Doctor Who needs more episodes

[@CouncilofGeeks]

A playlist of videos covering the issues with the BBC and transphobic reporting: kzbin.info/aero/PLmWFOeT2jEofVIDW9X3OL7GqWuX3Dxopu

[@jessetorres8738]

It seems that with each Modern Era Doctor their Seasons get shorter & have longer gaps in between them.

[@klaxoncow]

"We need more episodes, so we can have more bog standard episodes. That might sound really weird." Yes, it totally does. But carry on, I'm listening.

[@RiffRift]

Also, less episodes doesn't mean higher quality, more episodes mean more attempts, more attempts mean more chances to succeed.

[@wolfgang8181]

This is absolutely a key point people miss when they say quality over quantity. Quality is not guaranteed especially in television. A episode you dislike in a short series hurts far, far more than a long one as it takes a larger percentage of the overall season.

[@jn4126]

It also means stretching the budget further and getting everything done in less time ...

[@peterthompson1989]

​@@jn4126Yeah the more episodes they have the more work and less focus.

[@nairrdlairrd]

From just the title, agreed. Beyond that, it needs more episodes *not* written by Russell T. Davies. Not because he’s a horrible writer or anything like that, because the show needs other voices.

[@TetchyEquation]

The gap between the Haunting of Villa Diodati (the last episode of Doctor Who that was not written or co-written by Russel T. Davies, Steven Moffat, or Chris Chibnall) and Rogue (the next Doctor Who episode with no involvement from the big 3) is 4 years and 4 months.

[@martinmorles1]

@@TetchyEquationthat wasn’t intentional, like other writers were hinted to return but couldn’t cause of covid we only got co write with Maxine

[@TetchyEquation]

​@@martinmorles1 that's an excuse, there were plenty of episodes released within that time that could've been handled by a different writer

[@Creek932]

That problem would also be completely fixed by just adding more episodes. The showrunner writing 6 episodes in a season is actually pretty standard, it just stands out more when there are only 8 episodes total.

[@SavageBroadcast]

@@TetchyEquation Yeah, but it also increases the workload of the showrunner and script editor. British TV does not have the same structure or support network American shows do.

[@Anna-B]

When doctor who had 13 episodes, I wanted more of it. But it still felt complete and satisfying. When it’s smaller than that, it isn’t enough

[@MrZachtheKingsfan]

Callback to Classic Who episodes being 25-30 episodes. Yeah, they were 30 min lengths instead of the 45-1 hour lengths, it still felt like there were a good amount of episodes per season.

[@OcyTaviAh]

@@MrZachtheKingsfan it did take 3-6 of those episodes to tell stories though, they were all multi-parters in classic Who.

[@TetchyEquation]

Doctor Who has always needed long seasons with a high volume of stories to really give it that adventure feeling, and the stories have suffered this season from us feeling like we just got here, and now we're already at the penultimate story of the season (assuming Rogue leads into the 2 part finale in anyway) and the series hasn't even been releasing for a month

[@soundgal_sine_qua_non]

We really need more than 8 episodes, especially after the last 2 have been Doctor lite. Series 2 had two Doctor lite epsiodes back to back (Love and Monsters and Fear Her), but we had enough of David Tennant to compensate. In this season, I really feel Ncuti's absence. When he's on screen, he shines. And while I appreciate that they gave us a Ruby driven episode that didn't rely on her mystery box, it's still a tricky thing to justify when there's only 8 episodes. And I wouldn't say no to having more writers who aren't RTD.

[@SavageBroadcast]

Like it or not, and I say this as someone who works in TV - the cost of TV production has shot up a lot, commissioning execs are taking longer to make decisions, and streaming has hurt revenue streams that, in the old days, funded longer shows. Shorter ep counts are a byproduct of all this, and that's also not taking into account the beating the BBC, and the rest of UK TV, has taken in losses in funding and revenue too. Not even RTD can reverse that.

[@ianresc3615]

I am glad you brought that up. I was watching Dot Bubble earlier today and was shocked that we only have three episodes to go. We barely have any idea of who the Doctor is, who Ruby is, what their relationship is or what the big story arc for the finale might be. I like episodes where the Doctor is in the background, but not to start off a quasi reboot of the show. I wish they'd go back to 13 episodes. At least that way we had time to get to know other characters. Ruby's mom? How much time did we have with Jackie Tyler? It wouldn't be possible today

[@Kaoruishere]

It's true that the characters still feel rather vague and undefined at this point, but I'm afraid this has more to do with the writing than the season's length. By the end of "Rose" and "The Eleventh Hour" you know *exactly* who Amy, Rory, Rose, and the Doctors are. Ncuti and Millie just about manage to sell the show solely on the basis of their chemistry and none of it is in the text of the script.

[@Creek932]

The bizarre thing is, the ending of Space Babies seemed to set up more screentime for Carla and Cherry, but then the next couple episodes don't even acknowledge it, and in 73 Yards they act like they had some conflict with the Doctor, but that was never even established. The last time we saw Cherry interact with the Doctor, she was flirting with him, but in 73 Yards she says "I told you that man was no good."

[@AllyCraig]

This is a very solid point, I definitely agree. We need more “business as usual” episodes to give the more adventurous episodes more impact. I’m reminded tangentially of the “Loudness War” in music - when an album is mastered to be at maximum loudness the whole time, it wears out the listener and loses impact after the first few songs.

[@Nanette-ly2il]

You stated perfectly what I was thinking but didn't know how to say. The phrase that came to me was connective tissue. We need scenes of the Doctor and Ruby chatting in the Tardis. Talking about where he's going to take her today, but of course they wind up somewhere else. And we need a sense of a continuing story. For that, there needs to be more episodes.

[@Creek932]

Yes! Each episode moves so quickly and I just wish there were more moments of the Doctor and Ruby winding down and bonding.

[@JoelCornah]

I've said this about people who try to introduce people to Doctor Who with Blink - I think Blink only really works as a BREAK from the format. It's not a great example of a usual Doctor Who episode.

[@klop4228]

It's maybe a good introduction into how Doctor Who episodes tend to go, but it isn't a great introduction to a lot of stuff Doctor Who does, for example the Doctor-companion dynamic, or even basic stuff like why he needs the TARDIS

[@Donnagata1409]

@@klop4228 A perfect introduction is "The elevent hour". Great for a beginner.

[@SavageBroadcast]

FYI to the 'RTD's writing everything because he's selfish' complaint I see about - Sophie Petzal (writer of Medici, Last Kingdom among other UK shows) explained that, because of the lack of time and money for proper UK writer's rooms (unlike in the US), often showrunners here find it more practical and less stressful to just write more eps on their own than have to manage another writer (whom they have to hire, guide, read the script multiple times, give notes to, even rewrite). Plus, this was likely done to ensure S2 could get into production quicker, as we know new writers are on that.

[@guy3854]

Where can I see the writers list for season 2?

[@brewster_4]

@@guy3854 The writers list hasn't been released yet, but RTD has said that season 2 has 4 new writers.

