The War Between the Land and the Sea
Jan. 17th, 2026 12:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vivdunstanNote: this aired in the UK on BBC TV in December 2025. It is expected to air worldwide on Disney+ sometime in early 2026.
Just finished watching this Doctor Who spin-off. I’m going to jot down some brief thoughts with mild spoilers in them, avoiding some of the biggest stuff. But to be on the safe side I’ll still put this into spoiler space.
I like the idea of a UNIT spinoff, but this feels too much like a retread of Torchwood Children of Earth. And where is the Doctor? Even the Fourteenth Doctor. Bi-generation introduced a number of problematic issues. I know I’m questioning the setup of the programme here, but RTD, erm what were you thinking?
The Sea Devils (and no, I’m not a fan of the renaming in this) are compelling, but difficult to recognise from the past. I’d be happier if they were a totally new species, but I’m far from convinced by them as a successor to the Sea Devils of before.
Pacing is uneven, some episodes often painfully slow. Though later ones are more gripping. It does feel constantly over stretched, and should have been tighter, and shorter. An issue of both writing and direction.
It’s also often far too talky, especially early on. And so everything combined it really took some sticking with, even over many weeks, not managing an episode a week.
The ending episode delivers though, which is a relief, considering before. And it was a good piece of scifi.
Also big praise acting wise for Jemma Redgrave and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Russell Tovey also does a fine job.
Overall I’m glad that I watched it, but I only watched it, and then stuck with it, because of the Doctor Who connections. Which definitely delivered, but I wish had done so in less time. And I doubt I will ever rewatch.
Most annoyingly I still wonder if this mini series was made at the expense of more Fifteenth Doctor stories that we could have had and enjoyed. Maybe the money involved couldn’t have funded another whole series of Doctor Who, but I wish we’d had more of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor than this programme.
Just finished watching this Doctor Who spin-off. I’m going to jot down some brief thoughts with mild spoilers in them, avoiding some of the biggest stuff. But to be on the safe side I’ll still put this into spoiler space.
I like the idea of a UNIT spinoff, but this feels too much like a retread of Torchwood Children of Earth. And where is the Doctor? Even the Fourteenth Doctor. Bi-generation introduced a number of problematic issues. I know I’m questioning the setup of the programme here, but RTD, erm what were you thinking?
The Sea Devils (and no, I’m not a fan of the renaming in this) are compelling, but difficult to recognise from the past. I’d be happier if they were a totally new species, but I’m far from convinced by them as a successor to the Sea Devils of before.
Pacing is uneven, some episodes often painfully slow. Though later ones are more gripping. It does feel constantly over stretched, and should have been tighter, and shorter. An issue of both writing and direction.
It’s also often far too talky, especially early on. And so everything combined it really took some sticking with, even over many weeks, not managing an episode a week.
The ending episode delivers though, which is a relief, considering before. And it was a good piece of scifi.
Also big praise acting wise for Jemma Redgrave and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Russell Tovey also does a fine job.
Overall I’m glad that I watched it, but I only watched it, and then stuck with it, because of the Doctor Who connections. Which definitely delivered, but I wish had done so in less time. And I doubt I will ever rewatch.
Most annoyingly I still wonder if this mini series was made at the expense of more Fifteenth Doctor stories that we could have had and enjoyed. Maybe the money involved couldn’t have funded another whole series of Doctor Who, but I wish we’d had more of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor than this programme.