CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT SCENE WHEN THE NIGHTMARE GODDESS THING WAS TALKING ABOUT THEIR HISTORY AND THERE WERE ILLUSTRATIONS ON SCREEN??? I LOVED THAT. SECOND FAVORITE PART. (First is when you realize why yaz is a cop :') )
I loved the illustration sequence. Like most of Chibnall's work, it was just waaaay more visually striking than new Who used to be. I mean, the whole sequence was creative and a great way to present a lot of information in a very short time, but the visuals were amazing.
I'm not that familiar with that particular training but surely you can't become a police officer in less than three years? Maybe I'm wrong but I thought that was a bit weird
I was really touched by this episode, I thought it was executed beautifully. As someone who is now 48, but has struggled with mental illnesses all my adult life on and off. I was also warmed by your words Nathaniel. I am not as brave as you and my personal struggles with my sexuality and, coming from a very fundamentalist Christian family, I have hidden that side of my life. Episodes of Dr. Who that show a world where men can love eachother without being detested for it brings me hope, that I too could find such a love one day. We have come a long way since I was a teen-ager, but some people refuse to enter the 21st century, and that's a great shame. As a man reaching 50, who has lived a lie and believed my own lie, which is the worst thing you can do; I'm pleased to see how the world is becoming more accepting for our younger generation, I just wish I could go back and live my life as who I am. I don't know why, but the show last night, and your review and emotional comments, made me want to tell you the truth. Now that the council of geeks knows it, maybe I'll be brave enough to tell someone else, other than my therapist! It was a Powerful episode, delivered well, when it could have come across in the wrong manner. Thanks for hearing me. A thousand thanks.
I would recommend you cultivate an entirely new set of friends in addition to those you already have, new friends who are not associated with fundamentalist Christian dogma, which you may have to keep a secret from those you grew up with. I would recommend you invest time in listening to their problems before you share your own, and this way you will find out if they are appropriate supportive confidants. You will effectively create a disjoint set of individuals you should be able to rely on when you come to hint and then come out about what you have held back. The risk of rejection from your own family and the friends you grew up with could make you feel very isolated if that is all you have. It is a huge gamble to expect any of them to be tolerant and very hopeful to think they will even be supportive, and supportive is what you need when you feel it is finally time. I realise it must feel frustrating to remain keeping it a secret, but other than some online spaces (which can be fraught with issues of fake friends and blackmail, or even take pleasure in urging you towards suicide, it really is a space you need to be very informed about before you jump randomly into it), the making a brand new circle of friends, whilst keeping your old ones, and these new friends not being work colleagues (as that could jeopardise your employment in some circumstances), could be the safest way for you to come out. I'm not homosexual myself, but I have seen a psychologist who helped me understand my psyche and multiple maladaptive personality disorders. I have overcome depression, even though I have to remain vigilant, lead a sensible lifestyle, and remain medicated on mood stabilisers. I'm 50. I used to be wrecked by anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Not anymore. Best of luck with whatever decision you take. Feel free to discuss what I have said with anyone. I don't consider this reply private.
@@zarrg5611 I've seen this argument made elsewhere and I don't quite get it. The story was about facing depression and fear and connecting with each other. Which of the namedropped villains would have been better suited for this story? The Toymaker? The Eternals? The Guardians? It doesn't really seem a good fit for any of their styles. Why would you prefer to see them than new antagonists that are a better fit for the story? Is the issue that this season's episodes have been acknowledging that they take part in a greater continuity? Why is that a waste of breath? All throughout the show the Doctor frequently gives throwaway references to things and IMO, it makes the universe feel larger and more connected. I don't quite understand what the actual objection is here.
@@irrevenant3 It'd a subtle balance between being a reference (I prefer when they reference an alien or entity that has not appeared in the show and is made up for the episode e.g. the eyebrow-communicating aliens from Spearhead from Space) and a indulgence. There were too many references in a shot amount of time and it was too inorganic and that made it stand out like a rotten wound to me. As I said the villains could have been completely new entities, but if they are going to blurt out so much continuity porn they should do something that would actually please the fans and make one of those beings actually return for an episode.
@@zarrg5611 How was it inorganic though? They were all directly related to the topic. Paraphrasing they said "We're immortals like the Eternals and the Guardians. They have their entertainments and we have ours". It was all essentially the same reference and it was completely on-topic. It makes sense that the different immortals would be aware of each other over the course of eternity.
@@irrevenant3But why would they do that? The Beast in the Satan pit does not say "remember Sutekh and the Gods of Ragnarok? well I'm big cheese like them" The Doctor does make a reference to the Daemons while discussing various other cultures that have a horned devil, and I don't really like the trope even there but it does make sense in context why he would mention them.
As someone who's had depression for about 10 years, this episode spoke directly to me, I loved it so much, I cried. Definitely one of my personal favourite episodes of Doctor Who of all time.
This happened to be the one episode of this season I bought instead of streaming it from BBC America. I had no idea what the episode was about when I got it (bought it because of app weirdness), but I sure am glad that I did.
Ryan's friend got to me. I'm a lot like him I realized. I have a very set routine for my days off that I don't really deviate from, I work a sales job and it drains all my social energy. So, like him, I spend a lot of time at home, alone. Tell my friends I'm fine to do whatever. Right now I'm supposed to go to the movies with them but I'm so tired and low energy. I just told them I'm working. He told his story about going the the grocery store to talk to someone, and he saw the self checkout. And I laughed so hard, cause I just started using the self checkout at Taco Bell.
The marketing for this series hasn’t been amazing considering the current trailers are saying “ 1 more episode till the explosive finale” Kinda putting the next episode down as filler until the good stuff
The BBC seem to be going through one of the phases where they are not enamored with Doctor Who, signs of this include the long gaps between new series and Specials being pushed back to New Year instead of Christmas. I feel that if it wasn't successful in America as well, the BBC would be working towards axing it again.
It's not that unusual. Off the top of my head shows like Vikings or TWD do the same thing in their trailers, saying "only x episodes left until the mid season finale" etc. There's nothing really wrong with that, especially for a show like doctor who where finales are where you can expect a lot of exciting plot stuff
This episode really highlighted why I love the companions of this era , cause finally their ordinary people dealing with emotional dilemmas instead of been plot devises while dealing with the implications of traveling with the doctor probably since Amy and Rory
“She wants to be alone and she also wants the company” I’ve never considered the doctor particularly relatable... the relatability aspect of the show always belonged to the companions (for me). She’s become the most relatable iteration of the doctor over the course of this season. She IS sweet and bubbly and loves her friends. But she’s also got a lot of emotional baggage and feels alienated. I get it. I love it.
Me too. It's an interesting dichotomy and I'm interested to see where they go with it. In retrospect I suspect they were going for that in Season 11 as well, but Season 11 was so half-assed in general it's hard to be sure. Glad they're doing something with it now.
My favorite part was Graham attempting to talk to the Doctor about his very Human limitations. The Doctor was *utterly alien* there. Very much like the 4th, the 6th - mysterious, abrasive, has emotions, but they're not Human emotions at all. The Doctor regenerates, lives through things that would drive Humans insane, and the Human characters are really all they have for each other. Graham, Yaz and Ryan were all talking about ephemeral things toward the end of the story. The Doctor has lived so long now, there's no real frame of reference, beyond the memory of a Human shell she "fakes" for her Human friends. It's not that she's mad, or evil, or unsympathetic - or lacks empathy. She simply can't fit into a finite Human life, even if she may be able to understand Human fears, it may be that she finds them a bit silly at this point. Would be great if they lean into this. I doubt they will, but I like seeing that kind of stuff.
The Doctor basically says what we already know - she’s not always good in the moment when complex human emotions are at the forefront. But instead of “oh yeah, Mickey’s plastic and may be dead, oops, I didn’t even think of that” or “sorry for the loss of your loved one/pet, oops, wrong notecard” there’s an air of disappointment in herself, for someone so clever who has spent hundreds of years traveling with humans to still struggle with these interactions. Also cracked me up getting so wrapped up in problem solving and not even noticing that the companions are gone and no one is listening - very Doctor. And arguing with the TARDIS! 😂
Does anyone else agree with me on this? That the Chibnall-era of Doctor Who is at its best and most confident when its taking itself seriously playing into the Drama?
Yup. The best scenes in his era have been the quiet dialogue scenes that allow the actors to be at their best. He stumbles with sci fi but excels at powerful human drama, sometimes beating even RTD at raw human introspection.
@@benw4409 I have to agree, there are a few moments where Chibnall does surpass Davies in simple character interactions. That's when Chibnall is at his best, when focusing on the characters.
I think your review made me cry more than the episode and boy did I blub at that. Just seeing the impact it clearly had on you really came across. I agreed with all your points on this episode, absolutely incredible and I haven't stopped thinking about it since last night. I was most pleased we have finally gotten Yaz back story and I really hope we get to keep her moving into next series. Again, fantastic review as always ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyed it and makes me want to know more about Yaz's risky tendencies. Graham's nightmare pulled at my heart and I am sure this'll be a well remembered episode for it's ways with discussing mental health and issues people conceal for the sake of looking tough.
Despite all the detestation it received from a big portion of the community, I really loved that final exchange between Graham and the Doctor because it's an accurate rappresentation of what actually mental health care assistants do in real life: *not remarking the issue* . This is something the average person usually finds to be counterintuitive, but it's a subject well known in the field that avoiding consolation support it's the most effective solution to take in order to help an individual who is experiencing selfesteem and security problems: that's because in doing so (I'm referring to consolation support) you are actually *_giving too much weight and unnecessary gravitas to an issue_* that is troubling the indigent; you're not helping him/her getting over it doing so...you're *remarking the problem* . The solution is *not comforting, but **_listening_* : just *_listening_* . After that, when the person has let out all those words of struggle and concerning, you change the subject interrupting that flux of gravitas: basically, you metaphorically _cauterize the psychological injury after all the "bloodly pain" has been flowed away_ ; you leave the healing process to the patient's mind on a unconsciously way...you let the person dealing with it in his/her own terms, with the acceptance and eventually overcoming of the condition. *You offer a distraction through which the person can process his/her own condition* in a much more relaxed and distant way. *_Comforting_** does more harm than good* : it remarks the problem to the subject's mind, keeping open the psychological injury which will take much longer to mend. As I said, it's a counterintuitive concept: I'm well aware about that. And that's exactly what the Doctor did with Graham: she let the words of fear going way, just listening without pandering the situation; and then, she changed the subject releiving Graham from the tension and giving him a moment of brief happiness and hilarity. Considering the subtext of the episode, I bet this particular scene was one of the contribution of an external show advisor related to the field of mental health care assistance..!
I think it's slightly more complicated than that. It's good to strip things down to the root of the problem and figure out little things here and there to begin to solve it one by one.
