New Episode Reaction - Sleep No More *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	Sleep No More
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Nine
Broadcast Dates	14th Nov 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	4.00 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

A rescue team is sent to Rassmussen,
but can he be trusted?

The Reaction

Highlights

• Atmospheric - The setting, lighting and camera work set up a suitably sinister atmosphere which complemented the tone and style of the episode brilliantly.
• Psychological Games - This episode 'did a Blink' by taking a normal element of life and making it scary. The design of these monsters were creepy and their distant groaning kept the up tension throughout the episode.
• Capaldi - Peter seems to act better when the Doctor isn't fully aware of the facts, and revels at the chance to solve a mystery. This episode is a good example of this

The Sandmen are lurking
in the shadows

Low Points

• Guest Characters - The selection of guest characters in this episode didn't recieve much attention to detail. They were initially presented well within the opening sequence, but they didn't develop too far from there, leaving them feeling rather one-dimensional.
• Motive - Rassmussen's plans weren't entirely explained and revealed, and even seem to not have been prevented. In this series of two-parters, this is one that could have been helped by the extra 45 mins. However, Gatiss has revealed plans for a sequel, so if we get that, this episode might become clearer.
• The Grunt - A character that was set up to have real potential at the start, with all the other characters showing some prejudice towards her. Bethany Black was wasted in this role, alongside the possible subplot of the Grunt overcoming the prejudice.
• Sandmen - Not a great fan of the name of these monsters....

Quote of the Week

Doctor: "Clara, hold my hand."
Clara: "I'm alright."
Doctor: "I'm not."

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

New Episode Reaction - The Zygon Inversion *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	The Zygon Inversion
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Eight
Broadcast Dates	7th Nov 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	4.13 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

How did the Doctor and Osgood escape
from Bonnie's missile?

The Reaction

Highlights

• That Speech - For me, that could possibly be Capaldi's era defining moment. It was brilliantly acted and written to give the Twelfth Doctor his best moment in the series so far.
• Clever Twists - The plot surrounding the Osgood boxes was crafted well, as well as the reveal of Kate's survival of last week's cliffhanger.
• Jenna Coleman - The scenes between Clara and Bonnie/Zygella were great. The tension was built up perfectly and the threat was believable. Coleman acted the two characters to perfection too, showing a great range in her abilities.
• Osgood - Her dynamic with the Doctor is great, but as much as I'd love her to be the next companion, it is looking unlikely. Oliver's role in the scene with the half-disguised Zygon was one which confirmed her ability to be a great companion to the Doctor.
• Imbecile's Gas - Just one of several good references to the past, alongside Kate giving the Zygon "five rounds rapid"

Bonnie is faced with an impossible
choice that could change life for both
humans and Zygons forever

Low Points

• The Doctor's Names - Doctor Disco, Basil, Doctor Puntastic. "No, it's just The Doctor!"

Quote of the Week

Doctor: "I forgive you."

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

New Episode Reaction - The Zygon Invasion *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	The Zygon Invasion
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Seven
Broadcast Dates	31st Oct 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	3.87 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

The Doctor is reunited with Osgood to fight the
Zygons, but which version of Osgood is she?

The Reaction

Highlights

• Pacing - The pace of the episode was brilliantly designed to build tension, without the feeling that the story wasn't developing, a balance that can sometimes be tricky to get right.
• Political Parallels - The edgy theme of the Zygon insurrection runs parallel to the current situation in the Middle East. Although rather unsubtle, it was done effectively and gave the story a brilliant driving force, similar to the Nazi themes in Genesis of the Daleks.
• Perfect Perils - High stakes all round in this adventure, with many unexpected (but some rather obvious) twists in the tale. The unmasking of Clara was excellently acted by Jaye Jacobs as Jac (I really really hope she survives), and the downfall of Kate was shocking(ly obvious).
• Tumbleweed - Seeing the human remains after the Zygon killings left me questioning whether the tumbleweed we see as Kate arrives in Truth or Consequences was actually tumbleweed or not. An episode as thought-provoking as that is very good.
• Osgood - The minor details peppered throughout this episode only seem to scratch the surface of what's to come. Moffat better deliver on this one, and Ingrid Oliver can stay as long as she likes as far as I'm concerned.
• The Cliffhanger - Best cliffhanger of the series so far, hands down.

Will the Doctor discover
the Zygon's plans?

Low Points

• Lame UNIT Soldiers - Where do they get these idiots from? Seriously....

Quote of the Week

Doctor: "This is your country. Protect it from the scary monsters. And also from the Zygons."

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

New Episode Reaction - The Woman Who Lived *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	The Woman Who Lived
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Six
Broadcast Dates	24th Oct 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	4.39 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

The Doctor bumps into Ashildr again, but is she the
girl she used to be?

The Reaction

Highlights

• Premise - The exploration of the Doctor's effect on the lives of the people he leaves behind was developed in a different way here. It's one that has been done before (e.g. Donna suggesting he turn Martha into a soldier), but this is a new twist on the same idea.
• Visuals - The sets, specials effects, costumes and monster make up were all brilliant in this episode.
• Maisie Williams - She had a lot more to do this week after her limited contributions last week. The further exploration of her character gave a wider range to the acting.
• Character Moments - Treganna's script offered plenty of opportunities to get to know the characters a bit better, giving depth to what was happening to them within the story.
• Humour - The script also offered plenty in the way of humour, with a good range of types, from slapstick in the earlier scenes, to more witty humour in the gallows scene.

Leandro is scheming with "Me", but
can he be trusted?

