Hello everyone and welcome to another Doctor Who discussion post with season 11 episode 9, it takes you away. I’m just going to come straight out and say that I didn’t really like this episode, but I would like to go through the positives first as there definitely were some. My dislike may well be personal preference as others may have interpreted parts differently than I did.

So, the positives. First off the opening sections of episodes often have pacing issues and although this episode did struggle with that problem too later on, it did a good job of setting up a creepy and unnerving atmosphere. It lost it and unravelled most of what it created soon after but it initially did a good enough job.

The Doctor gave a great speech (even though it could have been unpacked much more) trying to convince the monster/alien/being thing (I’m rolling my eyes and will get to it) to keep her instead of the husband. It reminded me of a speech Matt Smith did when he took Clara on her first Tardis trip, and it really did feel like it could have been like one of the great Doctor speeches of old if they had given it more time. They even got the music right for once! I also really liked the moment at the end between Ryan and Graham where Ryan finally called Graham grandad. It showed the development of their relationship perfectly and wasn’t too self-indulgent as Ryan didn’t repeat himself. A very nice way to end the episode.

Now onto the bits I didn’t really enjoy. There wasn’t a proper villain again. The Doctor banged on about whatever it was for freaking ages and I still can’t remember what it was called or what it actually was. The whole end bit of it being a frog was awful! I think it took that form because Grace liked frogs but why would it? Why did it not take the form of something to try and keep the Doctor there? Surely that should have happened as the whole point of the thing was to try and keep people there. The whole “I made a friend” thing was naff too. It just felt like another stupid ending. So is it dead now? Will it try this again? Why did it not choose a place with more people? I know they said it was overloaded on people but the thing itself didn’t seem to know that. And really, it just wasn’t any fun.

The other bit that really annoyed me and I know it could be considered trivial, was the excuse used to investigate in the first place. They saw a house with a chimney but no smoke. Maybe no one was in. Maybe they just didn’t have the fire on. The Doctor had her bloody sleeves rolled up for most of the episode so it couldn’t have been that cold! They should have just got back in the Tardis and gone forward in 150 years to that sheep uprising the Doctor mentioned. That would have been much more fun to watch!

DD Rating: 4/10