S11.E01: The Woman Who Fell to Earth

[Meredith Quill]

Airdate: 10.07.2018

Episode Synopsis:

“We don’t get aliens in Sheffield.” In a South Yorkshire city, Ryan Sinclair, Yasmin Khan and Graham O’Brien are about to have their lives changed forever, as a mysterious woman, unable to remember her own name, falls from the night sky. Can they believe a word she says? And can she help solve the strange events taking place across the city?

[LGraves65]

This episode needed a trypophobia TW. *shudder* 

Also, the Doctor becomes a female human and immediately starts apologizing for shit that's not her fault? Not cool, writers. Not cool.

[Occasional Hope]

Well, I enjoyed that.  I liked the new companions, and thought it worked that we got to know them before the Doctor showed up.  Sorry they had to kill off Grandma though.

Liked seeing the doctor make a new screwdriver, though a bit implausible.

[Enigma X]

I get confused on whether the general  public knows the Doctor exists. It seems to change periodically.

[The Companion]

I loved it. I am sure I will have more thoughts later, but I am ALL IN on Jodie Whittaker.

[John Potts]

Loved it! Jodie Whittaker captured exactly what I want in the Doctor - brave, intelligent and more than a little mad. The Regeneration confusion reminded me of Peter Davison's (Five) in Castrovalva and Paul McGann's (Eight) Regenerations, which I also like, as it's a reminder that the Doctor's history started before I was born and not in 2000. But one thing I really liked was it was so... mundane. One alien comes to Earth and the problem is that two people are killed five more are put in danger. But of course, the Doctor treats it as just the same as if the universe was in peril. Which I like - you can say "the Universe is about to explode!" but if the writing doesn't make us care about any of the people in it, it's just words.

As for the lady elephant in the room... well, I didn't care, but then I was very unlikely to care anyway. I don't know if our new Lady Doctor hung around for the funeral because as a woman (or at least, played by a woman - who knows how Time Lord genetics work?) she is now "more in touch with her feelings" but I am glad the Doctor doesn't just assume everyone can just cope with their losses and sods off (granted, she couldn't as she's lost the TARDIS, but she could have sought out Torchwood or UNIT). Also noticed the "Long time since I bought women's clothes" line which I wondered if it was suggesting the Doctor had been a woman before (which would cause all sorts of continuity problems!) or was just a reference to shopping for Susan (or any of his female companions, I suppose, but they mostly seemed to arrange their own wardrobes).

Also liked that the first thing our companion group did when asked to operate a crane was to Google it! I'm sure that will date terribly, but at least it worked for how a 2018 random person would react.

[TexasGal]

17 minutes ago, LGraves65 said:

Also, the Doctor becomes a female human and immediately starts apologizing for shit that's not her fault? Not cool, writers. Not cool.

I liked it, but omg THIS!!!  That made me crazy.  

The companions were good.  I love Bradley Walsh.  Good thing they got a token white guy in.  ?

[John Potts]

2 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

The companions were good.  I love Bradley Walsh.  Good thing they got a token white guy in.  ?

I know, it's so hard being a white male today - it's like the world isn't given to us any more...

Actually, I liked the fact that we have not just an inter racial relationship (which we'd already had on Who with Rose/Mickey) but also between two people of (nearly) pensionable age. It gives me hope!

[benteen]

I really enjoyed it.  I thought Jodie Whittaker was terrific as the Doctor, fun and very likeable.  Definitely the highlight of the episode.

I liked the companions as well.  I like that Yasmin is a cop, as that is something we've never had in a companion before.  Good work by all involved.

I guess I should have realized that they were killing Grace off because I couldn't figure out why she wasn't going to become a companion.  But that was suitably shocking for me and the fact that the show didn't have the Doctor go back in time and save her was one of the clearest indications yet that the Moffat era is over.  

This was a relatively low stakes affair but I appreciate those once and a while.  If I had any complaints it was that the long commercials breaks really disrupted the flow of the episode.

This episode definitely felt a lot fresher and a shot in the arm.  Looking forward to this season.

Edited October 7, 2018 by benteen

[NeenerNeener]

I thought this was much better than Capaldi's intro episode. And I totally buy Whittaker as The Doctor, no problem there at all. But the culottes! I hate the culottes.