@@WiloPolis03 Yes, of course it's something that must be done: but it's the indigent person that must do it; the job of the listener is to accompany the person during his journey into healing, not to be the healer. And that's because of an important matter: avoiding dependence; mental health care assistant has to offer a shoulder to lean on, not a master figure. If you don't take that approach, you risk to become the very thing the patient could depend on in order to avoid dealing with his/her own problems. The goal is to accompany the person in order to find again the lost equilibrium, to give him/her insight about the "road above"; not just replace a palliative form of regulation with another one: indipendence in recovery is the main objective; and that can be achieved only by the patient itself. Sometimes there are very difficult cases, and it's not always possible to reach that goal (expecially without the use of medicine); but it's the most effective solution for the patient, in order to resume an healthy everyday lifestyle and return to be self sufficient...
Just remember it isn't a "big portion" of the community. Just looking at the negative comments in this video, it is more or less the same word for word and kind of sad in that respect. It could be the greatest story ever written in sci-fi and they would still hate it as "trash". Thinking that they speak for the fandom at large when the truth is they are a vocal minority, shouting alone in a corner. Everyone else just ignores them. Ignore them for long enough and they move on to their next source of hate.
really loved the message of the importance to talk to someone if you need help. It really does help. Plus I loved the doctors reaction with Graham. you could tell she wanted to help but didn't no how.
I liked how even though she didn't know what to say, she still talked and listened to him, and even after just stood with him for a moment so he wouldn't be alone.
In my opinion, this episode would have worked well in Series 11 - it does a lot to establish the characters with their greatest fears, but it's extremely late for that.
Yes, it would've been much better to do this story in Series 11. But it needed to be done, and better now than later. They also seem more on top of their game this season. If they'd told this story without Series 11 under their belt, I suspect they wouldn't have executed it anywhere near as well.
Decent episode but a little overstuffed, it felt like they dealt with the immortals too easily and too quickly, I think the stuff in Syria may have been a bit superfluous. What this episode has done for me is really showing why 3 companions are necessary- while it is seldom that all three are necessary for the plot and structure of episodes; this episode really shows why they are needed narratively and gives an insight into the Doctor. She needs her fam.
@Thomas Smithurst Three companions can work well but each episode has to be written around them, which can be restrictive. This time it worked but what about all the other times when at least one companion was superfluous? It's made even worse when there's at least one tag along character in an episode. Two regular companions works better with a tag along making up the third IMO.
Definitely felt to be that the enemy was defeated to easily. A better metaphor for depression/mental illness would have been if there had been an indication that the Dr wasn't sure the trap would last, now the 'Gods' had escaped once.
The thing in Syria helped show how this Doctor does need her ‘fam’ and it had a line about mental health issues being treated well in Syria back in the day. It didn’t beat you over the head by saying ‘this is a mental health episode’ but it and the set up of showing the fam go to their individual story arc things helped make the theme noticeable early on.
@@lwaves Is there any downside to having a character in the background for an episode, though? That's pretty common throughout television in general - a show's cast rarely all get focus in the same episode, but over the course of a season we get to know and spend time with all of them.
I want to like this episode so much. Maybe I need to rewatch it. The message is *very important* but I didn’t like the doctor’s response to Graham at the end. Ignoring the message, as an episode I think the villains get defeated FAR too quickly, which seems odd considering they’re meant to be gods. I appreciate the several nods to classic villains though. I think I need to give it another chance but the doctor and Graham’s exchange really did sour things for me
I'm still not sure how I feel about how The Doctor acted with Graham at the end. I like the idea that these conversations can be hard, uncomfortable and you sometimes just don't how to act, but they're important to have. But... I don't know if The Doctor is the character to deliver that through
I think *maybe* that her response was on purpose......Series 11, The doctor was all happy go lucky, like a kid in a candy story, but ever since The Doctor saw what tha master did in Spyfall part 2.....the doctor has been more and more distant.....Remember The doctors You dont know me speech at the end of spyfall....and in this episode everyone is being honest about their fears......but notice the Doctor said nothing.....and seems more like the doctor just wants to run away
For me, it shows that even a several thousand year old, practically omnipotent, semi mythical demi god is still susceptible to mental health issues, so you are as well, so go talk to someone
I felt exactly the same. So frustrated at how quickly they were defeated after such a build up. Also about the Doctor & Graham. I’m really not clicking with this Doctor as a person, I find her really self absorbed and overly reliant on tech
one thing thats very clear about 13 is how ALONE she feels the lonely god in the blue box is a thing often tied to the doctor but its very very true with 13
I know it's an odd thing to say, when comparing to the themes of this episode and the over all story, but I really loved the lighting in this one. Before anything else, I just feel in love with that and colour palettes that I was seeing in Aleppo and all the different settings which just made each place feel so unique to me. I also really appreciate how we got long scenes of the Tardis materialising. I feel like most of the time now it's a either off screen or very quick, but I've always loved just watching that Blue Box appear from nowhere in that slow wheezing sense. And there was one scene in Aleppo when the Doctor arrives and she's stood in the courtyard, the whole place shrouded in darkness with bit of light coming from flames and the Tardis and it's the most beautiful wide shot with her just talking to herself! I wanted to pause it just so I could stare at it because it was just so good. Fantastic review as always!
Lots I loved about the episode, but how the doctor defeats them still felt so rushed. I get they wanted to spend more time on the messaging, and I don't even think that was the wrong decision, but it did come at the expense of something.
@@pious83 I know, personally I thought it was fine and well paced, but I think it still could have been a good two parter. First part the gods getting out, second part trying to put them back in. Overall I feel it works fine and I'd say this is one of the better episodes this year for me personally.
@@pious83 Exactly, she 'unlocked' the prison so she knows how to 're-lock' it. All the information was available on the space station including one would think, the information on how the 'immortal was trapped the first time.
Thank you. I'm so glad you watched this twice.This is a wonderful review of a truly wonderful episode. I have watched quite a few analyses of this episode where the reviewers seemed to have got bogged down in nit-picking; as if they wanted to re-write the episode themselves. You, my friend, really get it, and again I thank you for that.
Out of a few zillion Doctor Who episodes I've watched, this is definitely in my top ten. Having depression be the monster was so, so good, and mentioning a bunch of other "gods" who represent different aspects of the human experience... pizza chef kiss at it. I cried at the 50p piece like the rest of y'all. Of course.
i didn't exactly love this episode but listening to your review made me realize that i didn't really understand this story and I'm definitely gonna rewatch it before the next episode. I've watched alot of your Doctor Who reviews but this one has to be my favourite. great job Nathaniel.
amen. as someone who constantly has to put my anxiety back in its box, i totally got this. The writer and director clearly knew what they were talking about
For me right now: 1) Fugitive of the Judoon: 8,5/10 2) Can You Hear Me?: 8,5/10 3) Spyfall Part 1/Spyfall Part 2: 8/10 4) Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror: 7/10 5) Praxeus: 6,5/10 6) Orphan 55: 5/10
fugitive of the judoon and nikola tesla's night of terror are tied at three for me. fugitive of the judoon would be above but I am just so scared about the new doctor I don't have enough answers yet.
At least after first viewing I’d have to say that I think Can You Hear Me is better than Fugitive of the Judoon. Mainly because Fugitive relies on payoff that is yet to happen and nostalgia/awesomeness of having Captain Jack back. Hear Me is mainly a self contained episode, even though there are callbacks to Spyfall, Orphan 55, and classic era stuff.
Agreed. I've heard some people say that Yaz and her sister were commemorating the anniversary of Yaz returning home after running away, but that seems like a slightly odd thing to commemorate! To me, the grandmother's passing would make more sense.
I loved this too. Very clever episode. Even down to the animation section where it talked about how the people realised that it was the ‘eternals’ that were manipulating them and they fought back. A lot of people seem to dislike this episode. Personally I don’t think they fully ‘got it’. Complaints about a deux ex machina, but there was no ‘win’ as such, it was more just the acknowledgement that they exist.
Some people are saying the Doctor came across as cold in the scene with Graham and should have given him advice. The thing is, sometimes with worries or anxieties you just need someone to listen. (Hence the title, Can you hear me?) She did that, she listened. You can't necessarily find a 'solution' to your problems all the time. Sidenote: the 7th episode in a row set on Earth.
Thing I think some people are forgetting is that she's dealing with her own issues to and that sometimes it's hard to help others when your suffering as well. But even though she didn't say anything encouraging, I liked that she and Graham just listened and stood with each other, like their presence together was enough to keep back the darkness, which sometimes it is, but not always. Also, I too am annoyed that this whole series so far has been set on Earth. Also that five out of the seven episodes have been set on Modern day Earth - usually the most boring place the Doctor can go.
I think Graham's talk with The Doctor is the best part of this episode. Tibo and Yaz find some sort of comfort to their problems, but Graham doesn't. It's really sad because he's suffered the most so far, but he doesn't get sad by the lack of answer.
When Whittaker's Doctor berates herself for not realizing her companions were there she says, "Who am I gonna share all this cool stuff with?" It really reminded me of a moment Matt Smith's Doctor had when he's tinkering with the TARDIS and realizes he's alone. He comes back to his friends and shouts, "I'm up here being extremely clever and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all?!"
But matt did it 10x better, so did david. I felt nothing when jodie did it, it just came and went. Mostly because there wasn't a build up to it, it just randomly happened. RTD and moffet were great at highlighting that the doctor was lonely all throughout the series. Which is why those moments were powerful and memorable when they happened. Nobody's gonna remember jodie's "moment of lonelyness". Plus, jodie just didn't sell it as well either. Once again this is just chibs trying to capture great moments from the moffet/rtd era and failing at it.
And isn't it interesting how *differently* the two Doctors did it? For 11 it seemed more about childishness and self-aggrandisement whereas 13 actually felt a bit lost without her companions. I'd say that Jodie sold it just fine. it was just a more subtle moment than Matt's. It's a difference in style, not quality - Moffatt was very fond of big, melodramatic moments while Chibnall prefers to show character through quieter ones. Chibnall and Whittaker aren't "failing to recapture Moffat" - they're not *trying* to recapture Moffat. They're doing their own thing. In Season 11 they didn't do it very well. In Season 12, they're doing it much better.
@@irrevenant3 Yeah they are doing better, but doing a little better than S11 aint saying much lol. It's like a nazi saying, "well, at least we're better than vikings"
@@THIZZAVELI I don't think they're doing a little better than S11, I think they're doing a *lot* better than S11. S11 was the weakest series in Nu Who. Most of S12 has been somewhere between middling and really good (with 'Orphan 55' a notable outlier). In the course of a season they've gone from poor to ballpark comparable to a typical season of Doctor Who.
the people on the planets fought each other, then they grew wise and started fighting the immortals. Thank you for explaining this episode so well! never thought a dw review would make me cry, but here we are...
Thank you I have depression and I was crying hearing you talk about it and I have to wait for the DVD or blu-ray to watch it but I can't wait to see it it sounds like a great season to watch thank you for your videos
Our protagonists are really starting to become real people and this episode boasts it. It's nice to see after so much self-doubt last season. Chris has clearly found his feet.
Since it was only three years between Yas running away and being a probationary Police Officer and unless the policewoman retired shortly after talking to Yas on the roadside, it seems odd to me that Yas has not crossed paths during her police work. I was disappointed that the Doctor didn't even say to Graham, "Well, I'm here to listen when you want me to". Especially since she has seen how to be supportive by how often her "fam" says "We're here for you Doc".
