When Chibnall Brought Back Doctor Who's Lizard People
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- Опубликовано: 10 ноя 2021
- Chibnall may be on the path to redemption with Doctor Who Flux, but let's look back at his second story 'The Hungry Earth/Cold Blood'
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Any chances of covering series 3 and 4 of Torchwood?
One day
@@HarboWholmes I like this two parter, the Silurians are supposed to be somewhat related to humans, which is why they have human-like faces
I will say I absolutely love the line "I'm the last of my species." "No, you're not. Because I'm the last of my species so I know how it sits in the heart. So don't INSULT ME!"
Yessss that line is amazing and the way Matt Smith delivers it is just SO GOOD
Moffat probably knocked Chibnall out and added it in because there is no way Chibnall could write something so emotive.
@@emmiebunny04 or maybe - and hear me out - Chibnall isn’t the completely incompetent writer everyone seems to think he is, and he was given command of the show for a reason. The wrong reason, arguably, but a reason nonetheless, and that is that he’s written multiple good shows.
@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_ I know next to nothing about Chibnall. Can you tell me what good work he has done?
@@_somerandomguyontheinternet_I mean but what though? Everyone hated the episodes he's done under both RTD and Moffat. He has always had the most hated Doctor Who changes and additions. For God's sake he wrote torch wood's cyberwoman episode. And this was all when better showrunners had to work in their series arcs and character consistency and control the overall tone and all these episodes were still considered disappointments. So like truly why was Chibnall put in charge? What did he do to warrant becoming show runner?
am i the only one that really likes the silurian design? as someone who's only seen nuwho, i had no idea of what the silurians looked like originally so i had no problem with the new design
I think they're far better, easier to take seriously and look "alien" yet familiar, which backs up the themes of the episode.
I wouldnt say really like I guess but they look good. Much better than some aliens in the show.
I have only really seen new who and love the design. But i do understand why some people dont. They are very differnet from old who.
@@claymore7315 I think they look way too familiar tbf, it kinda spoils the themes of the original story
I have to agree, I really liked how the nuwho Silurians looked (especially as someone who's only seen doctors 9-13). I think their more human design makes them easier to sympathise with as an incredibly selfish human race.
I disagree with the redesign criticism. I really like the way Lizard people look, so human but not quite. And the prostetics are actually really good in my opinion. But I was introduced to the race in this two parter and haven't seen how they looked before until maaaany years later.
.
Also 11th "Don't insult me" line is sooo good, I'll forgive all the bad in this story just for that.
I agree if this is a species originating on earth it makes sense that they have aesthetic links to humans. An infinitely better design
Exactly. He's just so biased against this two parter it's ridiculous... Maybe not great episodes but they're def good
I think Chibs missed a beat by not making a bigger deal of the decline of British mining towns. The only objection we get in the episode to blowing up the drill is the scientist going “but this is my life’s work!”, when we should have had someone say “but this drilling operation is the only thing keeping this village afloat”
Chibnall is allergic to narrative complexity
@@littleredruri Considering his other works, not really.
So... anyone remember when 2020 was still in the future and we didn't know there'd be a massive pandemic?
Indeed I do...those were good times. 😌
Those drill workers were defo Key Workers. No other explanation…though a distinct lack of masks (except for Malohkeh)
@@WorldofWoodrow it’s fine they have their vaccine
@@itzimperiumxvi2620 👌👌
@@itzimperiumxvi2620 Future Amy and Rory though, are another matter: sure they're social distancing with their past selves, but I doubt they're wearing masks
Rewatching these episodes show how ingrained later Chibnall’s tropes were all along. It starts with a pointless title card, one sided conversations that tell us how characters are feeling, a ticking clock. We should have known.
We really should have. The man wrote the cyber woman episode in torchwood for crying out loud. Yet people were cheering for him to replace Moffat.
@@vullord666 That was because after all the rubbish we got in Series 8 and 9, we just assumed that we were getting something better with Chibnall. Personally I was going by this logic:
Steven Moffat was great in RTD Era but when he got his own era, it was too much for him to handle and it didn't go great. So I was thinking, Chibnall's episodes in Doctor Who thus far aren't great (hadn't seen Torchwood yet, too young) maybe when he's got complete control of everything in his own era, he'll be better.
