Was Season 1 as good as we hoped? - Doctor Who: KerVAM Episode #51

[@elliotttalksf1825]

You guys’ podcasts are my favourite going

[@Hercules_Flexing]

22:00 I like it too Elliot. I reckon fans who dislike Hell Bent would be more forgiving and probably enjoy the natural ending of 12 and Clara’s relationship is Gallifrey just wasn’t involved… like at all.

[@stephenreed2093]

The characterisation and relationship dynamics between the Doctor and Ruby was practically nonexistent. It’s not that 8 episodes isn’t enough; it’s just not there in the scripts. They’ve just jumped ahead to being best buddies, with no development, no conflict and no challenges to their relationship.

[@marionbaggins]

13th Doctor had that for some time with her Companions and her.

[@stephenreed2093]

@@marionbaggins Not quite to this extent though. A lot of stuff felt unearned with 13’s companions, but there were at least a few ups and downs.

[@hollymatton474]

Overall I really enjoyed season 1! Space Babies wasn't the strongest season opener for many reasons, but I think it will become a fun episode to rewatch! The Devil's Chord really surprised me and maestro exceeded my expectations as the villain of the story! Boom was incredible, probably one of my favourite episodes in a long time! 73 Yards really showcased millie gibson as the companion ruby sunday, and ncuti's performance at the end of Dot and Bubble was incredible! Rogue was a fun period episode and I loved seeing ruby living her bridgerton dream! 😂 The season finale wasn't perfect, but it was the best season finale I've seen since probably series 10! My main criticism for season 1 is I wish that it was longer! 😊😊

[@thejamsterx]

Massive let down for me. Easily my least favourite of new who. The 8x45 format does not work with the monster of the week formula. Chibnall was right to do a serialised story when he had less than 10 episodes to work with. People like to slate Clara's character development in 7B as being nothing more than a plot device. But 7B and 14 has the same amount of episodes and 11/Clara is much more of a fully formed dynamic than 15/Ruby. Moments like in Hide when Clara sees the Earth being destroyed ("But here we are, talking. So I am a ghost. To you, I'm a ghost. We're all ghosts to you. We must be nothing.") I can't seem to work out what the relationship between 15 and Ruby is supposed to be. And the baffling decision to skip 6 months at the start of their journey is very counterintuitive. It completely fails as a "season one" jumping on point. Exposition is quickly dumped in the first 15 minutes of space babies so hastily. Compare it to how it was masterfully conveyed across series 1 2005. The focus on "Gods" and "experimental" episodes is odd for a relaunch where you are trying to gain mass appeal and get the general idea of the show across. And then having the cliff-hanger to the finale being a reference to a 50 year old story, where they have to literally watch the episode on a TV to keep the audience in the loop, is hilarious. The only episodes I really liked were Church on Ruby Road, Boom, Rogue and Legend of Ruby Sunday. Space Babies was just silly - now I like silly sometimes, but not as a pilot. Devil's Chord should have played into the whole idea of musicals more, instead of being a poor attempt at it. 73 Yads started off great (and Millie was amazing in it), but the second half really drags it down and was where I lost all momentum for the series. Dot and Bubble I had no desire to watch (after already having a Ncuti-light episode). Rogue was a return to form, with a more traditional episode and a good chemistry between Ncuti and Jonathan. Empire of Death was just dumb - so many questions and stupid decisions.

[@ftumschk]

Rogue doesn't feel much like a "standard Doctor Who episode" to me. Even after five rewatches, it still comes across as a dull period romance with a silly aliens story tacked on as an afterthought. After Empire of Death, Rogue gets my vote as the weakest story of the RTD2 era so far, and I still can't fathom out why so many people seem to like it. At least Space Babies was a laugh!

[@jons355]

Couldn’t agree more. Keep hearing folk praise it to the hilt…

[@stephenreed2093]

I think it’s more that it felt closer to an average monster of the week episode. I enjoyed it enough on broadcast, but the Kylie Minogue dancing scene went on too long. And bizarrely, when Rogue and the Doctor dance together to cause outrage, there was barely any reaction from the party goers.