[Llywela]

I loved it. (Apart from Grace's death). Now this felt like real, proper, old school Doctor Who, more so than the show has managed in years. A proper soft reboot, acknowledging the long history of the character without being bogged down by it. Everything felt fresh and new. I love this show best when it operates on a smaller scale - you really don't have to keep upping the ante by threatening entire universes all the time, because if a story is told right, endangering just a single life (or a handful, like here) is just as dramatic and meaningful. More so, in fact - one is a tragedy where a hundred is just a statistic, as they say. I loved how grounded and real this episode and its characters felt - regular people leading regular lives, into which the Doctor comes crashing like a tornado. Perfect. I love them all already.

[UNOSEZ]

This was a win for me. Ms. Whitaker was a delight and I like all 3 companions.. Even with a larger 1st episode I still woulda liked to see them in space and get all the" oh no were in space how do we get home drama" put of the way so the next episode is just proper adventure time.. But that is honestly my only small gripe

[Llywela]

See, I loved the cliffhanger - that's old school Doctor Who! If they manage to resolve it within 60 seconds at the start of the next episode, that'll be even more old school!

[Enigma X]

I enjoyed it. Not so much the alien plot but the companions and the Doctor though. The plot was just a vehicle for introductions to me. I am ok with that.

[elle]

26 minutes ago, John Potts said:

Loved it! Jodie Whittaker captured exactly what I want in the Doctor - brave, intelligent and more than a little mad. The Regeneration confusion reminded me of Peter Davison's (Five) in Castrovalva and Paul McGann's (Eight) Regenerations, which I also like, as it's a reminder that the Doctor's history started before I was born and not in 2000. But one thing I really liked was it was so... mundane. One alien comes to Earth and the problem is that two people are killed five more are put in danger. But of course, the Doctor treats it as just the same as if the universe was in peril. Which I like - you can say "the Universe is about to explode!" but if the writing doesn't make us care about any of the people in it, it's just words.

As for the lady elephant in the room... well, I didn't care, but then I was very unlikely to care anyway." I don't know if our new Lady Doctor hung around for the funeral because as a woman (or at least, played by a woman - who knows how Time Lord genetics work?) she is now "more in touch with her feelings" but I am glad the Doctor doesn't just assume everyone can just cope with their losses and sods off (granted, she couldn't as she's lost the TARDIS, but she could have sought out Torchwood or UNIT). Also noticed the "Long time since I bought women's clothes" line which I wondered if it was suggesting the Doctor had been a woman before (which would cause all sorts of continuity problems!) or was just a reference to shopping for Susan (or any of his female companions, I suppose, but they mostly seemed to arrange their own wardrobes).

Also liked that the first thing our companion group did when asked to operate a crane was to Google it! I'm sure that will date terribly, but at least it worked for how a 2018 random person would react.

I like how you called back to pre-2005 Doctors.  I wish that in the interviews there had been someone around who remembered the original run of the show.

Yes, the Google bit was spot on, just like the You Tube clip at the beginning.

46 minutes ago, LGraves65 said:

This episode needed a trypophobia TW. *shudder* 

Also, the Doctor becomes a female human and immediately starts apologizing for shit that's not her fault? Not cool, writers. Not cool.

Yes, *shudder*!

As to the second comment, I did not 'read' that scene the same way.  I could see any of the Doctors doing that.  The same with John Potts thought about the doctor sticking around for the funeral because she was "more in touch with her feelings" (see above).  I could see Matt Smith standing in the background, worrying his chin over the events.

20 minutes ago, John Potts said:

I know, it's so hard being a white male today - it's like the world isn't given to us any more...

Actually, I liked the fact that we have not just an inter racial relationship (which we'd already had on Who with Rose/Mickey) but also between two people of (nearly) pensionable age. It gives me hope!

Graham and Grace were really sweet.  I was very sad at the beginning when I realized that he was the third companion because I knew that meant something would happen to Grace.  I wish they could have found a way around that.

When Jodie popped out of the dressing room with her new look, I wondered aloud how many other Star Trek fans would comment on how the earring looked very much like the ones the Bajorians wore in that show.