Least the Silurian doctor is wearing a surgical mask got that right Chibbers.
At least Victory of the Daleks was dumb fun. This episode to me is just the one where Rory dies and the Doctor fails to keep his eye on a kid.
And this isn't the last time The Doctor or his companions fail to keep an eye on a kid E.G. it's take's you away, the fact they're both written by Chris Chibnall is a coincidence I'm sure
Harbo: You can't get rid of the Silurian's third eye
*Literally in their second-ever story, written by the same writer, third eye vanishes.*
You mean Warriors of the Deep? That wasn't written by Hulke.
I like Dr Who & The Silurians and Warriors Of The Deep way more than the Hungry Earth but the classic design is awful. Silurians are supposed to be lizards that have been on Earth longer than humans yet they look like fish.
The hands on the Silurians are webbed which doesn't make sense, if you look at most lizards they have normal little fingers/toes and when you look at certain dogs or ducks they have webbed feet for swimming. Silurians don't swim so...yeah. Also the scales and the face just screams aquatic to me.
The Sea Devils looking fishy makes sense because they are aquatic creatures.
The only thing about the Classic Silurian design that looks lizard like is probably the "armor" on the torso.
Overall imo New Who Silurians look more lizard like even if they look more like a human than the original.
@@chrise7359 Sea Devils (btw are my comments being erased? I've replied to this 3 times and they've not shown)
@@Ben-vf5gk Sea Devils are not Silurians
@@AcademicType616 The reptiles in this go by a different name and are a different branch of the species. If the Sea Devils don't count, neither do this lot
I'm sorry, I don't agree at all on the Silurian design opinion. The third eye was just a Dalek ear light stand-in and has always looked bloody stupid the way it flashes when the Silurian talks. The way the head doesn't match anything else at all is also a problem.
Although, I will say, the faces of the new Silurians aren't great. I'd rather the mask's mouth design were their actual faces.
Silurians trying to destroy humans in the year 2020...Thanks Chris Chibnall, you're just the gift that keeps on giving. 😅🙃
At least it wasn't a virus like in the 70s version
Too bad what he gives is as desirable as a case of violent diarrhea.
There must be a conspiracy theory that the reptilians started covid 😂
@@stephjovi there definitely is. some people take the reptilian CEOs and politicians theory too seriously💀
So I was watching the 1970 episode recently, and I noticed that the conversation Amy had with the Silurian where they say “live with us, oh no it’s overcrowded, but what about uninhabitable places” is basically taken word for word from the original!
What bugs me about the Silurians design is that it looks too human. Even though I have not seen the classic era episodes featuring them, I thought they were meant to look alien and so far removed from humanity that it makes you wonder how we coexisted to begin with.
The redesign makes them too human and its because of the eyes. I've always thought just some reptilian contacts would've done a fantastic job, just enough to make them different
The original design is great if a little floppy in the head-they couldn't do a BBC version of Planet of the Lizards. At least the design is meant to be frightening.
Some contacts would have pushed them really well
Crowley in Good Omens has a better silurian design. only thing missing is the scales.
@@larsswig912 Crawley in Good Omens is just David Tennant with red hair and contacts....
I wonder how many people who’ve never watched Doctor Who would click on this vid just because of the thumbnail alone
It's a truly fucking hilarious thumbnail
I 100% agree on the silurian redesign criticism, the mask looks MASSIVELY better and more reptilian than 'actor clearly in green make up' look...
I also think it works for the Doctor’s focus on trying to convince the Humans of the story that Silurans are native. Harbo says in this video that their masks highlight their ‘alien’ features but that’s just it: they’re _not_ aliens. And I think making them look so Human by keeping the actors’ faces highlights that fact about them.
I genuinely forgot about these two episodes and was expecting the Vincent Van Gogh episode review. That just sums up this story completely
I actually like the redesign better of the Silurians than the classic series, looks so much better in my personal opinion xD
Killing off Rory is a bad choice because Moffat does that like 3 times in a series
Rory is kind of like Doctor Who's Kenny. Oh my god, they killed Rory.