This episode seems like it's setting Ryan up for some serious character shifting. The nightmare he has is his friend accusing him of missing the world burning, and then being surrounded by the Dregs. That was an amazing touch, btw - it was a nice use of the monster, and helped show that whatever we feel about Orphan 55, the experience has effected Ryan very much. And he's questioning how long this will be their lives. He feels like he's getting ready to move on, and that he's matured so much through his travels. And wouldn't it be lovely to have a companion decide to leave on their own terms again, instead of being forced out by plot? I adored this episode, and I'm enjoying the overall pace of this series so far. I think that Chibs is doing well at balancing the more serious/weighty episodes with the seemingly unconnected ones (in terms of PLOT ARC, at least - character arc they're all connected and building amazingly off each other).
I'm surprised you didn't mention that animation in the middle of the episode with the two planets. I thought that was a really charming touch! Haven't seen something like that in Doctor Who before and I was really impressed!
Great great episode Season 12 has been very very good I feel Doctor who has turned a corner Lately. We will forget about the blip of Orphan 55 every season has an iffy episode, Last two episodes have been great for Yaz shes finally getting some decent air time and finally some much needed character development... hope yet for her.... I do like her she has potential....
Graham trying to have a deep conversation with the Dr at the end indicates that he doesn’t really have anyone to talk with. Even the Dr admitted that she’s not equipped to handle those deep conversations. It made me a bit sad. Great episode and it wasn’t preachy!
I really enjoyed this story. I completely get what is what going for. What made it so creepy is that we all recognise those "monsters" we know them. We see them everywhere. Maybe not in that physical form, but we do. More importantly they know us. Everything about us. Even more than those closest to us. For the past few episodes I just feel like tiny bits of "stuff" is being missed out, that should be there. In my head I made up that yaz was missing for a while,long enough to have her teenage sister worry about her and call the police. Long enough for it to have a lasting effect on her sister so much so, she still celebrates the day she got her sister back. Maybe she wasn't physically missing for that long. Physically, yaz may of been their, but not really herself. I just feel we should have has some dialogue to explain this. Once the companions were back home. No mention of the fact they were all wanted fugitives a few weeks before? I did felt it did a good job of showing no matter how alone you feel, not reaching out actually hurts the people you love too. What happened with yaz seemed to have affected her sister, more than it affected yaz. Quite understandably. Ryan's guilt for tibbo. I'd actually love to see more of yaz and her sister. I was always disappointed we never got more interaction with Martha and her siblings. Theirs just something about a sibling relationship that's so different to the normal lovers or parent child relationship we usually see.
Beautiful review, you really carved out the depths of this episode's message for me. Your insights are very inspiring, keep it up! I really loved this ep and this is one I will totally come back to watch a few times to get all those little details.
I think this episode brought into sharp focus something that they vaguely laid the groundwork for in Season 11 and never really came up past that. The Doctor latched onto a group of random strangers and immediately decided they were her 'Fam' because she badly needs that level of connection. But when it comes down to it she's not very good at actually forming a connection. It's really a shame we didn't see that addressed more during the Fam's formative season.
I honestly and genuinely think we are in the middle of one of the best seasons of Dr Who since the 2005 reboot. I find it hard to fault S12, its playing as hard as S5 - Smith's first. This episode was another stunner.
S5 is to be fair a very high bar to beat- I think we need to wait until the finale- but I agree this is a very strong series so far, and probably the most consistent since 5 or 6.
I liked S10 far more than most of Moffat’s era. This does seem to be one of the best and most consistent series we’ve had in awhile, regardless of the negative opinion from a chunk of the Doctor Who ‘fandom’ (I’m not sure if people complaining about Jodie as the Doctor and this era of the show are really fans of the show or are viewers bitching about things because it’s popular to do so).
For me the ending didn’t work from a story telling point of view. There should have been more time dedicated to the Doctor working out how to get them trapped again and having to trick them in some way. Just pointing the sonic at tech that was already there and it being over SO quickly was massively anti-climatic. A shame because the rest of the episode was SO good.
Yeah the inmortals should have been harder to beat considering how one of them had basically studied how the Doctor planned and probably knew how she was going to handle it. Maybe they will come bck in a later season bc it seemed too easy. I guess facing your fears was the message so they had to end the villians quick to get to the companion character developments.
Great analysis. I really liked this episode and the part with Yasmin and the police officer made me cry. This season is much better than the last. On another topic, I don’t usually comment on people’s looks, but I absolutely love your rainbow theme! Somehow the rainbow in your glasses helps bring it out in your hair. And sometimes you have a colourful twinkle in your eyes. Fabulous!
I loved this episode. It was so emotional. My eyes went full of tears and it was spooky and odd. The depth and the subtile way that they told a story about a very important issue. Episodes like this is what makes Doctor Who a favourite show to watch. It was told so well. And great villains with good acting skills! Series 12 is, this far, a joy to watch! A solid 8 out of 10 for me.
I'm so glad you agree on the Doctor's response to Graham. It's very similar, point by point, how I am when someone opens up to me about something. I listen but I am not sure what to say until later on. People call her cold and I guess I get that same reaction to. But as someone who has depression I prefer when the person listening to me just lets me talk and doesn't try to force some advice or comfort just because. Sometimes it's just nice to have an ear to share. It lightens the burden. Plus the Doctor is going through serious stuff and it is sad she can't talk about it in return.
I disagree. The Doctor responding to Graham the way she did was so out of character. I'm socially awkward myself, but if somebody opened up to me about having cancer, I would try to support them the best I can, maybe by giving them a hug or some advice, just anything. Because anything in that situation would be better than just going "Sorry, but I'm socially awkward, so bye bye".
You've cheered me up immensely. The one really bad habit I have is visiting social media and fan sites immediately after a Doctor Who episode has aired to find out what people are saying. It's ironic, given the theme of the episode, that my mood sunk considerably after reading so many negative comments. As someone who suffers with severe mental health problems (I have bipolar disorder) It's wonderful to hear from someone who actually 'gets' what the episode was actually about. Like you, I loved this episode and the message was so important. Thank you so much.
I missed the references to the Guardians and the Eternals because I haven’t seen those episodes, but I did get the Toymaker reference! The Celestial Toymaker is probably one of my favourite Classic episodes and I remember thinking ‘well if the Toymaker isn’t going to appear at least he was named!’ The other side of the coin of course is that I did think briefly that he was The Toymaker.
I love Whitaker’s reply to Graham at the end, you don’t always have the best thing to say that sounds rehearsed. Understanding the message and applying it to your life is handy, but as characters it’s unrealistic and I thank them for their choice here
This was a fantastic episode. One of the first "abstract" Doctor Who episodes I've truly loved in a long time. The conversation at the end when the Doctor just has no idea what to say really did get me. She's lost in her own head. Brimming with ideas and plans and wants these people around to feel clever when she explains to them what's going on. But at the end of the day, she doesn't at all know how to deal with their emotions and their baggage. We haven't really touched on that as much before now. There was a bit of that with Rose when the Ninth Doctor said he didn't do domestic. But for the most part it hasn't been nearly as deep as it was in this one scene.
I lived the immortals and a lot of the core concepts and ideas, but I think it sadly failed at takeoff with too many different things happening at once, and missed the landing with the way the immortals get defeated being just kinda Deus ex. For example. I really don't like that the ending is basically, "if you feel depressed just stop being scared" with the monsters being controlled.
This really hit hard, I had a message from a friend saying that someone I was just getting to know through talking via social media had passed away this weekend and they said it was suspected suicide :( she was suffering with depression and really bad anxiety and I can't help but feel that I could've done more for her :(
Nitpick: I've seen another people complaining about this too, but this whole series so far has been set on Earth as the primary setting. And worse than that, five of the seven episodes have been Modern day (Spyfall for the most part, Judoon, plastic episode, and now this one) and I wouldn't be shocked if the two part finale was mainly set on Modern day Earth too. Gotta say I'm disappointed because that was one thing I think series 11 did well, travelling to new planets as well as spacing them out nicely throughout the series. I get it's a budgetary thing for the most part but when I get more than five Earth episodes in a row I just annoyed because it makes the universe feel smaller than it should. And while the modern day can be good for character development as some people have pointed out (Because all three companions had to be from the modern day - don't get me started on that!) it's just the most boring setting for me in terms of Doctor Who.
I really like the way this season is dealing with The Doctor and her mental health problems, like The Doctor has always been dealing with some heavy stuff but I find that it's much more subtle with the 13th Doctor than earlier Doctors. The keeping secrets from the companions, not really noticing they're not there until she realizes she's talking to herself, the fact that this episode didn't delve into her nightmares the way it did everyone else's etc. It's such small things that it's almost hard to pin down but when you do you realize how shut off she is from everyone else, even though she clearly cares for them. This Doctor calls her companions her family but she also keeps them much further away from herself than the previous modern Doctors did.
When I started to watch this review you said you watched it twice. So I paused your video and watched it again. I'm really glad I did. Your review on this episode was dead on. You really added to my enjoyment of this episode. Your explaining the overall theme of the episode was excellent. Thank you for your thoughtful video.
Really dug what you were saying about the 2 planets, locked in war with themselves over "depression." Damn, that's some thinky stuff right there. But I was also thinking about a fan theory doing the rounds, about civilisations destroying their own planets. Orphan 55 and Praxeus being very obvious, but also Ryan's vision of the future in this episode and the unanswered question of Gallifrey's destruction. Here we have 2 civilisations who choose to let their planets burn in order to trap the very thing that has been tormenting them.
I was thoroughly enjoying the episode until that point when the sonic jumped into the Doctor's hand like Luke's lightsaber in the cave on Hoth. That destroyed the moment for me.
@@toasterhead79 it was bloody awful whichever it was. I think the insinuation was that she bounced it out of her pocket, but even in a show about a space wizard (or witch) in a magic box, that's farfetched.
@@scipi3590 Really? When was it established she was holding a magnet? It's a shame because the episode had some really good themes, dealing with Yaz's insecurities, Graham's fear of his cancer returning and Ryan's buddy's depression. It's a shame The Doctor hasn't been given the character development the others got this week.
Fantastic review. I didn't fully grasp how much the villains represented everything when I watched it. I felt the quick resolution kind of soured what was an otherwise an amazing episode, but knowing what they represent makes that so much better. I just rewatched and it shot way back up. I teared up so many times. They do such a great job of representing so many different fears people have and they're all done so well. I might even consider this a near perfect episode (Who has never had a totally flawless episode). Only part that I felt was really dumb was when she shot the sonic up front her coat pocket to her hand. What the hell was that?
Fuck, thankyou so much. Your final revelation in this video made me understand the episode so more. I struggle with mental health on a daily basis, and i've been a doctor who fan since 1996. Now i definitely need to watch this one again. You're such an inspiration.
I’m in tears right now. From your review. I’m not kidding. This episode left me unsettled but I wasn’t sure why. I’m going to do what you did, watch it again with your words in mind. I can see the message better now. On a side note, the Doctor’s response to Graham tracks perfectly with previous incarnations, at least for me. Many times the Doctor has had to ask the companions whether he was being rude or insensitive, like Ten asking Rose in New Earth (I think), Ten’s rudeness toward Martha, and there are other classic era instances as well. The Doctor can be thousands of years old but she’s still not human, just like when you’re socially awkward, you can be 90 and that’s not going to change. Totally saw myself in that. Thanks for the review, Nathaniel, you’ve given me a lot to think about.