How beautiful were those opening shots with that great vista?  Where was this filmed?

[Mabinogia]

That was great. Loving the new Doctor. Loving the new companions. Even though I knew Nan was going to die, since I knew she wasn't going to be a companion and being the brave one in her marriage it would have made no sense that he went and she didn't, I still cried. It was very touching. 

I agree that the entire world/universe doesn't have to be in danger for me to care. I actually find it far more compelling when it is a small scale danger, like this, one crazy alien coming to hunt one random human. 

I think Jodie brought great energy to the role. She has that awesome manic energy when talking through everything going on with her regeneration. I also liked her describing what she was going through. Good stuff. 

I was hopeful about the new season, now I'm downright optimistic that this is going to be a fun ride. 

I did have issues with the tooth face. *shiver* That is quite possibly the most horrific thing I've ever seen on this show. 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Mabinogia

[Occasional Hope]

I assume it was filmed where they said it was set, in the hills just outside Sheffield.  It borders onto the Peak District not far off.

[Beatriceblake]

For me this episode got the key points right. I love Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor and I think it was a smart move to dial back some of the regeneration confusion we saw with 12 and have her come into her own fairly quickly.

Of the new companions only Ryan felt properly fleshed out but I really liked him. He also seems quite clever (he came up with a lot of the right questions). I liked Yaz but I don't think we learned too much about here other than being ambitious. I like Graham and I'm sorry that they killed Grace. I also liked Karl and can see why he would feel threatened enough to kill the Stensor. 13 was channelling 10 with Harriet Jones, with that remark to him.

Also I live in South Yorkshire and can confirm:

1) We will not be impressed by anything new no matter how strange.

2) Lots of people here get drunk and throw food but it's usually not at Predator-y looking aliens.

Quote

See, I loved the cliffhanger - that's old school Doctor Who! If they manage to resolve it within 60 seconds at the start of the next episode, that'll be even more old school!

Hopefully they won't put the last five minutes of this episode at the start of the next one! Man that gets annoying when you binge watch the old series.....

Edited October 7, 2018 by Beatriceblake

[alias1]

I absolutely loved it.  I wasn't sure I would.  I love the companions, proper companions with a story.  Sad about Nan.  

One thing I wondered about is the lack of a Doctor Who introduction (before the first commercial break).  For Capaldi it used to be the meshing gears of a clock and then they showed the Doctor Who logo and the name of the episode and who was starring in it.  There was none of that with this first episode.  Or did BBC America cut that part?  

[Florinaldo]

A good introduction to a new Doctor. JW seems to have good potential as the character, unless they saddle her with a Clara equivalent, which does not seem the case with the present group of companions.

I found it distracting though that her voice and mannerisms reminded me of the ditzy character Bubbles on Absolutely Fabulous; she even looked a bit like her. I may get used to it in time or perhaps she will dial it back. I am not familiar with the actor's previous work so I do not know it that is her regular way of speaking and acting.

I miss the days when the Doctor did not switch to another regional UK accent with each regeneration; which one is she supposed to be mimicking in this incarnation (or is that JW's own)?

I like a multi-companion Doctor, like Two and Five; it offers potential for diversity in stories and interactions, although unimaginative plotting can also make the TARDIS a very crowded place.

Also why is that the Doctor's regenerations are generally so problematic? The other regeneration we have seen in the reboot, the General who turned into a Time Lady when the Doctor was on Gallifrey, adjusted immediately to his new body and personality, despite having just gone through the trauma of being shot by the Doctor. Are we to conclude that there is a specific problem with the Doctor's physiology or is is just a convenient and familiar plot device? Except for Six, I do not think the process was always so disorienting in the Classic series. And they all remembered that they were the Doctor, even Three who had his time travel knowledge mind-blocked by the Time Lords.

Grace and Graham were nice together, but she was doomed the moment she took the initiative of bringing live electric cables to the alien recording device, with no protection.

45 minutes ago, SierraMist said:

There was none of that with this first episode.  Or did BBC America cut that part?  

