Jodie Whittaker's first full episode as the titular Time Lord, Doctor Who, saw the BBC show's highest ratings in 12 years, with a peak of 8.52 million viewers, and rave reviews from critics and fans. Such was my unbridled enthusiasm, I took to social media the moment the episode ended:
"Well, Jodie and cohorts smashed it! Life-affirming, not afraid of the dark and great to see a companion with a disability, which resonated."
The Woman Who Fell to Earth fell (pun intended) just short of Matt Smith's The Eleventh Hour as the best new era intro of the current run. The villain was more DCTV and I kept waiting for The CW's Supergirl to sweep in and save the day. That said, there were times when Whittaker's eclipsed everything before it and paid homage to a profoundly poignant scene from Patrick Troughton's classic serial The Tomb of the Cybermen in the wake of a death. Showrunner Chris Chibnall has revitalised the series, but not at the expense of its 55-year heritage.
Taking the Short View's Andrew Lewin takes a look at The Woman Who Fell to Earth. There are very mild spoilers, so consider yourself forewarned.
What did you think of Ms Whittaker as Doctor Who? Let me know in the comments below.
The new series is proving to be a delight. Doctor Who well and truly back!
ReplyDeleteI feared this season’s ‘arc’ would focus on the search for the TARDIS and was relieved to see the old girl get her deserved ‘hero shot’ at the end of The Ghost Monument. And, yes, I shed a tear or two. Sorry not sorry.
DeleteMany thanks for the mention/link to my review, that's very generous and much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteI was aiming for no spoilers at all in it, but I guess that's impossible in this day and age. Even mentioning that the Doctor might be just a little bit different is probably still a spoiler of sorts!
My pleasure and I'm sure fellow fans of the good Doctor will appreciate your insights.
DeleteI'm reminded of being reprimanded for tweeting an alleged spoiler. I tweeted how much I'd enjoyed an episode. True story.