand because you can't afford the luxury of an ordinary life".

The fact that The Meep looked so good and was a practical suit that would not have been cheap suggests we haven't seen the last of Beep.

3:50 what makes Donna's comment about the suit even funnier to me is David Tennant WAS around 35 during his time as the 10th Doctor

I would say yes...mostly. It's weird, the representation stuff was handled better in the first half of the episode than the second. It felt like actual people talking about it, how they can struggle to keep up and so on. When the Doctor arrives at the house it becomes somewhat of a parody. Rose REALLY didn't need to ask the Doctor to essentially check his privilege. It being tied into the climax for Donna's story made me scratch my head a bit too (not the fact that the metacrisis passed down partially to Donna's child, that works for me) but the binary/non-binary stuff is a bit hard to understand. But that's the clunky stuff that brought the episode down for me. The rest of it? The cinematography, music, acting that felt like they'd hired ACTUAL HUMANS instead of the mannequins from Chibnall's era and a pretty basic, but effective monster of the week story? That's classic RTD Doctor Who. I want more of that and we're hopefully gonna get it. I'm very excited for this week's episode, especially since it's supposed to be a spooky one.

I 100% agree with the "pronoun Scene" I said to my partner I felt there are so many ways that they could have made that less weird it just felt like they had an idea but didnt write it in very well.

3/4 of the people in my house want a Beep the Meep plush that shows teeth when you squeeze it, and only one of those three is a child, so I think the episode was overall a success. Good starter episode for folks new to the show, too, even if the ending is a bit messy.

And the funny thing is, David coming back is technically canon. Remember when Tom Baker told Matt Smith he'd end up revisiting a few faces at the end of the 50th anniversary special?

the biggest issue I had with Rose, is the simple fact, she doesn't look like she's 14-15 years old, she looks like she's 18-19...which was her age while filming. But it's not enough to ruin it for me, I've grown up watching Grease and the like. Also River flushed her regeneration energy into 11, 10 flushed his energy into his Meta-Crisis hand, and 12 even did a fake flush during the monks, so at least it wasn't a COMPLETE ass pull. But I do agree it was a little clunky in delivery

9:59 as a disabled person, I really appreciated the weapons in the wheelchair. Our walking aids (wheelchairs, canes, etc) are supposed to aid us, and as an agent of Unit, dealing with aliens, she would need to have weapons on hand just in case. Them being in her wheelchair is good because their on hand in a place where she knows do use them. Like having a gun in your holster. She can’t jus carry weapons around, so having them in her wheelchair was a very good adaptation for a disabled person imo❤️

Rose's inherited more than just the metacrisis, it included the memories as that's how she created the toy's in all the images of the aliens the doctor and Donna met.

On Donna knowing that The Doctor regenerated I think the metacrisis gives her a link to The Doctor's memories

Does anyone else want them to bring back the upright coat hanger that used to always be in the console room? (up until it’s gone for 11s second console room) It was the one constant in the console room from the very beginning of the show, all the way up to 11s second console room (the first time it’s not there)

i actually liked the sonic screwdriver making force fields, and the awkwardness of it because it made me think of how it takes a minute to put something together (like the war doctor joking about assembling a cabinet haha) but idk i liked it because it felt like a sci fi moment but with a practical use.

I actually did like the reveal at the end because the clues were in our face the whole time. Like after I realized Rose was trans, one of my first thoughts was that it was odd she picked her name. I was thinking that meant Donna made up bedtime stories that happened to be real memories, but when it all clicked, the stuffed animals THAT WE SAW looked like the monsters The Doctor knew the whole time, the SHED! I saw the shed and thought it was odd at first, but didn't connect the dots. I just love that bit. I had the pieces rattling around in my head, but I didn't connect the dots until BAM and it was so fun and exciting. That's one of the things very few shows even try to attempt, let alone excel at, so that's definitely one of my favorite parts of Doctor Who with the whole "It was in front of me the whole time" bit

i don't see how 14 being similar to 10 is a bad thing, if he wasn't the episodes would've been heavily soured again, i saw this as tennant's doctor being back in the role again (for the most part), he's my childhood doctor and his face without his personality would just feel hollow

I thought everything was so well handled overall. ...a bit hamfisted at the end for sure, but doesn't overshadow the episode itself

