Doctor Who (TV Series) Heaven Sent (2015) User Reviews

The Finest Doctor Who Episode in All of Time and Space

[harveypeirson · 10/10 · 11 January 2016]

Once in a while in Doctor Who, you get an episode which stands out in the series; they're the sort of episode that, for fans of that particular series, you COULD do without watching - the rest of the series would make sense without it - but it's still a must watch (I'm thinking Blink in series 3 mainly). They're the episodes that differ vastly from the main bulk of episodes that come out, the episodes where the Doctor arrives somewhere with his companion via the TARDIS, meets a few locals, finds out there's something wrong and then, somehow, solves everything. The Doctor will always receive some kind of help from someone and/or something. And the villains are always the same in the end: they're loud, they've got weapons to kill with yet they don't use them when they're being pointed at the Doctor and they always loose.

Not in Heaven Sent.

In this episode, the Doctor is quite literally alone: No TARDIS, no companion, no clue as to where exactly he is or why he's there. He's watched his best friend die before arriving and thinks nothing can get worse... But they sort of do: everything straight from his nightmares is either around him or following him very VERY slowly and in order to escape he has two options: confess his darkest secret, or avoid such confessions and spend four and a half billion years in his own personal Hell, constantly dying and being reborn, constantly living in fear.

This episode takes everything we expect from a typical Doctor Who episode and throws it away, and instead hurls us into the unknown, taking the Doctors friends away from him and pitting him against his own nightmares. Literally. In a few words: It is the greatest thing ever published in any form of media ever, and I'd give this episode a hundred out of 10 if I could; It is absolutely breathtaking.

BEST SCENE: watching the Doctor constantly live through his own Hell over billions of years, and slowly watching the Azbantium wall being punched away. The music in that scene couldn't be more perfect.

Capaldi's acting is flawless, Moffat's writing is on point, and Talalay's directing is perfect. So few actors in this episode, yet it is perfect. And I mean PERFECT

Wow. Just Wow.

[vivientrade · 10/10 · 18 February 2016]

As far as I'm concerned,this episode is the best episode in all of new Who, maybe all of Who even. I haven't felt the gamut of emotions that I felt watching this episode since Breaking Bad's Ozymandias. I was left absolutely speechless. Capaldi's performance here is just breathtaking. The various emotional transitions are seamless and it never comes across as too studied. It was very atmospheric and immersive. Each frame seemed lovingly crafted and the music was a character by itself. Murray Gold exceeded himself here. This is an absolute masterpiece with great writing, directing and acting (Give all of them BAFTA's already). It's one of the episodes that I can point out and say proudly - That's why I watch Doctor Who. Bravo, everyone involved! Just amazing!

Near perfect episode of television.

[shaisingh-51583 · 10/10 · 5 March 2020]

Peter Capaldi talking to himself for 45 minutes somehow manages to be gripping, heartbreaking, entertaining, beautiful, and tense all at the same time. It's a testament to the strong script and his acting ability.

Into Darkness

[timdalton007 · 10/10 · 9 April 2016]

Doctor Who has never shied away from being experimental, even within its own format. Stories like Kinda or Ghost Light or more recently Blink or Sleep No More show that this is a series willing to explore different territory and surprise its viewers. Heaven Sent, first broadcast last fall, is another example of this. More than that, Heaven Sent is a journey into the heart and soul of the Doctor himself.

For much of its history, the series has used companions as a the viewer's way "in" to the series and the impossible worlds and events its portrays. This time, the Doctor is in that role in the aftermath of Face The Raven and he is not a happy man. With the Doctor trapped in what appears to be a castle, pursued by a faceless enemy, we see what it's like for the Doctor to face seemingly impossible situations as he races around the castle and tries to keep his morale up against a foe that never tires and never stops. We see what it's like to be the man that Terrence Dicks described decades ago as the man who "never gives up and never gives in," and the price he ultimately pays for being that way.

While Tom Baker was the one who first pitched the idea nearly forty years ago of the Doctor going off on his own with no companion (which led in someways to 1976's The Deadly Assassin), it was Capaldi who finally got the chance to do it and he rises to the occasion. If the speech in Zygon Inversion was Peter Capaldi giving a ten minute masterclass on how to play the Doctor, then Heaven Sent would be the equivalent of watching a master create a work before your very eyes. We see a man bent on vengeance, excited by the puzzle he's facing while also terrified of it. We watch him come slowly to realizations about his fate and what is going on around him and facing it not as a man raging against the proverbial "dying of the light" but with persistence and quiet dignity. It's a fascinating performance and one that seems likely to go down as one of the best given by any actor in the role of the Doctor.

As a result of that perhaps, there is an atmosphere of gloom that pervades throughout all of Heaven Sent from Capaldi's Doctor onwards. Capaldi's Doctor is at his darkest here as we watch him going through the episode's events only to realize that he's in an almost demented twist of Harold Ramis' Groundhog Day by writer Stevn Moffat. The direction of Rachel Talalay, the cinematography of Stuart Biddlecombe and even the music of Murray Gold all play up the gloom and take the audience into the Doctor's mindset throughout the episode. The darkness though has flashes of humor thrown into it, which keeps both episode and Doctor alike from going too far into the darkness.

