Doctor Who S11 E2 Recap

"I Scooped You Up."

With the departure of Peter Calpadi last year this new season has felt more like a soft reboot than even S5 or S10. New Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, new companions, and new music, truly the first two episodes of the new series has felt more like a restart than a continuation, but that's okay. Some changes I have liked a lot while others have been so-so. Episode 2 mostly drives home what I love and what I don't about this new direction more than anything else.

Before getting into the episode itself I want to talk about the new opening sequence. In the modern era of Who the opening sequence has been flashy, including time symbols and showing the TARDIS enter one way and exit another. Here, Series 11 takes inspiration from the original classic sequences, and adds today's graphics to make it look more spacey. It's unsettling and wonderful at the same time, and I love it. The graphics perfectly capture the new tone of this show and will be a highlight every week for me.

Now, Episode 2 picks up right where the series premiere left us: space. The Doctor and her companions helplessly floating in the dark finite vacuum, that is until two ships arrive scooping them up and landing...and crashing, onto the planet that the Doctor meant to beam onto. There, the Doctor and her companions are confused for most of the episode, but they learn that the two pilots whom picked them up are competing in a galactic race to win their survival. Their last goal post? Why, the Doctor's TARDIS of course! And thus the Doctor, her three companions, and the two pilots all traverse a dangerous, and supposedly abandoned, planet to get everyone home safely.

Along the way we learn more about the two pilots, the race, and the potential big bad(s) for this series. What I really appreciated was that Doctor Who is finally tackling aliens, and actually giving them reasonable world building mythology to expand their universe. The two pilots are human, but they come from different planets and have never heard of Earth. Each one has cultures, fears, and hopes and it looks like this time around the Doctor will be visiting these types of aliens more often. Similar to Stargate SG-1, this episode gave me those types of exploratory vibes. If that wasn't enough we also got the return of the Stenza, the creepy bounty hunter from the premiere, mentioned in one of the pilot's backstory.

So far I am liking how Chris Chibnall is handling the world building of Doctor Who. He introduced this series' threat in the premiere, giving us a look at their culture first hand and the tragedies that come out of it. Then, while they didn't appear in this episode, you are learning of their influence upon the universe through character backstory. It's a nice way to balance and combine set up, backstory, and world building all in one go. And that isn't just for the Stenza. Chibnall has created a wonderful pocket in this universe via the galactic race. Hinting at more cultures, locations, and the potential where future episodes can go from a relatively standard one and done story of the week type of episode.

One of the changes that I am still getting used to is how serious Doctor Who has become. Since the show first regenerated back in 2005 (so-to-speak) Doctor Who has had a whimsical tone. Characters were running, the music was blaring, the cheesiness dripping from each electrified scene, but here in Jodie's era it seems like that's all taking a step back and we're getting a more serious lumbering tone for the show. I'm curious to see how it plays out by the end of this series, but for now I think it mostly works. There are scenes that thrive on this tone that Chibnall is playing with, but between some scenes that don't fully work with this tone, and the constant seriousness of each situation, it does feel like the tone is slowing down the pace and may hurt it in the long run.

Another door stopper to this season thus far are the characters themselves. The Doctor, instead of being front and center as he previously been, is now not the driving force of the story. Instead she seems to be falling into story after story and is just a passenger in people's lives for the briefest of moments. On one hand I really like that because it gives more focus to the new stuff and allowing them to progress, but on the other hand this is Jodie's second episode (2.5?) as the Doctor and we still don't fully know her version of this character yet. Same goes for her companions. When they were introduced last episode each one had a little thing they needed to get over, but since teaming up with the Doctor their character arcs have so far been paused and more often than not are the spark of exposition.

Lastly, I want to quickly cover the new TARDIS. At the end of the episode the Doctor is reunited with big blue, and the insides are crazier than they've ever been. Like the new sonic screwdriver the insides of the TARDIS have changed to reflect a more alien aesthetic with runes along the walls and crystals covering the control panel. It is the embodiment of wonder and fear, eliciting the sense of unknowing adventure. Can't wait to explore it more in future episodes.

Hopefully my minor quibbles with this episode, and the start of the series, will change over time. After Broadchurch I have faith in Chibnall that he knows what he's doing with these characters and that we're still in the setting up phase of the series. Despite the tonal shift, and the changes overall, to the show I am liking most of what they're putting out and will eagerly await the next episode that drops. Episode 2, I believe, has been stronger than the premiere and I can't wait to see next week's episode with that groovy new opening.

Key Points:

• The Amazing Race on a Galactic Scale
• New Cultures to Explore
• More Stenza (Overarching Big Bad?)
• Reunion with the TARDIS
• Overtly Serious

What did you think of the new episode? Do you believe we'll see those pilots again, or for that matter the race? How do you like the new TARDIS? Leave your comments below!