Also, I'm calling it now, instead of saying "I don't want to go" when he has to regenerate, he'll have finally grown enough and his last words will be "I'm ready to let go"

it doesn't seem like any commentators have remarked upon the fact that at least at the end of the Disney Plus broadcast of the star beast the credits for overdubs in multiple languages state that The Doctor is the TENTH Doctor

To say on the contrary about the Sonic. I do think the "Sonic Shield" feature isn't that overpowered? It exhibits it's use in specific situations. It's not like The Doctor can immediately put up a wall to block a extermination beam, it takes forever to safely setup, and seemingly they aren't that strong as the barriers could break from stun bolts and human firearms (Which human firearms are likely the thing that'd get dampened the most by a Sonic-Barrier). So for the circumstance it was used in, it makes sense and establishes why the feature would be useful in some scenarios but not others. Primarily because the Wrath and the Possessed UNIT Soldiers were too hyper focused on each other to think about going in a different direction to find The Meep (Allowing the Doctor to setup the path to the stairs) And on a note on the 14th Doctor, I do think the idea is "This is 10...but with all the events of 11 through 13 to add character development" which is reflected with how much more vulnerable and openly emotional he is to his friends and whatnot as 10 would know personally how that hurt him, and then his other incarnations and would want to prevent the same mistakes with the same mind to think through it (Also may be a bit of self-balance wanting to make up for how closed off 13 was ironically)

With everything been so happy at the end I feel like that isn’t the end and everything hasn’t just been resolved, in doctor who fashion there’s always some downside to it

Really liked 14 as a character but really didn't like the lectures he recieved. The whole "male presenting Time Lord" thing wasn't good for decent young guys that are growing up, especially when Donna's granddad and husband have both been seen to be very supporting and loving men. Doctor Who has always respected everyone, its why I love it but to me, it was a poor ending and quite stupid really.

donna knows the doctor has regenerated because time lords can see each other in a way we can't understand there have been a few times where the doctor has run into time lords and known who they were immediately because something intrinsic to their overall 'self' is visible to time lords

Yeah the line with "male presenting time lord" just felt so mean spirited to me. However, when I watched it with my sister, we both missed that line because we were more hung up on the lazy resolution to the meta crisis and trying to figure out how that makes sense with what had been established

The episode had to establish (and re-establish) a lot of things and so it felt a bit crammed and a bit rushed but that means the two subsequent specials will be able to focus much more on the plot and the main characters dealing with the situations they find themselves in. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also, nice to see a review that wasn't bigoted and misogynistic.

i frankly think the best thing i can say about this special is that the parts that had me the most invested were the human interactions and drama rather than the big flashy sci-fi stuff. sure, that might sound odd given that this is a sci-fi show, but so much of chibnall and even moffat's eras felt so clinical and devoid of actual human vulnerability and connection that it was SUCH a breath of fresh air to have characters who feel, talk, move, and think like real people who all have their own struggles in life. if the show needs to find its footing again with the sci-fi elements, i'm all for it, because i have a solid basis now to be invested in. (also, i feel like the only person who wanted the meep to stay the same through the episode even after the reveal. a horrifically murderous war criminal who continues to act like the teeniest little fella would've have made their true identity even more jarring)

It's an interesting episode because it was kind of just peak Doctor Who, taking in both the positives and the negatives. Doctor Who isn't typically a show that tends to stick the landings at the end, but it does check so many boxes and so many unique boxes at that

On the matter of the tardis room, apparently the 15th doctor is going to put things like a juke box in it, so if they fill it out like 12 did with 11's tardis i would like it more

About the new doctor being very similar to tenants last one, I think that is actually quite important. Towards the end of s4 the doctor says something along the lines of, 'when they regenerate its like a new person walks away and the old ones left behind' Since Donna's story is very 'destiny' oriented I think him being the doctor Donna knew was almost fate. In the sense that something keeps pulling them together

The "sharing" aspect of the metacrisis was fine, but what it should have done was put it on a delayed fuse for Donna, not got rid of it entirely. Allowing her 24-48 hours vs. just killing her straight away. This would have allowed her to complete the 3 episodes, with a sense of hope within the Doctor the whole time that he could still save her, whilst having the constant threat of her impending death hanging over the trilogy. Then, she definitely should have died at the end of The Giggle. Watching her death slowly but surely creep up on her and the Doctor with nothing that he can do about it, despite having the time to try, would have made for an incredible, yet dark, narrative to send Donna off as a character.