Moffat had this really weird and annoying habit of killing people only to undo it an episode later, heck he even brought back the time lords because he did not like the doctor not saving them.
@@paladinboyd1228 and then Chibnall killed them off again.
@@cameronbaker97 And undid 60 years of their lore by breaking the one rule that the writers had "don't make the doctor a god/special"
I would forgive this entire episode had it not been for Rory dying LITERALLY OUT OF NOWHERE!!!
It's kind of what he does
6:28 "A companion death 13 minutes into the episode isn't going to feel very believable..."
Ahem... World Enough And Time anyone?
Fun fact, when Amy points out the australian outback as a suggestion for the silurians to live in, it was cut out in the Australian release of the episode on abc. I didnt know that was said until I watched it online years later
Interesting. Any idea why they cut that out?
@@StKilda1930 i dunno, im just assuming that it might upset people who live in the outback since they called it deserted in the show when it's really not. Plus being considerate of Aboriginal Australians too because of all the sacred sites in the outback. That's just my guess tho.
Probably because the aboriginals pretend they have a claim to the outback, despite not living there.
It should be mentioned that this episode literally takes place in a Welsh quarry.
jesus, that thumbnail is implying something painful
"...and then the story just stops!"
Break for ads
Irony meter goes off scale
Interviewer: "Alright Mr, Chibnall, please show me your resume. ¿Which episodes did you write?"
The Chib: "I forgot it at home."
Interviewer: "This was just a formality anyhow, consider yourself hired as our new showrunner."
I actually like the new Silurian design. I mean, they don’t look much like Silurians as we know it, but it’s a perfectly valid way of designing a monster, and they do look like lizards. If we weren’t comparing with an iconic design we wouldn’t be complaining.
Amazing how Chibnall managed to remake the original Silurians story but worse in every way.
Bit of a theme with him, that.
Hows this comment a day ago
The magic of Patreon?
This. 💯. It was like dajavu watching this story again for the first time since i saw it when it aired, it was actually kind of shocking in how lazy it is. And for the life of me i've never been able to figure out why nobody has written a decent Silurian story that wasn't in some way rehashing the original
I rewatched those two episodes the other day and when I saw Chibnal's name I was shocked like "how did he go from writing THIS to the last two seasons?" I actually kinda like that two-parter, but yes you can see some awful bits in it ofc.
The two-parter is good. 42 is good. Villa diodati is good. Bells of Saint John is good. Spyfall is good. Rosa is good. It's okay to like Chibnall stories. Harbo just hates Chibnall stories because he hates Chibnall.
@@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg bells of saint John wasn't Chinball. That one was written by Steven Moffat
so i've mostly been avoiding these episode reviews because i quite like Series 5, but i'm more than willing to admit that my confirmation bias and desire to see Chibnall ridiculed is always enough to draw me back in
Says a lot about you then
I feel like Harbo is letting his anti-Chibnall bias cloud his opinion here. It seems like the thing he holds most against this episode is its writer.
I think having such a significant plot moment at the end of such a poor story is actually worse. It doesn't feel earned, instead like they put it there on purpose to make sure you watched it. Like with the after credits scene in a Marvel Movie, even if it sucks, you gotta watch it to make sure you know what's happening next time.
When I rewatched this episode and the Doctor said the year was 2020 I.was laughing way more than I should have
I'm honestly shocked that Silurians never made a comeback in the Chibnall era
Yeah, no, this episode was not good. I have nothing to defend this despised, I’ve recently re-seen it and I have to agree with you wholeheartedly almost completely.
My biggest nitpick is, and I STRESS this is a nitpick, is the comparison once more to Russell T Davies run with the dialogue. I agree with your statement about it being a tad off putting that Moffat-era companions are rare to show true terror in the face of death, but I’d have loved if you just kept it to that and not brought up Series 1 again as an example. The Third Doctor episode is right there, that’s a more solid comparison which connects better to this episode than a scene from Series 1 of Who. Good review, glad to see you back to form and knocking these out of the park!
