The opening for this episode was certainly flashy/action-packed with the space train. It surprised me that Dan was written out so early on. I wondered if John Bishop wasn't available to film much, whether he didn't wish to or whether Chibnall just couldn't find a way to fit Dan into the story with so much else going on. I never felt we got a real good handle on what the Doctor/Dan dynamic was, unlike the Doctor/Yaz dynamic (I guess that's one of the downsides to only being a Companion for nine episodes). At least he appeared at the end again, so that was something, but I felt his departure/the Doctor's non-goodbye to him felt a bit weird (at least he had a proper goodbye with Yaz). However, Jodie Whittaker totally conveyed everything the Doctor felt about Dan leaving (after he decided he'd had one too many close calls/near-death experiences) with the look on her face. We didn't really need any dialogue from her, as her expression said it all.
Having never watched 'Classic Who' myself, I didn't really know the characters of Tegan and Ace (other than from the bits and pieces I'd seen of them in various DVD extras/documentaries about the show). I ended up liking Ace a bit more than Tegan for two reasons: 1) The acting from the actress who played Tegan, at least in her first scene, kind of took some getting used to...I guess that was how she played her part back in the day? For me it felt somewhat 'off'. 2) Ace didn't seem quite so 'harsh' towards the Doctor (though it was clear Tegan had her reasons for holding a grudge). The Tegan/Ace team-up was cool, I liked seeing them interact with Jodie's Doctor (she did a good job of playing the awkwardness of being reunited with her old Companions) as well as Yaz and other characters, and I especially liked seeing Graham again (I'd read he was going to be in the episode but had forgotten, so it was somewhat of a surprise when he appeared) and his teaming up with Ace.
I imagine fans of the two 'Classic Who' era Companions (as well as the actresses who played them) were happy for their characters to get some 'closure' of sorts with their respective Doctors appearing to them via hologram. Speaking of those former Doctors, I'm guessing the actors they brought back had probably been holding off reappearing until they felt it was worth it. The scene with them talking to Jodie's Doctor was great and I'm sure Jodie enjoyed getting to interact with these past Doctor actors. Someone else clearly having a ball was Sacha Dhawan as the Master. I think he's probably my favourite version of the Master since Derek Jacobi's all-too-brief appearance back in Season 3. This Master actually felt *dangerous* at times and wasn't just 'wacky'. I did, however, think that whilst Sacha's performance was up to his usual standard in the beginning of this episode, he verged too much into OTT territory later on. More than anything, I HATED seeing the Master put Jodie's Doctor through a forced regeneration, turning her into him. The way she said Yaz's name before she changed (which was shown in the trailers for the episode) was especially chilling/upsetting, I thought.
It felt like a 'violation' seeing the Master-as-the-Doctor, wearing her outfit and basically threatening Yaz into going on 'adventures' with him. I resented him for taking away Jodie's Doctor for a percentage of the episode (though it was somewhat amusing when he tried on previous Doctor's outfits, since it reminded me of the time Joey wore all of Chandler's clothes at the same time in an episode of Friends). I do think that Jodie's Doctor had a unique/twisted relationship with this version of the Master and their dynamic was an interesting one. Although, in the end, the Master proved himself as just being petty when he couldn't be the Doctor...so he ensured she couldn't either, wounding her to trigger her regeneration. Luckily, Yaz was there to carry her inside the TARDIS (speaking of, I liked how many shots we got of going from the outside of the TARDIS all the way inside and vice versa, illustrating the contrast between the small exterior and vast interior). Another thing I was happy to see was Jodie's Doctor inventing/creating, with her goggles on, like in her first episode. Nice callback.
We've seen the Doctor/Yaz relationship developed the most over the course of these last three seasons, both Jodie and Mandip Gill did an excellent job conveying all the emotions when saying goodbye. I enjoyed the shot of them sitting atop the TARDIS with ice cream (the sound/background music dropping out was really effective). When the Doctor said she had to do her regeneration alone, I thought after all the times Yaz had pointed out she *didn't* need to do things alone, this would be the one time where the Doctor would welcome her company. Instead, she went off by herself. The thing I most appreciated about this Doctor's regeneration was that it wasn't drawn-out, nor was she whiny about it. Yes, she said she wished she had more time, but after that she seemed to accept it and just wished she could've seen what came next. Unlike certain other Doctors, she was 'mature' about it and went out how she had always been since she first appeared (with kindness and encouragement), wishing all the best for the next Doctor. If nothing else, her regeneration will surely be remembered for having one of the most beautiful shots ever.
