S13.E01: Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse

[Tardislass]

I like it and for everyone who watched Broadchurch, it was a bit like that. Chibnell introduced so many individuals that seemingly only lived in the same town, then over the series, showed how they all came together in the mystery. 

Yes, the costume was cheesy but I absolutely loved the idea of a race of dog-aliens genetically programed to save their humans! Too funny and very DW!.I liked Dan and I liked that his girlfriend had a disability that was never mentioned and treated like a normal character. Hard to know how to judge until the end so I will just that it's been a long time since I've been eager for next week. 

I still miss Graham...but if it means no Ryan, so be it. 

[Tardislass]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:44 PM, Terrafamilia said:

I'm left wondering if a Weeping Angel could be stopped with a camera or if you need a living being to watch them (presumably intelligent or all sorts of animals that might be around could do it).

I always give these characters leeway. Sure we know what we'd do, but it's really flight or fright.

On 11/2/2021 at 2:10 PM, DoctorAtomic said:

I figured the Angel wasn't random because it looked like it was waiting, and the woman had already met the Doctor. They can't talk so it would be a cool twist. 

I'm wondering if in a weird way, the Angel is trying to save Claire from the Flux by sending to another dimension. Would put a different twist on it. 

[Tardislass]

On 11/2/2021 at 12:24 AM, Maren said:

Got it, thank you!! I knew it sounded familiar but I could not remember. Swarm's speech to her makes more sense now. Thank you!

One more comment on the episode: I hope Diane is ok. I knew as soon as she and Dan made plans something would happen! Though I didn't think it would be to her but to him lol. I hope she comes out ok.

And it made me laugh that Dan was getting kicked out of the museum for doing impromptu tours. What museum wouldn't like an enthusiastic tour guide who works for free? Lots of museums have volunteers! He'd clearly be a great one lol. 

Only in TV. Most museums have only volunteer guides.

[DoctorAtomic]

1 hour ago, Tardislass said:

I'm wondering if in a weird way, the Angel is trying to save Claire from the Flux by sending to another dimension. Would put a different twist on it. 

So far, we've only seen that the Angels throw you back in time. It would seem the whole point of this brief scene and 1820 would be that they're linked somehow. 

[DanaK]

Further analysis from that account (the episode ranked 2nd for the night): https://ratingsukfilmandtv.blogspot.com/2021/11/doctor-who-flux-halloween-apocalypse.html

Also, the AI for the episode was 76. Not great but the ratings and rank were pretty good, so the AI is probably not something we as fans and viewers should worry too much about

 

Edited November 4, 2021 by DanaK

[Tardislass]

4 hours ago, DanaK said:

Further analysis from that account (the episode ranked 2nd for the night): https://ratingsukfilmandtv.blogspot.com/2021/11/doctor-who-flux-halloween-apocalypse.html

Also, the AI for the episode was 76. Not great but the ratings and rank were pretty good, so the AI is probably not something we as fans and viewers should worry too much about

 

Personally I don't worry about ratings. Everyone I knows watches it after on a streaming service. I don't know anyone who has appointment TV anymore. That said, I thought it was one of the better Chibnell efforts except for the historicals. Chibnell seems to do better with serials.

Plus no matter the issues I have with the show as my dad said, life is always a little brighter when Doctor Who is on.

[angora]

It was frenetic and overstuffed, but I liked it. I appreciate that, among all the ominous portents and “we have never faced a bigger deal than this before!!!”-ness, the episode also took time to have plenty of fun. The Doctor and Yaz had some delightful banter, including the whole  “I can’t help but feel like this is partly my fault” exchange and the bit where the Doctor rattled off a very non-specific game plan, told Yaz to synchronize their watches, realized she wasn’t wearing one, and cheerfully ran off. I also loved her trying to trigger the handcuff release with a Scottish accent, thinking it might’ve been Tweve who set them.