Edit: Also, just so you know, the Silurians in this version of the story are NOT the same Silurians from Doctor Who and the Silurians.
There’s, a LOT of different Silurians, they seem to be an extremely adaptive species of creatures, this is something that was even shown in Warriors of the Deep, which is also...also just Doctor Who and the Silurians again but underwater and arguably WORSE than The Empty Earth.
Neat.....?
Supposedly the warriors don’t have the Silurian eyes as they didn’t use them, so they were eventually removed through evolution. Apparently both species have even met in the comics!
So, there’s that.
10:55 well, they did evolve on earth so they would look like us, it makes sense, though a little disappointing it makes sense
but they're reptiles! what other reptiles look human? they also evolved with us lol
@@larsswig912 this is doctor who, if it sounds true then it probably is. This isn’t about proper science and evolution. Plus, imagine how many reptile humanoid creatures existed back then
Dangling the possibility of a shared planet in front of us, then yanking it away isn't pointless padding - it's tragedy.
I really like the idea that the solutions masks look really alien, but when removed they look very human. I think it really drives the massage along that we are more similar to them as we think, you can see the alien mask or you can look deeper and realise that there are more connections to us, to humanity.
Hmm. I can totally see them killing off a companion towards the start of an episode - that gives them the rest of the episode to deal with the fallout. And this story *did* have a potential replacement waiting in the wings - like you said, it's the first episode that treats Rory as the main companion. Amy suddenly dying and the Doctor and Rory having to deal with that and continue on would be pretty interesting, actually.
when the fuckin' kid says he's going to LEAVE the safety of the church, the Doctor doesn't even look at him and lets him fuck off without so much as a "maybe don't do that."
I sometimes wonder if the modern homo-reptilia (because Silurian is technically a description of the era they originated in rather than what they are called) is more of an amalgamation of both the original Silurians and the Sea Devils than an update on the silurians alone.
Whilst the basic concept of the design and the plot of the actual episode are inspired heavily by 'Doctor Who and the Silurians' the weapons they use resemble the Sea Devils' blasters, and they wear clothes which only the Sea Devils ever did in Classic who (the silurians had organic looking armour at most, but otherwise would have been naked) and in fact the soldiers' armour does remind me slightly of the samurai style armour that the Sea Devils wore in 'Warriors From the Deep'. Also the face masks, with their bulbous eyes makes them look a little bit like Sea Devils.
This is possibly why initial publications insisted on Homo-Reptillia rather than Silurians because they are more of a third Earth native reptile species, and possibly why there seems no interest to bring back the Sea Devils (yet). This is undermined by subsequent insistence on calling these Silurians as well, but I think they should be considered a completely separate creature, falling under the ancient lizard men bracket which includes the originals and the Sea Devils.
Well, they did end up bringing back the Sea Devils! Not only that, but Chibnall did that, too!
The Matt Smith era, a rocky start, a rocky end, and a great middle.
Rocky end? Probably the best regen episode in either new or old Who.
Why Rocky start and end? Eleventh hour and Angels in Manhattan are ones of the best episodes. Thought I agree, that season 6 is the best season
This episode is still better then the entire of season 11
I would love a 3020 episode where the characters who got frozen wake up (maybe say they felt a slight time delay in the machine and weren't completely frozen to account for looking older, I don't know) and the peace talks continue and then Silurian integrate into human society. Maybe make it doctor light.
Harbo… why? Why did you have to use this as your thumbnail, haha?
He's already admitted to being a masochist, guess Chibnall's made him a sadist as well. 🙃
I hope The Silurians underwater cousins, The Sea Devils, return someday
*sneaks across the room like The Master in that one scene in Last of the Time Lords* Guess what? :)
@@hada__02 I know
foreshadowing, your wish is granted lol
I didn't realize this was considered popular. If you want to know what it feels to have joy sucked out, watch the Silurian two parter.
