The Companion

I still wouldn't say that Americans have guns pulled on them regularly and/or that it is a non-event, which is what I was responding to. I know plenty of people - rural and city - who own guns but they don't go around pulling them on employees, so I think it would be worth remarking on in the US as well.

I, for one, welcome our new Adipose overlords.

Her face was amazing. I was laughing so hard at both of these moments. I almost missed the shadow puppets and made us go back. I haaaaaate spiders, which made this the perfect creepy Halloween episode for me. Agree with this. I actually like that we have had villain light so that we can get to know these characters. I loved seeing Yaz's family. Her mother (Najia?) was awesome and perfectly mom nosy. I loved the quiet moments of mourning for Graham and the interrupted conversation with Ryan. I loved her enthusiasm and her inability to make small talk. I was laughing so hard at her whole discussion of getting an couch and and flat. It did remind me of Eleven at Clara's Christmas dinner with no clothes. I really love the open enthusiasm. I thought they concluded there was no connection through Nadja. Instead the spiders were branching out through the mines and were ending up in dark quiet places that spiders end up. I did think I would be uncomfortable going back there and just assuming all the spiders ended up in the hotel. I guess the conclusion was that they would eventually end up too big to continue. For the record, this American has had a gun pulled on her 0 times. I would have a pretty big reaction to having a gun pointed at me. I mean, I also assume London doesn't have alien attacks at Christmas either. I enjoyed this episode. I found it appropriately creepy and I enjoyed the silliness. I agree the end was a but abrupt but I liked the tone and suspect my 5 year old will want to watch it 100 times because GIANT SPIDERS!

So would I. I just don't think it is a prerequisite to being bisexual and was making that point. And for clarity, I don't object to someone classifying their own experience as experimenting. I realized that was vague.

It is also possible that she is comfortable that she is bisexual because she has been attracted to and/or had sex with women. You don't have to have a girlfriend to be bi, and you don't suddenly become straight by dating someone of the opposite sex. I hate when people talk about women who have sex with women as "experimenting" or treat those encounters like they "don't count." Eleanor is comfortable flirting with women, her perfect boyfriend involves a combination of Stone Cold Steve Austin's head and Tahani's body or vice versa, and she certainly didn't hesitate to go in for a kiss with Simone. Sure, she hasn't had a traditional coming out conversation, but she seems to think that is unnecessary. She is open about being into men and women, and she doesnt really care what other people think about it, which is consistent with her character, IMO.

I loved Simone and I actually thought Chidi's reason for breaking up with her (to avoid letting the truth slip and damning her) was kind of sweet. The actress did an incredible job, and totally nailed her Janet and Eleanor impressions. I am ok if that is it for Simone but I would also love to see her again. I agree. Jason's sweetness makes him watchable. I did love getting to see his background. His interactions with Donkey Doug were killing me. I mean, it isn't like she has had a bunch of break ups before to help her figure out how to act. I think she is taking it pretty okay. I love when he is delighted by something. I do think part of what we are seeing is the inherent unfairness of the system. Jason actually turned out pretty awesome, and he does the wrong things but for the right reasons sometimes. We have seen how the backgrounds of three of the characters set them up for failure, and I don't think that is an accident. I really liked this episode. I loved the relationship simulator. It is basically how I live my life (ok, let me practice this phone call in my head one more time before I call). I loved Kristen Bell's delivery in the scene with Simone. She has made references to her attraction to Tahani in the past, and I like that they continue to matter of factly show her attraction to men and women (I believe the show previously confirmed she is bisexual and while it sometimes is the subject of jokes, I don't feel it is ever directed at the fact that she is attracted to women generally, which I appreciate). Chidi's many break up attempts were hilarious. Honestly, he should have paid more attention to Eleanor's fake breakup speech through Simone, which was pretty good. Loved the constant interruption in the real deal and the satisfactory resolution between the characters at the end. Jason's trip home was hilarious. I was glad we didn't have smellovision for the axe energy spray. I think most of the amazing parts have been covered (that handshake!).

I wish I could say that I didn't have the same experience looking at a car in like 2011, but that would be a lie. This jerk of a car salesman asked my husband if he was buying a car for the "little lady" and spoke almost exclusively to him about car features. He did not make the sale. These were notably bad. It wasn't just that the accents sounded wrong, they didn't sound like any Southern accent ever. I have learned to largely ignore it (though bad Louisiana/cajunish accents still make me a little stabby) but I always give major props when an accent is good. This was not one of those times. The episode was good enough to overlook it.