[@hypnoamber3248]

My only issue with this is that some of my favorite episodes of DW are written by guest writers in episodes that were probably supposed to be fillers. Next week's show is written by a writer from Loki and I absolutely love that show and I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with who.

[@guy3854]

@@brewster_4 Ah okay, thats good news

[@yourneighbourtodoro]

It's a stupid criticism to make either way ("RTD is selfish for writing that many episodes"). First of all, it only stands out because it's eight episodes. RTD and Moffat both wrote the majority of the episodes in their seasons when the episode count was 12-13. Secondly, and more importantly, I'd rather we get an entire season written by the same person that is good throughout, over bringing in other writers to write dogwater filler episodes and lower the quality of a season. Mike White writes every episode of The White Lotus by himself and wrote every episode of Enlightened, Adam Reed with Archer, Aaron MacGruder with The Boondocks. All of those shows (for the time the head writers were the only writers) are some of the best TV out there, and nobody complains about that.

[@Aldruon]

Completely agree. We also need more time with these characters to learn their dynamic. Even though the unicorn and the wasp is a pretty standard episode, it is one of my favorites because that is when I fell in love with Donna and the doctor as a pair. Also it feels like a bunch of stuff is happening off screen which I would like to see. You mentioned the christmas to July thing, "I never run" and "you always know", but there is also when the doctor gave Ruby a tardis key after the first trip, which is really fast for such a big moment unless there were other adventures that we didn't get to see. Let us have those standard episodes so we can get the little moments that relationships are built on.

[@Creek932]

Plus without The Unicorn and the Wasp, we wouldn't have the iconic scene where the Doctor gets poisoned and has to mime to Donna!

[@itsjoeycaleb]

Agree with all you brought up! The thing I’m really missing with the shorter runtime especially is the lack of low stakes chatting in the tardis. Getting to know the character outside of the context of the episodes and also debriefing the events of each episode. The only way I could be satisfied with all of this is if we find out the season is a TV show or that we’re seeing Ruby and The Doctor in separate timelines every week. Would explain a ton of things. ❤

[@drkenata5807]

I agree with your point of view, though I may also add the following. Due to the limited run and the big swings, we are also asked to accept character beats uncritically and without any setup. Whether this is off screen relationship building or character traits we are told they have, the show does very little to organically build the larger narrative. Instead we have a lot of one off moments designed to avoid interrupting the individual episode pacing. The Snow, Susan Twist, the Sky moment in Boom. These moments are not really a part of the specific episodes narrative, but more just dropped in to remind the audience of them.

[@jessetorres8738]

It seems that with each Modern Era Doctor their Seasons get shorter & have longer gaps in between them.

[@SpiderBatFan]

At least this current season got an upgrade from Flux’s 6 to 8 😂 also it’s looking ljke we won’t have super long gaps for at least the next few years, with series 2 already filmed completely and series 3 will probably be filmed with enough time to come out year after next

[@OfficialKequan]

@@SpiderBatFanI hope it gets renewed for season 3, I just really hope the episode count gets bigger!

[@littleredruri]

Ngl even going back to the Chibnall 10 episode structure would help. That worked pretty well, especially if it's all single part stories.

[@kiddkd7242]

That was kind of how it was like in the 80s before the cancellation. All of McCoy’s seasons had less than half the amount of episodes typically seen during that era.

[@JustChrisWillDoTa]

I'm saddened that series have got shorter and shorter. I thought 10 was ok, and 6 was understandable during those crisis times, but only 8 now for a standard series is a shame. Deleted previous post as put it here in error lol.

[@pumamanjrandsuch]

From my understanding, they are planning for at least a 10 episode season next time. The 60th anniversary episodes count towards their episode count now. But Russell posted on Instagram that season 2 will be longer.

[@XanderHarris1023]

I heard they are already wrapped on season 2 so if he says it is longer then it is.

[@mrwho995]

Unfortunately this is incorrect. The next series will also be only 8 episodes long.

[@friendlyotaku9525]

That is untrue. Next season is 8 episodes too.

[@benjamindavis4974]

They can only do 9 years to be able air it yearly

[@ThePlayTyperGuy]

The revival's first 10 seasons arguably had as much content as the Pertwee/Baker seasons (roughly 13 hour long episodes are equal to 26 hour hour episodes). Chibnall's already shorter run plus the pandemic resulted in just 31 episodes. That's roughly 62 half hour eps -- not a lot comparatively, especially since that was over five years (2018 to 2022) compared to Pertwee (128 half-hour episodes over 1970 to 1974). Of course, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy had far fewer episodes than most classic era Doctors (for different reasons) but the series in clear decline at that point. If Ncuti sticks around longer than 3 seasons, I'd be OK with fewer eps per season but if he just does 3, I'll wonder if I'll actually really "know" this Doctor.

[@tlewis171]

I have to agree with all points -- even if they 'fill in' the missing time jumps with Big Finish, novels, etc., most fans will be missing out

[@iamnobody2]

yanno, that's so true, i hope we don't just get 3 short seasons with 15, that would be a traveshamockery! he's really good and millie really grew on me these last two episodes

[@nekusakura6748]

I hope you mean only mean decline in ratings when it came to McCoy's tenure and not decline in quality. I love McCoy's Last Two Seasons (and 'Paradise Towers').

[@ThePlayTyperGuy]

@@nekusakura6748 Decline in ratings only! I like the 7th Doctor run overall

[@davidcremin3837]

My main thing is just that the mors standard episodes are essential for developing the relationship between the doctor and the companion which is so important

[@DeHumaneVestisFabrica]

The only way to get more 'standard' episodes is to get more low-budget episodes. Cheaper to make and film, less CGI, fewer locations. And I do think that's possible - Doctor Who has done it for decades. One of the reasons they keep going back to Victorian London is that it's a pretty easy setting to mimic in modern Cardiff. More base-under-sieges filmed in power plants. Quarry planets. Rubber-forehead aliens. Shot-reverse-shot. Boring lighting. I miss it.

[@mattevans4377]

Or go full CGI like children's TV shows and movies. There might be a stigma, but good content still exists in that format.

[@DeHumaneVestisFabrica]

@@mattevans4377 That would be very cool, especially for a more kid-friendly spin-off in the model of the SJA. Star Wars and Star Trek have done it to great effect, why not Doctor Who?

[@benjamindavis4974]

Even the lowest budget episode this series cost £3 million and that was 73 Yards

[@bigspongeyfan1]

I think the Devil’s Chord is a poor example for your case as it has probably been moved from its original position to fit with eurovision. In 73 Yards Ruby makes clear she has only just started travelling with the Doctor and in Boom she visits her first alien planet. I reckon the Devil’s Chord was supposed to be this week’s or last week’s (to break up the two Doctor-lite (ish) eps). In my headcanon, we do the Devil’s Chord around this point in their relationship and that makes more sense. ( I mean it’s a time travelling adventure, we can cope with putting the episodes back in order in our heads ) However, I would bring up the lack of time spent with ruby’s family and friends as a point for why this 8 part series feels different. I’d love to have a more grounded Ruby. But I can’t complain. If 8 episodes is what they could realistically achieve this year and they’ve made them as bold and interesting as this, we are so lucky as fans. Going forward, I reckon we’ll have longer seasons or shorter gaps anyway.