Same thing with the broadcast on Space in Canada. It may have been a choice for this first episode with an as yet unfamiliar incarnation and a revamped production team, to mark how truly new things are to be.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Florinaldo

[cambridgeguy]

1 hour ago, LGraves65 said:

Also, the Doctor becomes a female human and immediately starts apologizing for shit that's not her fault? Not cool, writers. Not cool.

She's embracing her inner 10.  He spent a lot of time saying how sorry he was.

[alias1]

1 minute ago, cambridgeguy said:

She's embracing her inner 10.  He spent a lot of time saying how sorry he was.

I agree.  I didn't see anything she did as being overtly female.  I totally bought her as a new Doctor with some old Doctor memories. 

[The Companion]

57 minutes ago, benteen said:

 

This was a relatively low stakes affair but I appreciate those once and a while.  If I had any complaints it was that the long commercials breaks really disrupted the flow of the episode.

This episode definitely felt a lot fresher and a shot in the arm.  Looking forward to this season.

They cannot figure out where to put commercial breaks. I agree it was nice to have a low stakes affair. A sufficiently creepy bad guy and a small group of people was all you needed. 

54 minutes ago, NeenerNeener said:

I thought this was much better than Capaldi's intro episode. And I totally buy Whittaker as The Doctor, no problem there at all. But the culottes! I hate the culottes.

I think we all have to accept that the Doctor wears culottes now. Culottes are cool.

Have managed to stop fangirling after a trip to the grocery store in a TARDIS dress. I loved that Whittaker brought in a lot of the past Doctors. She immediately felt like the Doctor. It was readily apparent that she was perfect for the role. Love her eleven-like energy and her presence in the role. I would have followed her. That is a critical aspect of this. 

The companions felt disparate enough to be interesting. They were believable as a cohesive unit while making an impact individually. I am excited to see more. It hurt to lose Nan. It IS Doctor Who so I suppose they can always walk it back but I suspect we are supposed to feel her loss and walk with the characters through it. 

I hear the complaints about the apologies but I don't feel they are inconsistent. Ten is famous for his "I'm Sorry."

I was a bit disturbed they left the sister in stasis between life and death. Not sure what could be done without a TARDIS, but there was no assurance that future hunting was over or rescue of the person who was kidnapped. 

The show introduced a worthy baddie/villain. That sound you heard was a million cosplayers crying out in unison and beginning to sketch/plan. 

The cliffhanger was great. It left you wanting more. Overall, an incredibly strong episode. Also, well suited for new viewers, which is great because I think many will join the ranks just to see Whittaker.

[festivus]

I liked it. It seemed darker in a way, I don't know if all the episodes are going to feel like that, but it already feels different from the Moffat era. I'm sure I'll have more thoughts later but for now I'll just mention that the companions looked as sick as I felt about ol' tooth face. Seriously, I felt ill.

[Ms Lark]

Oh, I like her! They made a good choice. I was a bit worried since I really wanted to like Capaldi and just couldn't warm to him at all. Also like the companions, although I wish they hadn't killed off Grace. At least she went out a hero. Glad for new critters other than Daleks and Cybermen, at least for this episode. Refreshing!

[festivus]

53 minutes ago, Beatriceblake said:

I also liked Karl and can see why he would feel threatened enough to kill the Stensor. 13 was channelling 10 with Harriet Jones, with that remark to him.

Yeah, I thought that too. That being said, if that thing tried to kidnap me I'd totally kick it off the crane. I never agreed with what 10 did to Harriet Jones.

[pootlus]

Loved it. Jodie was perfect.

The only mark I'd deduct was that it was fairly obvious that Grace wasn't going to make it.  But they managed to make her a fleshed-out engaging figure in her short time and I genuinely shed a tear when she died.

The companions I love too - the cast has enormous chemistry and it shows.  If the writing can hold up, this is going to be a great season.

(Also if you can get more Northern than throwing the salad from a kebab at an alien while drunk, I don't want to know what it is)

[Llywela]

1 hour ago, benteen said:

I guess I should have realized that they were killing Grace off because I couldn't figure out why she wasn't going to become a companion.  But that was suitably shocking for me and the fact that the show didn't have the Doctor go back in time and save her was one of the clearest indications yet that the Moffat era is over

I feel like, given how accidental the three being swept into space with the Doctor was, they didn't really need to kill Grace for Graham to be taken - but I guess if she'd been left on Earth accidentally, Graham and Ryan would both be motivated by wanting to get back to her, whereas since she is dead, they are freed up to planet-hop for as long as they want. I'm just curious to know if they'll find the TARDIS right away in the next episode, or if searching for it will become an ongoing storyline for the season - shades of the 4th Doctor, Sarah and Harry spending an entire season (although only a handful of actual adventures) travelling without the TARDIS.

