Review "Time Heist"

"Time Heist" is the latest Dr Who episode for Peter Capaldi and I was very entertained. The Doctor, Clara  and 2 others have to break into the most secure bank in the universe, all while being chased from the Teller, a creature that makes your head look like a deflated basketball. This episode was kinda like Dr Who meets Mission Impossible. I'm just glad Tom Cruise didn't show up. Then again if the Teller would have deflated Cruise's head like he did to the poor sap in the episode, I would died and gone to heaven.

"Time Heist" is a very solid episode. The pacing is great, the acting is great and even though it wasn't hard to figure out the Doctor was the Architect, it had some good twists and turns. Having the Teller end up not really being a monster was a fantastic idea. The other characters, Psi & Saibra were a great addition to the Doctor's team. The one that really shown through was Saibra. Saibra is such a emphatic character , not being able to touch someone without changing into them is a curse. It kinda reminds me of Rogue of the X-Men. I would even argue that Saibra was a lot more important then Clara was. Clara could have eliminated from this episode and I wouldn't have missed her.

Overall, I give "Time Heist" a 4 out of 5 Tardis's.

Review "Listen"

"Listen" is the  latest Dr Who episode and is by far the best this season. In "Listen", we have a whole episode where there really isn't a monster or villain. The whole episode is based around what Clara tells the Doctor when he was a kid. The only flaw in this theory is what was under the sheet in that kid's bed? So maybe there really is a monster that doesn't want to be seen and that grabs our ankles, when we get out of bed. I never really thought about someone grabbing my ankles but I can not lie and have to admit, I've been getting out of bed really quickly in the morning.

The highlight of the episode was seeing Clara talking to the Doctor has a child about "Fear". It got me thinking, I wonder how many parents are going to use the "Fear is a Superpower" speech to their kids. I know if I ever have kids, I will. We also find out that the barn that the child Doctor was sleeping in was the same barn that the War Doctor went to, to end the Time War. That is what I love about Dr Who. It's a show so rich in history, that we have a scene that connects Williams Hartnell to Peter Capaldi. I was literally on the edge of my seat wanting more. 

My only problems about the episode is first, what was under the sheets in the boys bed and secondly how did the Tardis get to Gallifrey. I don't buy that hooking the Tardis up to Clara could bypass the time lock. By that rational then, the Doctor could hook himself up to theTardis and get to Gallifrey anytime he wants to. Then again, maybe he will do that in the near future. A Whoivan can only dream of an episode set on Gallifrey.

This was by far the best episode of the season and one of Moffat's best work on Dr Who.  I give "Listen" 4.5 Tardis's out of 5. I think I will go watch it again before the new one airs.

Review of Robots of Sherwood

It seems like every season Dr Who brings us a time period piece like this past week’s episode, "Robot of Sherwood". We have met William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon, Vincent Van Gogh and now we finally meet Robin Hood. I enjoy these types of episodes very much. It puts the Doctor and his companion in a situation where their knowledge and technology is far beyond what the locals could imagine. They have to be careful not to alter the future. 

 This is a fun episode of Dr Who. It's not meant to be too dark and has a very lighthearted feel throughout the whole episode. The highlight for me was seeing the Doctor fight Robin Hood with the most unlikely weapon, a spoon. This episode also did a great use of robots. They made them an extension of the one controlling them, which is why I disliked "Deep Breath" so much. That is how you use robots. It kind of reminded me of the "Androids of Tara", a medieval setting with robots and sword fighting. That episode was broken into 4 weeks and this one was wrapped up pretty quickly. Can you imagine spending a whole month watching "Robot of Sherwood"? I mean, yes it's a good episode, but you would really have to drag out the story to get a month’s worth. Of course back then the segments of the episode were only a little over 18 minutes. As a Classic Fan, it does make me reminisce about the old days. I think some of the new Dr Who episodes should be expanded into more than one episode, but some like "Robot of Sherwood" are just about right.

 

 I was also really impressed with the acting. Ben Miller who played the Sheriff was fabulous and he kind of reminded me of the Master. He has the evil quality about him and would make a wonderful Master. Tom Riley played Robin Hood was also fantastic, but I think we all secretly wanted Jonas Armstrong who played Robin Hood in the BBC television show. 

 So, no Missy, no Mr. Pink, no wondering if the Doctor is a good man, just a Dr Who episode that stands alone and has certain of a classic feel. I give this episode, 3 out of 5 Tardis's.

Review "Into the Dalek"

"Into the Dalek" is Peter Capaldi's 2nd episode and finally after straightening out his new body, it felt like normalcy again. This Doctor is dark, older and kinda reminds me of William Hartnell. Not totally, but he's got some Hartnell in him. He's struggling with the thought, "Am I a good man?" After these last 2 episodes, I don't know if we can answer that. I think that's going to be a running theme during the season. I don't think I can ever recall (and I know you guys will tell me if I'm wrong) the Doctor disregarding life, except maybe William Hartnell. He lets two of the people on his crew die and doesn't even feel remorseful about it. He even uses one of them to track down where his body went. That's not very Doctor like if you ask me. That seems something like the War Doctor would do.

The episode itself was decent, but not great. It was cool to see the Doctor and companion being shrunk down just like in "The Invisible Enemy", where a clone of the Doctor and Lela travel in the Doctor's own body. Sitting here watching the Doctor travel inside the Dalek, I was thinking "Man, Devros was a genius". A Dalek is a pretty impressive scientific accomplishment and consider he did it, all while being confined to a chair. Not too shabby if you ask me.

 On the negative side, it wasn't that all exciting. For a Dalek storing, it was kinda boring. I feel like these last two episodes are kinda throwaway episodes. Don't get me wrong, the scenes with Missy (the women in heaven) are very important and the th
eme of if the Doctor is "good" are very important but the actual stories are lacking. Maybe I'm expecting too much, but I just want a strong Dr Who episode.

Lastly, during this episode I was thinking "What's with the companions getting picked up by the Doctor?". The companions of the last 2 Doctors just go with the Doctor for adventure and then go back to their normal lives. Then the Doctor pops up again and takes them a way. It should be that the companion is stuck on the Tardis or traveling with him the whole time during their run. Then when they get off the Tardis, they are done. I miss the old days of companions that traveled with the Doctor until A) The Doctor finally gets them home B) They marry someone, or C) They die stopping the Cybermen and cause the extension of the Dinosaurs. Maybe this is why the Doctor is not a good man anymore, he has no one to travel with him full-time.

"Into the Dalek" gets a 2.5 Tardis's out of 5. I can't wait until next week, Robin Hood.