[@benjamindavis4974]

9 episodes a year from here on out no more gaps

[@Elwaves2925]

I realised after last week's episode (73 yards) that it was already half way through the season. So yeah, I think 10 should be the minimum but I'd prefer 12 or 13, with an additional Xmas episode as that's a thing since 2005. With 8 episodes, you start getting really comfortable with it and then it's nearly over. I'd also like at least one 2-parter per season, just don't centre the cliffhanger on the Doctor or companion in a life threatening situation we know they'll survive, make it about something else. Some shows work great with 6 to 8 episodes but IMO not for DW, it needs longer.

[@Elwaves2925]

Also, your points you just made about Ruby being familiar with the Doctor, even though they only just met from our POV, along with the time jump, is just more evidence to me that the episode order was swapped. I believe The Devil's Chord was originally meant for later which would explain Ruby's comments. In 73 yards, Ruby also says they haven't known each other that long, when she believes the Doctor has locked himself in the TARDIS. Yet 6 months of constant travelling is quite a long while. The Devil's Chord was apparently filmed in the same block as episode 6, so it could have been swapped with that and it'll be interesting to see if more info comes from that episode next week.

[@guy3854]

@@Elwaves2925 Yeah the contrasting statements in 73 Yards and Devil's Chord from Ruby really confused me. It makes me feel like the production of this season was a little bit badly planned, especially when considering that Ncuti wasn't in the past two episodes much because he was busy filming Sex Education

[@Elwaves2925]

@@guy3854 Yeah, her comments don't quite fit right and that's why I think it will be interesting to keep an ear open next week. I have wondered if Devil's Chord was pulled forward once the decision was made to air two episodes to start the season? That way, both the BBC and Disney could make the most of advertising the Beatles episode, instead of it being just another mid-run episode. Ncuti was in the latest episode, he only really missed one, not two. Although both he and Millie had lesser roles this week. I've also heard Barbie was the reason, not Sex Ed but whatever, it doesn't really matter which one it was.

[@freddybishop2287]

I honestly wasn’t the biggest fan of the Whitaker era but I thought 10 eps was the perfect amount. I also feel like this current series needs 2 more episodes to really flesh out the doctor and Ruby traveling together.

[@Creek932]

Tbh I don't even think 10 episodes is enough. I think a season of a show like Doctor Who needs at least 12 or 13 episodes to really feel complete.

[@lanaalba8392]

This is so true! You need a background to make the story feel real and complete. No "filler" episodes, there is no background

[@disappointedoptimist255]

The problem you mentioned in the modern Star Trek movies also applies to Daniel Craig Bond movies. The first one is basically a Bond origin story, he's only just become a 00, he has no gadgets and is just a blunt instrument, and he genuinely falls in love, and only at the end when that goes wrong does he become the cold, heartless Bond we know. But then in his second movie he quickly goes off the grid and works against MI6 instead of just doing his mission. Then in the third he's already old and washed up and has "been James Bond too long" when we haven't even really seen him be James Bond in the traditional sense. It corrects a little in giving him gadgets and a defined mission and villain but then MI6 is destroyed and he has to work on his own/with M underground again.

[@louishindle6620]

Honestly I’d be open to them doing an American Network standard 20-24 episode season if they had a balance between standard episode, showpiece episodes, and proper, complex arcs that are more than just ‘let’s tease a mystery every episode and then just entirely resolve it in the finale’.

[@wheresmyjetpack]

I've liked the sampling platter of Doctor Who episode types this season. I can see the argument about episodic shows needing a normal, my problem is more simply: I want more! The season is already halfway over

[@wheresmyjetpack]

Very good point that they're telling not showing about the normal

[@benjamindavis4974]

It's impossible to do anymore than 9 out yearly

[@landonwyndham979]

Why is it impossible to do more?

[@Creek932]

I like it when the show does more experimental stuff, but I also think it needs more “normal” episodes that follow a consistent formula and develop the characters and feel of the show in a more natural way. Episodes like 73 Yards and The Devil’s Chord suffer because the Doctor and Ruby’s characters haven’t even really been properly established yet. The pacing in this season is all over the place, and it’s really hurting the new era.

[@OfficialKequan]

@@benjamindavis4974yes especially if they change costumes every episode even scene to scene, it takes a lot more planning now. If they somehow make more 2 parters in the same location then I think they could do more than 9, since 2 episodes same location has less planning and sets to it.

[@BulbasaurRepresent]

These are all good points, and I agree wholeheartedly... but this feels like it's ignoring the obvious problem: they can't. Whether it's due to budget or time. RTD has said that 8 episodes is the price for making Doctor Who annually. This isn't a conscious choice to make it 8 episodes to make it conform to other shows or anything like that, this is just what the current TV climate is. I'm not an expert by any means, but RTD is, and I trust that it's not just a question of "do we make each individual episode look better or do we make more, slightly worse-looking episodes." I imagine that to keep up with the current TV climate, there needs to be a certain standard of quality in terms of effects and such, and then leftover budget can only really be spent on making the current episodes look prettier - because even a cheap episode would require new actors, new sets, new effects, instead of reusing the ones that are already there for the existing episodes. So making an episode look super pretty is much cheaper than making an entirely new episode, to the point where there's not even a comparison to be made. It's just not possible to make another episode, but it is possible to make the other ones look better. I think a more interesting question is whether or not they should do more episodes per season & not have it annually, or keep it the way it is. The current way will probably give more episodes total, but will make the pacing on a season per season basis feel off.

[@sleepykitty1985]

They have Disney money now, so I don't really buy either time or money as excuses. I think it's enshittification at play, just like Netflix, Apple, etc doing less with so many more projects and occasionally striking gold.

[@BulbasaurRepresent]

@@sleepykitty1985 As far as I'm aware, the Disney money was mainly for marketing... RTD said that it wasn't a crazy upgrade from what it was previously for the actual show.

[@guy3854]

@@BulbasaurRepresent I honestly think the marketing was wasted a little when the opener was something as strange as space babies, I don't think that was the best idea to introduce new viewers to

[@GipJo]

Then they can do a two 12 episodes seasons in three years with the same money and even less because they only have to do two productions, that's better than this 8 episodes crap.

[@arahman56]

@@sleepykitty1985 More money doesn't make the actors act any faster. The bigger thing is the location travels, with Who no longer stuck to Cardiff.

[@BalooSJ]

I completely agree. I'd argue there's no such thing as "filler" - the episodes some people call filler are where we get to know our characters and learn to care about them. To take Babylon 5 as an example, seeing Londo take the deal offered by Mr. Morden would not make sense if we hadn't seen the previous episodes where the Centauri are treated as has-beens and keep giving territory up to Narn. And seeing Londo's face as Refa has Narn bombed using mass drivers and having him understand the nature of the tiger he has caught by the tail would not have anywhere near the impact without getting to know him for two seasons before. The discussion reminds me of a Seinfeld episode where Elaine comes up with the idea of selling muffin tops, and then having problems figuring out what to do with the rest of the muffin. You need the whole muffin to get the actual muffin top. As to your final point about profitability vs art: it's not necessarily an either or, but rather a sliding scale. BBC and Disney are corporations (though BBC is a bit weird with being license-financed rather than selling things directly), and do have financial obligations. It's a bit like in Angel season 5, where Angel is given control of the new LA branch of Wolfram & Hart, and when he asks what will happen if he runs it into the ground he gets told "Well, then you won't have it anymore." But there's a difference between maintaining and maximizing profit, and it would be nice if more corporations were satisfied with maintaining it.