After so many harsh reviews of this episode, im so happy for a more down to earth video. Though i feel like the problems of the episode should not be ignored, its nice seeing someone being positive, but not too positive, nor harsh. And finally spmeone who agrees eith me that the new tardis is very mixed...

I do feel like there were so many other ways to handle the 'letting it go' scene that would have made it more narratively satisfying. They could have highlighted the difference between Donna back then and Donna now, where she couldn't let it go before because she so desperately wanted to BE like The Doctor. But now she's older, and she has a family, and a better relationship with her mother, and she's CAPABLE of letting go that kind of addictive power. And it could have tied into Rose's identity, giving them perspective on what it means to be just who you are and how to let go of harmful outside influences that are trying to force you to be something you're not. Heck taking in the rest of the specials, that would have made the parallel for the Doctor's journey that much stronger, since one element of it is that he needs to stop being THE Doctor, as in the title, for a little while, because doing so is actively hurting him in more ways than one and it's BEEN hurting them basically since the 2005 series started. I get trying to make a sideways jab at toxic masculinity, which...I...THINK? is what they were going for? But I think it fell flat. It might have worked, like...20-30 years ago when 'men and women are different!' jokes were more relevant.

For the TARDIS design, I love how it truly hammers home the idea of the TARDIS being infinite inside but I also feel it being that big and that empty drives home the isolation of the doctor. It *does* need more people in it and more stuff to feel lived in and that's an area for growth going forward

I think the ending for Donna is good(besides That Line), because it’s a way to fix it that takes time, makes sense(I thought of and saw it before, at least), and is also part of her arc in a more subtle way. The thing that saves her is being a mother, which with Sylvia there, and the trauma of the library, is a pretty big thing for her and is helping her move on while also breaking the cycle. Rose being herself being important is good for her arc, as is saving her mom. And the doctor has always had issues letting things go, especially the part of them associated with being a time lord, I can totally see him just… not considering letting the energy go(now that it’s split up enough for that to not just blow everyone up, presumedly). Not having to do with him being male presenting tho, just being the doctor.

I would love to see Beep doing a teamup with the Slitheen

On the subject of Donna and her old ending vs now: I was with you before I watched it. I really REALLY didnt want to see the power and gravity of Donna's "Death" undone. The beauty of that tragedy was too perfect. But here we are, years down the line. I know that personally, at least, Ive been through tragedy after tragedy since that time, and im not the person I was. I get wanting to undo the worst one, or at least cushioning the blow. Sure, it's an "Everybody Lives", but im glad they did it, in the end. Despite the messy way it was pulled off. We've all had enough tragedy I think, and with inevitably more to come ahead of us, why not make it one less from the past?

I don't care about the pronoun thing but when Rose said that a male presenting time lord would never have figured it out, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!!?? The doctor was a woman like 4 hours ago.

I think the 'male presenting' bit could have been a little better written if it just included a reference to the 'Sisterhood of Karn', and something they might have told Rose subtly, because it literally would have been something The Doctor wouldn't have necessarily known about, since they splintered off from the Time Lords, and they had the means to help create The War Doctor, guiding the regeneration process.

Something that I just thought of is that by this point of the series, 2023 london would not be the same timeline as 2010 london since Moffat made the universe big bang and reset the timelines. It's easily done away with if you explain that the Tardis just took 14 where he needed to go, and the lore doesn't really matter too much anyways.

Wasn’t sure how to feel about it on my first viewing and I was taken aback by the ending, but watching it over again I actually really liked this one. Though, it does still feel really weird to see Tennant and Tate again after all these years, and it makes me feel like there’s something off about their performances, even though they do a great job for most of the episode.

Also, Rose said "male presenting" not just male. So it's not a claim that the Doctor's male brain chemistry is making him incapable of understanding (which would also be weird and stupid) but literally the mere fact that a gender fluid time lord can't understand some things when male presenting (weirder and stupider). Surely people who use the term "male-presenting" rather than just "male" know that the differences in biological sex are so minor that most of the attributed differences between genders are more socially constructed. So then why use the term (which highlights the similarities between sexes) in a sentence that claims men and trans-men and gender fluid people when they present male can't wrap their heads around things women and trans-women and non-binary people can. Especially since it undermines the previous point they were making about the Doctor being both and neither genders and so much more. But also, when he's male presenting he's stupider? What? Also the non-binary moment was weird since Rose seems to identify as a transwoman--with she/her pronouns, name, and presentation. Weird. Couldn't they have just done the same thing Journey's End said where its their human nature combined with the timelord nature that makes them able to come up with ideas the Doctor couldn't? Shame. Only outright bad thing in the episode.

