User Reviews

Although not hating season 11 like most it was clear to see that the writing had declined; the characters were surface level except for maybe Graham, the stories felt disjointed and even the dialogue had taken a hit. Last week's episode although nowhere near perfect had me begging for more Who, something I haven't felt in quite a long time. This week we got to see some of history's greatest women team up with the Doctor to help take down the Master. Sacha Dhawan is once again maniacally fabulous as the Master and Lenny Henry although feeling mostly unneeded this week still did the best with what he was given. The biggest problem with this episode for me was that it felt like it was cramming in a bunch of stuff way too quickly, it's not the worst offender of series back catalogue but it's certainly a little jarring. I will say though I like that the Kasaarvin weren't revealed to be anything other than their own unique species, I enjoyed them last week and it was nice to see that the WhoCrew can still pump out interesting, original baddies. Ultimately... I enjoyed this campy, disjointed romp through time and space, cracks and all. I will add though, that the ending of this episode is what really elevates it from a 7 to an 8, we're finally back on track with last season's big mystery, "The Timeless Child" and colour me intrigued. See you next week, fam!

For a moment I thought I was watching a new light entertainment show on the BBC. Bradley Walsh's Strictly Laser Dancing.

Last season showed that Chibnall could deliver well made but safe Doctor Who. It might lack excitement at times, the dialogue had a tendency to be clunky and you may never get something that his the heights of Blink or The Empty Child.

Chris Chibnall still likes to have the Doctor giving exposition. However here Chibnall has really tried to combine the writing styles of Russell T Davies and Steven Moffat and succeeded. He has up the tempo and certainly gone unpredictable.

In Part two. Ryan might not be able to ride a bike but he can fly a plane via an app on his phone. Graham, Ryan and Yaz manage to concoct a plan without the Doctor and keep track of Barton.

The Doctor ends up meeting two historical figures. I had heard of Ada Lovelace who was regarded as a pioneer in early computer programming. The computer language Ada was named after her. Ada Lovelace rescues the Doctor from the place she was trapped in.

The Doctor then visits Paris in 1943. The Master is in with the Nazis and the Doctor is aided by Noor Inayat Khan, a real life Special Executive Operative.

At the Eiffel Tower the Doctor meets the new Master and Sacha Dhawan is wonderfully unhinged, evil with a touch of melancholy.

It is an episode with the Master forming another extraterrestrial alliance, humanity getting upgraded again and lies about Gallifrey. It is totally bonkers Doctor Who and it looks so wonderful.

The one slight niggle I had. The Doctor returns Noor Inayat Khan to Paris and to her death. She was reputedly captured by the Nazis in 1943 and executed a year later.

I enjoyed these 2 episodes a lot. They were interesting

Series 11 was hard to watch, the Doctor didn't feel like the Doctor at all, but in these 2 Episodes, they found the right way to do it.

She could be a bit more silly, more boyish and just have some male traits, after all, she spent all of her life as a man, and has been a woman for like a couple months, they could've played with that a bit more. But she's doing a great job.

Now to the episode. In Episode 1 I still was a bit skeptical about the master, but holy moly, he did deliver. The actor did a great job, I hope we see more of the master this series. Very Enjoyable.

I hope this quality continues in series 12, I'll be watching!

Surprisingly, this is the first episode of the entire Chibnall era where I can safely say I actually didn't mind it at all in the slightest? Beggars belief & it's taken long enough but he may have potentially crafted a screenplay which makes for enjoyable viewing...

Apprehensively, I will concede this did remarkably feel like "Doctor Who".

Of course, a cynic would encourage me to reserve my judgement until further rewatches - & they'd be right to do so but based upon first impressions, this refreshingly wasn't that bad!

Yes, Chris has flagrantly disregarded an entire beautifully written season's worth of character development crafted by Moffat in his final series & he's unapologetically given absolutely no explanation as to how Missy survived her inescapable demise - or even at what point in the Master's life this version is currently at - so we've only the presumptuous assumption that his story's continued after the events of S10... But I genuinely don't care because one of Spyfall Part 2's saving graces is its ending.