[@arahman56]

The kind of "filler" people talk about tend to be like the anime kind where the characters do random things that don't add to the plot or the characters.

[@BalooSJ]

@@arahman56 If it doesn't add to the character, that's just a matter of bad writing. But I'm perfectly OK with an episode largely not advancing the plot. Again, looking at Babylon 5, I'd say there are eight episodes in season 1 that are relevant to the overall plot (Midnight on the Firing Line, Mind War, And the Sky full of Stars, Signs and Portents, A Voice in the Wilderness parts 1 and 2, Babylon Squared, and Chrysalis. Would I want to get rid of the other 14 episodes? Heck no! They're the ones that provide context for the big eight.

[@ob4161]

⁠@@BalooSJ “Filler” is used to refer to episodes that were created not because someone had a good idea but because they needed 13 episodes and so they had to come up with something. Boom Town is a good example.

[@BalooSJ]

@@ob4161 But Boom Town is a perfectly cromulent episode. It might not be anyone's favorite, but it's fine. RebootWho season 1 would be a worse experience if it was cut without any replacement.

[@lauritzen93]

Couldnt agree more. Especially for a show like Doctor Who that lives on 'filler' adventure episodes where we get to know the characters and their dynamics.

[@AspelShuyin]

The Doctor twice saying "I never run" is also really weird because The Doctor is constantly running. "Run for your life!" is like the first thing he says in NuWho. Boom's plot is "what if The Doctor couldn't run?"; The Doctor Who RPG even has an initiative system where Runners go first!

[@alfje5492]

This season feels like the last one ever, with RTD throwing all his ideas in (even though s2 has already been filmed). I'm enjoying it quite a bit, but I really wonder what new viewers think of this? This short, fast season must be quite incomprehensible for people who don't know anything about the Doctor, UNIT, The Gods of Chaos, etc...

[@Tamisday]

I think Ncuti’s unavailability exemplified the problem. He’s an incredible Doctor and it’s absolutely worth shooting around his schedule. But how much better might it have been, given they shot so much in advance, to have episodes sprinkled in around those Doctor light episodes to make his absence less conspicuous. I’m enjoying the season but I also feel like I’m waiting for it to start in a way I can’t fully explain.

[@ETLettuce]

Just as a fun little thought experument, this is how I'd probably make this series into a 13 episode series with 3 2-parters (akin to Series 1-5 of newwho) 1. Space Babies 2. - - - 3. - - - 4. Devils Chord (6 months makes sense) 5. Boom 6. - - - Boom part 2? Idk 7. 73 Yards 8. - - - something so we dont have two "Doctor Lites" in a row 9. Dot and Bubble 10. Dot and Bubble pt2 (i think the location of finetime is fascinating and i think itd work to get some time from doctor and rubys perspective in part 2) 11. Rogue 12. Legend Of Ruby Sunday 13. Empire Of Death

[@saphcal]

Yeah this "filler" or "breathing room" you mention is one of the minor issues i have with Super Hero movies. It only shows the super Dramatic stuff. I want parts of those films to be the heroes doing normal heroing. Saving cats from trees, helping ladies cross the street, stopping criminals who arent huge country or city or world level threats.

[@SeanOrange]

This reminds me of Strange New Worlds Season 2 taking a disproportionate amount of big swings. I think the “normal” benchmark may be the same for that as for Doctor Who: the benchmark is its own multi-decade history. There are hundreds of “standard” episodes, and in an era of streaming one can go back to any of them - the exception with Who being that they’re not all on the same service so not as easily accessible. I don’t know if that’s good enough, but if I had to guess that’s the thought behind it. Totally agree that the multi-parter may be dead, though.

[@LydiaTarine12]

Also, 4 episodes in was really soon for a Doctor Light episode.

[@maikujakufan]

It is weird to get 2 doctor light eps back to back in a season this short. I did not realize we were only getting 8 eps.

[@connor_who]

I’m thinking the 8 episode count to keep it annual is making room for spin offs to fill the gaps for when it isn’t on but how that goes only the future will tell. If we can’t have more episodes I would just like the ones we already have to be longer.

[@wolfgang8181]

I suspect I'll strongly agree with the content when I see it but from the title alone you are absolutely right. The trend towards short seasons across the board is really disheartening, especially when those 6-10 episode seasons take upwards of two years to make. Shows are just not allowed to breath anymore and I sorely miss the level of character development that can be had in longer seasons. To top it off, this season has had sub-50 minute runtimes too. While I don't think a story should be stretched to fit a time, every week Doctor Who has to establish a new plot and a new set of characters. There's no room for two part stories aside from the final now lest they cut into the available story diversity and compressing that into a standard 43 minute story so often leads to underdevelopment and rushed plots.

[@Elwaves2925]

Some shows suit 6- 8 episodes and I don't mind 10 episode seasons (generally) but I do think DW needs a minimum of 10 (say for an anniversary year) but really should be 12 or 13, plus a Xmas episode. I really want of a return of 2-parters as well but not with only 8 episodes as it would take up too much of the season. The question is, if it truly is too much to do 13 episodes in a year (as RTD and Moffat have stated), would we be okay with seasons not being yearly?

[@klop4228]

​@@Elwaves2925 Moffat had a couple two-part seasons, where we got half for a while, and half again a few months later. I remember not liking them that much (they do feel like two mini-seasons - especially Series 7), but perhaps it is a better choice for this kind of thing, given they'd have a little extra production time?

[@Elwaves2925]

@@klop4228 I can see plusses and minuses for all the options. I didn't really care for the split seasons either, especially as it meant Clara's first season felt rushed for such a big story. I was thinking more along the lines of two full seasons every three years, or something like it. No split, no short seasons or anything. I'm still not a fan of that but it would give them more production time for each season. It's whether it would be better than a short season every year, I mean this season is 8 episodes which is only one more than one of Moffat's split seasons. Who knows? 🙂

[@yamivkd]

I very much agree with you about the standardising of 8 episodes doesn't work for a series like Doctor Who, but I would say Boom is a regular Doctor Who episode. In the end the ambulances and the algorithm are the monsters, just because it is mostly limited to 1 location and problem doesn't make it not a regular type episode, but that is just my opinion. Another thing I think that suffers is you get less time of character interplay, just them interacting, bonding, building, and that is usually filled by just being told and that is never a good way to handle that. Like you said, tell don't show its sadly happening. One more thing about having the "Exceptions" each time, each episode, is it makes topping them harder and harder the more pass. If all you eat is desert, even the best main course becomes underwhelming. Thank you so much for putting this all into words and putting it out to the world.