11:00 One thing I saw mentioned by council of geeks is that while the addition is a bit of power creep, they felt it was balanced perfectly by being difficult to set up. The doctor could only make the force fields because the two factions were fighting eachother, giving him the time to set each field up individually. But I do agree that its not something I feel they should have shown, as now they need to justify *not* using it, by either breaking the sonic, or keeping the doctor from ever getting the chance *to* use it. The drawing screens in the air is fine though as you said, it gives a visual representation to the scans, and I imagine the doctor added that feature *for* his companions. That way he doesn't have to do technobabble all the time and can physically show them what it is he's trying to convey, in a odd way it also shows the spectrum aspect people like me see in him. Where words come difficult to us, so we need different methods to explain our thoughts to those around us without sounding like a crazy person. (edit) To be honest? while I get why you personally disliked the whole donna survival thing, I also have to disagree as you don't just bring back a character like that, and then instantly kill them. This story was more of the doctor making amends and undoing one of his greatest regrets after all he/she/they/ whatever they are in that moment, has been through. Doesn't the doctor deserve this one victory? I see it more as like, a doctor dances moment, the doctor managing to have that one pure, true victory he's always been desperate for making life that much more worth living. Theres a similar thing in a LN series I love that has similar arguments made about the character in question who has a fakeout death, but there it's much worse as she was only *just* introduced. Argument's for donna dying hold more weight, as she's a old companion, but at the same time share that fundemental problem and flaw in the sense that, it'd feel cheep. A way to get as few tear jerkers and abuse nostalga bait rather than give her a proper and more satisfying conclusion to her story than what we got originally. We *had* our bittersweet ending in the parting of the ways, right now is time for a feel good ending where Donna actually gets to keep her memories.

Please make a video of this! After jumping into the Time Vortex, the 8th Doctor absorbed the Vortex Energy to become a transcendent being. While in this state, he was powerful enough to instantly disintegrate the Flood Cybermen from existence and essentially became a god that could see all of reality until he decided to give up his god-hood in order to save his companion.

I like that the wheelchair was more like an excuse for the character to net get hypnotized by the Meep . Sherley is a great character I hope we see her again.

I'd say the ending was goofy but definitely not Disney-fied, literally so many examples in New Who episodes before this with hokey, cheesy endings which tie up the main threat incredibly easily and with very little ramifications of the destruction. Just seems a bit of cynical point especially when Disney don't really have creative influence at all. just a weak ending

I quite enjoyed it overall, but if I'm being honest, Doctor Who hasn't "Doctor-Who-d" me for a while. Something about the vibe in the last couple years just didn't convey that sense of wonder and magic...that being said, I'm am actually cautiously optimistic and geniuenly curious where DW will takes the next series!

I feel like the emptiness/size of the new tardis could be a brilliant opportunity to incorporate some continuity in between episodes it could fill up with probs each episode and become more cluttered as the seasons progressed

the final shovels of dirt being tossed on the Doctors grave.

Too much ham-fisted message delivery. The scene with the boys and the reactions on Rose and Donna's faces to the deadnaming were spot on examples of "show don't tell", and the dialogue around that we're perfect. But then we go down the "did you assume the pronoun" scene. And then there's the Metacrisis resolution. Was the dialogue written for the scene, or the scene devised purely to get the 'Binary/Non-Binary" in? Give me the message you want to sure, no problem, but please try to do it in a less cringy way.

I really like the new TARDIS Interior but I hope that it gets cluttered over time like how 12 had the bookshelves and chalkboards

On the note of Rose and Donna "letting the Metacrisis go". In my read it's pretty much a jab at the vanity of 10 and his jumps to thinking he's the smartest person in the room most of the time. Donna didn't really have a chance to think on how she could handle with the Metacrisis in Series 4 because she was actively burning up, so it was The Doctor's assumption and belief in his own conclusion that led to the result that had to be taken. A Doctor-Donna without that burden (able to use the mind of a timelord and human together, resulting in creativity and spark that timelords normally can't do), would probably have come up with the same conclusion as she did in this episode. And on the note about Rose being a receptacle for some of the Metacrisis energy, it's likely a callback...well to the Metacrisis itself, The Doctor putting his regeneration energy into his hand (matching biological receptacle ) at the top of Journey's End. So like then, a matching biological receptacle (well, compatible in this case) is what saves Donna from dying like how it saved 10 from "dying" earlier than he would later.

