THE DEVILS CHORD REVIEW - Doctor Who Series 1 Episode 2 Review

Today I REVIEW THE DEVILS CHORD
My Socials:
Podcast: / @mediocreatbest3414
Twitter: / thenerdybrityt1
TikTok: / thenerdybrit
Instagram: / thenerdybrityt
Am I A David Tennant FANBOY?
Russel T Davies Series:
Series 1 - Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper
Series 2 - David Tennant, Billie Piper
Series 3 - David Tennant, Freema Agyeman
Series 4 - David Tennant, Catherine Tate
Steven Moffat Series:
Series 5 - Matt Smith, Karen Gillian, Arthur Darvill
Series 6 - Matt Smith, Karen Gillian, Arthur Darvill
Series 7 - Matt Smith, Karen Gillian, Arthur Darvill, Jenna Coleman
Series 8 - Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman
Series 9 - Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman
Series 10 - Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie
Chris Chibnall Series:
Series 11 - Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole
Series 12 - Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Mandip Gill, Tosin Cole
Series 13 (Flux) - Jodie Whittaker, Mandip Gill, John Bishop
1st Doctor - William Hartnell
2nd Doctor - Patrick Troughton
3rd Doctor - Jon Pertwee
4th Doctor - Tom Baker
5th Doctor - Peter Davison
6th Doctor - Colin Baker
7th Doctor - Sylvester McCoy
8th Doctor - Paul McGann
War Doctor - John Hurt
9th Doctor - Christopher Eccleston
10th Doctor - David Tennant
11th Doctor - Matt Smith
12th Doctor - Peter Capaldi
13th Doctor - Jodie Whittaker

[@SimonMoon5]

My thoughts on the chord thing. A chord in real life is not that complicated. It doesn't take a genius to play a chord. It takes a genius to write great songs, but a chord does not require any genius at all. But in the story, it is treated as if only a musical genius can play a chord. That's why it takes two of the Beatles to play the chord. They are musical geniuses. But it's like banishing the god of writing by requiring a writing genius to spell out a single word. I mean, RTD did something like that already in his witches & Shakespeare episode, but it took more than just the one word "expelliarmus" to defeat the gods of writing... I mean, the magical witches with their magical powers of magic. So, this moment REALLY did not work for me. There were so many things that did not work for me though in this episode that this was hardly the worst element, even though it was pretty bad and unforgivable. I don't think I'm the target audience for this new season, though. I think the target audience is children 12 years and under.

[@lexruptor]

Lol, no, the space babies and booger man are a fever dream, the Maestro was sheer beauty at the heart of a perfect storm (until the musical ending bs). 9/10 ngl. The Gods are returning, anything can happen. Things are getting spicy, if Russel can avoid too much more cringe and heavy handed political bs, like the clear and fallacious abortion allegory in Ep 1.

[@MrWayneJP]

The issue with fantasy is that by definition, it has nothing to do with real-world Time or Space.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Just didnt feel fully like DW for me

[@Creek932]

Doctor Who has always had nothing to do with real world Time and Space. The rules and canon of the show have always been so flimsy that it might as well be fantasy so this isn't really that much of a change. The show has never been "hard sci fi" even when it pretended to be.

[@micron000]

I mean, I feel like a chord being the solution makes total sense in the established pantheon of gods logic. As in, it's a pretty good "version" of what we've had with the toymaker - His thing is games, therefore, the way to defeat him was through a game of catch. Maestro's thing is music, therefore the way to defeat them was via a musical battle and finding the perfect chord to negate the one which summoned them in the first place. I personally really liked this episode, thought it was much better than Space Babies tbh, a solid 8/10.. And I think the main plot of this season isn't actually going to be with these god-like beings, but more so, with Ruby herself + the mysterious Susan Twist character (unless, I guess, she also turns out to be a god, but I kinda don't think that's going to be the case). And, if nothing else, I do feel like next episode (Moffet's "Boom") is going to be a much more grounded, fairly realistic sci-fi adventure, so there's that to look forward to as well :)

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Thats totally fair, I probably was being a little harsh on the Chord plot, im defo excited for the next couple because they are defo more my style of who

[@Mejoree113]

I think this is going to be a plot for this season, in which case I really enjoy it. If the season ends with The Pantheon being sealed away again then I think this is a really cool idea for a new season of Dr Who... if it persists much beyond that then I don't know how I will feel about it.

[@kbg12ila]

I really liked Space Babies... It reminded me of Partners in Crime. Really simple and silly plot which is mainly a vehicle to show how much the doctor and companion shine together. It did everything it needed to and was a super solid opener.

[@stephaniepage4334]

Same

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Yeah its silly and a lot of fun in a great way

[@dwfan91-]

Interesting as always to hear your thoughts! Keep it up!

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Thank you so much!!!

[@mcarp555]

The brutal fact is that Jinx Monsoon knocked it out of the park as Maestro. The rest of the episode is filler. And the musical number is horrible. I just can't picture Jon Pertwee or Tom Baker singing and dancing with what appears to be the cast of "Glee" suddenly appearing out of nowhere. I sat there with my mouth literally agape.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I mean times do change, a lot of the modern series wouldnt have happened in the 70s

[@fc8240]

I really loved this episode. It was filled with a myriad of emotions. And i genuinely enjoy you. You are fun. Lol.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Thank you so much!!

