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vivdunstanContinuing my Twelfth Doctor rewatch, and going into spoiler space to discuss some more specific spoilery details.
This is a classic base under siege setting, indeed base under water. But it's also a time puzzle, and an interesting piece about language and meaning, given both the mysterious symbols in the spaceship and the narrative use of sign language.
Influences include "The Impossible Planet" / "The Satan Pit", "Waters of Mars", and "The Pandora Opens" / "The Big Bang", but there are many others too.
The Doctor's characterisation early on is somewhat erratic. Initially he's remarkably friendly with the crew, then has to switch to the cue cards. Clara is spunky, but should be more scared earlier. And the supporting cast is strong, small in number, with interesting interpersonal relationships.
However on the downside there's far too much running around, which got very repetitive for me. And the two part story feels overly padded. This season heavy with two parters isn't being blessed with tightly written stories.
Nor was there any surprise at the Doctor being in the stasis chamber. I also thought it was a cop out that his "ghost" was a hologram. Why did O'Donnell's ghost not appear earlier since she died in the earlier time period?
Colin McFarlane appearing, albeit for a short while, made me grin, given his recent appearance in the Sea Devils spinoff mini series, his third time in the Whoniverse.
Great use of sign language, and I loved that Cass had her own dedicated interpreter on staff, and, best of all, that she, the deaf member of the team, was the leader of the surviving group.
The Doctor was let off re O'Donnell's death far too easily. Though I did like the musings on how he would have felt if it had been Clara. O'Donnell could have made an interesting companion ...
And nice use of a past time period. Though it very much didn't feel like Scotland, albeit deliberately so. I wish some mention had been made of the Fisher King name's Arthurian associations. That was constantly triggering me.
So, yup, generally good, but overlong and too padded. It could have been a much tighter relatively long single parter, even if that would have lost the end of episode 1 big cliffhanger.
This is a classic base under siege setting, indeed base under water. But it's also a time puzzle, and an interesting piece about language and meaning, given both the mysterious symbols in the spaceship and the narrative use of sign language.
Influences include "The Impossible Planet" / "The Satan Pit", "Waters of Mars", and "The Pandora Opens" / "The Big Bang", but there are many others too.
The Doctor's characterisation early on is somewhat erratic. Initially he's remarkably friendly with the crew, then has to switch to the cue cards. Clara is spunky, but should be more scared earlier. And the supporting cast is strong, small in number, with interesting interpersonal relationships.
However on the downside there's far too much running around, which got very repetitive for me. And the two part story feels overly padded. This season heavy with two parters isn't being blessed with tightly written stories.
Nor was there any surprise at the Doctor being in the stasis chamber. I also thought it was a cop out that his "ghost" was a hologram. Why did O'Donnell's ghost not appear earlier since she died in the earlier time period?
Colin McFarlane appearing, albeit for a short while, made me grin, given his recent appearance in the Sea Devils spinoff mini series, his third time in the Whoniverse.
Great use of sign language, and I loved that Cass had her own dedicated interpreter on staff, and, best of all, that she, the deaf member of the team, was the leader of the surviving group.
The Doctor was let off re O'Donnell's death far too easily. Though I did like the musings on how he would have felt if it had been Clara. O'Donnell could have made an interesting companion ...
And nice use of a past time period. Though it very much didn't feel like Scotland, albeit deliberately so. I wish some mention had been made of the Fisher King name's Arthurian associations. That was constantly triggering me.
So, yup, generally good, but overlong and too padded. It could have been a much tighter relatively long single parter, even if that would have lost the end of episode 1 big cliffhanger.