58 minutes ago, elle said:

As to the second comment, I did not 'read' that scene the same way.  I could see any of the Doctors doing that.  The same with John Potts thought about the doctor sticking around for the funeral because she was "more in touch with her feelings" (see above).  I could see Matt Smith standing in the background, worrying his chin over the events.

Yes, I certainly don't think the Doctor stayed for the funeral because she's a woman now, but because a) she bonded with these people, and b) she literally has nowhere else to go. Inability to stay in one place is a very New Who thing for the Doctor - the Classic Doctors were perfectly capable of hanging around a particular place and time for extended periods. The First Doctor once spent three months squatting in a random villa in ancient Rome, just as a holiday! And the Third Doctor, of course, was based out of UNIT for years - he continued to live there as his permanent base even after his TARDIS was repaired. So the new Doctor hanging around in Sheffield after the adventure was over didn't strike me as out of character at all.

52 minutes ago, Occasional Hope said:

I assume it was filmed where they said it was set, in the hills just outside Sheffield.  It borders onto the Peak District not far off.

I think it was - I mean, the production is based in Cardiff in south Wales, but they definitely did some filming up in Yorkshire and that looked like the Peaks to me.

28 minutes ago, SierraMist said:

One thing I wondered about is the lack of a Doctor Who introduction (before the first commercial break).  For Capaldi it used to be the meshing gears of a clock and then they showed the Doctor Who logo and the name of the episode and who was starring in it.  There was none of that with this first episode.  Or did BBC America cut that part?  

Yeah, I noticed the lack of opening credits, as well - maybe just a first episode thing, and they'll be back next week now that the new Doctor is properly in the saddle?

26 minutes ago, Florinaldo said:

I miss the days when the Doctor did not switch to another regional UK accent with each regeneration; which one is she supposed to be mimicking in this incarnation (or is that JW's own)?

Also why is that the Doctor's regenerations are generally so problematic? The other regeneration we have seen in the reboot, the General who turned into a Time Lady when the Doctor was on Gallifrey, adjusted immediately to his new body and personality, despite having just gone through the trauma of being shot by the Doctor. Are we to conclude that there is a specific problem with the Doctor's physiology or is is just a convenient and familiar plot device? Except for Six, I do not think the process was always so disorienting in the Classic series.

No mimicking - that's Jodie Whittaker's own Yorkshire accent.

It is generally agreed among the fandom that the Doctor is just particularly bad at regeneration. In the Classic era, we got to see other Time Lords regenerate - well, I'm mostly thinking of Romana, I suppose, but it was an absolute doddle to her. The Doctor, though, has always been badly affected by regeneration, to a greater or lesser extent depending on the circumstances. Of course, the real-world explanation is that it makes for a more dramatic story, but in-universe...the Doctor is just really bad at regeneration!

17 minutes ago, SierraMist said:

I agree.  I didn't see anything she did as being overtly female.  I totally bought her as a new Doctor with some old Doctor memories. 

I agree - to me, she was just written as the Doctor, not as 'the Doctor as a woman', which I thought was a big relief, given how tongue-in-cheek the whole Master-Missy transformation was handled, constantly winking at the audience about it.

[The Companion]

3 minutes ago, Llywela said:

 

Yes, I certainly don't think the Doctor stayed for the funeral because she's a woman now, but because a) she bonded with these people, and b) she literally has nowhere else to go. Inability to stay in one place is a very New Who thing for the Doctor - the Classic Doctors were perfectly capable of hanging around a particular place and time for extended periods. The First Doctor once spent three months squatting in a random villa in ancient Rome, just as a holiday! And the Third Doctor, of course, was based out of UNIT for years - he continued to live there as his permanent base even after his TARDIS was repaired. So the new Doctor hanging around in Sheffield after the adventure was over didn't strike me as out of character at all.