Looks like Yaz has really been flourishing since Ryan and Graham left. I liked her easy confidence and her refusal to let the Doctor slide on keeping secrets from her.

I enjoyed Karvanista. On top of having a not-exactly-intimidating visage, he had the unfortunate luck to arrive on Earth on Halloween - not his fault he had to bring out the stasis gun-thing to convince Dan he was really an alien! I liked the reveal about his species actually coming to save humanity (although sending 7 billion ships that can carry one passenger each seems really counterintuitive,) and I thought the design of his armor and ship were really beautiful.

The design on the apparent big baddie was less inspired, and I have yet to be convinced. Chibnall seems to really like these creepy aliens with digitally-altered voices that look kind of like Buffy cast-offs, and so far, Swarm feels like more of the same.

I still don’t think we really needed another companion for this season, but Dan seems all right. I like that he’s passionate about his city and enjoys helping others but appears to have a harder time helping himself. We’ll see if any of the backstory we were introduced to here will continue to be relevant in his characterization or if Chibnall will just drop it.

Definitely prepared to see more of Vinder and Claire. Claire feels like a different take on the meeting-the-Doctor-out-of-order type of character, and Jacob Anderson just acts with this spark that drew me into Vinder right away.

 

[gail56]

Really loved the episode! Easily my favorite so far of the Jodie era. Loved that the handcuffs came off when she said, "What a relief!" after they safely landed, when she had been saying "Release" in different accents, lol! The only part I didn't like was the reference to the Timeless child with the Swarm saying how they wiped her mind so completely of him and their battles. I hate the whole rewrite of the Doctor's origins. Please get rid of it!

Otherwise loved it and hope the rest of the story is just as good.

[Starchild]

I know I'm late to this episode and probably no one will see this comment, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned Claire talking about taking the long way home. Isn't that something Clara said to the Twelve when she left with Arya Stark? 

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, Starchild said:

I know I'm late to this episode and probably no one will see this comment, but I'm surprised no one has mentioned Claire talking about taking the long way home. Isn't that something Clara said to the Twelve when she left with Arya Stark? 

That phrase was used in “Blink,” the first episode featuring the Weeping Angels. Basically, those creepy statue-looking things can send people back in time, eating the lifespan that should have lived. One of its victims was sent from 2006 to 1969. “The long way home” was him living from that time to old age and death in 2006.

I apologize if that came off as “geeksplaining.” I’m also sorry if I biffed the details.

[Starchild]

No worries, thanks. I knew I'd heard it before

[Llywela]

The upshot being that when Claire used the phrase, it rang a bell for the Doctor, who has heard it before (and has used it before) in more than one circumstance, but we don't know yet what Claire meant by it - no doubt a future episode will reveal how Claire first met the Doctor and what her role in the season might be.

[DanaK]

7 day ratings are 5.785 million viewers. Still the 2nd most watched program of the day across all channels and the 9th most watched show for the week https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/dwflux-consolidatedratings

[DanaK]

On 11/8/2021 at 10:25 AM, DanaK said:

7 day ratings are 5.785 million viewers. Still the 2nd most watched program of the day across all channels and the 9th most watched show for the week https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/dwflux-consolidatedratings

BARB has adjusted the 7-day figures up slightly so that the premiere episode now has 5.812 million viewers and now ranks 8th for the week

[DanaK]

For those interested, the viewership on BBC America in the US at 2:25pm (for the global premiere) was 339,000 viewers; the 8pm repeat got 277,000 viewers

[DanaK]

28 day numbers: 6.39 million viewers, rank is 7th for the week

[DanaK]

On 11/29/2021 at 10:12 AM, DanaK said:

28 day numbers: 6.39 million viewers, rank is 7th for the week

Slightly updated BARB numbers: 6.386445 million viewers, still 7th

[DanaK]

On 12/6/2021 at 12:02 PM, DanaK said:

Slightly updated BARB numbers: 6.386445 million viewers, still 7th

Very slight update for 28-day to 6.386562, still 7th