Donna knows that the doctor has regenerated because as the metacrisis she inherits all memories of the doctor up until that moment.

Tbh , I don't know if I'm alone in this, but the second the meep spoke I was like "something wrong, he's lying, do they want us to think something is wrong or is it just over the top acting coming out this way". I didn't believe him for a second, meep is cute but, also really unnerving. Does anyone else had this too or it's just me?

I defo enjoyed the ep on the whole! The core aspects of it are all there and work well (especially The Meep). My big issue, which I feel explains every problem and nitpick I had as well a lot of the more negative discourse, is that I think the script really needed one more draft before going into production. A lot of things don't properly lock into place, feel a bit clumsy, and coulda done with a bit more explaination and clarification. Overall though, it has a personality and energy that hasn't present in quite some time and defo agree with the B rating!

I think, with that moment in the end, Davies was trying to talk about how men have had all this power for so long, and how difficult it has been for them to give it up. Good idea to put forth, absolutely awful execution. This was not the moment to bring that up. Maybe in another episode? It would be hard to fit it into this one but hey he is a writing genius so maybe if he worked on that a bit more he would've gotten something. I definitely feel like he may have written this special last, with the uncannily neat ending and everything.

That cold open really annoyed me ngl, it was so weird and felt so unnatural. Not to mention it was unnecessary because there's moments in the episode that clearly explain it

Apart from the ending, the plot was perfectly fine, and man it's great to see the old look and sound of of show returning. However, I think this episode should've been a two-parter. On paper, listing everything off point by point, the plot works; but in execution the episode felt condensed, with important moments immediately following one another almost as closely as the contents of a crammed DVD cabinet.

The sonic has always basically been a magic wand to the Doctors Merlin hell the Doctor probably is Merlin

09:50 I have a friend with a knife in their cane so I had a nice giggle at that

To me to fix the end of only needs one change. if Donna had died when she remembers and the doctor holds her. If Rose runs in past the brainwashed guards to hug her she activates the genetic metacrisis pastdown in herself. As the hand did to Donna in journeys end. Then with Donna free from the metacrisis rose uses the energy to heal London rather than just it reversed because reasons. Then the metacrisis is gone and we don't have this controversial line or an underwhelming conclusion. That takes away the joy of the rest of the episode.

Good review of the Star Beast! I will admit I really did enjoy it and I think it was return to form. It was good to see David Tennant and Catherine Tate again and I love those two together. I will admit I was happy to hear Murray Gold's music again and I was happy to hear the Doctor's Theme and I am The Doctor. I am looking forward to your review of Wild Blue Yonder.

It was already textbook RTD for good and bad, where plot inconveniences get waived away with minimal effort. But it was easily the most fun I have had watching Dr Who in 4 years. It felt like a 10th doctor story, which I’m really hoping 15 stories do not copy entirely, but just the basic ability to add humor! And characters you care about! It just seems so wonderfully refreshing. It clearly has an exponentially larger budget than 2005, but still looks kind of kitschy fun in the best way (the chibs era looked the best for all the good that did) I’ve been looking forward to this ever since Chibs departure was announced.

The Doctor actually did let it go... The 9th Doctor - (Christopher Eccleston) - a male presenting Time Lord absorbed the Time Vortex from Rose by kissing her. This was done with the sole intention to relive her and without any hesitation whatsoever, he gave the power back to the TARDIS. In general, Journey's End was one of the best episodes. It deserved a high quality ending. Russell T Davies has shown himself to be extremely competent in writing quality stories, but these first two specials weren't really special worthy and more like filler episodes that weren't that great. There is a lot of Disney elements in all of these specials and not in a good way. A lot of elements of these specials were to suit political agendas, yet Russell T Davies also did that in his first run by actually showing homosexuality being a part of life opposed to forcing it as he's they're doing in these specials. For example: Captain Jack kissed the 9th Doctor on the lips after Rose in "The Parting of the Ways". In the "End of time - Part Two", the Doctor assists Jack get with Alonso. These episodes were high quality episodes and had a entertaining, main plot outside these political agendas and they did the superior job of showing homosexuality being a part of every day life without forcing it. Harbo, you stated you don't believe it was meant to be misandry, however misandry has been displayed a multitude of times in Doctor Who in the more recent years. Watch the KZfaq video by The Dave Cullen Show as he shows you several examples of Misandry in Doctor Who. Misandry is not a cure for Misogyny. The issue is with these political stances, they're going too out of their way to do it. It's extreme and the plot has been suffering due to it. Russell T Davies has attacked people online who have spoken out against this even going so far to call one a "cry baby" which is extremely unprofessional. Edd Gorenstein has called him the "show-runner victorious". It's gotten so bad that Christopher Eccleston's condition for returning is that Russel T Davies is sacked alongside several other crew runners. When David Tennant returned for the 50th - "The Day of the Doctor", that episode delivered. To be honest, the majority of these specials certainly weren't worth the long wait.

