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- - SPOILERS - -
Okay, I'm going to go straight in... I didn't like this episode!
I found "The Story and the Engine" messy and all over the place
with more questions than actual answers... and it wasn't even an
RTD script. For me, big and bold ideas need space to develop and
so often we get these innovative ideas, lovely looking scenes,
but little depth once you scratch the surface of the story. It
wasn't badly written per se, we just needed more time to fill in
the gaps.
We have a spaceship that is powered by stories from people
getting their hair cut in a barber shop in Nigeria, with a brain
inside a heart at its core, propelled by a very big spider...
where's it going though and why?
Then there's the idea that "story-telling Gods" will bring
damage and destruction to humanity... but we don't get a lot of
detail beyond that. So now we've gone from fantasy to mythology
and gods, which seems to be the current theme of the show. It
doesn't take a mastermind to work out that the season finale
is going to be the Doctor against gods of some description...
Then when it's the turn for the Doctor's story, we get some of
the Doctor's past regenerations in cameos on a monitor... which
might upset the faithful, as RTD once again re-enforces his
mate's writing. This time he even doubles-down with a special
appearance!
Do we really need a pre-First Doctor timeline to give the Doctor
some emotional investment in this story though? This cameo was
obviously artificially inserted just for the sake of it, and
maybe to send a message, but for me it was unnecessary.
Joined together there is a good story in there somewhere, I just
thought it didn't quite come together they way RTD would have
hoped it would.
Ncuti Gatwa still delivers as the Doctor though and you couldn't
imagine many Doctors could walk through a market in Nigeria
hugging people and get away with it... if he does leave the role
after this season it will be a waste of his potential. I think
he has got so much more in his locker than what we often see on
screen.
The episode could also be called Belinda-lite, even though she
is in this week's episode. She is only a bit part player as her
character is sidelined for most of it. (Like the three men in
the barber shop that were there because they were there, but
they didn't actually have a role beyond that!)
Being positive, as I do try to be, I'll go with a 4/10 rating.
"The Story and the Engine" looked good but the story just didn't
work for me.
On 5/10/2025 06:34, Blueshirt wrote:
It had an interesting premise, but just didn't "work".
Another story that can be placed in the "'Meh' at Best" column.
3/10
--
Intelligence is no guarantee against being dead wrong.
--Carl Sagan
Hornplayer9599 wrote:
On 5/10/2025 06:34, Blueshirt wrote:
It had an interesting premise, but just didn't "work".
I'm glad it wasn't just me then!
Another story that can be placed in the "'Meh' at Best" column.
3/10
On 5/10/2025 06:34, Blueshirt wrote:
It had an interesting premise, but just didn't "work".
Another story that can be placed in the "'Meh' at Best" column.
3/10
- - SPOILERS - -
Okay, I'm going to go straight in... I didn't like this episode!
We have a spaceship that is powered by stories from people
getting their hair cut in a barber shop in Nigeria, with a brain
inside a heart at its core, propelled by a very big spider...
where's it going though and why?
Then there's the idea that "story-telling Gods" will bring
damage and destruction to humanity... but we don't get a lot of
detail beyond that.
Being positive, as I do try to be, I'll go with a 4/10 rating.
"The Story and the Engine" looked good but the story just didn't
work for me.
On 11.05.25, Blueshirt <blueshirt@indigo.news> wrote:
- - SPOILERS - -
My take: Eh?
Doctor and Belinda go to some country where the TARDIS fails to
translate to straight English, so too often I don't even know what the >natives are saying.
So, who were they, what was that spider thing, why did the engine need >stories, how did that even work? What was that with gods?
Did the woman who supposedly met the other female Doctor before actually >appear in some episode? (They said she looks different... But what did
she look like before?)
Who opens a door into an unknown room and steps in far enough that the
door can fall shut and lets go, all in one move?
In short: What?
Okay, I'm going to go straight in... I didn't like this episode!
We have a spaceship that is powered by stories from people
getting their hair cut in a barber shop in Nigeria, with a brain
inside a heart at its core, propelled by a very big spider...
where's it going though and why?
Oh, you didn't understand the guy's explanation either?
Then there's the idea that "story-telling Gods" will bring
damage and destruction to humanity... but we don't get a lot of
detail beyond that.
I thought Doctor said humans will be destroyed if the gods are killed.
Being positive, as I do try to be, I'll go with a 4/10 rating.
"The Story and the Engine" looked good but the story just didn't
work for me.
I don't know what to give this. The TARDIS failing to translate properly
left too much of it in the unknown.
--
Mickmane
- - SPOILERS - -
Okay, I'm going to go straight in... I didn't like this episode!
We have a spaceship that is powered by stories from people
getting their hair cut in a barber shop in Nigeria, with a brain
inside a heart at its core, propelled by a very big spider...
where's it going though and why?
Then there's the idea that "story-telling Gods" will bring
damage and destruction to humanity... but we don't get a lot of
detail beyond that.
Being positive, as I do try to be, I'll go with a 4/10 rating.
"The Story and the Engine" looked good but the story just didn't
work for me.