I suffer from/battle Depression and Anxiety everyday.. and I didnt pick up on what you are saying when I watched this episode.. But what you are saying makes perfect sense.. I am going to watch this episode again... Thank you so much! Really good review!!
I think the best way to look at Jodie’s portrayal of the doctor is Capaldi speech to what the new doctor should be. “Love is wise” “always be kind” etc and I think that’s why she’s so much less edgy and depressed than the last doctors because she’s finally gotten out of that and is the next evolution of that arc
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. It led me to watch the episode again and see it in an even broader context than the first time. This episode was absolute gold. I always appreciate your thoughts, criticism is important, but your thoughtful praise when they get things right means even more. This season is awesome! (Hey, everybody has an Orphan 55 sometimes lol)
Twenty years or so ago, a psychiatrist had a brief conversation with me in which he diagnosed me as someone who suffers from Classic Depression. He asked me why I was depressed, I told him, and he verbally put a mirror in front of my face: "Your Dad just died, your wife is leaving you, and your job has you stressed. If you weren't depressed over all this, THEN I would think there was something wrong with you." I told him I was depressed before all that, "and I'm sure you had good reasons then too. Look, depression's not what's wrong with you. That's natural. How you deal with it, that's the tricky bit." He then recommended remeron and a therapist. Neither helped me, but I have since found other coping mechanisms that are not self-destructive or harmful to others. It's a process. Anyway, I explained all that to explain this: When The Doctor said to Graham that she had plans all the time crashing into her, but knowing which one works and how best to implement it, that's the tricky bit..? THAT hit me like Cleese hitting Palin with a large fish. The Doctor suffers from depression. She always has. She's never truly happy because she knows the fate of this universe is heat death. There is an inevitability, and sometimes all her TARDIS is, is a cassette tape player where she hits rewind and then plays a new song or a familiar song. She's just passing time. Postponing the inevitable. Even when a younger version of herself demanded "GALLIFREY STANDS!" The Doctor knew it wouldn't stand forever. The villains of this story talked as if they were immortals. Gods. Better than her. She knows better and The Doctor doesn't take pride in that or ...in fact she feels kinda sorry for them. They feed on pain and suffering. She feeds on hope. That's what keeps her going. She may not know Graham's fate specifically, but she knows what's probable, and anything she says to try and comfort him may just make him more depressed. "Spoilers!" However, what's more important than telling someone who is depressed how to snap themselves out of it, is to simply acknowledge that you're listening, offer a shoulder to cry on maybe if you're capable of intimacy (The Doctor usually is not) and just be there for them. You don't have to have the magical answer cuz there isn't one. Just be you. Just be a variable in the universe of the depressed person that's slightly more constant than the other variables troubling them. And if you really need help, don't be afraid to ask someone qualified. I appreciated that this episode ended with a number to call for people in the audience who are struggling with mental illness, and don't know where to turn. Sometimes we like to be alone. Sometimes we really shouldn't be alone. It's hard to tell which is which sometimes.
Normally I don’t quite agree with all that you say but, on this episode, you pretty much nailed what I thought. The moment Ryan met his friend, I instantly knew what the problem was and I started to find the scenes with those two in particular uncomfortable to watch. I was worrying about Ryan’s friend and finding a lot of thoughts being expressed that I’ve had. I was glad they didn’t give it an unrealistic ‘happy’ ending and I felt that the message in this episode was delivered much more effectively than in the story about Vincent Van Gogh. After the UK transmission, they gave a helpline number for people dealing with mental health issues and it felt appropriate. When they did the same thing in the Vincent episode, they just said “If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode...” and didn’t even mention it was a mental health helpline - which just made me sit there, thinking: “If I’ve been chased by an invisible monster that appears in church windows?!?”
I always look forward to your reviews because quite often you've seen stuff in an episode that I've missed, a nuance or an added depth, some hidden meaning, but most of all because even reviewing a terrible episode you still look for the positives as well as the negatives. You never resort to expletives and outright trashing like a few of the other reviewers do and it's flagrantly apparent that you are a true fan. I found this episode to be multi-layered, but even taken as simply a story, rather than a message I thought it was very well done. There have been a few message episodes, some blunter than others and they have come in for criticism from certain quarters, but who else is there trying to get these messages across? If they can be integrated into an exciting and popular science fiction series then why not? Because nobody else seems to be out there championing these causes. Thank you for another great review.
It did bug me initially that Ryan didn't stick around to help his friend out but I realised the friend wouldn't have wanted Ryan to cancel his plans to go travelling and sometimes the last person you want to unload onto are your friends.
Now that I think about it, the ending works for me too. Sometimes dealing with our problems seems like an impossible task, like defeating a pair of gods, but then when we start to get better, we realize that our problems weren't as difficult as we thought they were and we can deal with them easily
Yeah, I think this is one of the strongest, if not the strongest episode from Chibnall's era so far. Although, I wasn't entirely sure about the Graham-Doctor interaction at the end. I appreciate this doctor is socially awkward and distant, but her response to him was strangely balanced between being comic and serious. It just felt a bit like it undermined the scene. I think I would have preferred it if she had gone over to the console and not known what to say at first, but then after a pause we heard her say the thing she should have said to Graham. I don't know, it just feels a bit off to me as it is. On the plus side, I'm liking the slight rift between Yaz and Ryan in their attitudes to travelling - I think that's quite an interesting dynamic to (hopefully) develop.
I think her reaction was spot on. She didn't need to respond, Graham just needed her to listen and she'd done that. A lot of people don't know how to respond and she was highlighting that, essentially saying it's okay to not know what to say. I think it helped to give it a bit of a light-hearted tone too, especially as Graham wasn't actually sick again, it was just a fear of his. While we may not have heard it, she would say the right thing and that's what matters most, so what you wanted to happen, did happen, we simply didn't see it and didn't need to as it would be different for different people and situations.
@@lwaves Fair enough. It just felt a bit of a sudden and jarring shift to me, but I appreciate it's not a massive thing and that others will see it differently. And I suppose I wouldn't have wanted the doctor to have said something twee that would have immediately 'solved' it, so maybe not hearing it is for the best. I'm glad you liked it! :)
Yes, there is that too, saying something that doesn't 'fit' and it undoes what has come before. I can definitely see how the humour part could be seen as jarring and if they'd gone further with the humour I'd probably completely agree with you. Then again, it may help me see that point of view because I'm one of those that never knows what to say in those situations, so I usually take the humorous route.
@@lwaves Yes, good point. I did enjoy the rest of the scene, the dialogue between Ryan and Yaz was interesting and the pause as they all share a look around the console was nice I thought.
I think the slight humor in the Doctor’s response fit perfectly because of how Graham is comfortable with using humor when he feels awkward/uncomfortable.
I love your reviews. So thoughtful and insightful. Thank you. I watch Doctor Who with loved ones who just don't 'get it' ... I find myself on the defensive after pretty much every episode as they criticise and pick apart - and so I'm reassured to think that someone else is seeing the positives.
great to see someone seeing so many of the different layer in Dr Who. So many commentators are missing it. Though occasionally you do miss the child element, however you insight today was excellent thank you for expanding the pleasure i got from this episode ( i did watch it twice as you did, unusually) A rare episode that really did have something for everyone at so many levels. Some unfortunately have such strange expectations that this miss so much and stop enjoying what they know to be good, but not connect with
I nearly throw in the towel this year, can you hear me? has given me a feeling of magic and wonder that good Dr Who always does, and that 50p made me cry :) more like this Please!!
There’s a supplemental video on this episode here: ruclips.net/video/ihSFPFD60z4/видео.html
The monster looked like the thing in temple run
True dat
Dude, did you watch my Review? :O
That was the first thing my brother said when it appeared
"Turning things around starts with a single step in the right direction"
What a beautiful quote! I'm definitely stealing it ❤
Me too. It´s truly beautiful!
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT SCENE WHEN THE NIGHTMARE GODDESS THING WAS TALKING ABOUT THEIR HISTORY AND THERE WERE ILLUSTRATIONS ON SCREEN??? I LOVED THAT. SECOND FAVORITE PART. (First is when you realize why yaz is a cop :') )
I loved the illustration sequence. Like most of Chibnall's work, it was just waaaay more visually striking than new Who used to be. I mean, the whole sequence was creative and a great way to present a lot of information in a very short time, but the visuals were amazing.
The 50p experience was clearly Yaz's inspiration for her career.
YES I NOTICED THAT I LOVED THAT SO MUCH I ALMOST CRIED
I'm not that familiar with that particular training but surely you can't become a police officer in less than three years? Maybe I'm wrong but I thought that was a bit weird
@@nico2605 I think technically Yaz is a probationary officer, she's not a certified police officer yet.
Also she hasn't done a day's work in nearly 2 seasons of the show 🤣
I loved it because it’s like the first time we’ve had subtlety 😂
I was really touched by this episode, I thought it was executed beautifully.
As someone who is now 48, but has struggled with mental illnesses all my adult life on and off. I was also warmed by your words Nathaniel. I am not as brave as you and my personal struggles with my sexuality and, coming from a very fundamentalist Christian family, I have hidden that side of my life. Episodes of Dr. Who that show a world where men can love eachother without being detested for it brings me hope, that I too could find such a love one day.
We have come a long way since I was a teen-ager, but some people refuse to enter the 21st century, and that's a great shame.
As a man reaching 50, who has lived a lie and believed my own lie, which is the worst thing you can do; I'm pleased to see how the world is becoming more accepting for our younger generation, I just wish I could go back and live my life as who I am.
I don't know why, but the show last night, and your review and emotional comments, made me want to tell you the truth.
Now that the council of geeks knows it, maybe I'll be brave enough to tell someone else, other than my therapist!
It was a Powerful episode, delivered well, when it could have come across in the wrong manner.
Thanks for hearing me. A thousand thanks.
So proud of you Johnny! I hope you'll get to live and love the life you deserve.
I would recommend you cultivate an entirely new set of friends in addition to those you already have, new friends who are not associated with fundamentalist Christian dogma, which you may have to keep a secret from those you grew up with. I would recommend you invest time in listening to their problems before you share your own, and this way you will find out if they are appropriate supportive confidants. You will effectively create a disjoint set of individuals you should be able to rely on when you come to hint and then come out about what you have held back. The risk of rejection from your own family and the friends you grew up with could make you feel very isolated if that is all you have. It is a huge gamble to expect any of them to be tolerant and very hopeful to think they will even be supportive, and supportive is what you need when you feel it is finally time. I realise it must feel frustrating to remain keeping it a secret, but other than some online spaces (which can be fraught with issues of fake friends and blackmail, or even take pleasure in urging you towards suicide, it really is a space you need to be very informed about before you jump randomly into it), the making a brand new circle of friends, whilst keeping your old ones, and these new friends not being work colleagues (as that could jeopardise your employment in some circumstances), could be the safest way for you to come out. I'm not homosexual myself, but I have seen a psychologist who helped me understand my psyche and multiple maladaptive personality disorders. I have overcome depression, even though I have to remain vigilant, lead a sensible lifestyle, and remain medicated on mood stabilisers. I'm 50. I used to be wrecked by anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder. Not anymore.