In retrospect, the actual first scene of Star Beast reminds a lot of the opening of The Next Doctor.

I like the new TARDIS interior, but, it feels more like star wars prequel era or modern star trek, than Doctor Who, way to clean and sterile. I personally feel like console rooms were suppose to feel lived in, while it is the control room, it's also akin to a living or common room in a home as it gets used as such by its passengers in pretty much every iteration.

The episode was fun but felt very rushed. I found it better on a rewatch though.

Good review. I probably liked it a bit better than you, but I appreciate your very insightful analysis. Look forward to your opinion on the upcoming specials!

small fluffy thing being dictatorial. No wonder everyone connects Meep to cats

My biggest (only) problem with Rose, is the character is supposed to be *15/16, and the actress is clearly an adult. *In an interview Yasmin Finnley said Rose was 15. The novelisation of "The Giggle" says she's 16

Personally, I think I liked Tennant as 14 more than 10. While I don't mind a flawed Doctor, 10 mostly came across to me as an irresponsible teenager (which made it hard for me to like him). 14 is basically 10 after going through lots of therapy. It's great to see Donna back, and I think with time, Rose will grow to be one of my favorite characters too. However, my only real complaints are that the new Sonic Screwdriver is a bit too overpowered, some parts are a bit too fast paced imo, and there were times that I found myself wondering how Donna's mind hadn't burnt up yet already from the very sight of The Doctor and aliens. The third act also felt a bit AI generated. if Donna could have always let go of the metacrisis, why couldn't she have done it sooner in Journey's End? Then again, this all seems a bit too convenient, and maybe this is just a false sense of security we're being lured into so that when Wild Blue Yonder and The Giggle come out and sweep the rug from underneath us, it'll leave us genuinely shocked

Nah that ending is stupid and kinda ruins the episodefor me., if it was the other way round saying about women and a female doctor all fans would flip, but because its about men its ok to belittle them because for some reason you can't be sexist against men

I'm sorry but the complaint about 14 acting like 10 is beyond stupid. Like RTD said what would be the point in brining Tennant back to play a totally different character?

I hardly ever comment, and if I do it's about random tiny things. But I must say that I absolutely love these videos. I discovered your vids while you were doing the Series 5 reviews and binged it all in an instant. Been watching you religiously ever since. I just wanted to for once say I really appreciate your channel, style, and analysis before I head back to my cave again to quietly lurk. PS: I believe you once said you find it so weird to have followers from outside of the UK so thought I'd just casually drop some love from Norway here.

The eoisode was good, but the whole "male presenting time lord" plot resolution is not just cringy, its just downright awful. They could've gone with him not understanding because hes not human, or thinks too deeply about things. But no, they went with "because hes a man". Its hard to see it as anything but man hating nonsense, especially when there were so many other options they could've chosen that would've actually made far more narrative sense.

I think the sonic powers should be explained that it becomes more powerful directly after regeneration which allows them to be more creative with it while characters are developing.

maybe i misunderstood haha i thought the reason they were able to let go of the doctor donna was because it got shared between two hearts and with her binary binary binary quote the combination of donna and roses person made them viable for the doctor donna and so they have that power to let it go similar to the doctor being able to conjure his regeneration energy to heal people every now and again like in the angels in manhattan episode

I didn’t think it was possible to dis that incredible scene revealing the screwdriver can do more now and actually creating a useful force field to let the nobles and meep escape. But somehow you managed

Ah, the cute fanatic purifiers meme has finally escaped containment.