Low Points

• Rufus Hound - As soon as it was announced about his casting, I wasn't particularly looking forward to his appearance. His acting style(?) didn't seem to suit the character he was playing; I presume highwaymen were pretty serious people.
• Obligatory Alien Threat - The very forgettable Tharil thingy (forgot its real name) seemed rather surplus to requirements, taking away from the main premise of the episode which seemed to be about the effects of the Doctor's decisions on the people he leaves behind.
• Foreshadowing - In small intriguing doses, I love a bit of foreshadowing. But the subtle as a brick through a window lines about Clara "never leaving" the Doctor take the biscuit. We all know how that ends.
• Sonic Sunglasses - Ho hum.

Quote of the Week

Doctor: "Anyone in that village would have died for you." "Me": "Well, they're all dead now, and here I am. So I guess it's all worked out."

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

New Episode Reaction - The Girl Who Died *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	The Girl Who Died
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Five
Broadcast Dates	17th Oct 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	4.85 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

Odin and the Mire attack the Viking village

The Reaction

Highlights

• Pacing - I usually criticise an episode for its stop-start pace, but this time it seemed to work. The cutting between action and dialogue gave a chance to take the story in little bits at a time, as well as being teased about when the climactic action would come. Another compelling script by Mathieson!
• Setting - Excellent graphics and set design effectively established the Viking setting of the story.
• Quality Acting - Capaldi and Coleman on top form as ever, with Maisie Williams contributing brilliantly too. It should be good to see the less controlled part to her character next week.
• The Face Thing - I have to say that I'm not disappointed with the way the face choice was resolved: we even got some flashbacks of Donna! Does make you wonder why Sixie took Maxil's face though...?
• Immortality - It was quite shocking to see the Doctor grant someone immortality despite him being completely against it in the past. It also shows Twelve's development of human skills by giving her a second one for the person she falls in love with, though I theorise that she may pick the wrong person to use it on... We'll see next week....
• Sonic Glasses - The Vikings snapped them. The Viking dudes are cool!

What is so special about Ashildr?

Low Points

• Vikings - They didn't have horned helmets. It had to be said....
• The Mire - Another enemy of the week that slipped through the fingers of the writers - underused and underwhelming. I'd also liked to have seen more of what was under that armour.
• Odin's Cloud - Did it not seem all a bit Teletubbies?

Quote of the Week

Doctor: "Immortality isn't living forever, that's not what it feels like. Immortality is everybody else dying. She might meet someone she can't bear to lose. That happens, I believe..."

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

New Episode Reaction - Before the Flood *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	Before the Flood
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Four
Broadcast Dates	10th Oct 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	4.38 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

The Doctor faces the Fisher King

The Reaction

Highlights

• Beethoven's 5th - The little analogy for the whole episode in the pre-titles was great. The breaking of the fourth wall was effective, which would help the casual viewer to understand the concepts of the episode.
• Axe Chase - The scene in which Moran was stalking Cass down the Drum's dark corridors was perfect. The audio and visuals built up the tension brilliantly.
• Theme Tune - The different arrangement of the theme tune was a lot better than the usual one. It was probably the best use of the electric guitar this series, but hopefully the last...
• Clara - Her assumption of the Doctor's role over Cass and Lunn was convincingly performed by Jenna Coleman, who worked well with both of the guest stars

Will Lunn escape the ghosts?

Low Points

• Fisher King - Don't get me wrong, I thought the design of this monster was excellent, but it was just underused. We never actually got to see it properly in action.
• O'Donnell's Death - It seemed rather pointless with the attack happening off-screen. It may have been more effective if she has actually died off-screen.

Quote of the Week

Bennet: "My first proper alien and he's an idiot!"

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!

New Episode Reaction - Under the Lake *SPOILERS*

About this Story

Title	Under the Lake
Series No. Episode No.	Series Nine Episode Three
Broadcast Dates	23rd Oct 2015
Overnight Ratings (UK)	3.74 Million
Doctor	Twelfth Doctor
Companion	Clara Oswald

The Doctor and Clara find an adventure in The Drum,
an underwater mining facility in Scotland

The Reaction

Highlights

• Base Under Seige - I love a good one of these, and this was certainly a good one. The atmosphere of the underwater base was perfect for tension building, helped along by the strong score from Murray Gold.
• Guest Cast - It was lovely to have our first "proper" guest cast since Last Christmas! The two-parter is giving us a chance to get to know these characters better, with some pretty solid acting from them, particularly Sophie Stone, whose facial expressions were often more believable than some of the dialogue from other characters.
• The Doctor and Clara - After being separated for much of the previous story, it was excellent to see them together in a new stage of their relationship. Capaldi and Coleman work brilliantly together, meaning I am beginning to draw parallels with the Tennant/Tate dynamic of Series Four, the best since the Baker/Sladen pairing.
• Cards of Humanity - Clara's cue cards for the Doctor to be more human were great. The card with Aberdeen pulled on my emotions, and Capaldi's failed delivery of the card brought some good humour to the episode. Twelve's inhumanity is quite refreshing after the very human Doctors that have preceded him.
• Threat - The amazing special effects made the ghosts pretty convincing. Their killing of Pritchard was harrowingly spooky, and his whole death scene had parallels with that of Scooti from The Impossible Planet, a story which I love.

It's soon a race against time to save the
lives of everyone on the base

Low Points

• Wearable Technology - The sunglasses don't even look remotely "sonic" and it's just a stupid addition which should be removed sooner rather than later.
• Faraday Cage - It's a bit like when you played tag in the school yard and had a base: everyone stayed on base and it was boring. Also, the ghosts were locked in there a bit too early, but that's just a minor nitpick...

Quote of the Week

Pritchard: "If it all goes pear-shaped, it's not them that lose a bonus."
The Doctor: "It's ok! I understand....you're an idiot."

Thank you for reading! Drop a comment with your thoughts or suggestions! They will be greatly appreciated!