If they did, they didn't say anything. Must have been no whovians in the room. We have been all Halloween all the time, so we haven't had time for a re-watch this week yet. Not sure if he will like it simply because there is a lot of talking and he tends to zone out a bit if there isn't any action on the screen. He is probably going to love next week, particularly because it features a certain creature for which I have no fondness. I suspect Rosa will be a good way to talk about being kind and treating people with respect, if I can get him into it.

Wow, this perspective makes me appreciate the episode more. They established the bad relationship with that particular bus driver and referenced Till. I think they really did a good job honoring the woman. I think the shame does show how far we have come. I actually thought the inability for modern people to navigate a segregated society was a hopeful juxatpositon. I love the description of an "inverse 'kill Hitler as a baby'" Agreed. Actually like the Van Gogh episode, the show didn't shy away from the truth. It took things head on and treated her as person instead of a fairy tale. I hear the discouragement about racists still existing in the future, but I think it was clear that he was not free to be that person in his time, or else he wouldn't be here. ETA: Shout out to whoever it was that pointed out that the Doctor is a Timelord Tahani Al Jamil. When she name dropped Elvis and Sinatra, it was all I could think about.

I agree. They did a good job of not making it about our group. They were giving her the opportunity but it was clearly Rosa who was making the decision. I thought the coat was an excuse to make sure Rosa wasn't waylaid by our bad guy in some way. I really appreciated (can't really say enjoyed) that the show didn't shy away from the reality of the time period. Ryan and Yaz weren't hidden away in the TARDIS. They didn't find a workaround. The characters had to face a really difficult reality. I did love Ryan's starstruck discussion with Rosa Parks and Dr. King. I really liked this. I usually prefer running around spaceships, and I wasn't sure they would tell this story in a nuanced way, but I thought it was lovely. The actress playing Rosa had a great balance of steely determination and grace. The accents were awful, but otherwise it was a compelling and well-done episode and the emotional payoff at the end was great. Loved the discussion of Nan. Loved the ability to laugh and appreciate her with the riot line. There were a lot of great lines for JW, and three episodes in I think she feels like she has been the Doctor much longer. I continue to appreciate how this iteration of the Doctor is intentional about the use of her Companions. Yaz, who is a police officer, makes a timeline and guards Rosa Parks. Graham uses his ability to blend with the bus drivers. Ryan's got to follow Rosa Parks (probably the most inconspicuous choice) leading to some really great scenes. I am enjoying the character development. My only nitpicky thing is that the Doctor made it clear she disliked the weapon subsequently used but said nothing about it when it was employed. I suppose the Weeping Angel gun was the best bet, but stlll. Oh and I loved the better look at the TARDIS. It looks so cool.

I love this show (and finally caught up after some frustrating technical difficulties, so I don't have to wait as long . . .yay?). The two plotlines didn't really meld together for me. I get that they kinda had to run concurrently but I found the transition between them rough at times. Something about the editing, I think. That being said, both came together in a interesting, if a bit predictable way. The virus: I was yelling "don't kill Pree," so I am glad that didn't happen. The memory loss was really sad. I understood the last scene with Zeph to mean that the virus was the cause of the memory loss. It attacked their ability to remember. This explains why she lost her memory and why others who we didn't see get the cure were losing theirs. The fight in the green meant the lady could escape, but the infected were the ones "waiting" for her. The green: the story got a little muddled, I thought. Like could they be injured in the green? I thought the painful memories were obvious and a bit sweet (the Jacobis and the women they love). HJK is incredible, particularly when switching between Dutch and Aneela, but I thought the best moment was when she processed where D'avin was. An initial memory of the pain and withdrawal followed by a realization that it meant that was the most painful thing the Lady could drum up. I enjoyed that they used the green to feature several characters who would otherwise not be shown. The reset: I don't love Johnny and Dutch together because I love that they have this close friendship. But fine, many shippers, enjoy. :) I know we need an overarching storyline next season, but I almost wish we could just do fun and silly one off episodes with the gang, because I will miss that the most. Interesting that everyone is thrown together as they are. Assuming the virus did that, I wonder why the Lady wouldn't put them in totally different areas. It does tell us it spread. Zeph: her grief and the fact that she was working through it didn't not remind me of myself. Thought she did a fantastic job of cycling through several emotions that go along with loss. Other thoughts: I can't believe I am actually going to miss Aneela if she doesn't come back. Despite being creepy as hell with her sing song voice and murderous tendencies, she reads as so very broken and I am shocked to be rooting for some sort of ending where she finds her mom and DSK again. I am shocked to miss a child on a science fiction show, but I hope they give Jaq some time next year. I am not sure how I feel about working through a reset next year. I love these characters together and resetting them takes away from getting to watch the team as the team. I hope it doesn't go on too long. I would love a happy ending and that may take some work. Knowing that this is the final season, there is a good chance they can wrap it up in a satisfactory way.