I can’t believe Rory died, he was one day away from retirement
The Silurian design in and of itself is fine, but what I really don't like about it is that it takes away something that I think made the first Silurian story so effective. The original Silurians' faces were not humanoid at all, and you couldn't really read any emotions from them. Usually this is a bad thing because it is limiting for actors, but it works perfectly with the story's themes. Because they look so alien, our first instinct as viewers is to see them as an alien threat, when really they are from earth and were just as civilized as us. The redesign is so human that our natural instinct is to sympathize with them because they have very human expressions. That is why I think the original Silurian story is far more morally challenging to the viewer than the new ones.
This is one review I don't mind being negative because I too hate these episodes. (Should have known from this that Chibi wouldn't be up to the task.) And what's worse is Cold Blood was the first Matt Smith episode I ever saw! Glad I didn't write off the whole season like I almost did...
Being a Brazilian myself, I remember when I first watched the episode and went
"LOL no effing way you guys are dressed for Rio"
Easily one of your most cursed thumbnails 😂
These were my first doctor who episodes. I didn't understand them, but they at least got me interested enough to actually get involved in the series.....so there's that.
one silurian was wearing a facemask....it really was 2020
Still waiting for the Sea Devils.
Didn't Nine literally make a quip about not wanting to die in Cardiff in 'The Unquiet Dead"? I'm not saying your criticism is wrong, but surely you could've thought of a better example to illustrate your point.
Different point.
It's when he knew he was able to get out
This section is when he was out of options
So to sum your video in one sentence: This is one despised that's so bad it deserves no defense; )
Despite being president of the Anti-Chibnall Club, I don't mind this one too much. Although, you do make a good point that it is essentially just a rehash of Dr. Who and the Silurians. I'm also glad that I'm not the only one to think that those clothes didn't look suited for Rio at all. I always assumed it was because I'm Australian and therefore don't understand how cold it is in the UK. I thought maybe you guys consider that to be hot weather attire.
As for Rory putting the ring back in the TARDIS, I agree that it didn't make sense, but I assumed it was just a poor excuse to get the ring away from Amy, so she'd find it in the Doctor's pocket in a few episodes' time (even though I don't think that really goes anywhere, does it?). I'm guessing if Amy had it on when Rory was erased, then the ring would probably vanish too.
Finally, I wholeheartedly agree that the Silurian redesign is horrible. The mask is really cool, but as soon as they take it off they just look stupid. They could have come up with a really great update on the classic design, utilising the third eye, but instead we got...that.
what if we make cybermen... beautiful- chibnall
I LOVE the Silurian design and concept. The prosthetics is the most realistic and convince of every alien we’ve seen. their masks and outfits are amazing as well. I like the fact that they look smart and well put together. Which is different from a lot of the dishevelled monsters. There is just so much untapped potential
BRUH youtube added a context thing about reptoids under the vid, they think you're a conspiracy theorist talking about real life, actually kinda funny
I can confirm that it can be really cold in Brazil. Usually when it rains, during their winter, at night and in cold areas. I think mesetas have low temperature during whole year, but are too isolated so nobody ever measured temperature there. Elsewhere it was freezing, but not when and where I was there. It's like the horrible hot summers in the North of Scandinavia. I wouldn't expect it.
Now for the science bit: female reptiles do NOT have mammary glands.
Ngl I prefer this story to the Silurians, it’s just better paced IMO, seven parts us just too long for any story no matter how compelling a cast or narrative IMO. I do like the design of the Silurians but I definitely would’ve wanted to incorporate the third eye somehow.
Yeah Rory just never felt like a real companion to me. More like a dog following either of them around. I gotta say I enjoyed the episode but the story was glaringly painful to me and I'm just an average dude. Both the Silurians who are super duper aggressive felt so unbelievably forced and pathetic. Like she's a commander so she's supposed to be somewhat intelligent and yet she came off as a complete idiot. I felt nothing upon Rorys death, partly because I knew its basically a guarantee he'd be back and the other fact that I simply don't like the character.
And later he menaces the Cybermen like a badass.
I kinda get the criticism that nothing in this episode mattered except Rory dying, but it didn’t bug me as much.
Moffat’s era of Doctor Who has at least three stories where time is literally unwritten so that story didn’t happen at all, meaning those stories LITERALLY don’t matter at all because they’re practically in an alternate universe.
