Composer:
Segun AkinolaCast:
Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole, Sharon D. Clarke, Stephen MacKenna, Janine Mellor, Amit Shah, Shaun Dooley, Ian Gelder, Susan Lynch (more)VOD (3)
Episodes(11)
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The Woman Who Fell to Earth (S11E01)
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The Ghost Monument (S11E02)
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Rosa (S11E03)
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Arachnids in the UK (S11E04)
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The Tsuranga Conundrum (S11E05)
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Demons of the Punjab (S11E06)
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Kerblam! (S11E07)
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The Witchfinders (S11E08)
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It Takes You Away (S11E09)
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The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos (S11E10)
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Resolution (S11E11)
Reviews (1)
Once upon a time, it was believed that this series would go through somewhat of a rebirth with Steven Moffat behind the camera and Matt Smith in front of it, but I never understood such theories. I understand them now, when a few years later they reappeared with new incarnations of the Doctor and the showrunner. The first case is surprisingly the smallest change. Jodie Whittaker is magical, courageous, crazy, brilliant, and often "David Tennant-esque", enough to leave me delighted with every monologue or typical burst of the Doctor's bluster. However, the unexpected change is the concept, where the main character (unusually with a large number of companions) is more a part of a collective than an extravagant soloist. There is of course no lack of the magic of a sonic screwdriver at the eleventh hour and a lot of the incomprehensible technical-alien ramblings that go with the territory, yet there is less of both than in the entire history of the modern era. Chris Chibnall as the new showrunner tries to entertain and educate in equal measure. I don't mind this approach; on the contrary, trying to overcome Moffat's grandiose disasters, plans, and conflicts extended easily throughout the entire regeneration would be completely impossible. However, for today's spoiled and perpetually negative audience, this is like waving a red flag at a bull. At that moment, the series forgets that it has always conveyed messages of peace and prides itself on the fact that it doesn't matter what anyone looks like or where they're heading in life because in this case, important thoughts are said directly and the writers don't usually wrap them in elaborate settings. While it stumbles, not only in terms of the local ratings (which, let's face it, are biased), to me the humanistic Rosa, the socially critical Kerblam!, or the pleasantly feminist The Witchfinders fit beautifully into what I expect from adventures in space and time. Despite all my praise, this is paradoxically the weakest season since Christopher Eccleston's escapades. Though I enjoy all the companions (especially Graham), at the very beginning Jodie confirms that she is the right choice and the selection of a new composer is successful, many times I was disappointed that there is no coherent overarching story, save for a few exceptions and subtle hints. The family storyline subtly winds through multiple episodes, but otherwise it jumps purely episodically, whether to the past, future, or back to the strange present. No episode is bad (the only one that felt a bit lacking was Demons of the Punjab), but often a good idea is brought to a decent or pleasant end, and rarely to a truly first-rate one. It's fine, I enjoy it reliably, and I am grieved as always at the annual break, but at the same time, I know very well that it can be a great deal better.
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