Best of luck with whatever decision you take. Feel free to discuss what I have said with anyone. I don't consider this reply private.
Thanks for all your kind and thoughtful remarks guys.❤️
Johnny Dee You are welcome.
I liked the celestial toymaker refrence
If your going to waste breath blerting out references to various past villains why not just make one of them the villain of the episode?
@@zarrg5611 I've seen this argument made elsewhere and I don't quite get it. The story was about facing depression and fear and connecting with each other. Which of the namedropped villains would have been better suited for this story? The Toymaker? The Eternals? The Guardians? It doesn't really seem a good fit for any of their styles. Why would you prefer to see them than new antagonists that are a better fit for the story?
Is the issue that this season's episodes have been acknowledging that they take part in a greater continuity? Why is that a waste of breath? All throughout the show the Doctor frequently gives throwaway references to things and IMO, it makes the universe feel larger and more connected.
I don't quite understand what the actual objection is here.
@@irrevenant3 It'd a subtle balance between being a reference (I prefer when they reference an alien or entity that has not appeared in the show and is made up for the episode e.g. the eyebrow-communicating aliens from Spearhead from Space) and a indulgence. There were too many references in a shot amount of time and it was too inorganic and that made it stand out like a rotten wound to me. As I said the villains could have been completely new entities, but if they are going to blurt out so much continuity porn they should do something that would actually please the fans and make one of those beings actually return for an episode.
@@zarrg5611 How was it inorganic though? They were all directly related to the topic. Paraphrasing they said "We're immortals like the Eternals and the Guardians. They have their entertainments and we have ours". It was all essentially the same reference and it was completely on-topic. It makes sense that the different immortals would be aware of each other over the course of eternity.
@@irrevenant3But why would they do that? The Beast in the Satan pit does not say "remember Sutekh and the Gods of Ragnarok? well I'm big cheese like them" The Doctor does make a reference to the Daemons while discussing various other cultures that have a horned devil, and I don't really like the trope even there but it does make sense in context why he would mention them.
As someone who's had depression for about 10 years, this episode spoke directly to me, I loved it so much, I cried. Definitely one of my personal favourite episodes of Doctor Who of all time.
I didn't love this episode but I did like it. The message reminded me of Infinity Train (man I wish people knew what I'm referencing)
@@WiloPolis03 You mean that wierd cartoon network show with the red haired girl and the little robot
This happened to be the one episode of this season I bought instead of streaming it from BBC America. I had no idea what the episode was about when I got it (bought it because of app weirdness), but I sure am glad that I did.
Ryan's friend got to me. I'm a lot like him I realized. I have a very set routine for my days off that I don't really deviate from, I work a sales job and it drains all my social energy. So, like him, I spend a lot of time at home, alone. Tell my friends I'm fine to do whatever. Right now I'm supposed to go to the movies with them but I'm so tired and low energy. I just told them I'm working. He told his story about going the the grocery store to talk to someone, and he saw the self checkout. And I laughed so hard, cause I just started using the self checkout at Taco Bell.
The marketing for this series hasn’t been amazing considering the current trailers are saying
“ 1 more episode till the explosive finale”
Kinda putting the next episode down as filler until the good stuff
It's also pretty poor marketing considering next week is allegedly the Lone Cyberman episode that will lead straight into the finale.
The BBC seem to be going through one of the phases where they are not enamored with Doctor Who, signs of this include the long gaps between new series and Specials being pushed back to New Year instead of Christmas. I feel that if it wasn't successful in America as well, the BBC would be working towards axing it again.
It's not that unusual. Off the top of my head shows like Vikings or TWD do the same thing in their trailers, saying "only x episodes left until the mid season finale" etc. There's nothing really wrong with that, especially for a show like doctor who where finales are where you can expect a lot of exciting plot stuff
Then there was the dvd trailer for the series that had not come out yet?
I really hope the finale is as good as they're building it up to be. Fingers crossed 🤞
Can we talk about that awesome animated sequence? That bit was awesome!
This episode really highlighted why I love the companions of this era , cause finally their ordinary people dealing with emotional dilemmas instead of been plot devises while dealing with the implications of traveling with the doctor probably since Amy and Rory
“She wants to be alone and she also wants the company”
I’ve never considered the doctor particularly relatable... the relatability aspect of the show always belonged to the companions (for me). She’s become the most relatable iteration of the doctor over the course of this season.
She IS sweet and bubbly and loves her friends. But she’s also got a lot of emotional baggage and feels alienated. I get it. I love it.
"she wants to be alone yet she wants company" ... sounds just like me ...
Me too. It's an interesting dichotomy and I'm interested to see where they go with it. In retrospect I suspect they were going for that in Season 11 as well, but Season 11 was so half-assed in general it's hard to be sure. Glad they're doing something with it now.
My favorite part was Graham attempting to talk to the Doctor about his very Human limitations. The Doctor was *utterly alien* there.
Very much like the 4th, the 6th - mysterious, abrasive, has emotions, but they're not Human emotions at all. The Doctor regenerates, lives through things that would drive Humans insane, and the Human characters are really all they have for each other. Graham, Yaz and Ryan were all talking about ephemeral things toward the end of the story. The Doctor has lived so long now, there's no real frame of reference, beyond the memory of a Human shell she "fakes" for her Human friends.
It's not that she's mad, or evil, or unsympathetic - or lacks empathy. She simply can't fit into a finite Human life, even if she may be able to understand Human fears, it may be that she finds them a bit silly at this point.
Would be great if they lean into this. I doubt they will, but I like seeing that kind of stuff.
The Doctor basically says what we already know - she’s not always good in the moment when complex human emotions are at the forefront. But instead of “oh yeah, Mickey’s plastic and may be dead, oops, I didn’t even think of that” or “sorry for the loss of your loved one/pet, oops, wrong notecard” there’s an air of disappointment in herself, for someone so clever who has spent hundreds of years traveling with humans to still struggle with these interactions. Also cracked me up getting so wrapped up in problem solving and not even noticing that the companions are gone and no one is listening - very Doctor. And arguing with the TARDIS! 😂
Does anyone else agree with me on this? That the Chibnall-era of Doctor Who is at its best and most confident when its taking itself seriously playing into the Drama?
Yup. The best scenes in his era have been the quiet dialogue scenes that allow the actors to be at their best. He stumbles with sci fi but excels at powerful human drama, sometimes beating even RTD at raw human introspection.
@@benw4409 and often best complimented when the threat isn't just a standard 'nonster'.
Yeah, definitely. This is good Doctor Who, appealing to young children and us old children too. This episode touched me deeply.
@@benw4409 I have to agree, there are a few moments where Chibnall does surpass Davies in simple character interactions. That's when Chibnall is at his best, when focusing on the characters.
Maybe I'll tweet him: 'Go dramatic, go weird', you're good at it.
I think your review made me cry more than the episode and boy did I blub at that. Just seeing the impact it clearly had on you really came across.
I agreed with all your points on this episode, absolutely incredible and I haven't stopped thinking about it since last night. I was most pleased we have finally gotten Yaz back story and I really hope we get to keep her moving into next series.
Again, fantastic review as always ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Enjoyed it and makes me want to know more about Yaz's risky tendencies. Graham's nightmare pulled at my heart and I am sure this'll be a well remembered episode for it's ways with discussing mental health and issues people conceal for the sake of looking tough.
Despite all the detestation it received from a big portion of the community, I really loved that final exchange between Graham and the Doctor because it's an accurate rappresentation of what actually mental health care assistants do in real life: *not remarking the issue* .
This is something the average person usually finds to be counterintuitive, but it's a subject well known in the field that avoiding consolation support it's the most effective solution to take in order to help an individual who is experiencing selfesteem and security problems: that's because in doing so (I'm referring to consolation support) you are actually *_giving too much weight and unnecessary gravitas to an issue_* that is troubling the indigent; you're not helping him/her getting over it doing so...you're *remarking the problem* .
The solution is *not comforting, but **_listening_* : just *_listening_* .
After that, when the person has let out all those words of struggle and concerning, you change the subject interrupting that flux of gravitas: basically, you metaphorically _cauterize the psychological injury after all the "bloodly pain" has been flowed away_ ; you leave the healing process to the patient's mind on a unconsciously way...you let the person dealing with it in his/her own terms, with the acceptance and eventually overcoming of the condition.
*You offer a distraction through which the person can process his/her own condition* in a much more relaxed and distant way.
*_Comforting_** does more harm than good* : it remarks the problem to the subject's mind, keeping open the psychological injury which will take much longer to mend. As I said, it's a counterintuitive concept: I'm well aware about that.
And that's exactly what the Doctor did with Graham: she let the words of fear going way, just listening without pandering the situation; and then, she changed the subject releiving Graham from the tension and giving him a moment of brief happiness and hilarity.
Considering the subtext of the episode, I bet this particular scene was one of the contribution of an external show advisor related to the field of mental health care assistance..!
Thank you for the insight.
Also certain doctors have shown to be socially awkward when proven wrong or when they seem rude to others particularly the 1st , 6th , and 12
I think it's slightly more complicated than that. It's good to strip things down to the root of the problem and figure out little things here and there to begin to solve it one by one.
@@WiloPolis03 Yes, of course it's something that must be done: but it's the indigent person that must do it; the job of the listener is to accompany the person during his journey into healing, not to be the healer.
And that's because of an important matter: avoiding dependence; mental health care assistant has to offer a shoulder to lean on, not a master figure. If you don't take that approach, you risk to become the very thing the patient could depend on in order to avoid dealing with his/her own problems.
The goal is to accompany the person in order to find again the lost equilibrium, to give him/her insight about the "road above"; not just replace a palliative form of regulation with another one: indipendence in recovery is the main objective; and that can be achieved only by the patient itself.
Sometimes there are very difficult cases, and it's not always possible to reach that goal (expecially without the use of medicine); but it's the most effective solution for the patient, in order to resume an healthy everyday lifestyle and return to be self sufficient...
Just remember it isn't a "big portion" of the community. Just looking at the negative comments in this video, it is more or less the same word for word and kind of sad in that respect. It could be the greatest story ever written in sci-fi and they would still hate it as "trash". Thinking that they speak for the fandom at large when the truth is they are a vocal minority, shouting alone in a corner. Everyone else just ignores them. Ignore them for long enough and they move on to their next source of hate.
really loved the message of the importance to talk to someone if you need help. It really does help. Plus I loved the doctors reaction with Graham. you could tell she wanted to help but didn't no how.
I liked how even though she didn't know what to say, she still talked and listened to him, and even after just stood with him for a moment so he wouldn't be alone.
In my opinion, this episode would have worked well in Series 11 - it does a lot to establish the characters with their greatest fears, but it's extremely late for that.
Agreed partially, but with this theme it’s also not too late. Now just happens to be the time.