Gallifrey - an immediate point of contention that's often mired my viewing experience of the 50th anniversary special; in 2005, Russell T. Davies (an extraordinary talent) reinvented & reinvigorated the brand by introducing the narrative of "The Time War", revivifying the Doctor's character with a complex PTSD survivor's guilt arc which was threaded thematically throughout his entire tenure as Head Writer, Showrunner & Executive Producer. With this, Christopher Eccleston & David Tennant's incarnations were explorations as to how one would continue with the knowledge that they were the last of their kind - the sole survivors... And thus, this richness of storytelling was robbed disrespectfully & rather callously of its impact & meaningfulness when Steven Moffat made the questionable decision to rewrite the events so that the Time Lords & their home planet evaded this calamity unscathed, inadvertently rendering the last 8 years of progression beforehand utterly pointless.

Previously before his departure from the position, Russell foreshadowed how the Doctor's arrogance & willingness to change fixed points in time could lead to catastrophe in one of his closing installments "The Waters of Mars" (a lesson he clearly forgot he learned during the events of "Day of The Doctor") so to finally see none other than Chris Chibnall (of all people) reasserting this vital rule by re-destroying Gallifrey only helps to solidify this previous showrunner's legacy again - depicting the futility of resistance; they may fight time but in the end, it will only find a way to eventually reassert itself & Gallifrey's destiny is always to burn.

With this, Jodie Whittaker's Doctor has been taken in a new & promising direction - she will forever be alone... And instead of battling the inevitable - as Matt Smith's did - her character is forced in to submission & a state of reluctant acceptance, reminded of her opposition's capabilities should she be possessed with those same fantasies & notions of heroism in the future. Her previous regenerations may have thought themselves above the laws of time but actions have consequences & I'm happy she's finally been confronted with hers once more.

That's not to say the rest of Part 2 is perfect but when such a pleasing bold statement has been made regarding the future of the show & its history, the faults (eg. laser shoes, inexplicable villain's regression) are somewhat overshadowed & deemed increasingly forgiveable in the grand scheme of things.

I'm content!

Some really cool classic episodes involved Gallifrey or other time lords and Heaven Sent was the best of the modern Doctor Who episodes. I was very happy when Moffat brought it back and was very much looking forward to some more stories involving Gallifrey. But no, Chibnal had to go and destroy it. Why? It survived the entire classic era!

Doctor Who is my very favorite sci-fi TV show of all time. I've watched every available episide and own many of the seasons on disc. Davies was very good, Moffat was great. Chibnal is trash. Its not the female Doctor Who, I have no issue with that (Missy has been awesome). Its Chibnal. He's gotta go. Now.

Just like part 1, I really enjoyed this episode. Yes the plot was slightly convoluted and a bit messy but in general, it was a very good episode. It had a darker, more sinister tone than part 1, it was more intense, with the trio being separated from the doctor, both having to go their own ways. Also the scene where the villain kills his mother was really shocking and quite disturbing!

I thought the ending was really quite sad, what with the doctor having to wipe Ada and Noor's ( both of whom were a nice touch) then returning to a destroyed gall of Rey after a tip off from the master.

And speaking of the master, Sacha did a phenomenal job with him. He brought a manic, terrifying energy with him which I couldn't help but love.

Part 2 did a good job of tying most of the loose ends of part 1 as well as reintroducing us to the timeless child story arc. I thought it was a great, dark, thrilling episode which, whilst being a little messy, provided a good thrill !

Still filled with nonsense that doesn't make any sense and is never explained.

The stand outs:

The Nazis shoot the floorboards and leave. Then the bullet holes just aren't there in the next shot and it's never addressed why the bullets just didn't affect The Doctor.

The Doctor and The Master are randomly telepathic because getting to the next plot point would be too hard otherwise.

The Doctor frames The Master for being a British spy then turns off his perception filter. So she framed him then changed how he appears to the Nazis. In other words the Nazis now shouldn't recognise him so why did the bother framing him? But of course they do recognise him because it wasn't thought through.

And the worst part? The whole two episode plot is resolved off screen.

I just don't understand how things like this can get through without dozens of people flagging them up.

If only they'd stop wasting the talented cast and put some competent writers behind the scenes.

So I didn't hate series 11 but it was easily the worst since the show was brought back.

But this opening two parter was absolutely superb. I love Jodie but her first series suffered from some fairly boring scripts and some terrible dialogue that didn't really show her Doctor off. None of that here, she was given some great stuff to do and effortlessly pulled it off. A great script from Chibnall who historically hasn't written great Who stories but really pulled it out the bag for me this time. Also loved Jodie's chemistry with Sacha Dhawan, who did a great job with the Master. My only hope now is that this story arc they are teasing is properly planned out and has a decent pay off rather than Moffat's tactic of making it up as he went along, throwing in stuff suddenly to try and make the story work or resolving plot points with throw away dialogue. Follow in RTD's shoes please Mr Chibnall.