It might be an 'unpopular' opinion, but I think Jodie Whittaker did a superb job with the material she was given and I hate the fact that due to Covid and other reasons she didn't get to be the Doctor for as long as the last three actors to play the role did. She was unfairly judged in a harsh manner and while others might see her departure from the show as a reason to start watching again, I'm considering it being time for me to stop. I guess I'll wait and see. Kudos to Jodie and everyone else for this fitting send-off to Jodie's Doctor. In my opinion, she was brilliant, I'll miss her (A LOT) and I thank her for making the show watchable for me again after I nearly gave up on it during Season 10.
Having never watched 'Classic Who' myself, I didn't really know the characters of Tegan and Ace (other than from the bits and pieces I'd seen of them in various DVD extras/documentaries about the show). I ended up liking Ace a bit more than Tegan for two reasons: 1) The acting from the actress who played Tegan, at least in her first scene, kind of took some getting used to...I guess that was how she played her part back in the day? For me it felt somewhat 'off'. 2) Ace didn't seem quite so 'harsh' towards the Doctor (though it was clear Tegan had her reasons for holding a grudge). The Tegan/Ace team-up was cool, I liked seeing them interact with Jodie's Doctor (she did a good job of playing the awkwardness of being reunited with her old Companions) as well as Yaz and other characters, and I especially liked seeing Graham again (I'd read he was going to be in the episode but had forgotten, so it was somewhat of a surprise when he appeared) and his teaming up with Ace.
I imagine fans of the two 'Classic Who' era Companions (as well as the actresses who played them) were happy for their characters to get some 'closure' of sorts with their respective Doctors appearing to them via hologram. Speaking of those former Doctors, I'm guessing the actors they brought back had probably been holding off reappearing until they felt it was worth it. The scene with them talking to Jodie's Doctor was great and I'm sure Jodie enjoyed getting to interact with these past Doctor actors. Someone else clearly having a ball was Sacha Dhawan as the Master. I think he's probably my favourite version of the Master since Derek Jacobi's all-too-brief appearance back in Season 3. This Master actually felt *dangerous* at times and wasn't just 'wacky'. I did, however, think that whilst Sacha's performance was up to his usual standard in the beginning of this episode, he verged too much into OTT territory later on. More than anything, I HATED seeing the Master put Jodie's Doctor through a forced regeneration, turning her into him. The way she said Yaz's name before she changed (which was shown in the trailers for the episode) was especially chilling/upsetting, I thought.
It felt like a 'violation' seeing the Master-as-the-Doctor, wearing her outfit and basically threatening Yaz into going on 'adventures' with him. I resented him for taking away Jodie's Doctor for a percentage of the episode (though it was somewhat amusing when he tried on previous Doctor's outfits, since it reminded me of the time Joey wore all of Chandler's clothes at the same time in an episode of Friends). I do think that Jodie's Doctor had a unique/twisted relationship with this version of the Master and their dynamic was an interesting one. Although, in the end, the Master proved himself as just being petty when he couldn't be the Doctor...so he ensured she couldn't either, wounding her to trigger her regeneration. Luckily, Yaz was there to carry her inside the TARDIS (speaking of, I liked how many shots we got of going from the outside of the TARDIS all the way inside and vice versa, illustrating the contrast between the small exterior and vast interior). Another thing I was happy to see was Jodie's Doctor inventing/creating, with her goggles on, like in her first episode. Nice callback.
We've seen the Doctor/Yaz relationship developed the most over the course of these last three seasons, both Jodie and Mandip Gill did an excellent job conveying all the emotions when saying goodbye. I enjoyed the shot of them sitting atop the TARDIS with ice cream (the sound/background music dropping out was really effective). When the Doctor said she had to do her regeneration alone, I thought after all the times Yaz had pointed out she *didn't* need to do things alone, this would be the one time where the Doctor would welcome her company. Instead, she went off by herself. The thing I most appreciated about this Doctor's regeneration was that it wasn't drawn-out, nor was she whiny about it. Yes, she said she wished she had more time, but after that she seemed to accept it and just wished she could've seen what came next. Unlike certain other Doctors, she was 'mature' about it and went out how she had always been since she first appeared (with kindness and encouragement), wishing all the best for the next Doctor. If nothing else, her regeneration will surely be remembered for having one of the most beautiful shots ever.
It might be an 'unpopular' opinion, but I think Jodie Whittaker did a superb job with the material she was given and I hate the fact that due to Covid and other reasons she didn't get to be the Doctor for as long as the last three actors to play the role did. She was unfairly judged in a harsh manner and while others might see her departure from the show as a reason to start watching again, I'm considering it being time for me to stop. I guess I'll wait and see. Kudos to Jodie and everyone else for this fitting send-off to Jodie's Doctor. In my opinion, she was brilliant, I'll miss her (A LOT) and I thank her for making the show watchable for me again after I nearly gave up on it during Season 10.