Yes, it would've been much better to do this story in Series 11. But it needed to be done, and better now than later. They also seem more on top of their game this season. If they'd told this story without Series 11 under their belt, I suspect they wouldn't have executed it anywhere near as well.
It does seem to deal with the immortality theme that i think a few eps this season has been about.
Decent episode but a little overstuffed, it felt like they dealt with the immortals too easily and too quickly, I think the stuff in Syria may have been a bit superfluous.
What this episode has done for me is really showing why 3 companions are necessary- while it is seldom that all three are necessary for the plot and structure of episodes; this episode really shows why they are needed narratively and gives an insight into the Doctor. She needs her fam.
@Thomas Smithurst Three companions can work well but each episode has to be written around them, which can be restrictive. This time it worked but what about all the other times when at least one companion was superfluous? It's made even worse when there's at least one tag along character in an episode. Two regular companions works better with a tag along making up the third IMO.
lwaves I completely agree, 99% of the time- only two companions are necessary to the episode.
Definitely felt to be that the enemy was defeated to easily. A better metaphor for depression/mental illness would have been if there had been an indication that the Dr wasn't sure the trap would last, now the 'Gods' had escaped once.
The thing in Syria helped show how this Doctor does need her ‘fam’ and it had a line about mental health issues being treated well in Syria back in the day. It didn’t beat you over the head by saying ‘this is a mental health episode’ but it and the set up of showing the fam go to their individual story arc things helped make the theme noticeable early on.
@@lwaves Is there any downside to having a character in the background for an episode, though? That's pretty common throughout television in general - a show's cast rarely all get focus in the same episode, but over the course of a season we get to know and spend time with all of them.
I want to like this episode so much. Maybe I need to rewatch it. The message is *very important* but I didn’t like the doctor’s response to Graham at the end.
Ignoring the message, as an episode I think the villains get defeated FAR too quickly, which seems odd considering they’re meant to be gods. I appreciate the several nods to classic villains though. I think I need to give it another chance but the doctor and Graham’s exchange really did sour things for me
I'm still not sure how I feel about how The Doctor acted with Graham at the end. I like the idea that these conversations can be hard, uncomfortable and you sometimes just don't how to act, but they're important to have. But... I don't know if The Doctor is the character to deliver that through
I think *maybe* that her response was on purpose......Series 11, The doctor was all happy go lucky, like a kid in a candy story, but ever since The Doctor saw what tha master did in Spyfall part 2.....the doctor has been more and more distant.....Remember The doctors You dont know me speech at the end of spyfall....and in this episode everyone is being honest about their fears......but notice the Doctor said nothing.....and seems more like the doctor just wants to run away
For me, it shows that even a several thousand year old, practically omnipotent, semi mythical demi god is still susceptible to mental health issues, so you are as well, so go talk to someone
I felt exactly the same.
So frustrated at how quickly they were defeated after such a build up.
Also about the Doctor & Graham. I’m really not clicking with this Doctor as a person, I find her really self absorbed and overly reliant on tech
I got a sense of capaldi here how he always needed the cue cards Clara made for him in weird situations. That's what I took it as at least.
one thing thats very clear about 13 is how ALONE she feels the lonely god in the blue box is a thing often tied to the doctor but its very very true with 13
Not just the finger..... THE MOVING FINGER!!!!!!!
I got that, I feel so good about myself.
@@Thunderwing88 the big bang theory reference
nabil emara never heard of it
@@Thunderwing88 Season 1-7 are great. After that it fell a little bit.
@@CyberController- - I got your reference too - said the same thing as I was watching!
I'm sure you know it, but that little smile in your face when you really like something, it fills the screen of joy. Thanks for that.
I think it's time to give Chibnall credit because this series has been pretty great so far
I know it's an odd thing to say, when comparing to the themes of this episode and the over all story, but I really loved the lighting in this one. Before anything else, I just feel in love with that and colour palettes that I was seeing in Aleppo and all the different settings which just made each place feel so unique to me.
I also really appreciate how we got long scenes of the Tardis materialising. I feel like most of the time now it's a either off screen or very quick, but I've always loved just watching that Blue Box appear from nowhere in that slow wheezing sense. And there was one scene in Aleppo when the Doctor arrives and she's stood in the courtyard, the whole place shrouded in darkness with bit of light coming from flames and the Tardis and it's the most beautiful wide shot with her just talking to herself! I wanted to pause it just so I could stare at it because it was just so good.
Fantastic review as always!
Now that you say it, I remember myself constantly thinking about how I could draw these scenes.
@@gearmachine_4885 If you do please tell me, would love to see fan art from this episode specifically.
@@rosco31100 nah sorry I’d love to but I have way to many projects to finish right now
@@gearmachine_4885 Shame. All the same, something for you to keep in mind down the road. Hope all your other projects are going well.
“We really want to see those fingers!” Vic and Bob (shooting stars)
Vic and Bob do Doctor Who (with a previous regeneration of Nardole):
ruclips.net/video/H92RbydVwuc/видео.html
Lots I loved about the episode, but how the doctor defeats them still felt so rushed. I get they wanted to spend more time on the messaging, and I don't even think that was the wrong decision, but it did come at the expense of something.
Could have made a nice two parter.
Charlotte M they should’ve cut out orphan 55 and had an extra episode to make this a 2 parter
She reversed the code from earlier. Simple enough resolution really. The Doctor even stated you don't fight gods.
@@pious83 I know, personally I thought it was fine and well paced, but I think it still could have been a good two parter. First part the gods getting out, second part trying to put them back in. Overall I feel it works fine and I'd say this is one of the better episodes this year for me personally.
@@pious83 Exactly, she 'unlocked' the prison so she knows how to 're-lock' it. All the information was available on the space station including one would think, the information on how the 'immortal was trapped the first time.
Thank you. I'm so glad you watched this twice.This is a wonderful review of a truly wonderful episode. I have watched quite a few analyses of this episode where the reviewers seemed to have got bogged down in nit-picking; as if they wanted to re-write the episode themselves. You, my friend, really get it, and again I thank you for that.
Out of a few zillion Doctor Who episodes I've watched, this is definitely in my top ten. Having depression be the monster was so, so good, and mentioning a bunch of other "gods" who represent different aspects of the human experience... pizza chef kiss at it. I cried at the 50p piece like the rest of y'all. Of course.
i didn't exactly love this episode but listening to your review made me realize that i didn't really understand this story and I'm definitely gonna rewatch it before the next episode.
I've watched alot of your Doctor Who reviews but this one has to be my favourite. great job Nathaniel.
amen. as someone who constantly has to put my anxiety back in its box, i totally got this. The writer and director clearly knew what they were talking about
For me right now:
1) Fugitive of the Judoon: 8,5/10
2) Can You Hear Me?: 8,5/10
3) Spyfall Part 1/Spyfall Part 2: 8/10
4) Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror: 7/10
5) Praxeus: 6,5/10
6) Orphan 55: 5/10
yeah. me too
Fugitive of the Judoon was better than Spyfall for me, but otherwise, your list is practically identical to mine.
fugitive of the judoon and nikola tesla's night of terror are tied at three for me. fugitive of the judoon would be above but I am just so scared about the new doctor I don't have enough answers yet.
At least after first viewing I’d have to say that I think Can You Hear Me is better than Fugitive of the Judoon. Mainly because Fugitive relies on payoff that is yet to happen and nostalgia/awesomeness of having Captain Jack back. Hear Me is mainly a self contained episode, even though there are callbacks to Spyfall, Orphan 55, and classic era stuff.
Me too! Same placement except maybe a 7 as well for Praxeus
My favourite part was the reference to the toymaker. That was amazing
2:31 I think the grandmother from Demons of the Punjab passed away. It's subtle but it's there, and it ties in with the themes.
Agreed. I've heard some people say that Yaz and her sister were commemorating the anniversary of Yaz returning home after running away, but that seems like a slightly odd thing to commemorate! To me, the grandmother's passing would make more sense.
I loved this too. Very clever episode. Even down to the animation section where it talked about how the people realised that it was the ‘eternals’ that were manipulating them and they fought back.
A lot of people seem to dislike this episode. Personally I don’t think they fully ‘got it’. Complaints about a deux ex machina, but there was no ‘win’ as such, it was more just the acknowledgement that they exist.
Some people are saying the Doctor came across as cold in the scene with Graham and should have given him advice. The thing is, sometimes with worries or anxieties you just need someone to listen. (Hence the title, Can you hear me?) She did that, she listened.
You can't necessarily find a 'solution' to your problems all the time.
Sidenote: the 7th episode in a row set on Earth.
Thing I think some people are forgetting is that she's dealing with her own issues to and that sometimes it's hard to help others when your suffering as well. But even though she didn't say anything encouraging, I liked that she and Graham just listened and stood with each other, like their presence together was enough to keep back the darkness, which sometimes it is, but not always.
Also, I too am annoyed that this whole series so far has been set on Earth. Also that five out of the seven episodes have been set on Modern day Earth - usually the most boring place the Doctor can go.
@@rosco31100 Spyfall dealt with the possibility of alernate Earths so i wasnt surprised that most episodes would be set on Earth this season.
I think Graham's talk with The Doctor is the best part of this episode. Tibo and Yaz find some sort of comfort to their problems, but Graham doesn't. It's really sad because he's suffered the most so far, but he doesn't get sad by the lack of answer.
When Whittaker's Doctor berates herself for not realizing her companions were there she says, "Who am I gonna share all this cool stuff with?" It really reminded me of a moment Matt Smith's Doctor had when he's tinkering with the TARDIS and realizes he's alone. He comes back to his friends and shouts, "I'm up here being extremely clever and there's no one to stand around looking impressed! What's the point in having you all?!"
I think the 10th Doctor did that at least once (after Rose left, if I recall), talking to the companion before realising he was alone.
But matt did it 10x better, so did david. I felt nothing when jodie did it, it just came and went. Mostly because there wasn't a build up to it, it just randomly happened. RTD and moffet were great at highlighting that the doctor was lonely all throughout the series. Which is why those moments were powerful and memorable when they happened. Nobody's gonna remember jodie's "moment of lonelyness". Plus, jodie just didn't sell it as well either. Once again this is just chibs trying to capture great moments from the moffet/rtd era and failing at it.
And isn't it interesting how *differently* the two Doctors did it? For 11 it seemed more about childishness and self-aggrandisement whereas 13 actually felt a bit lost without her companions. I'd say that Jodie sold it just fine. it was just a more subtle moment than Matt's. It's a difference in style, not quality - Moffatt was very fond of big, melodramatic moments while Chibnall prefers to show character through quieter ones. Chibnall and Whittaker aren't "failing to recapture Moffat" - they're not *trying* to recapture Moffat. They're doing their own thing. In Season 11 they didn't do it very well. In Season 12, they're doing it much better.
@@irrevenant3 Yeah they are doing better, but doing a little better than S11 aint saying much lol. It's like a nazi saying, "well, at least we're better than vikings"
@@THIZZAVELI I don't think they're doing a little better than S11, I think they're doing a *lot* better than S11. S11 was the weakest series in Nu Who. Most of S12 has been somewhere between middling and really good (with 'Orphan 55' a notable outlier). In the course of a season they've gone from poor to ballpark comparable to a typical season of Doctor Who.