Listening to your review and also thinking myself, there’s quite a few moments of “clearly I’m not the intended audience for this” which, in isolation, are fine. If the show was always the exact same it would be incredibly boring and predictable. Variety is good. I bring this up because if the show ends up being full of a bunch of these moments, then the powers that be can’t be surprised if people stop tuning in or complain. Obviously we only have a sample size of one episode in this new era so it is impossible to tell what the direction of the show is. If you make a show to put emphasis on a point most relevant to only a very small group of people, especially if this point is a politically hot-button item, then simple math will say it doesn’t resonate with a majority of people. I don’t want this show to become a vapid apolitical formulaic show. I can only speak for myself (perhaps YT comments aren’t the best place for that lol) but I watch very few modern TV shows, and when I do watch it’s mainly as a means of escapism from a politically supercharged world. Hopefully the rest of the show is more like the first half of this episode than the second half in the way it gets its messages across without stopping the story dead in its tracks.

I wonder if the point of the TARDIS looking so clean and open is so it can evolve over time, similar to the mid-regeneration redesigns we've seen before with 11 and 12. I hope it'll change as time goes on, maybe slowly becoming more dirty and adding features based on what happens in episodes.

Regarding how often the sonic was used, keep in mind this is serving as an entry point for a lot of new viewers, so this is essentially was establishing what the sonic is and how it can be used

What I hated about Donna and Rose saying the Doctor has no understanding of letting go because he's a man again, is that the Doctor and many other iconic characters have managed to let go of addictive God-like powers that make them good role models regardless of gender, my examples being: The Ninth Doctor was able to let go of the time vortex energy after Rose struggled with it as the Bad Wolf in Parting of the Ways. Spider-Man was able to let go of the addictive powers of the iconic alien symbiote suit. Sonic the Hedgehog is able to let go of the power of the chaos emeralds when he has finished saving the day as Super Sonic, which is one of the central themes of the Sonic franchise. I know these three examples are male characters but these are the main three characters I know from the top of my head (I haven't watched every piece of media from every franchise that currently exists. I'm only one person.) so please feel free to educate me about other characters that have been able to let go of incredible powers, whether they are male, female, gender-fluent, non-binary or any other variations there upon, showing that anyone can be special.

Excited for next episode:) I hear it will be a horror.

disagree that 14 feels just like 10, but this is also after having seen wild blue yonder

This video practically said what I was thinking about the episode. Thank you Harbo!

"Was it good" . . . No, it wasn't

Watching this episode back is beyond disappointing now that I think about it

I find it so inexplicably hilarious that beep was pretending to be so adorable and niave the entire time- like all those cute murmured noises was part of the skit?!?! 😭😭😭

i think this episode is just a silly chill one priming us for this world again the next two feel they are going to be bit more world ending scary type episodes, this feels like we are just back settling in yknow. i hope the tardis becomes cluttered i think it would be a cool little thing for ncutis 15th were the more adventures he goes on the more things fill the tardis i think that would be a fun little thing throughout the series.

I think overall it was a fun little romp, nothing too crazy. Davies definitely pulled off that more "traditional" Doctor Who feeling he said it would be. And yeah, the ending kinda sucked. Even as someone who doesn't agree with the political ideology, I actually like seeing representation pulled off correctly, and this definitely wasn't. Shirley and her wheelchair were perfect in terms of representation honestly. Although one thing I heard from someone else is that it feels like a UNIT scientific advisor could at least have something a bit more high-tech than a wheelchair, but it's not really that big of a deal. I wish Rose had been portrayed as an ordinary person rather than somehow being significant solely because of her sexuality, putting her on level ground with everyone else which is what I think representation should be. Isn't the goal of representation to normalize, rather than point out people's differences?

Its good to hear a more positive review but personally I am very weary of tv shows trying to educate me. I just want to be entertained after a long working week

Honestly, they should’ve kept the reason behind Donna’s survival a mystery, and having the Celestial Toymaker reveal that it was because of him.

It was exactly what I expected from RTD Doctor Who, fun; energetic, a Deus Ex Machina at the end, I'd say 8/10 but some or that might be missing dr who for around a year.

I agree with all your points, but I would still rank this special above the snowmen and the christmas invasion. I just love the temple-noble family and the fourteenth doctor so much. I also like the differences between 10 and 14. 14 comes across as a lot more mature, especially emotionally. I love 14 admitting that he loves donna and wilf and in the footage for the next special we even see him being physically affectionate towards Donna.

#McGannGang

22:25 I assumed that was something to do with her being the metacrisis with him, and the connection that creates between them. But yeah I did wonder and if that is the explanation it’s certainly not clear and is never stated.

I will never be able to hear ‘tuna madras’ without cracking up, favourite line in the episode