At least Hungry Earth just doesn’t matter because of actions characters take in the story. And I can kinda vibe off everyone trying hard to negotiate a peace, but one person’s selfishness buries the entire thing: it at least tells me that we _all_ have to strive to be our best. We can’t rely on someone to do it for us, because if one of us isn’t, we could ruin everything.
I don’t think this two parter is great but I know I definitely enjoy it
I wish Chibnall would bring back entertainment
IMO every series from 1-6 had at least one pretty weak 2 parter. This was series 5’s
Yep.
Series 1 actually wasn't bad.
Series 2 had Rise of the Cybermen/Age of Steel.
Series 3 had Daleks in Manhatten/Evolution of the Daleks.
Series 4 had The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky.
Series 5 had this.
Series 6 had The Rebel Flesh/The Almost People.
@@sonicfan3230 exactly. If I had to pick one for S1 it would be the Slitheen story, even though I have a soft spot for it. I have a soft spot for most stories, now that I think about it
@@sonicfan3230 the series 3 dalek story is actually my favourite dalek story ever lmao
@@raymond8920 I liked it too. I was just going off what the majority of Doctor Who fans say are the worse.
The Slitheen story has not ages well for me. And the Dalek two parter would look stronger if not compared to it’s higher quality, Family of Blood two-parter. This story is okay, but again it just pales in comparison to the Angel story. Not that you’d know it with these series 5 reviews 😂
I will always remember this as the first RUclips video I ever watched with hidden dislikes. Great video also!!
What we learn from this is that Rory is the GOAT
(I'm exaggerating, but he is great)
oh yes this episode that...exists
So much of what characters do in Chibnall’s episodes end up being rendered pointless. Even a lot of the more major character and plot developments. The Doc is a Weeping Angel? Just a vessel. Don’t worry or bother thinking too much about it.
The thumbnail 😂
I do want to mention a neat easter egg. In the 3rd doctors first encounter with this race the he was in the 1970s during the serial the mention it'd take 50 years to revive them without power from us humans. this episode takes place 50 years after which is a neat little trick.
I love this two parter, i think its one of the best stories of series 5, i think
The I was I dressed for Rio gag gives me no end of anger if Moffat was that desperate to make Karen’s legs their own character how much better would it be if she was actually in a crazy ott carnival costume , she also has so much time to go back to the yard is and throw some jeans on
Brasil is so hot. An is Karen idea to show her legs.
Women hate use jeans.
@@mayotango1317 what
You never have any sense that the negotiations could go anywhere, because that would demand a change in the status quo, an impossibility in doctor who.
For some reason this video didnt show up even when I searched for it, I had to use a link
Yeah. Silurians should look "other" to hammer the point you can live peacefully with beings that look "scary".
"Macaroni, with the chicken strips? 15:08"
I bet your well chuffed with that thumbnail
I remember watching this two parter only a couple weeks ago, and I liked it.
I completely agree with the face-masks being a straight up better face for them. Also, a face that actually adheres to like, reptillian features.
It’s not like Amy would have to wear her engagement ring everyday for the rest of her life
Impending threat of death being more important than caramelldasen? Come on Harbo, now you're just reaching.
Next week if you say literally ANYTHING bad about Vincent And The Doctor I will throw hands. I am ready for a fight. If it is any lower than an S rank Harbo you actually need you head testing.
No it is a bad episode
It's a poor episode held up by a well acted final section
@@mattegrey2609 it is a brilliant depiction of depression by having the heroes fight an "invisible monster" that only Vincent can fully see and that deserves empathy, reasoning and understanding instead of hatred and violence. It's a monster that leaves you outcast and isolated from society and the world around you. It's the most perfect metaphor for the struggles of living with Depression. The whole episode is heartfelt, sensitivley depicted and beautifully written and acted. Go and watch it again and again and again until you get it. Both my parents had depression and I have anxiety with despressive episodes. Unless you are living with mental health issues you have nonidea what it is like battling stuff like this. This episode perfectly encapsulates what it is like living with those demons through the experience of Vincent and the Krafayis being the physical manifestation of depression. It is for me truly one of the stand out episodes of modern Doctor who and is always in my top 10 rankings.