I was of the opinion that the resolution of the plot was a bit rushed. But you've made me rethink that. Thank you!
Okay. Some who who isn’t full of negativity. I’m in. I’ll subscribe.
Oh yes, you've come to the right place!
Episodes like this are what makes companions shine.
the people on the planets fought each other, then they grew wise and started fighting the immortals. Thank you for explaining this episode so well! never thought a dw review would make me cry, but here we are...
Thank you I have depression and I was crying hearing you talk about it and I have to wait for the DVD or blu-ray to watch it but I can't wait to see it it sounds like a great season to watch thank you for your videos
Chris Russo You can’t stream the episodes on BBC America? I bought this episode via iTunes/Apple store.
@@Warmishcookies I don't have that I have to wait
@@chrisrusso6541 ❤❤
Our protagonists are really starting to become real people and this episode boasts it. It's nice to see after so much self-doubt last season. Chris has clearly found his feet.
Since it was only three years between Yas running away and being a probationary Police Officer and unless the policewoman retired shortly after talking to Yas on the roadside, it seems odd to me that Yas has not crossed paths during her police work.
I was disappointed that the Doctor didn't even say to Graham, "Well, I'm here to listen when you want me to". Especially since she has seen how to be supportive by how often her "fam" says "We're here for you Doc".
This episode seems like it's setting Ryan up for some serious character shifting. The nightmare he has is his friend accusing him of missing the world burning, and then being surrounded by the Dregs. That was an amazing touch, btw - it was a nice use of the monster, and helped show that whatever we feel about Orphan 55, the experience has effected Ryan very much. And he's questioning how long this will be their lives. He feels like he's getting ready to move on, and that he's matured so much through his travels. And wouldn't it be lovely to have a companion decide to leave on their own terms again, instead of being forced out by plot?
I adored this episode, and I'm enjoying the overall pace of this series so far. I think that Chibs is doing well at balancing the more serious/weighty episodes with the seemingly unconnected ones (in terms of PLOT ARC, at least - character arc they're all connected and building amazingly off each other).
I'm surprised you didn't mention that animation in the middle of the episode with the two planets. I thought that was a really charming touch! Haven't seen something like that in Doctor Who before and I was really impressed!
Great great episode Season 12 has been very very good I feel Doctor who has turned a corner Lately. We will forget about the blip of Orphan 55 every season has an iffy episode, Last two episodes have been great for Yaz shes finally getting some decent air time and finally some much needed character development... hope yet for her.... I do like her she has potential....
Graham trying to have a deep conversation with the Dr at the end indicates that he doesn’t really have anyone to talk with. Even the Dr admitted that she’s not equipped to handle those deep conversations. It made me a bit sad. Great episode and it wasn’t preachy!
I really enjoyed this story. I completely get what is what going for. What made it so creepy is that we all recognise those "monsters" we know them. We see them everywhere. Maybe not in that physical form, but we do. More importantly they know us. Everything about us. Even more than those closest to us.
For the past few episodes I just feel like tiny bits of "stuff" is being missed out, that should be there. In my head I made up that yaz was missing for a while,long enough to have her teenage sister worry about her and call the police. Long enough for it to have a lasting effect on her sister so much so, she still celebrates the day she got her sister back. Maybe she wasn't physically missing for that long. Physically, yaz may of been their, but not really herself. I just feel we should have has some dialogue to explain this.
Once the companions were back home. No mention of the fact they were all wanted fugitives a few weeks before?
I did felt it did a good job of showing no matter how alone you feel, not reaching out actually hurts the people you love too. What happened with yaz seemed to have affected her sister, more than it affected yaz. Quite understandably. Ryan's guilt for tibbo.
I'd actually love to see more of yaz and her sister. I was always disappointed we never got more interaction with Martha and her siblings. Theirs just something about a sibling relationship that's so different to the normal lovers or parent child relationship we usually see.
Beautiful review, you really carved out the depths of this episode's message for me. Your insights are very inspiring, keep it up!
I really loved this ep and this is one I will totally come back to watch a few times to get all those little details.
I think this episode brought into sharp focus something that they vaguely laid the groundwork for in Season 11 and never really came up past that. The Doctor latched onto a group of random strangers and immediately decided they were her 'Fam' because she badly needs that level of connection. But when it comes down to it she's not very good at actually forming a connection. It's really a shame we didn't see that addressed more during the Fam's formative season.
I honestly and genuinely think we are in the middle of one of the best seasons of Dr Who since the 2005 reboot. I find it hard to fault S12, its playing as hard as S5 - Smith's first. This episode was another stunner.
S5 is to be fair a very high bar to beat- I think we need to wait until the finale- but I agree this is a very strong series so far, and probably the most consistent since 5 or 6.
You’re pushing it there lad!
No, Matt Smiths was a lot better.
Having just rewatched pretty much all of Tennent and Ecclestons episodes, no, just no.
I liked S10 far more than most of Moffat’s era. This does seem to be one of the best and most consistent series we’ve had in awhile, regardless of the negative opinion from a chunk of the Doctor Who ‘fandom’ (I’m not sure if people complaining about Jodie as the Doctor and this era of the show are really fans of the show or are viewers bitching about things because it’s popular to do so).
For me the ending didn’t work from a story telling point of view. There should have been more time dedicated to the Doctor working out how to get them trapped again and having to trick them in some way. Just pointing the sonic at tech that was already there and it being over SO quickly was massively anti-climatic.
A shame because the rest of the episode was SO good.
Yeah the inmortals should have been harder to beat considering how one of them had basically studied how the Doctor planned and probably knew how she was going to handle it. Maybe they will come bck in a later season bc it seemed too easy. I guess facing your fears was the message so they had to end the villians quick to get to the companion character developments.
Great analysis. I really liked this episode and the part with Yasmin and the police officer made me cry. This season is much better than the last.
On another topic, I don’t usually comment on people’s looks, but I absolutely love your rainbow theme! Somehow the rainbow in your glasses helps bring it out in your hair. And sometimes you have a colourful twinkle in your eyes. Fabulous!
The thing is the doctor doesn't seem to care about her companions like they go missing several times and she doesn't seem to notice.
That’s going to bite her one day...
I loved this episode. It was so emotional. My eyes went full of tears and it was spooky and odd. The depth and the subtile way that they told a story about a very important issue. Episodes like this is what makes Doctor Who a favourite show to watch. It was told so well. And great villains with good acting skills! Series 12 is, this far, a joy to watch! A solid 8 out of 10 for me.
Wow, you got me crying at the end there, just by saying the title “Can You Hear Me?”. You have such an eloquent, powerful way of speaking!
I'm so glad you agree on the Doctor's response to Graham. It's very similar, point by point, how I am when someone opens up to me about something. I listen but I am not sure what to say until later on. People call her cold and I guess I get that same reaction to. But as someone who has depression I prefer when the person listening to me just lets me talk and doesn't try to force some advice or comfort just because. Sometimes it's just nice to have an ear to share. It lightens the burden. Plus the Doctor is going through serious stuff and it is sad she can't talk about it in return.
I disagree. The Doctor responding to Graham the way she did was so out of character.
I'm socially awkward myself, but if somebody opened up to me about having cancer, I would try to support them the best I can, maybe by giving them a hug or some advice, just anything. Because anything in that situation would be better than just going "Sorry, but I'm socially awkward, so bye bye".
You've cheered me up immensely. The one really bad habit I have is visiting social media and fan sites immediately after a Doctor Who episode has aired to find out what people are saying. It's ironic, given the theme of the episode, that my mood sunk considerably after reading so many negative comments. As someone who suffers with severe mental health problems (I have bipolar disorder) It's wonderful to hear from someone who actually 'gets' what the episode was actually about. Like you, I loved this episode and the message was so important. Thank you so much.
I loved The Celestial Toymaker reference. “The Toymaker would approve” - such terrifying Villains.
I missed that reference but it was nice to see the Guardians get a mention. I actually thought he might have been the Black Guardian until that point.
I missed the references to the Guardians and the Eternals because I haven’t seen those episodes, but I did get the Toymaker reference!
The Celestial Toymaker is probably one of my favourite Classic episodes and I remember thinking ‘well if the Toymaker isn’t going to appear at least he was named!’
The other side of the coin of course is that I did think briefly that he was The Toymaker.
It's lazy writing though, devolve the show into a prosaic soap opera and sate the fans with informational corn sirup.
Zarrg - Sorry... for a second there... I almost thought I asked for your opinion.
@@nobodyshome4633 You stated yours and I stated mine, no permission is required from any party.
I love Whitaker’s reply to Graham at the end, you don’t always have the best thing to say that sounds rehearsed. Understanding the message and applying it to your life is handy, but as characters it’s unrealistic and I thank them for their choice here
As someone going through a divorce and dealing with some pretty bad depression issues, this episode really touched me and I really enjoyed it.
I found it was all over the place but weirdly together.
This was a fantastic episode. One of the first "abstract" Doctor Who episodes I've truly loved in a long time. The conversation at the end when the Doctor just has no idea what to say really did get me. She's lost in her own head. Brimming with ideas and plans and wants these people around to feel clever when she explains to them what's going on. But at the end of the day, she doesn't at all know how to deal with their emotions and their baggage. We haven't really touched on that as much before now. There was a bit of that with Rose when the Ninth Doctor said he didn't do domestic. But for the most part it hasn't been nearly as deep as it was in this one scene.
I lived the immortals and a lot of the core concepts and ideas, but I think it sadly failed at takeoff with too many different things happening at once, and missed the landing with the way the immortals get defeated being just kinda Deus ex.
For example. I really don't like that the ending is basically, "if you feel depressed just stop being scared" with the monsters being controlled.
This really hit hard, I had a message from a friend saying that someone I was just getting to know through talking via social media had passed away this weekend and they said it was suspected suicide :( she was suffering with depression and really bad anxiety and I can't help but feel that I could've done more for her :(
I'm sorry for your loss Hannah.
Nitpick:
I've seen another people complaining about this too, but this whole series so far has been set on Earth as the primary setting. And worse than that, five of the seven episodes have been Modern day (Spyfall for the most part, Judoon, plastic episode, and now this one) and I wouldn't be shocked if the two part finale was mainly set on Modern day Earth too. Gotta say I'm disappointed because that was one thing I think series 11 did well, travelling to new planets as well as spacing them out nicely throughout the series. I get it's a budgetary thing for the most part but when I get more than five Earth episodes in a row I just annoyed because it makes the universe feel smaller than it should. And while the modern day can be good for character development as some people have pointed out (Because all three companions had to be from the modern day - don't get me started on that!) it's just the most boring setting for me in terms of Doctor Who.
I really like the way this season is dealing with The Doctor and her mental health problems, like The Doctor has always been dealing with some heavy stuff but I find that it's much more subtle with the 13th Doctor than earlier Doctors. The keeping secrets from the companions, not really noticing they're not there until she realizes she's talking to herself, the fact that this episode didn't delve into her nightmares the way it did everyone else's etc. It's such small things that it's almost hard to pin down but when you do you realize how shut off she is from everyone else, even though she clearly cares for them. This Doctor calls her companions her family but she also keeps them much further away from herself than the previous modern Doctors did.