Agreed. I thought it was implied that this race was in some way publicized and watched. Assuming that is the case, I think an appeal to good ratings or encouraging future participants would have made more sense. The episode was "The Empty Child." I suspect that is what you are thinking of?

I agree with all of this except that Johnny and Lucy are *true love.* Poor, poor Zeph. At least Pip got a good send out. He finally got to be the brave one. It was fun to see everyone get back together again. The ensemble cast of this show is so great together. They have an incredible chemistry. Lost in all of the action was the quiet and awesome competency of Pree and Gared, calmly saving all the kids. I am glad I wasn't holding my breath that we were going to lose one of them.

Ok, I can buy that concern. I will be interested to see what they do with it. I still laugh about all the time that went into anticipating Let's Kill Hitler only to have Rory punch him in the face and lock him in a cupboard. I am hopeful, given the tone of the season so far, that this will be handled well. We shall see. It is fun to have a little Whovian. He will definitely be watching this episode. What is funny is that he likes the one-off episodes that have traditionally not been as well received. His favorites are probably The Curse of the Black Spot and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship. I suspect the will like this one because of the robot bad guys. Slightly off-topic, he had to get stitches this summer after falling and hitting his head at camp and I told him he had to be totally still, like a Weeping Angel. He sat there totally still the entire time. That was my take. They had no way off-planet and the TARDIS was showing up every 1,000 years, so missing it was a death sentence. Regardless, it made a beautiful contrast between disappointment and pure joy at seeing the TARDIS again. It really was my favorite moment of the episode.

I was hopeful it would be that ending. I was worried it would be cooperative person with a backstory dies to teach gruff man who refuses to care how to feel again. Possibly due to the water.

In fairness, Doctor Who has done stories with a number of historical figures, so I am not sure it is really veering into new territory. I am curious whether it will be a Let's Kill Hitler where you don't even see the historical figure more than a minute or a Vincent and the Doctor where you spend a long time with the historical figure (or something in between like, say, The Impossible Astronaut/Day of the Moon). Personally, I am happy we have had some less terrifying monsters. My son LOVES Doctor Who, but he is only 5, so I have to decide each week whether or not the monster is too scary for him (admittedly, he has a high tolerance for scary monsters and loves the Weeping Angels). It is nice when we get a story that doesn't have too scary of a monster or too high of a body count. I didn't actually find the first to be particularly out of character, so I was okay with it. They had established that Yas was a police officer, and this felt a bit like using her interrogation skills to get the racer to open up. It isn't like they asked her to make them some coffee and sent her on her way. We got a bit of a peek into something about her family, but I suspect we are going to have to wait for awhile as we deal with the fallout from the pilot. As to the second, I suspect that was one of those moments thrown in for new viewers. A thesis of who the Doctor is and what she is about. I would expect those statements to calm down (but I could be wrong). Agreed. I love when the stories are about a few people (and trying to have a everyone lives moment). While I also enjoy a big save the universe or a world episode, I think they work because you also have these small scale stories. I think you have to have the contrast to make the big ones work. They also reinforce the point that the Doctor cares about everyone, regardless of whether their problem is something that will destroy worlds.

Last week, I saw so much 11 in her energy while my husband kept thinking she was so 10. This week I saw more 10, and there was one waving the screwdriver run move that really mirrored him. I love that she is consistent while bringing her own take on the role. JW truly is knocking it out of the park. I loved this episode. I am always a fan of running around on spaceships and broad alien landscapes, so this was definitely my type of episode. There were a few points that seemed a bit off but I realized they were the exposition points that introduced the Doctor. I suspect we will get a few more of those for new viewers. I am really enjoying the companions. Waiting for some more development but I really like them all so far. I appreciated that Ryan's dyspraxia came up in the manner it did. A challenge rather than an excuse to manufacture dramatic tension. I also liked how each of the companions approached everything differently. I think the dynamic will be fun. And the TARDIS. The way the Doctor greeted the TARDIS and spoke lovingly to her was amazing. A beautiful scene. I loved the old school entrance and the circles on the wall. I actually liked the more alien look. As for the story (giant space race, desperate contestants, hostile planet), it certainly wasn't the first time any of those concepts have been introduced, but I enjoyed the story and I suspect that is in a large part due to some excellent work by the actors who played the racers. I was happy to see the happy ending (though I didn't necessarily buy that someone who is remote would be moved by threats). I am relieved to hear we aren't done with last week's story. That poor dude's sister being left in suspension on the edge of death while the Doctor does nothing didn't sit right with me.

