Kiroku Tensha Eriko goes Doctor Who - My take and look back at Series 8

Okay, as promised in the last post - as a sort of making up to lack of articles - I will be rolling out some Doctor Who-themed articles for the coming days leading up to the start of a new season of the program (Series 10).  It is a given that fans will be excited for the much-awaited return of the program after a little hiatus, but it never hurts to have some little bit of a look back, don't you think?

So, for the first of my "making up" articles, I will be having a look back at Series 8.  This series marks the first full season of the Twelfth Doctor (after the regeneration from Eleventh) in the episode "The Time of The Doctor."  A look back to this season, is like an examination of Peter Capaldi's first season as The Doctor and the changes it brings to the show in whole and in part.

Without further ado, here are my two cents for Series 8: 





(Disclaimer: For the purpose of this look back, I re-watched all of the episodes of Series 8 and relived all of my reactions when I first saw those episodes. As such, all of the following are my own personal opinions.  Tread carefully. Also, I tried my best to make this a semi-Spoiler Free one, but I guess you will be the judge of that. Don't say I did not warn you though, LOL!)

"Deep Breath" opened things up in a very high note. I kinda liked how the Twelfth turned out to be a perfect inverse of what Eleventh is. It firmly established that the new Doctor is not your "Boy Next Door" type of man.  His relationship with the companion also took a 180 and it is refreshingly chaotic, it is a mirror of the generation gap between a teenager and his/her parent (or grandparent if you want to take it further).

The Victorian Era setting and the return of the Paternoster Gang made me jump for joy (I love that trio!). The introduction of Michelle Gomez's mysterious Missy is intriguing. 

Finally, a heartfelt closure

Of course, the cameo near the end of the episode reassured everybody that though everything may look and feel different, it is still the same Doctor we know and love.  Honestly, the episode made the transition a little, little bit easier. It is so nice to see and hear a heartfelt goodbye as it provided the  needed closure.

After that outstanding premiere, things take a little bit of a dip with the second episode of Series 8.

Okay, I love the "Innerspace" homage of "Into the Dalek", but after all is said and done, it fails to deliver. Oh, and Danny Pink? Let us not start with him. As it is impossible to believe that there is a "Good Dalek", it is equally and impossibly impossible to say that the Danny Pink character is going to be any good.  I will be frank, I was disappointed with this episode.

Doctor Who is first and foremost a family-oriented show, so a lighthearted episode like "Robot of Sherwood" is of course, very welcome.  I mean, you got Robin Hood in there (played by Tom Riley).  What is there not to like about that? I also have to mention the "Spoon Fight" and the hilarious way of how Clara has to deal with not one, but two massive egos in one episode. Oh! What a treat!!!

Robin Hood and the Doctor together? Massive egos collide!

On the negative side though, this episode somehow seems to be lost in theme (if you look at all the other episodes of the whole Series), but the saving grace was its light tone and hilarious take on the mythology.  You do not need to be dark and deep to entertain people, and Robot of Sherwood delivers exactly that:  Entertainment.

After a merry episode, it was back to business with a very ambitious and impressive episode that is "Listen."  See, this episode was an unpredictable one. It is narratively frustrating like being on an acid trip. It also does not help that it also "forced" on us a backstory for Mr. Boring Danny Pink. Fortunately, the episode was a good one.

Clara doing "Impossible Girl" things again

Clara, as it turns out has been somewhat responsible and part of some of the Doctor's childhood memories. I was really surprised and unsettled by the reveal of a very familiar barn and a memorable scene in which Clara, even though not the impossible girl anymore, has affected the Doctor in his timeline AGAIN - this time, his childhood. Overall, it was a roller coaster of an episode, but is a standout and one of the best of the series.

What can I say about "Time Heist"?  Let me start by saying that this is my favorite episode in the series. C'mon, a Heist story told in Doctor Who fashion? Bite me! It may not add a lot to the narrative and can be considered as just a filler episode, but for a standalone story, it is outstanding. The plot was puzzling at first but when all the pieces come together, it was a cleverly neat and solid episode. It shows how the Doctor care for the value of life and how he would go through the complex planning and execution of robbing a supposedly impregnable vault in the Universe just to prove it.

Psi and Saibra - Better than Pink!

The supporting cast are solid too as this episode gives us memorable characters in Saibra and Psi (more memorable and palatable than Pink). I wish they revisit the characters again some time in the future episodes. 

In "The Caretaker", there is no time travel and visiting of different worlds this time as the Doctor goes undercover while trying to track a dangerous alien life form. However, he goes undercover and disguises as the caretaker/janitor at Coal Hill. Yep! The school where Clara teaches and of course, there is Danny too as he is a co-teacher. As expected, things all came to a head when Danny unwelcomely tampers with the Doctor's already set-up plan and not only ruins it, but also revealed that he was in fact who Clara is dating - to the Doctor's dismay (don't worry Doctor, you are not the only one disappointed). Eventually, the alien was dealt with by the Doctor and Clara, with some (little to nothing) help from Danny. The episode opens up a chaotic Doctor/Companion/Companion's love interest triangle that is so volatile, that I cannot wait for it to explode.

