Doctor Who S11E10 Recap
It's finally here, the finale to S11 and the freshman year of a new era in Doctor Who. The finale, like most of the series, has interesting ideas going about inside it, but is ultimately a slog and disappointment as the series finishes what felt like a stroll through a bog. Tim Shaw returns and the Doctor comes face to face with the consequences of her actions, but oddly enough the show doesn't treat it as such.
Shaw has become God to the last two of an all powerful alien race and has used their almighty universe bending powers to plan revenge against the Doctor during his 3000+ year reign. What should have been interesting in this episode was the fact that the Doctor had to come to terms with her actions against Tim Shaw from the pilot. In previous incarnations, and mostly in the NuWho, the Doctor had risen to a mythical figure where alien species would tremble before his name. In The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos there is an interesting juxtaposition of that Doctor's image as she has to confront what has come of her warrior actions, and maybe this would have been a good way to truly define Jodie's era as the Doctor of one that is kinder (going back to Capaldi's goodbye speech), gentler, and approaches these situations differently. Unfortunately, like the rest of this season, it forgoes character development for sub-par action and plenty of exposition.
Instead of the Doctor having a voice and taking charge of who she finally is in this finale it falls to Graham and Ryan to carry the character development flag across the finish line as they have finally come full circle. With them at odds in the beginning, and Ryan finally accepting him last episode in a rare meaningful moment, it is only fitting and predictable that their relationship is finalized in this finale as a strong (gran)parent/young adult bond. Their theme of family coming together is sweet and expected and probably the best writing this series has produced thus far.
Speaking of family, while that was a big theme for Ryan and Graham it also seemed like that was the theme of this era as the Doctor settles on "fam" than "Team TARDIS" for what she'd affectionately call her companions. Sadly that falls flat as every character on this cosmic adventure still felt like strangers and temporary passengers to one another. Never did it seem that they had become close, and not even close enough to call one another family. (Seriously, has Yaz done anything huge outside of her family episode?)
S11 has been a ride. It started off with some interesting ideas and promise, but it ultimately suffered from diverging too much and putting too much of an emphasis on this new female era that the stories to support everyone had little to no foundation outside of terrible exposition. The characters, including the Doctor herself, had very little characterization, let alone progress, across this ten episode season of blah. I do hope that S12 will come back stronger and put more of an emphasis on fun and characters, but I guess we'll have to wait and see in 2020.
Key Points:
- Stenza and Tim Shaw are back
- Graham and Ryan's relationship still the best part
- Doctor decides on 'Fam' than 'Team TARDIS'
What were your thoughts on the finale, and the overall S11? Do you want Jodie to still be the Doctor and give her another shot, or....? Comment below!