[@joxclever]

I agree, we need hangout space. I'm really into chonky fantasy novels, and those all have moments of barnstorming action. But the bits I remember most fondly are the ones where characters are bantering around a cookpot, or ascerbically planning a mini-heist, or having some good old fashioned chemistry in a neutral (non life threatening) space.

[@WiloPolis03]

At the very least, if they're gonna stick to 8 episodes, they need to expand the runtime of each episode

[@zachh6868]

Yeah, I think the 12 episodes plus a christmas special was the perfect amount of episodes for Doctor Who

[@ChristyAbbey]

8 episode seasons work well for a franchise show. So unless we get more Torchwood, or that UNIT spin-off, I don't want to have to gear up once a year and have the show roll over and go to sleep. As to filler, one of my favorites is filler: Edge of Destruction season 1 (original recipe) story 3.

[@alfje5492]

Definitely need more epsodes to flesh out this season, or at least, they could have spread the info dump in episode 1 over multiple episodes and add a montage of adventures at the end. It could create the impression that Ruby and the Doctor had spent a lot of time together, instead of every episode feeling like you missed a bunch of stuff. It also doesn't help that the episodes seem to be out of order: The Devil's Chord should be in the middle (the mini-Boss) as the "You never hide" line makes no sense.

[@matthewkauerauf1886]

I’m okay with 8 episode series as long as we get at least 5 seasons with Ncuti to match the amount of episodes Tennant had

[@GENERIC_CHANNEL_HANDLE]

...huh. I didn't actually realize that there are only three episodes left. That's distressing, particularly for folks like me who aren't vibing with this season and who really wish it had more room to breath and figure itself out.

[@Ruddigore]

Totally agree. I grew up on 26 x ½ hour Doctor Who episodes per year. New Who reduced that to 13 x 45 minute(ish) episode per year and that was fine too, The Jodie Whittaker season was reduced to just 10 episodes per season and that troubled me. And now, to make matters worse, this new season has gone down to just 8 episodes. And how much screen time has the new Doctor put in during the first 4 episodes?

[@okankyoto]

At some point maybe they should just take 2 years to do a "full season" of episodes by merging 2 years of episodes into one season.

[@Redboots]

oh I wholeheartedly agree that there needs to be more episodes. it felt like with s11 they cut the episode count whilst they were producing the series, and as we all know they cut an episode whilst filming s13/flux, and look how that affected that story! less episodes means less time to get to know the characters, which is why you can skip a lot of the more 'filler' episodes when revisiting if you're so inclined because that's where a lot of the characterisation comes from, and if you already know the characters from going through the first time, you don't need to see all of the development again! which side note is an issue I had with 73 yards, since I felt like we didn't learn much about ruby that wasn't previously established, and that's what a doctor-lite episode should really aim to do, imo at least. the issue really is stories getting stripped down to barer and barer minimums for the sake of money, and I think that's bs! I also think the relative shallowness of the series so far is both a symptom of and a further detriment to the shorter episode count too. and tbh a lot of the greatness of sci-fi like dr who, and because I've been going back through it the x files too, comes from the so-called 'filler' monster of the week episodes, and it's a shame that in dr who's case frugality of production seems to be eating away at that greatness

[@benlawrence97]

Your point about 8 episodes series' becoming the normal I feel is coming from a very American POV because as someone from the UK 6-8 episodes in a series has always been the norm, DW (and a few others like Merlin etc.) was the exception. I think realistically DW is not gonna be longer than 10 Eps anymore since both RTD and Moffat have spoken at various points about how hard they found doing 12/13 episodes plus a special each year and it took it's toll on the stars themselves as both Capaldi and Smith had physical health issues off the back of leaving as the schedule was so gruelling. I know you were mainly talking from a narrative POV though.

[@Venemofthe888]

I think having 10 Episodes works better just so you dont overwork everyone to the point they have health issues

[@andyleighton3616]

I think you are younger than me - it certainly wasn't always the norm. Blake's 7 was 13 episodes a series, Sapphire and Steel 14, Powers had 13, The New Avengers had 13, The Professionals had 13. Shameless was all over the place with series length - but some were very long. Even Doctor Who when I was young had 26 episodes (and when it started in the 40s per season). Maybe 10 episodes could work - if the length of an episode is extended. So 10 episodes of an hour. Some of the problems of 13 episodes of a show like Doctor Who is all the setup / teardown of different sets etc, location dressing, etc which does eat into the time (and eats into the budget). Also from a writing pov you have to introduce a new setting - a new world, or a new time, in many of those episodes. More time would give a bit more space for exploring character, or just to give episodes a bit of space to breathe.

[@jcksparrowfan]

When it came to filler in a 22 episode season, I always think of episodes like "Hush" and "Once More With Feeling" and "Smile Time" for Buffy and Angel. Those were fun.

[@oliverrose7796]

My favorite aspect of filler episodes that wasn't really touched on is that is can be a great way to give depth to characters which make later episodes more emotionally fulfilling. In this season, I think Devil's Chord would have worked a lot better later in the season for sure. 73 yards could maybe be a two-parter, but even if not, having more episodes where we get Ruby's character and her dynamic with the Doctor would have given the passing of time more emotional weight.

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

I agree, we need at least 12. I have the same problem with Strange New Worlds. So i 10 probably wouldn't be enough either. With SNW I want at least 12. But if Doctor Who was 10 episodes, plus a christmas special each year. 11 is still good.

[@PeakeABoo]

They should be doing a minimum should be 13 and anything lower than that is limited series or miniseries. 20-26 episodes is a lot, so like 13-18. I think they are relying on previously established understanding of the series to fast track things because of the episode constraints.

[@SavannahGuy1982]

To bolster your case and point, 90s Sailor Moon allowed for us to get to know each of the Senshi. If you jump into Sailor Moon Crystal doesn't have any filler and you lose the experience of learning backstories and character development. Much like what you were saying about the ending of episode one being Christmas and Devil's Chord is taking place 6 months later.

[@kimberlyPerth]

This is why I adore your views, it feels like we are the Borg and you’re our Borg queen!

[@chevand8]

This is a completely tangential side-point, but when you were talking about the Kelvin-verse _Star Trek_ movies and mentioned how we never really got a "normal" one to establish a baseline between the non-standard events, it sort of put me in mind of another example that I feel fits that pattern: Daniel Craig's Bond movies. With Craig's entry into the series, we got a reboot in the form of _Casino Royale,_ which on its own merits was a fresh take on the franchise, because it was showing Bond's origins as a 00 agent. _Quantum of Solace_ didn't quite live up to its predecessor, but it more or less functioned as a 'part two' to the story it set up, and it set up the plot thread of Quantum as a shadowy cabal in the vein of SPECTRE. In both those movies, Bond is a rookie 00 agent, and it's clear that M hasn't quite established the level of implicit trust and deference that had been demonstrated to James Bond in the series before the reboot. And then, suddenly, with _Skyfall..._ he's a tired veteran agent who's over the hill and past his prime, and he can't even shoot straight to save someone else's life? Like, what? When did that happen? And where was the adventure with James Bond _in his actual prime,_ investigating deeper into Quantum? Don't get me wrong, I think _Skyfall_ is a phenomenal movie (better than the two that came after it)... but it's phenomenal in spite of its implications that Bond has been (or should've been) through a lot in the interim directly before it, and we as an audience never got to see him conducting 'business as usual'.