[@calculatrguy]

I didn't think it could get worse than the absorbaloff

[@TheNerdyBrit]

That might be a bit far

[@Rob.Hinkley]

Oh, I know how you feel. Monsters made of snot. Fart jokes. Then floating musical notes like something right out of a Disney film... give me a break. The first 2 eps make me want Jodie back (it's that bad). Oh sure, the visual FX are great, but where's the substance, story, sci-fi? We're left with stories that could be told in half the time. These 2 episodes were a joke. The Christmas Special was as boring as bat-sh*t... I expected better from RTD. Though, I guess he has to undo the damage Chibbs the idiot made to Doctor Who.

[@MarcWilliams-gj9dv]

THE Show IS GAAAAAARRRRRBAAAAAGGGGEEEE.😂😂😂😂😂

[@TheNerdyBrit]

As are your comments

[@Pooter-it4yg]

I was never fond of the reintroduction of the Toymaker and I think a lot of people who were enthusiastic about it hadn't seen the original, which was really just a forgettable fugue that played out mostly like a teatime children's action game show. It seems RTD has reintroduced the character as an elder god and a mechanism for fans to second guess whatever he feels like throwing at the screen. Personally I think it's rather pretentious lazy third rate postmodernism. And I'm very fond of good postmodernism (in the current vernacular, "meta"). That said, there's a problem with it - deconstructing meaning to the point where anything means anything you want, exists or doesn't, happens or doesn't, is inevitably nihilistic and solipsistic if not handled very artfully. Or at least, if there is no point beyond fun, the result actually has to be fun. So are baby excreta and a live/cartoon with song and dance number really fun or just embarrassingly puerlie? Come to think of it, this new start has literally been esses and giggles...

[@MarcWilliams-gj9dv]

MY KINGDOM FOR MATT SMITH, COLUN BAKER EVEN.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Its spelt colin btw

[@MarcWilliams-gj9dv]

@@TheNerdyBrit Colin.

[@MarcWilliams-gj9dv]

@@TheNerdyBrit It's spelt Colin by the way.

[@bobhale7302]

Magic means never having to explain what happened.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Feels like it

[@paulbowler5345]

I thought both episodes were pretty poor. Sapce Babies was silly, but The Devil's Chord was really awful.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Might be a little harsh on ep 1, but ep 2 for me needs a re-watch because im not sure about it at all

[@paulbowler5345]

@TheNerdyBrit Ep 1 did give Ruby & new viewers a good intro to Dr Who overall, but Ep 2 was a bit of a incoherent mess.

[@Turn-h7g]

way better than the first one. 8.7/10 but songs and dancing at the end were unnecessary i think 😂

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Nah i didnt mind that tbf love a good sing song

[@lexruptor]

Agreed, no need for a musical every other episode, do one and put it to rest ngl

[@Turn-h7g]

@@TheNerdyBrit idk but imo the songs in a Christmas episode were more appropriate. Here it was a bit strange 😂 also I prefer that there was more historical stuff in such episodes, like Chibnall's were

[@TheCagedCorvid]

I think they needed to tie the musical number into the plot in some way, rather than just tacking it on the end just because they felt like it.

[@lexruptor]

That first episode was pure garbage ngl, but this episode saved it, so I'll just chalk it up too RTD being cringe in purpose (like Love and Monsters and Fear Her). Even so, Maestro was amazing, absolutely loved her!!!

[@TurtleWrites]

As far as Russel T Davies magical resolutions, the season finale where everyone believed in the doctor hard enough for him to defeat the master was pretty magical, heck even the bad wolf goddess is a magical idea. But actual magical stuff is canon in old who. Battlefield is the obvious choice, but I like to point at Warrior's Gate. I think that centering fantasy elements allows the stories to have internal logic while serving emotional and prescient themes. Because why would you have a Beatles episode without any of their songs? Because they need to be owned by someone. (🙃) Jinx Monsoon just ate the full meal as the cosmic horror music producer and boy oh boy I know it would suck if Maestro ever came back from a storytelling perspective, but I share their dark hunger from the twilight of creation for more of them.

[@TheNerdyBrit]

I think the thing I find irritating is the character is SOO FUN and really well performed. I just wish that performance was supported with more plot

[@MarcWilliams-gj9dv]

THIS ISN'T DR. WHOOOOO?

[@TheNerdyBrit]

It is

[@lexruptor]

Don't worry, you're still absolutely adorable, even if you liked the 1950's peanutbutter in a horses mouth talking space babies bs. ❤

[@jessalynoree3710]

DOCCY WOO

[@TheNerdyBrit]

DOCCY WOOOOO

[@LosloTypical]

I know you’re british, but that doesn’t mean you can take contrarian positions and hold up it up with weird contrived points…

[@TheNerdyBrit]

Fancy explaining that?