My only massive criticism, and this is for the 13th Doctor in general, is there are too many companions. It's not that they're bad actors, there just isn't enough time to flesh them out and make 3 people interesting. Yaz in particular I find extremely boring and hasn't developed in any way since she was introduced. Ryan is fine but I feel like whatever small character arc he has is over. Bradley Walsh is great as Graham though and they should've just had him from the start.

Also one small criticism: those laser shoes were ridiculous

Very excited to see how this series pans out

Now this won is so bad in the end but most of the storyline is epic and it is a quite strong episode. It is a fast paste and well presented story luckily for it. I have to say siries 11 is the weakest out of the siries but the weakest Chris Chibnall did was Orphan 55. But Jodie Whittaker showed what she could do in a very good way. But I have to say the beginning and the middle is trash and is not made up for a great story in those areas are weak and misplaced in a few points in the story. I loved it for some parts though. It was a very good buildup kind off story and I loved it near the end.

This is the first time I think Jodie has felt like the Doctor. I think it's the first time I've actually been excited and intrigued by Doctor Who in ages. It isn't perfect but it does some things right.

This proves that the companions are really bringing this show down. Chibnall cannot handle that many characters without them all becoming one dimensional. The companions are one dimensional and boring. The Doctor was left alone for what seems the first time. Her scenes with various historical figures, and especially the master were the first time Jodie has ever felt like the Doctor. She definitely had some moments that made me roll my eyes, but the plot is making her an actual character instead of a tool for stories. I hope it continues in this vain.

I don't like getting into the whole political aspect but it seems the show's go to thing for men in the past is to make a sexist comment. I mean why does it have to happen everytime? It gets boring.

The Master is great. I kinda hope this master stays around for multiple doctors... And showrunners....

The companion side plot is so boring. They have no personality. They're all comedic relief or just boring (Yaz).

The plot is weak here. Chibnall isn't good at writing sci Fi doctor who stories. The plot threads never really tie together satisfyingly. Like the Kasavan? Who cares. It was really poor.

The Gallifrey stuff. This stuff was good. It's the first genuinely emotional scene Jodie has given and the Master was fantastic here too. I'm very intrigued but I am also apprehensive. Chibnall has to land this storyline. It has to be impactful and not a cop out, but it also can't undo the history of the show. I honestly don't think Chibnall is capable. Here's hoping.

After a less than stellar season 11, you would hope that Season 12 would be better but it isn't. Whilst it's the best episode of the Chibnall era, it is still really flawed.

Whilst Jodie is slightly better now, she still feels really off as the doctor. The companions still haven't really grown on me asides from Bradley Walsh who is genuinely good.

Whilst the story has potential and the scope of things is good but due to less than average writing, it just doesn't work. Neither does the humour. That being said the big reveal whilst not obvious, doesn't really work sadly.

Sacha Dhawan isn't that bad. He does provide something new to the character but his cartoonish doesnt exactly work at times. Lenny Henry is just meh and Stephen Fry was good for the scenes he was in..

It's somewhat well made, cinematically speaking. Its just as a whole it doesn't really work. The monsters potential quickly weared of. Though i do hope there is a proper story arc which it has given hints to. But I do hope the season gets better because it's been a while since I was satisfied at Doctor Who

This is the second part of a two part story and follows on from the fun but flawed opening episode. This, in my opinion, is equally fun but slightly more flawed. It is full of drama and variety of settings so is enjoyable mostly but it has aspects I feel are not done well enough.

The cliffhanger from Part 1 was superbly exciting and dramatic with one of the best surprise reveals of The Master. As well as the shock reveal we had the return of the classic Master weapon - tissue compression - and a thrilling conclusion on the aeroplane. That thrilling cliffhanger is thrown away with the opening of this episode and that is my first big complaint: The way that cliffhanger is resolved at the start of this episode is rather like the escape from the Pandorica in Steven Moffatt's The Big Bang and is similarly deflating for me. The Doctor goes back in time and gives them a bizarre and convoluted way to escape and she does this after she meets back up with them. It is somewhat of a paradox and somewhat of a deus ex machina. I don't think it was done very well.

The Master takes centre stage in this episode which soon lifts the episode back to high level thrills. After a maniacal, quite over the top entrance in his reveal scene, Sacha Dhawan settles into a more nuanced performance which is truly menacing and impressive. He seizes the role and makes his incarnation of the Master an instant hit.