I think the restlessness was particularly tied to the guilt that we saw resolved in The Day of the Doctor. Eleven in particular was running from his emotions. Sitting in one place made him susceptible to having to face what he did. Twelve didn't seem to have the same level of restlessness even though he was stuck on Earth for awhile. For sure he wanted to get out and didn't love being tied to one place, but I thought the struggle was much less pronounced and we did see him choose to stay with River for a "night" that lasted years, and cope with a continuous loop in Heaven Sent.

[HauntedBathroom]

That was...a perfectly adequate episode of Doctor Who. Which is more than I expected from Chibnall.

[SailorGirl]

2 hours ago, John Potts said:

 

Also liked that the first thing our companion group did when asked to operate a crane was to Google it! I'm sure that will date terribly, but at least it worked for how a 2018 random person would react.

Considering how I successfully figured out how to change out electrical outlets by googling and you-tubing, this was especially apropos for me!  :-D

I'm a relatively new Whovian -- a colleague introduced me to new Who - starting with Eccleston. I like Jodie Whittaker and I think this is a going to be a really good continuation, although I really wanted to see the TARDIS. 
I like the companions, and poor Ryan's frustration around the bike riding and his determination to do it for his grandmother but still not being able to get there. With the Doctor watching, though, I think we'll be seeing him successfully riding that bike sooner rather than later. . . 

Edited October 7, 2018 by SailorGirl

[The Companion]

3 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

Considering how I successfully figured out how to change out electrical outlets by googling and you-tubing, this was especially apropos for me!  :-D

I'm a relatively new Whovian -- a colleague introduced me to new Who - starting with Eccleston. I like Jodie Whittaker and I think this is a going to be a really good continuation, although I really wanted to see the TARDIS. 
I like the companions, and poor Ryan's frustration around the bike riding and his determination to do it for his grandmother but still not being able to get there. With the Doctor watching, though, I think we'll be seeing him successfully riding that bike sooner rather than later. . . 

Agreed. The lazy thing would have been to have him nail it, but I thought watching him get up over and over again had way more impact.

[HauntedBathroom]

Take Spearhead from Space.
Remove UNIT, add Ordinary People.
Remove Autons, add Predator.
Garnish the regulars with Value Added Angst.
In the last scene, veer off into Season 12 style travelling without the TARDIS.

Additional thought - did Chibs blow all of this cash on cranes? Because if what played behind the end credits is what the new title sequence looks like, it escaped from the cheaper end of Tales of the Unexpected.

[Arutha2321]

Has anyolse get a very The Eleventh Hour-like vibe from this pilot? My thoughts are still a jumble but I probably went from carefully optimistic to carefully very, very optimistic during this premiere. :)

Edited October 7, 2018 by Arutha2321

[The Companion]

1 minute ago, Arutha2321 said:

Has anyolse get a very The Eleventh Hour-like vibe from this pilot? My thoughts are still a jumble but I probably went from carefully optimistic to carefully very, very optimistic during this premiere. :)

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. 

[QuantumMechanic]

What the heck’s with the theme? BBCA didn’t have it, right?

But over on Gallifrey Base (which gets lots of UKers) people were saying how much they liked (or didn’t) the theme. So I guess the real BBA airing had it? What the hell, BBCA?

And I could have sworn I’ve read a spoiler-free review that mentioned a cut to the theme after some key moment.

[Mabinogia]

If BBC America had to cut something for commercials I am fine with them cutting the theme/intro. Maybe it will be part of the extended 8pm showing, which I plan on watching because I really did enjoy this ep but probably missed some stuff because I was too excited. 

[Arutha2321]

8 minutes ago, Arutha2321 said:

Has anyolse get...

And I just noticed I wrote this atrocity, sorry for that.

[The Companion]

7 minutes ago, Arutha2321 said:

And I just noticed I wrote this atrocity, sorry for that.

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. 

Edited October 7, 2018 by The Companion

[elle]

5 minutes ago, Arutha2321 said:

And I just noticed I wrote this atrocity, sorry for that.

