I must admit to enjoying the change of pace with the new Doctor. I’ve said it before that Peter Capaldi, through no fault of his making, ended up with formulaic predictable storylines. Both episodes of the new series have been far from predictable, but had a bit of a familiar feel. “The Woman Who Fell to Earth” just had a hint of the manic pace of “Rose” and “The Ghost Monument” had the attitude of “The Eleventh Hour.”
In the second episode, we begin to get more of a feel for where each member or this group fit in. This is where we do run into a bit of predictability in that Graham is the steady, observant and responsible one, Yasmin is the emotional support and Ryan is the technical support. I see that the bike riding in the first episode will be a symbol for Ryan’s growth throughout the season.
I’m surpriseda story hasn’t been done around the concept of a “gumball rally” in space before. It is a fun idea, and having the group picked up as an extra bonus points by 2 drastically different competitors made for a good dynamic to display the differences between the Doctor and her companions. I hope 13th Doctor continues being a bit of a MacGyver, as, again, it’s a nice change of pace. The story itself was simplistic enough—basically capture the flag. The monsters were ok, I am liking that I’m not getting a hint of the old standbys—Daleks and Angels and Cybermen, oh my. The last couple of seasons have seen them beaten and brought back over and over, it’s time for a new bad guy on the street. I hope the Stenza develop well, as their introduction wasn’t the greatest. A few funny moments helped things move along, Ryan’s “Where’s the reload” and the Doctor’s “Come to daddy, I mean mommy” come to mind. The end was decent enough with her flipping to “you’ve redecorated, I like it” from the traditional reply.
All in all, it was a serviceable second episode to build upon. We are still learning about these people and they will continue to develop. I am liking where this season is going and hope for better, for now, “Ghost Monument” gets an average 2 Tardises from me.