"Kill the Moon" can go either way as the best or the worst episode in the series. The plot of having the Doctor leaving a decision of blowing up the moon or not to Clara and two other humans was too much of a pressure to take to be honest. You will somehow hate the Doctor in this episode and that is where the best part comes: Clara engaging the Doctor in a full-charge confrontation and ripping it all out on him like Napalm strike on close quarters (Hell hath no fury like a beast mode Clara Oswald).

Clara "Beast Mode" Oswald

Props to Jenna Coleman for her acting on this one. She carried this episode in my opinion. On a high note, the moon was still up there after the episode.

"Mummy on the Orient Express" wins the cake as the episode in this series with the best visual setting and production design. It felt like "vintage" Doctor Who and really fits our Doctor's new look and demeanor.

"Are you my Mummy?"

Unfortunately, the story was not really that groundbreaking. The plot was good, however, it tends to trudge at some points to the point of ho-hum. Peter Capaldi's performance here though is another story as his acting here is superb and he certainly owns this one. By the end of the day though, others say this was an instant classic, but I beg to differ otherwise.

If you want a  Jenna Coleman/Clara Oswald showcase, then let "Flatline" give it to you.

She took center-stage in this episode (being Doctor Oswald) as the Doctor was trapped in a shrinking TARDIS, not to mention dealing with the Series' best monsters - The Boneless. The story was a playful test drive of the dynamic of a "female Doctor" with no repercussions.

It was a joy to see Clara assume the mantle of the Doctor for a day in this episode, but in the end, no one dispatches an alien race that threatens humanity like the Doctor can - it also comes with a warning never to return as a bonus. You have to admit too, the shrinking TARDIS was hilarious!

"In the Forest of the Night"...Well, I have to say this is the weakest episode for me in the series. The story was really off. Eco-friendly as it may be, it fails to register to me as good Sci-Fi and it is a "strainer" kind of a story with a lot of plot holes to be believable. Not even the acting of Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman could salvage this one. This episode made me want to have my money back, if you know what I mean. To add insult to the injury, Danny Pink had a lot screen time on this one. When will they kill off this piece of...never mind!

The first of the two-part finale, "Dark Water" started with a sequence that I have long been waiting...Danny gets his demise. Hell Yeah! (Oh wait, Im so happy with that? Im so EVIL!) Anyway, this episode brings a lot to the table which includes; Clara's betrayal of the Doctor showing how far she will go to get Danny back (You Stupid Girl!) and how the Doctor forgives her and even tried to do the unthinkable - bring someone back from the dead. There is also the reveal of the Nethersphere which is where all the demised characters are being transported to and being met by Missy or her assistant. The Cybermen's first brush with the 12th Doctor and the return of UNIT, Kate Stewart, and everyone's favorite Doctor Who fangirl, Osgood. That was a lot right? Well, there is one more thing...

I am the Master....with a little gender realignment

Missy turns out to be "The Master!" How Bah Dah???!!! The next episode tries to close all of these big things with a bang, if it can.

"Death in Heaven" was a 50/50 in my opinion. The good is that, for the only full episode that Michelle Gomez was in, she stole the show. I do not mind The Master being a woman, if it is ONE HELL OF A WOMAN! Missy was so good, I can say that she is arguably the highlight of the series (Sorry, Clara and Doctor).

The bad is that, being the second half of a two-parter this episode fails to close the first part satisfactorily. The resolution of the Cybermen's evil plan was weak. Well, if it involved a Danny Pink turned Cyberman, then what do you expect? For one, Danny Pink did something good, he said he will burn and he did and to top that, he decided not to come back even if there was a chance. Good decision! At least, we are all back where it all started, just the Doctor and Clara in their own adventures (although somehow the relationship is tarnished) with a new Big Bad still on the loose (You are a fool if you think Missy is gone). After watching the episode, it was like more questions arose than questions being answered.

All in all, Series 8 was a difficult and turbulent one. Peter Capaldi was perfect as The 12th Doctor and Jenna Coleman has definitely made Clara graduate out of the Impossible Girl Mantra. Michelle Gomez was outstanding as The Master even with a few screen time and in contrast, Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink was a waste of character space and exposure. No offense to the actor, but we could have taken Danny out of the whole series and I will wager that it will still be good, if not better.  The darker and deeper tone of the series may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was good in all accounts, being clever, unpredictable, and sometimes dumbfounding at the same time.

But hey, isn't that why Doctor Who is interesting in the first place?

That concludes my look back on Series 8, stay tuned though as I will be looking back at the galore of two-parters that is Series 9.

Until next time,




Allons-y!!!