[@MrFearDubh]

I think the American standard of 20 to 24 episodes per season was to hit the magic number of at least 100 so the series could be sold into syndication. Series with fewer episodes often were not shown in syndication back in the day. Now, that people usually steam their favorite shows that doesn't matter so much.

[@shachna]

I feel like the first time I got a really good feel for this doctor was him pleading at the end of Dot & Bubble.

[@PlatinumAltaria]

I gotta say, it's refreshing that we're now demanding MORE of the show, as opposed to the Chibnall era when we were all just begging for it to stop.

[@MrFearDubh]

Talking about the Doctor running, I'm reminded of Christopher Eccleston's interaction with Billie Piper in the first episode of the new era: "I'm the doctor, by the way. What's your name?" "Rose." "Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!"

[@supremeoverlorde2109]

I watched Dot and Bubble with my Mother last night, and we had almost this exact discussion afterward. I’ve enjoyed the big swings the series has been taking, but I feel the 8-episode format isn’t right for Doctor Who. I feel like I haven’t had the time to get to know Ruby and 15 outside of these outlandish and extreme situations. We keep jumping from one high to the next without any space to breathe, and thus far I think the season as a whole, along with Ruby and 15’s characters, are weaker because of it. Imo Ncuti and Millie’s chemistry is carrying 15 and Ruby’s dynamic more than the writing.

[@themuppetdon]

Although I agree, you have to think across 2021 and 2022, we got 9 episodes total, but across 2023 and 2024 we will be getting 13 episodes total, which yes is a drastic drop from the mid-late 2000's going into the 2010's, but considering the smaller episode counts of the last 3 series, and the long gaps between them, this is an improvement to have a yearly 9 episodes from 2024 onwards (+ spin off's). But that said 10 episodes (11 with xmas special) would be nice.

[@GipJo]

That's abnormal circumstance because of Covid, it's a poor example to use. Jodie's first two are 10 episodes.

[@themuppetdon]

@@GipJo But again a year gap between them.

[@wolfgang8181]

Completely agree with you on this. Having these high concept episodes as the normal is also setting up future disappointment should the show return to standard adventure romps because they'll seem "boring" in comparison to a portion of the audience now expecting "high concept of the week". I think 10 episodes is the minimum length a Doctor Who season should be. I actually think it can work quite well in overall season pacing as it allows a few formats without the series feeling short-changed. Personally, I think every final should always be two parts to offer the breathing room and scale of a story to appropriately ends the season. Or rather every season should end with a big story, but I am not opposed to epilogue episodes closing out the series, though Christmas Specials can fill that role. With 10 episodes, then: You can have 8 x single part stories and 1 two part story for a total of 9 adventures. A good pool to share among high concept, experiemental and low concept stories. Alternatively 2 x two-part stories, and 6 x single part stories where you can have a lower stake long story that is not bound by the need to be a final, a big epic final and 6 stories for a mix of normal and high concept adventures. Or 7 single parts and one massive three parter. 10 episodes gives the season a lot of choice and breathing room. With just 8 episodes, the final aside leaves you a measly 6 stories before things get crazy. It's not enough time as you say, to set the status quo, get experimental, have high concept and low concept stories without it feeling over in a jiffy and the overall direction of the series being rushed. And there is absolutely no room for two two part stories. When you take into consideration that the opening episode also has a duty to often introduce new companions or set up a series this 8 episode format only gives you 5 episodes of standardized adventuring. It's too short.

[@cable78]

A good example of this is something like Phineas and Ferb. The special where Candace catches the boys, and the movie wherre Perry gets found out, hit harder because of the status quo being torn apart.

[@sophie.loafie]

You need the cereal in lucky charms so you can better appreciate the marshmallows

[@okankyoto]

To extend the metaphor- reducing the size of the box does not make for MORE marshmallows- you just get a smaller amount of everything.

[@JadieElizabeth]

I've watched every video you've done on doctor who and never really interacted before but i couldn't agree more! I am loving how 'out there' this season is but i feel like were missing a lot of the team dynamic due to how 'out there' the new episodes are. We're skipping a lot of the emotional connections we could get through extra episodes. Its not like they don't have the budget to have more episodes now, although maybe the discourse will help the BBC see how much the community are back into DW and give us more, but I don't hold out hope. (PS i love ur videos and love hearing you views on everything I've watched:))

[@kayleebliss5738]

Honestly yes thats exactly what I've been missing from the show. Just interim scenes with the Doctor and Ruby relaxed talking on the TARDIS. Or even them discussing a conspiracy theory or having some sort of character developing interaction. I just need the Doctor and Ruby to feel like real people, not just bff actors who occasionally pop in to banter or shed a single tear down their cheek. lol

[@Brunoxsa]

Thank you for the video, Vera! I do not necessarily agree with the problem being the smaller number of episodes, however, more episodes would definitely resolve my problem with the pacing being too fast in the current season of Doctor Who. As Vera mentioned, it needs more two-parters and some filler episodes in order to establish some "normalcy" storywise. That problem, being not exclusive to Doctor Who, is caused by the streaming services model of "binge-watching": consume that media work fast in order to jump to the next ones. Personally, in Doctor Who's case, I would at least prefer having time gaps longer than one or two weeks between episode debuts of a same season/series in order to wait less for the next season/series.

[@NobodyRemotelyImportant]

I said to my wife last night that, so far, this season feels more like an anthology series than a traditional show.

[@Synthpopper]

It's crazy how Ncuti had more screentime in The Giggle than the last two episodes combined.

[@littleredruri]

That's actually just completely wrong. 73 Yards yeah, but he was on screen for at least 1/3 of Dot and Bubble, and got the same amount of screentime as Ruby.

[@HOTD108_]

You're being pretty ridiculous. 73 Yards was a Doctor-lite episode, which EVERY normal season since 2005 has had- and then with Dot and Bubble you're literally just incorrect because the Doctor is on-screen easily half of the runtime at a minimum.

[@Synthpopper]

It's not though, is it? He was in 73 yards for 2 minutes, and Dot for like 7. He had more time in The Giggle. You're both ridiculous for instantly jumping down my throat over this when you're both the wrong ones. Do the math. And if it turns out I'm a minute off or whatever then that's just pedantic. And yeah lol sure every season had a Doctor-lite. But the seasons were 13 episodes. So your "point" is a strawman. Well done. Seriously idk what's with the hostility. I WANT MORE OF THE DOCTOR. What's wrong with that?

[@cfsfilms5091]

Really I think this hits on the biggest problem I've had this week. It isn't bad that they made two Doctor Lite stories, I enjoyed both of them and Doctor Lite stories are usually really interesting. My problem is that they were released back to back on a weekly schedule. It makes it feel like we haven't properly had him for a really long time, even though he does have a relatively substantial presence in this episode. I do wonder if at least getting the rest of the season will make it a little better, Rogue looks like a fun traditional adventure! But genuinely. Having a few more episodes that could go anywhere on this timeline would solve the few problems I have had with the season as a whole, even if I have been enjoying getting something wildly different every week.

