Doctor Who S11 E8 Recap

"Where did they go?"

Since this series was announced fans of the long running science fiction phenomenon have been split in how they felt about a female Doctor. Being brought up only once in a while throughout this new era the show had never focused on how being a woman had changed the Doctor and those around her, until this episode. Quite bluntly, the Doctor comes face to face with the sexism of men when confronted by King James, played by Alan Cumming, who outright states what women can and can't do in professions when recruiting "team TARIDS" (sigh) for witch hunting. It provides an interesting dynamic, and one that I feel should be explored at some point, however, this episode flounders that potential with yet another mediocre adventure.

The episode begins with everyone already exploring what one would assume to be the Salem witch trials at first glance, but is revealed to be Lancashire in 1612. A town is afflicted with 36 witch hunts and fear has run rampant against the women. While blunt, and holding no subtleties, this set up would work splendidly as the backdrop to an episode where the Doctor finds out how women have been treated and what they had to struggle against throughout history...only if that's what the episode was going for. It started off strong with that story arc in mind, but halfway through this period drama the episode introduces mud aliens, and by the end it's more about the mud aliens than the themes and character arcs that were already set up.

The standout this episode was Alan Cumming whom is fantastic as King James. In fact I'm almost convinced that he was the only actor having fun on set as his performance, while deliciously exaggerated and hammy at times, was the best part of this period piece. His insecurities, false bravado, and religious story weaving to make sense of the world were all on point and provided the most interesting character that Doctor Who has had all series. Graham is still MVP when it comes to the companions, and Ryan has some stuff to do this episode with his "relationship" with King James, but mostly it's for Alan Cumming that you should watch this episode.

Other than him, this episode plays out like the other episodes in this series that I have not liked as much. In that the companions really don't provide much on this adventure, the Doctor allows them to wear non-period clothing and no one questions that, the fact that the Doctor herself doesn't stand out from the side characters such as King James, and they try to cover important topics but suffer in quality because they added an element to the story that doesn't fit, and in this case it was mud monsters. The mud monsters are stupid, and that's to be expected sometimes with this show, but they really don't belong in an episode that's historical and about the characters on a personal level. They feel forced and disrupts anything the episode was trying to strive for.

"The Witchfinders" had the potential to be a really strong one off episode that would have been very personal for Jodie's Doctor, something that has barely been addressed this series, but inevitably backtracks as they had to include mud aliens and introduce them all in the last ten minutes or so of the episode. And while the setting is interesting, and the side characters scene stealing, this episode falls flat as nothing memorable nor character importance happens.

Key Points:

• Witch Trials
• The Doctor confronts being a woman head on...briefly
• Alan Cumming's King James is the best
• Mud aliens

With the series winding down how are you feeling about Doctor Who overall? Are you excited for the finale in two weeks or are you just done? Comment below!