I suspect that I was not the only one whose brain filled in the words so it could be understood as "anyone else".  ;o)

Thank you to all who replied with the filming location for the opening/bike riding scenes!

[clack]

I liked the more deliberate pacing -- so unlike the Moffat-era frantic pacing -- and I also liked the more realistic tone. (Moffat could get a bit cartoonish). This episode felt less Who, more like one of the comedic X-files episodes.

But Moffat had original ideas. I worry about Chibnall. I suspect the only science fiction concepts he knows are from TV and movies, and we're only going to get rip-offs from familiar stories, as this episode ripped off 'Predator'.

[MissLucas]

Well, first things first: Bowt   Culottes are cool, folks! I got a pair this summer and whenever I wear them I get more compliments than I ever do when I wear a fancy dress. I actually wore them today - coincidence really but I guess I'm going to claim now it was in honor of 13's premiere!'

This was not as charming as 11's arrival but that's  a hard one to beat in the first place. The death-toll didn't help - but I still loved it. JW was great and I loved how they wrote the residuals of the regeneration process. Her Doctor speech at the end about how we can change and still remain true to who we were might have been a bit on the nose but otherwise I have no quibbles - well, except that I wanted to see the Tardis.

I also noticed how DIY this Doctor is and wonder if that will remain her thing - building made machineries from scratch.  Having a female Doctor who's into mechanics and engineering would be a cool thing. 

Also great: Scary alien thingy - that was definitely enough to send the kids behind the sofa! 

As for the companions: I knew that Grace wouldn't make it, too bad because I liked her best. I think there wasn't enough time to really get to know them. And I always need a bit of time to warm up to them (putting them in Roman garb seems to help). So yeah, looking forward to next week!

[Dobian]

A lot of suspend the disbelief moments in this episode.  Falling from orbit through the roof of a train and getting up without a scratch.  Building a sonic screwdriver from the spare parts in a garage, down to the ergonomic design, and then a teleportation machine.  Um...okay.  But I like the new doctor and the companions.  I also liked the moment when she figured out that she's the Doctor.  And it was kind of funny that she ran around the whole episode in Peter Capaldi's suit.  So it's all good.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Dobian

[QuantumMechanic]

Jody Whitaker: liked her quite a bit

Companions: decent enough start

Episode as a whole: flabby and meh.  The Predator rip-off didn't help, either.  But hey, it is Chibnall, so pretty much par for the course.  Hope it gets better.

[justmehere]

1 hour ago, clack said:

This episode felt less Who, more like one of the comedic X-files episodes.

I thought of X-Files too.  It seemed darker than Who -- a bit more graphic in the deaths, a very disturbing alien (I haven't seen Predator) -- even if there have been fairly dark stories before. The overall look and feel were quite different too.

I liked Jodie and thought she did well. I'm interested to see how she settles in. Yet I was glad for the Doctor's memory gaps and the occasional quips ("can we have the lights and the siren?") because sometimes, it felt like a completely different show/character -- nothing to do with gender. What did feel familiar was her stepping in front, feeling she was in charge and could solve whatever came up. I also kind of liked that she could make her own sonic screwdriver since the TARDIS wasn't at hand.

Overall, a bit mixed feelings for now. Will certainly keep watching (while still wishing that Peter Capaldi had stayed for one more season).

[elle]

Did they have the title sequence and song?  I meant to tune in to the evening (US) airing of the show, missed the beginning by a couple of minutes.   I thought it they might wait until after the first time we see the Doctor but they cut instead to a commercial.  

I tuned in just as the flashing squares appeared which reminded me of one of the things I liked from the after-show.  Of the three interviewees, (badly paraphrased) one said they would never touch something like that, the Physics professor said that a big glowy button like that would definitely be something she'd touch and the third person agreed but added she wouldn't use her hand but find a stick or something.

[The Companion]

4 minutes ago, justmehere said:

 

Overall, a bit mixed feelings for now. Will certainly keep watching (while still wishing that Peter Capaldi had stayed for one more season).

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. 