The Kasaavin had been setup as a highly intriguing, menacing and powerful alien threat in Part 1. They take a back seat to the Master in this part and their mystery remains unresolved in the story and for the remainder of the Chibnall era which is ultimately unfulfilling.

There are some comedic scenes with laser shoes that are definitely not to my taste and the whole of the companions part of the story is not as strong as it should be with some silly humour that I personally find unfunny.

On the other hand, the Master's plotting and interference in history makes for great plot development and change of pace from the first part. This is hugely added to by the different periods of history being used as well as the modern day. Exploring real historical figures and their impact on the world is a lovely and important element but the historic settings also provide rich visual and thematic variety. We get some very enjoyable scenes of drama and humour.

The Master's face-off with the Doctor is powerful and the guest actors are strong giving depth and warmth to the characters. Ada Lovelace especially is so engaging and well presented that she becomes a character I wished could remain as a regular.

When we reach the conclusion of the story we get a thrilling and jaw dropping revelation as the Master tells us he has devastated Gallifrey after finding out dark secrets of Timelord origins and of his and the Doctor's identities. "We are not who we think we are"! Once it all panned out in the Series 12 finale, I felt Chibnall rather fumbled the resolution of this set-up, as he frequently fumbled many other plots, and it was hugely controversial. But I found this electrifying at the time. It was delivered brilliantly in the final scenes of the episode and left me with such excitement for where this arc would lead. It actually made me the most excited for the show I had been since the Russell T. Davies days.

That exhilerating, suspenseful ending and the good aspects of the story filled me with hope but beneath the surface there were signs that Chibnall was not fully up to the task of nailing storylines as well as he should. He didn't even nail this story as well as he should so my optimism was a little bit blind perhaps.

My Rating: 7/10.

Series 11 Episode Ranking: 8th out of 11.

(Overall Average Rating for Spyfall Parts 1 & 2 - 7.5/10.)

So the Doctor defeats the enemy by installing a virus in their weapon which disables it. I'm trying to think of a more unoriginal resolution ...nope can't think of one.

So the Doctor records a video to send back in time and save her companions. Never seen that before...oh, hang on...Blink (which did it with 100x the wit).

So the Doctor betrays the Master to the aliens by recording his 'confession' and playing it to them. I am speechless.

So the Time Lords are destroyed. Again.

And we have 2 more (female of course) heroes from history that help save the day. Women = good. Men = bad.

Just depressingly unoriginal and bland.

Part 2 seemed rushed in some areas, but the chemistry between Jodie and Sacha is excellent!

The companions were unfortunately sidelined and was the least interesting part of the story. The trio remained decent and shown humourous scenes, but tge companions and the aliens were unfortunately the least amusing part.

I really got hooked with the scenes with the Doctor and the Master. Many great references of the classic series are used also. I really started enjoying the episode when Sachas portrayal of the Master mentioned Gallifrey numourous times and I felt relieved when he reveilved Gallifrey was destroyed.

Really good episode would've been a really really brilliant episode if it was a 3 parter. 9/10

I'm absolutely stunned how Chibnall's two part script turned out and I must say he must have really pulled it off. I dare say the first part starts with various people known as Intelligence agents being taken by the Kasavvin all over the world alerting MI6 to get The Doctor and the companions (Graham, Ryan and Yaz) to take on the mission. It introduces great characters such as C who gives vital spy items to the companions before he got shot by mysterious alien lifeforms then attempting to get The Doctor and the companions eventually escaping from the Kasavvin. Yaz and Ryan meets another character known as Daniel Burton who invites them to his birthday party while discovering that he is only 93% human never knowing what the other 7% he is from and CEO of a search engine media company VOR. The Doctor travels to the Australian Outback to meet a character known as O who dealing with the Kasavvin and eventually reveals himself as The Master while on board the private jet. The O revealing to be The Master and sending the Kasavvin to capture The Doctor being sent into a strange environment was definitely an awesome cliffhanger to the first part.

The second part sees The Doctor meeting a few historic characters including Ada from 1834, Britain and Noor from 1943, France that aid The Doctor to track down The Master who wants The Doctor dead and stop both him and Kasavvin army once and for all. The references about the past mentioning Gallifrey as said by The Master and The Doctor and whatever happened to Gallifrey is definitely the best part showing that something is going in the right direction. I hope futures stories emain the same good standard of writing because I can't wait to see what happens next time!