[@littleredruri]

@@Synthpopper ah yes the incredibly hostile statements of "that's just completely wrong" and "you're being ridiculous"

[@speeeee35]

Yes and even more, it needs the episodes to be 10, even 5 minutes longer. I miss the banter in the TARDIS so much. I miss getting to know the companion and seeing their relationship w the doctor. I don’t need all action, every scene. Yk?

[@ForeverTraitor]

Rewatched series 1 recently and I think the reason The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances stands out so much and is so triumphant is because of that contrasts to the rest of the series so far. In the new season I've enjoyed Boom, 73 yards and Dot and Bubble but I can't help but feel like they would've had more impact with status quo episodes earlier in the season.

[@Spenfen]

I wasn’t that upset about it going into the season but at this point, fully agreed What we have are a pretty strong collection of individual high-concept episodes that don’t gel together into a larger story nearly as well as they should, and I think a lot of it is that the establishing beats don’t have room to breathe. Space Babies felt like it was trying to speedrun all of the stuff that would normally be established over the course of the first three episodes or so, and none of it landed as a result, and we haven’t gotten a proper standard exploration of the character dynamic yet for the same reason. I find myself in a weird spot where I think I’ll look back on a lot of these episodes as favorites, but the season as a whole will not be among my favorite seasons

[@gwenhagey-shirk5175]

Thank you! I couldn't figure out what was bugging me and you nailed it.

[@samuelbarber6177]

I felt 10 episodes was a happy medium, at least if they want to do a season every year. Davies has said before that making fourteen episodes (including the special) of Doctor Who every year was not the greatest time, especially with all the production problems that Series one went through.

[@jakei5016]

I’m surprised we haven’t seen the inside of the tardis since like the first episode

[@jamesbaxter1667]

I kind of like the idea of a hybrid will you have your overall cereal story and then also have the individual episodes but you got to make sure that you tell the story for each episode but don't lose the overall arch of the story

[@Creek932]

Capaldi voice: "Did you say.... a hybrid?"

[@DotDotDott]

I 100% agree that Doctor who should have more episodes but 8 episodes could easily work, heck Doctor who has technically done it before. In 2007 Big Finish started the 8th Doctor Adventures and modeled a lot of it after how the 05 series was handling stuff, Modern day(2004) companion, 45 min episodes, mystery building up in the background etc, and those seasons where just 8 episodes(until s4 which is 10 with 2 Christmas specials) but each one still felt like a full season of Doctor who where you got to know the new companion and they're dynamic with the Doctor and they still had some "filler" episodes and build up to a 2 part finale. I think the real problem is RTD just isn't putting the episodes to good use and it seems like he doesn't want to spend time on building up the characters relationship or on more standard who episodes anymore. There was also a problem on the production side with Ncuti's schedule. RTD didn't make 73 yards and Dot and Bubble Doctor lite because he had 2 really great Doctor lite ideas that he had to do this season structure be damned he made them because Ncuti was busy so they needed 2 episodes that he wasn't in. It definitely hurts more when there's only 8 episodes but I don't think a unique production problem is a good reason why Doctor Who can't make 8 episodes work. Also I think the order of episodes this season is so weird. IMO if Rouge turns out to be a standard episode like it seems than it should of been after Devils Cord and then do Dot and Bubble, followed by Boom and 73 Yards leading us into the finale, this way we'd get to see more of Ruby and the Doctor before he is taken away in 73 yards and we wouldn't have 2 Doctor Lite stories right next to each other

[@TheOgreMan]

Space Babies may be like the official start of the season, but the unofficial start started with the 60th anniversary episodes and the Christmas special. So to speak, adding them in makes 12 episodes which is almost average length of a New Who season. I’m not trying to defend the position of 8 episode Doctor Who seasons, but in hindsight this almost kind of makes sense to some extent

[@craftyarts7431]

we need the time to get to know the characters better, we missed 6 months of the most important part of their relationship, Ruby really learning what it’s like traveling in the TARDIS, what have they been doing for 6 months if they haven’t seen an alien sky already by the time we get to boom

[@benjamintillema3572]

I'll be interested in Rouge because some have suggested that it might have been the episode originally sloted to follow up Space Babies. The BBC might have switched The Devil’s Chord and Rogue around so that the former lined up with Eurovision and the latter lined up with the new season of Bridgerton. If Rogue is boilerplate, makes no reference to other episodes other than maybe The Church on Ruby Road, then that'll pretty much confirm my suspicions at least. It isn't PROOF per se, but it'll be enough to convince me.

[@marionbaggins]

Same. I am suspicious for Rouge. I feel it was meant after Space Babies.

[@benjamintillema3572]

Well, after watching I can say that it would have made a better follow up to Space Babies, that's for sure. If I ever show someone this season I might switch around a few episodes.

[@Jaeden_Phoenix]

(10:35) Sidenote and completely unrelated to the video, but if you're interested in a Two Steps from Hell style album that isn't all just 110% all the time, I *highly* recommend Thomas Bergersen's "Humanity" Albums. Thomas Bergersen is one of the two composers for Two Steps from Hell, but his solo work is *much* more personal without losing it's style. His latest album is "Humanity Chapter V" and it's absolutely phenominal.

[@matt0044]

It sorta bugs me less because Doctor Who has always been episodic with serials of Classic Who being self contained to the point of how whole swaths were missing without realizing. That said, I feel your topic could be best expanded to TV overall. I always felt some ideas in a given season were best delegated to the next. Yes, cancellation are at an all time high but hey, live and let die. Take a shot.

[@B-MC]

Agreed, almost every Marvel show needed more than 6 episodes, or 9 with 20 minutes each as well.

[@HOTD108_]

Excuse me, but "whole swaths missing without realizing"? You got a source for that? I seem to recall people noticing pretty damn quick that a whole bunch of Doctor Who was missing basically the second that home video was born. You appear to be grossly misinformed.

[@matt0044]

@@HOTD108_ I was talking pre-internet era. I apologize for the generalized tone I took.

[@jd_music23]

This is a really interesting prespective and I think it answers some questions I've had with my overall satisfaction of the series so far. While I've enjoyed each episode (some greatly, some just enough) I've overall felt slightly dissatisfied and I think it is because of the lack of status quo. I'm going between episodes without breathing space so none of it feels like the same show or that I've just seen the Doctor and Ruby just do what the Doctor and Companion would normally do, so thank you. I also think that having every episode be "the exception" or take a "big swing" means that you create more controversy amongst viewers and more divide. And, whilst like you I LOVE when Doctor Who does something new and off the beaten track, if every episode divides fan and is a marmite episode without the "easy to get behind" and neutral nature of filler episodes you can turn off fans (especially newer viewers) more easily who either won't really get what the show is meant to be or just feel frustration at not knowing what to expect or not knowing whether you'll strongly like or dislike an episode.

[@donaldmaxwell3428]

i would like to see episodes involving other planets problems and more science fiction and that blue box thing ????