[Bruinsfan]

54 minutes ago, Dobian said:

A lot of suspend the disbelief moments in this episode.  Falling from orbit through the roof of a train and getting up without a scratch.  Building a sonic screwdriver from the spare parts in a garage, down to the ergonomic design, and then a teleportation machine.  Um...okay.  But I like the new doctor and the companions.  I also liked the moment when she figured out that she's the Doctor.  And it was kind of funny that she ran around the whole episode in Peter Capaldi's suit.  So it's all good.

I recall Ten regrowing a lopped-off hand several hours after regenerating and they later showed us Thirteen was still charged up with regeneration energy, so that explains the harmless freefall well enough for me. And I suppose the Doctor had parts from the alien transport pod to cannibalize for the finer workings of her new sonic screwdriver. Remember Nine was able to quickly cobble together a machine meant to disintegrate a solar system full of Daleks from communications equipment on a broadcast space station—this felt like a callback to that jury rigging Mad Scientist aspect of the Doctor.

The production values felt very cinematic to me, like I was watching a feature film rather than a television show. Maybe it was the Sheffield location shoot and the night filming, but it felt more real than Doctor Who usually does to me. I'll be interested to see if it continues with upcoming episodes or goes back to the show's more surreal style.

Jodie Whittaker was an unreserved YES! from me, which I suspected would be the case. Liking what I've seen of the new companions so far as well.

[benteen]

4 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Also why is that the Doctor's regenerations are generally so problematic? The other regeneration we have seen in the reboot, the General who turned into a Time Lady when the Doctor was on Gallifrey, adjusted immediately to his new body and personality, despite having just gone through the trauma of being shot by the Doctor. Are we to conclude that there is a specific problem with the Doctor's physiology or is is just a convenient and familiar plot device? Except for Six, I do not think the process was always so disorienting in the Classic series. And they all remembered that they were the Doctor, even Three who had his time travel knowledge mind-blocked by the Time Lords.

 

Last season, we saw the 12th Doctor actively suppress a regeneration and he was actively fighting it for a long time.  Even mentioning to Bill that he had used up some temporal energy and didn't know how that would affect his next regeneration so I can understand him having a lot of problem here.

1 hour ago, Dobian said:

A lot of suspend the disbelief moments in this episode.  Falling from orbit through the roof of a train and getting up without a scratch.  Building a sonic screwdriver from the spare parts in a garage, down to the ergonomic design, and then a teleportation machine.  Um...okay.  But I like the new doctor and the companions.  I also liked the moment when she figured out that she's the Doctor.  And it was kind of funny that she ran around the whole episode in Peter Capaldi's suit.  So it's all good.

 

Yeah, I can't deny that.  The Doctor being able to make a new sonic screwdriver and a teleportation device out of stuff he found on 21st century Earth?  That's dodgy to say the least.

The tooth thing was pretty disgusting but memorable.

I said this on the 13th Doctor thread but I hope that 13 uses the alias Jane Smith.  Ignoring the fact it's the logical switch from John to Jane, going by the alias of Jane Smith when she has to would be a wonderful tribute to Sarah Jane.

Edited October 8, 2018 by benteen

[John Potts]

1 hour ago, justmehere said:

It seemed darker than Who -- a bit more graphic in the deaths, a very disturbing alien (I haven't seen Predator) -- even if there have been fairly dark stories before. The overall look and feel were quite different too.

I did like that they actually allowed a character to die and actually stay dead (and buried!)… at least so far. And not just random Darwin Award winners who decide to drunkenly pick a fight with an interstellar bounty hunter, but somebody on Team Doctor, who died doing something heroic. I've been complaining that (increasingly) nobody dies in Who, or at least doesn't stay dead, so I'm hoping it doesn't get reversed later (even Pete Tyler's death in Father's Day got kinda Retconned later). Though I loved her question, "Is it bad that I'm enjoying this?" especially as Graham answered "Yes!"

I'm rather curious as to what was cut out for the US broadcast. I'm guessing you didn't get the A-Team montage of the Doctor building her sonic or the bike riding scenes -  what else was cut?

A minor point, but I wonder why they chose Sheffield? I don't know whether it was filmed there, but wonder if it was out of deference to Jodie's own Yorkshire upbringing. Though if that was the case, why not make it Huddersfield where (according to Wiki) she was born? Is Sheffield a sexier choice?

Edited October 8, 2018 by John Potts