I'm just speechless with this review. Loved the episode, but you've made it bigger and awesome for me. Thanks!!!
When I started to watch this review you said you watched it twice. So I paused your video and watched it again. I'm really glad I did. Your review on this episode was dead on. You really added to my enjoyment of this episode. Your explaining the overall theme of the episode was excellent. Thank you for your thoughtful video.
Really dug what you were saying about the 2 planets, locked in war with themselves over "depression." Damn, that's some thinky stuff right there.
But I was also thinking about a fan theory doing the rounds, about civilisations destroying their own planets. Orphan 55 and Praxeus being very obvious, but also Ryan's vision of the future in this episode and the unanswered question of Gallifrey's destruction. Here we have 2 civilisations who choose to let their planets burn in order to trap the very thing that has been tormenting them.
I was thoroughly enjoying the episode until that point when the sonic jumped into the Doctor's hand like Luke's lightsaber in the cave on Hoth. That destroyed the moment for me.
Is that what actually happened or was it just weird editing? That confused me when it happened.
Same, it’s like since when has telekinesis been a time lord ability?
@@toasterhead79 it was bloody awful whichever it was. I think the insinuation was that she bounced it out of her pocket, but even in a show about a space wizard (or witch) in a magic box, that's farfetched.
I think it was meant to be magnetism
@@scipi3590 Really? When was it established she was holding a magnet? It's a shame because the episode had some really good themes, dealing with Yaz's insecurities, Graham's fear of his cancer returning and Ryan's buddy's depression. It's a shame The Doctor hasn't been given the character development the others got this week.
Fantastic review. I didn't fully grasp how much the villains represented everything when I watched it. I felt the quick resolution kind of soured what was an otherwise an amazing episode, but knowing what they represent makes that so much better.
I just rewatched and it shot way back up. I teared up so many times. They do such a great job of representing so many different fears people have and they're all done so well. I might even consider this a near perfect episode (Who has never had a totally flawless episode). Only part that I felt was really dumb was when she shot the sonic up front her coat pocket to her hand. What the hell was that?
Easily quickly became one of my all time favorite Doctor Who episodes, and I saw it at a time that I needed to see it.
Fuck, thankyou so much. Your final revelation in this video made me understand the episode so more. I struggle with mental health on a daily basis, and i've been a doctor who fan since 1996. Now i definitely need to watch this one again. You're such an inspiration.
It was a lovely thoughtful episode and this is a lovely thoughtful analysis. Thank you!
I’m in tears right now. From your review. I’m not kidding. This episode left me unsettled but I wasn’t sure why. I’m going to do what you did, watch it again with your words in mind. I can see the message better now. On a side note, the Doctor’s response to Graham tracks perfectly with previous incarnations, at least for me. Many times the Doctor has had to ask the companions whether he was being rude or insensitive, like Ten asking Rose in New Earth (I think), Ten’s rudeness toward Martha, and there are other classic era instances as well. The Doctor can be thousands of years old but she’s still not human, just like when you’re socially awkward, you can be 90 and that’s not going to change. Totally saw myself in that. Thanks for the review, Nathaniel, you’ve given me a lot to think about.
I suffer from/battle Depression and Anxiety everyday.. and I didnt pick up on what you are saying when I watched this episode.. But what you are saying makes perfect sense.. I am going to watch this episode again... Thank you so much! Really good review!!
I think the best way to look at Jodie’s portrayal of the doctor is Capaldi speech to what the new doctor should be. “Love is wise” “always be kind” etc and I think that’s why she’s so much less edgy and depressed than the last doctors because she’s finally gotten out of that and is the next evolution of that arc
Thank you so much for your thoughtful review. It led me to watch the episode again and see it in an even broader context than the first time. This episode was absolute gold. I always appreciate your thoughts, criticism is important, but your thoughtful praise when they get things right means even more. This season is awesome! (Hey, everybody has an Orphan 55 sometimes lol)
Twenty years or so ago, a psychiatrist had a brief conversation with me in which he diagnosed me as someone who suffers from Classic Depression. He asked me why I was depressed, I told him, and he verbally put a mirror in front of my face: "Your Dad just died, your wife is leaving you, and your job has you stressed. If you weren't depressed over all this, THEN I would think there was something wrong with you." I told him I was depressed before all that, "and I'm sure you had good reasons then too. Look, depression's not what's wrong with you. That's natural. How you deal with it, that's the tricky bit." He then recommended remeron and a therapist. Neither helped me, but I have since found other coping mechanisms that are not self-destructive or harmful to others. It's a process. Anyway, I explained all that to explain this: When The Doctor said to Graham that she had plans all the time crashing into her, but knowing which one works and how best to implement it, that's the tricky bit..? THAT hit me like Cleese hitting Palin with a large fish. The Doctor suffers from depression. She always has. She's never truly happy because she knows the fate of this universe is heat death. There is an inevitability, and sometimes all her TARDIS is, is a cassette tape player where she hits rewind and then plays a new song or a familiar song. She's just passing time. Postponing the inevitable. Even when a younger version of herself demanded "GALLIFREY STANDS!" The Doctor knew it wouldn't stand forever.
The villains of this story talked as if they were immortals. Gods. Better than her. She knows better and The Doctor doesn't take pride in that or ...in fact she feels kinda sorry for them. They feed on pain and suffering. She feeds on hope. That's what keeps her going. She may not know Graham's fate specifically, but she knows what's probable, and anything she says to try and comfort him may just make him more depressed. "Spoilers!" However, what's more important than telling someone who is depressed how to snap themselves out of it, is to simply acknowledge that you're listening, offer a shoulder to cry on maybe if you're capable of intimacy (The Doctor usually is not) and just be there for them. You don't have to have the magical answer cuz there isn't one. Just be you. Just be a variable in the universe of the depressed person that's slightly more constant than the other variables troubling them.
And if you really need help, don't be afraid to ask someone qualified. I appreciated that this episode ended with a number to call for people in the audience who are struggling with mental illness, and don't know where to turn. Sometimes we like to be alone. Sometimes we really shouldn't be alone. It's hard to tell which is which sometimes.
I also adored the actor choice for the god keyand lanister fanstatic choice
Nice thoughts. Measured, reflective - I'm glad you rewatched it before sharing. You've inspired me to watch this again.
Normally I don’t quite agree with all that you say but, on this episode, you pretty much nailed what I thought. The moment Ryan met his friend, I instantly knew what the problem was and I started to find the scenes with those two in particular uncomfortable to watch. I was worrying about Ryan’s friend and finding a lot of thoughts being expressed that I’ve had.
I was glad they didn’t give it an unrealistic ‘happy’ ending and I felt that the message in this episode was delivered much more effectively than in the story about Vincent Van Gogh. After the UK transmission, they gave a helpline number for people dealing with mental health issues and it felt appropriate. When they did the same thing in the Vincent episode, they just said “If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this episode...” and didn’t even mention it was a mental health helpline - which just made me sit there, thinking: “If I’ve been chased by an invisible monster that appears in church windows?!?”
Agreed, this was a brilliant episode.
I always look forward to your reviews because quite often you've seen stuff in an episode that I've missed, a nuance or an added depth, some hidden meaning, but most of all because even reviewing a terrible episode you still look for the positives as well as the negatives. You never resort to expletives and outright trashing like a few of the other reviewers do and it's flagrantly apparent that you are a true fan.
I found this episode to be multi-layered, but even taken as simply a story, rather than a message I thought it was very well done. There have been a few message episodes, some blunter than others and they have come in for criticism from certain quarters, but who else is there trying to get these messages across? If they can be integrated into an exciting and popular science fiction series then why not? Because nobody else seems to be out there championing these causes.
Thank you for another great review.
Loved the episode and loved your review. You truly are an insightful, beautiful soul and how you articulate your thoughts is inspiring. Much love
It did bug me initially that Ryan didn't stick around to help his friend out but I realised the friend wouldn't have wanted Ryan to cancel his plans to go travelling and sometimes the last person you want to unload onto are your friends.
Now that I think about it, the ending works for me too. Sometimes dealing with our problems seems like an impossible task, like defeating a pair of gods, but then when we start to get better, we realize that our problems weren't as difficult as we thought they were and we can deal with them easily
Yeah, I think this is one of the strongest, if not the strongest episode from Chibnall's era so far. Although, I wasn't entirely sure about the Graham-Doctor interaction at the end. I appreciate this doctor is socially awkward and distant, but her response to him was strangely balanced between being comic and serious. It just felt a bit like it undermined the scene. I think I would have preferred it if she had gone over to the console and not known what to say at first, but then after a pause we heard her say the thing she should have said to Graham. I don't know, it just feels a bit off to me as it is.
On the plus side, I'm liking the slight rift between Yaz and Ryan in their attitudes to travelling - I think that's quite an interesting dynamic to (hopefully) develop.
I think her reaction was spot on. She didn't need to respond, Graham just needed her to listen and she'd done that. A lot of people don't know how to respond and she was highlighting that, essentially saying it's okay to not know what to say. I think it helped to give it a bit of a light-hearted tone too, especially as Graham wasn't actually sick again, it was just a fear of his.
While we may not have heard it, she would say the right thing and that's what matters most, so what you wanted to happen, did happen, we simply didn't see it and didn't need to as it would be different for different people and situations.
@@lwaves Fair enough. It just felt a bit of a sudden and jarring shift to me, but I appreciate it's not a massive thing and that others will see it differently. And I suppose I wouldn't have wanted the doctor to have said something twee that would have immediately 'solved' it, so maybe not hearing it is for the best. I'm glad you liked it! :)
Yes, there is that too, saying something that doesn't 'fit' and it undoes what has come before. I can definitely see how the humour part could be seen as jarring and if they'd gone further with the humour I'd probably completely agree with you. Then again, it may help me see that point of view because I'm one of those that never knows what to say in those situations, so I usually take the humorous route.
@@lwaves Yes, good point. I did enjoy the rest of the scene, the dialogue between Ryan and Yaz was interesting and the pause as they all share a look around the console was nice I thought.
I think the slight humor in the Doctor’s response fit perfectly because of how Graham is comfortable with using humor when he feels awkward/uncomfortable.
What a lovely description of this episode, I was on the fence until you broke it down.
I love your reviews. So thoughtful and insightful. Thank you. I watch Doctor Who with loved ones who just don't 'get it' ... I find myself on the defensive after pretty much every episode as they criticise and pick apart - and so I'm reassured to think that someone else is seeing the positives.
great to see someone seeing so many of the different layer in Dr Who. So many commentators are missing it. Though occasionally you do miss the child element, however you insight today was excellent thank you for expanding the pleasure i got from this episode ( i did watch it twice as you did, unusually) A rare episode that really did have something for everyone at so many levels. Some unfortunately have such strange expectations that this miss so much and stop enjoying what they know to be good, but not connect with
I nearly throw in the towel this year, can you hear me? has given me a feeling of magic and wonder that good Dr Who always does, and that 50p made me cry :) more like this Please!!
Well done! Great summing up of Can You Hear Me!
Brilliant Summary! Thank you for your keen insight and observation.❤