[@HOTD108_]

You've had 60 years of that. Surely you can survive one season without it?

[@the_openers_of_eyes8]

@@HOTD108_ while i agree with you, please keep in mind that this season for many people is season one, due to the marketing and new release on disney+.

[@donaldmaxwell3428]

@@HOTD108_ john Pertwee did not always have the blue box ???

[@Creek932]

@@HOTD108_ We've had 60 years of that because that's what the show is literally about. That reliable formula is why the show has lasted for this long. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[@BestgirlJordanfish]

Yeah frfr. Like a wider diverse spread of writers involved, and more chances to flesh things out and make mistakes (or better yet, bangers). Fewer episodes puts a lot of pressure on the quality of each one, which isn’t the worst thing but needs strong critical collaborators in the writing room. But if you have a launch episode and a one or two episode finale, nearly HALF of the season won’t feel like that freeing normal adventure. Like, at the VERY LEAST a dozen to get by if trying to open and close a season. Especially if a companion or Doctor only gets 1-3 seasons, they really don’t get as many chances to shine and live.

[@TonyMoganGrowlhouse]

So not sure if this is anything that anyone else has brought up (and it could be totally wrong) but when they started talking about the river underneath the city that leads out the sea and its how they can escape, it immediately made me think of the Rufus Wainwright song 'Between My Legs' which has a final spoken verse that essentially says just that. Bonus fun fact, that spoken verse is read by Sian Phillips who appeared in the previous week episode '73 yards' as Enid Meadows

[@AntisocialMediaMike]

It is a short series and the individual episodes also feel rather contracted. That's the main thing which bothers me at this point. Eight episodes at say, one hour in length would be my preference. Also - and I'm not sure about anyone else - but I'd take one extra episode in the series proper over a 'novelty' christmas special any day.

[@harleyhartley3168]

i had hoped the deal with a shortened episode count would be a longer runtime for each episode, would kill for episodes of 60, 70, 80, even 90 mins runtime. not sure how flexible the BBC would be on it but having each episode just be as long as it needs to be would be so refreshing

[@zeldatwinkletoes5022]

Amen! I like this "season", but it just feels kinda sort and loosey goosey for it's length. I feel like I am Gumby being stretched in too many directions too fast,

[@klop4228]

Regarding filler, an episode just being "standard" definitely non doesn't make them filler either. I'd argue Series 1 has no filler, because every episode does give us more character details or at least deals with the themes of the overall story. Or commects to another one in the series. I could go through each of them individually lol

[@marionbaggins]

Series 1 is the only RTD DW season that doesn’t have any Filler!!!

[@klop4228]

@@marionbaggins Perhaps, and that's why it's my favourite one lol. Even so, it does prove that, with enough forethought and planning, it genuinely can be done well.

[@Deadman_4679]

I have the exact same issue like I feel like I don't know them. like the doctor especially I don't think we have had much of him. Boom he was stood still all episode 73 yards he wasn't really in it and this newest episode also had the doctor in it in a less active way. I love the episodes don't get me wrong (not so sure about this newest one the characters really go through me) just want to see more of the doctor.

[@leeci33]

It’s not fair that we are being drip-fed the Doctor the same way we are drip fed Susan Twist every episode. There’s no foundation.

[@thomasrdiehl]

First of all, I think it's the right thing to give this its own video not to be overshadowed by any episode-specific review. Now, short seasons can work, even in DW, when there's a reason for it. Children of Earth has shown it can work, though Miracle Day and The Flux have shown it can also fail spectacularly. But these are all serialized instances, not episodic. That said, something is off with this season and not in a good way of adding to some mystery. The relationship between Ruby and the Doctor not only feels rushed, stuff is out of order. Their familiaritry with each other fluctuates wildly, and this shows up even during The Church on Ruby Road, with Ruby just being able to do a coordinated spontaneous musical number with a man she has known for maybe an hour (on the second instance of a sudden musical number, I give them the benefit of the Maestro being involved). Then there are points were she seems completely new to the Doctor as late as Boom. Something is going completely awry in the season planning department.

[@Pooter-it4yg]

I agree. Worth considering that what became the gold standard in the classic era was 5x4 + 1x6, so about 11 hours. However it was spread out over half a a year and involved a lot of recapping of story, characters, setting. I recall this as necessary refamiliarisation rather than padding, but there was a fair bit of padding as well (particularly in the problematic 6 parters). This obviously wasn't felt to fit modern viewing expectations in 2005 and probably rightly, but at least the run spanned a quarter of a year. Cutting down to 10 hours or so under Chibnall and now 8 hours packed into 6 weeks doesn't feel right and I'd certainly be happy with more roughage in the diet. I also agree that it's difficult to understand why Ruby thinks the Doctor is so bloody wonderful when all she's seen him do is escape some sky sailing goblins, show her some dinosaurs, tame a baby snot monster, lose a cartoon musical duel and twice put his foot in it. Travelling with him may be a wacky ride, but he's hardly done enough to inspire admiration. At least that we've seen and whatever we might not have seen can hardly be taken as significant.

[@PatriciaVettori]

Agreed and there should be not only an establishing of each’s character (quirks, speech patterns, etc.etc…) but their dynamics as a team. I personally think this all speaks to a pacing issue that is yes, most probably related to time constraints of a shorter series and/or possibly in conjunction with the shift towards the type of formatting used with shorter arc’ed series, like what you see on Disney (the half-series arc in a compressed 8-episode format). I could be wrong about this, as possibly the 2005 reboot of DW utilized a more extended half-series arc, but I think because of how short the episodes of these current series are, it is harder to do that formatting right (think X-files format). So it ends up we get monsters-of-the week up through about midpoint (they are supposed to alternate, but time may not allow for much of this), and then usually the last 2 or 3 episodes will deal with the arc’ing storyline and/or the resolution of the “mystery box” of the season. I personally feel this modification (if this is what it is) of the formatting that RTD was previously used to and the shorter length of the series is throwing him off so that it feels rushed and not as satisfying as far as character establishment/development. And since DW is about character, if nothing else, that could be a problem. Anyway, hopefully I don’t sound too negative, as I love DW and want it to succeed, but I do agree that going back to a 13 episode season could do a lot to making it feel and play out better.

[@douglaswolfen7820]

"But you never hide!" was the line that hammered this home for me

[@ghlmk5931]

Welcome to the age of dwindling attention spans. I never thought I would miss the days of 25-plus episodes in a (network or syndicated) season of most shows. Sadly, this isn’t just a DW thing, not only are seasons shorter but we have to wait longer in between them. Still, I feel we no longer need super long seasons, but maybe a happy medium? Heck, I’ll take the old DW format of 12 or so plus the Christmas special. Or even dividing the season like in Moffatt’s era. We have barely begun to know this Doctor and his first season will soon be over. Maybe the pendulum will swing back to land somewhere in between.

[@profdracko]

This was my main issue with 73 Yards. Good episode, but since its only point was to close the timeloop and prevent itself from happening with no (obvious) consequence, it felt like a waste of an already limited season that really needs some more character development. On a thirteen episode run it wouldn't feel as much like it was taking up precious screentime.