@@lucypreece7581 I suffer with depression and anxiety and i think it's badly written. It's a good concept but it was written pretty badly
@@mattegrey2609 the nuance and subtlty of this episode is what makes it so incredible. It is a damn near perfect depiction of the reality and stuggles of living woth mental illness. It never trivalises it or glamourises it or turns it into a joke. In 45 minutes we are shown the hreatbreaking reality of what itnis like battling those demons everyday and what can happen when a person gets tired of fighting. If you are not able to understand the intricacies of this episode then think yourself lucky and blessed my friend because you are privileged enough to have never lived with or experienced mental illness. I have seen it from both sides as a person living with it and as a child of parents who suffered from it.
@@mattegrey2609 Were you watching the same episode?
Very true setting this story in the future would've allowed for a more satisfying resolution
My absolute favourite Chris Chibnall written episode. Matt is great, putting Rory in the spotlight was great, the reintroduction of the Silurians is done pretty well.
Yes it's a rip off of a classic story, and yes the script really fumbles in patches, but some of Smith's lines, the interrogation and peace treaty scenes, the Silurian set design, hell even the acting from all of the main trio is better than you'd expect from a Chibnall episode in hindsight. And I like the doctor figuring out who the Silurians are and immediately becoming way more confident and capturing Allayah (or however her name's spelt lol)
It's by no means a perfect episode, and has plenty of issues, but it's also far from the worst of series 5, which is pretty easy when the lodger exists.
It's probably my favourite Chibnall story, but has my least favourite Chibnall cliché in the countdowns to doom. 42, this two parter, dinosaurs on a spaceship, power of three, a good amount of Jodie's run, they all have countdowns that provide shallow stakes, and after the hungry earth, the countdown chibby trope is absolutely terrible and predictable starting with cold blood and beyond.
I mean, 42 is built around that, which is fine. But this story has 2, a countdown till the Silurians arrive, and a countdown till the drill explodes. Dinosaurs has a countdown till the missiles fire, power of three has the cubes counting down, woman who fell to earth has the DNA bombs and Tim Shaw hunting that guy which are kind of countdowns, the race in ghost monument is also technically a countdown cause the TARDIS only apparently materialises once in a while, so it's a countdown till they're stuck for an obscene amount of time. So yea, early Chibnall has a huge countdown problem that drags this story down in hindsight.
This one isn't bad, but it's not great either. It's a ripoff that's worse than the original, but has high points that neutralise the story from outright bad to just ok and sorta enjoyable. At least there's no James Corden
The lack of payoff with a follow up episode is probably the worst part.
I'd love an episode set during some future century where humans and silurians are co-occupying Earth (different writer tho, ofc). I'm curious to see what their desert civilisations would be like. Also, a prehistoric ep would be cool
2 30 second unstoppable ads... RUclips, I'll be leaving soon
Yes Harbo! Let's see what you think of the Silurian return!
Bloody hell all these midrolls
2:20 I remember watching the original Silurian episode after I watched this one and yeah... it's literally the same story. To be fair though it didn't really feel lazy originally, it felt like a sort of "history repeats itself" sort of thing
20:40 Doctor who out of context 🤣
Basically put,Chibbers Lizard people was a total re hash of the Silaurians first episode
Rip Stephen Moore! (Eldane) what a lovely guy he was. ❤️
And they say Chibnall never does any research ... but hey, look, he plagiarised an entire 3rd Dr. Episode!
I feel there was a large list of monster and villains to before these guys.
The only thing I don't agree on is the criticisms of the redesign. Yes, they're very human, perhaps a little too human, but given they're residents of the same planet as us I think it makes a lot of sense. They breathe our air, they experience our gravity, they drink our water. Of course they look relatively human: they are.
That doesn't make sense, by that logic they could also look like giant Spiders
nope, doesn't make sense. they're reptiles so they should look more like other reptiles, not like mammals.
These episodes are average but I do have a soft spot for them because of the nostalgia. At least this two parter actually did something with the Silurians, it seems after this Moffat didn't really know how to use them.