I think my favorite team was Amy, Rory and River. I like pretty much every episode where they interact. Looking back, most of my favorite episodes involve multiple people in the TARDIS, although I loved Donna Noble and would watch her yell at the Doctor all day long. I think I could have been okay with her time ending with The Name of the Doctor. She makes a sacrifice to end up throughout the timeline and that is it. We are all very sad for her big sacrifice and move on with a new companion. Alternatively, the Doctor manages to save her and she goes back to her own timeline. With Danny Pink who was way too good for her and absolutely did not deserve to be hit by a bus then cybermanned.

I ended up liking Capaldi with Bill and Nardole, and thought he killed it in Heaven Sent where he carried the entire episode solo (and it probably goes without saying since I love River, but he was also fabulous with AK in The Husbands of River Song). In retrospect, Clara was the problem for me for reasons I still can't quite put my finger on. She just didn't work and I wish she had been given an ending and replaced with Bill and Nardole sooner. My feeling on 12 is that some angst was well-placed. His entire view of himself was upended in the Day of the Doctor and he had lived out his years expecting to die only to get a surprise reprieve. I think there was a touch of survivor's guilt, a bit of "what now?" with some self-reflection now that he realizes he didn't do the act for which he spent hundreds of years feeling guilty.

Apparently Chibnall's nephew has dyspraxia and they did some real work to make sure it was shown accurately. https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2018-10-07/doctor-who-series-11-what-is-dyspraxia-ryan-companion/

Seriously. None of the items taken felt particularly complex, honestly. It would have made more sense for them to be getting something like a spinning wheel. Something with moving parts that might take some time to figure out without an example. Also, it would have been easier to transport people than to transport that giant old wagon (of dubious running ability and upkeep). Why not have some of their people come and measure and take notes. If that stuff isn't going anywhere, they could observe on several occasions. That actually would have made for a more compelling red shirt. Not for nothing, but those hats are popular with people who spend a lot of time outside for practical reasons. As a pale person in a post-sunscreen world, I would have to wear a giant hat and long sleeves pretty much all the time. This is what makes absolutely no sense. There are things that they could presumably do (distilling, processing, preserving, etc.). Why would they not have set up some sort of exchange/trade? We send you corn, you give us half the fuel. Hell, they could trade for labor (a solution Maggie settled on in all of 30 seconds). There were most definitely people in that group who would have wanted to relocated, but even the ones that don't lack a credibility problem when left on their own after everything. I would have expected them to be either distributed among the other settlements or expected to trade for anything they wanted. The idea that they are just receiving items with no work 18 months later doesn't seem realistic to me.

Well, it's good to see that the passage of time hasn't made the gang any smarter. Hey, let's take everything across the glass even though it appears you could have hung some of it over the balcony or bannister. Let's start with the heaviest thing so we can weaken the glass before carrying other things across. Oh and we will tie everyone so we can pull them up but then sit there slackjawed when we have to pull someone up, leaving them to dangle like bait on a fishing hook. Gregory should have died long ago and watching his awkward machinations was cringeworthy. Worse was watching an apparently sober man who turned to drinking attack Maggie so competently that she couldn't defend herself. PS Maggie, I am not parent shaming but who doesn't strap the kid in when going over bumpy terrain in a stroller? I had no interest in any of the scenes where Gregory was chewing scenery. The idea that he could gain any traction with anyone after all he has done was ridiculous. Michonne continues to be a bright spot. Her quiet competence is fun to watch. I also really loved the Carol/Daryl scene and really Carol in general. The show finally acknowledged the fuel problem and started exploring a lot of the stuff that it should have hit on years ago. I was annoyed by the reaction to red shirt's death with an assertion he should not have been out there (he was clearly needed for the horses) and the delusional idea that being a zombie snack wasnt a real risk when leaving the protected area.

I am surprised to agree. I loved Capaldi with Bill and Nardole. I would have love a little more time with that team. Also, I will always love The Husbands of River Song and thought Capaldi played off of Kingston amazingly.

I am crying I am laughing so hard at this. ETA: I have like 0 ability to type on the phone and legitimately end up with some crazy typos, and I am definitely stealing this next time.

Agreed. I think part of it was the introduction of new companions and a new Doctor at the same time, and some of it was JW's slightly manic energy. I was excited and hopeful, but this exceeded expectations for me.