All the gloom though ultimately though turns out to be well worth it. The Doctor's actions, apparently futile, are in fact the ultimate act of persistence that pays a potentially obscure reference made early on in the episode, a hallmark of Moffat's best writing. The episode's closing scene is a powerful moment, one that pays off a moment two years in the making and one that will leave long term fans of the series cheering in delight. It's a moment that also promises things for the episode that follows that it doesn't quite perhaps deliver on but which can still be relished despite that for the journey we've taken alongside the Doctor for some fifty-odd minutes. It's a moment of triumph not just for the Doctor but for the series as a whole.

Looking back on it even with a few months of hindsight, it's easy to see that Heaven Sent is a journey in many ways. It is a journey for the Doctor as he faces his own personal hell, unsure of whether or not he'll come out the other side. It's a journey for viewers into the heart, mind and even soul of a character we've been watching for years at least if not decades which reveals what it's like to be the man who refuses to give up or give in. For all of that and more, Heaven Sent is the best episode of the season along with being both one of the strongest and most experimental episodes the show has ever produced.

Personally, I think that's a hell of a triumph.

This is why Capaldi is The Doctor

[chasesunning · 9/10 · 30 December 2015]

This episode is for me a standout of not only the season but as capaldis turn as the twelfth Doctor. He rules the screen with perfect delivery and intensity by doing things his own way, and not relying on any previous incarnation. He is a true actor. This episode is a crowning achievement from start to finish. The Doctor is pushed to his limits and he is forced to confront long buried truths that he has always ran from. Capaldi makes you feel his pain and his absolute power as the time lord (it's a joy to watch). I will always remember one particular scene from this episode showcasing what capaldis Doctor and what being the doctor is all about. The 12th Doctor is a very different man than he previously was. And this is the episode that shows you why he is the way he is. Capaldi you are The Doctor.

A triumph of writing, acting, and direction

[pjgs200 · 10/10 · 28 June 2016]

I have to admit, the first time I saw this episode, I wasn't blown away. Maybe it was the constant commercial breaks, or maybe I just wasn't that into it at the moment, but I now believe that Heaven Sent is the single best episode of Doctor Who that I have ever seen. It's a close-up character study of the Doctor- what's he's like when he's alone, how he deals with the loss of Clara, how he thinks when his life is in danger- but it's also a moving study about loss, grief, hope, and determination that's beautifully written, wonderfully acted, and skillfully directed.

Heaven Sent is the perfect episode of Doctor Who. It's layered, funny, bold, emotional, inspiring, and it ends with a cliffhanger that feels like it's the culmination of an arc that began in Series One, with the return of the Doctor's home planet, Gallifrey.

It's difficult to describe how great this episode is.

[pjdickinson-27822 · 10/10 · 11 September 2020]

This is a very daring episode with Peter Capaldi delivering a great performance. He's the only person in this and Rachel Talalay pulls out all the directing stops accompanied by Murray Gold's music with it all driven by Steven Moffat's writing. As a stand-alone piece it is an astounding piece of television. It's deeply moving and extremely uplifting and it should be judged without reference to the episodes around it.

Pure Sci-Fi Brilliance - One of the best episodes of the series

[SoDamnHawkward · 10/10 · 28 November 2015]

Not many Doctor Who episodes have been as well crafted, acted, written and directed as this one.

The cinematography is simply gorgeous with shots that wouldn't seem out of place in a Coen Brothers movie. This focus on aesthetics is amplified even further with some of the best musical pieces that Murray Gold has yet brought to the show and I hope that he stays with the show for years to come.

Peter Capaldi's booming and powerful speech in The Zygon Inversion has proved to just be an appetiser for this perfectly performed 55 minute insight into the Doctor's mind. Not only does this episode showcase some of the best acting the show has ever seen but also the best use of source material and clever utilisation of the mechanics within the world of Doctor Who since The Forest of the Dead. I won't go into specifics because this is a spectacle that has to be seen to be believed but believe me.

This is a straight 10/10.

This should solidify Moffat as the best writer of Who

[James0987 · 10/10 · 18 May 2020]

If I hear one more person complaining about Moffat... This episode was absolutely incredible, this is peak DW right here. It's a shame so many people didn't like Moffat yet he gave us episodes like this, now we're stuck with Chibnall and his horrible writing.

The perfect Capaldi episode

[dkiliane · 10/10 · 29 November 2019]

This episode is difficult to describe. After the aftermaths of "Face the Raven" resulting in Clara's death and The Doctor's capture, The Doctor is teleported to a creepy castle where the rooms move (think Cube) and a veiled creature stalks him, slowly but surely. This episode is entirely built on Peter Capaldi's performance and it is standout electrifying. We learn as The Doctor learns, we guess what's happening as The Doctor guesses.

The Doctor learns only confession will keep the Veil (the creature stalking him) at bay, and with every confession the castle rearranges itself. The revelations require patience as the episode doesn't fully come together until the end, revealing The Doctor has been dying in the castle (his confession diary) for thousands of years only to re initialize the teleporter, starting the cycle all over again, right up til The Doctor, over 4.5 billion years of dying and reappearing whittles down the final barrier to his escape. It is the most deserved victory, amazingly plotted and breathtakingly acted episode in all of Doctor Who. It is sheer Doctor Who perfection. 10/10

A dark, mature piece of art

[forshawaj · 10/10 · 30 November 2015]

Series 9 for Doctor Who hasn't been the greatest series for casual fans; with more foreknowledge required, more fan-service, and the main characters being carried over from last series. But for many core fans, it has been outstanding, and quite consistent in quality (apart from minor blips with Episode 5, maybe, Episode 9). This one was mesmerising. It's possibly the best episode of the revival: best of Capaldi's tenure for sure. It's dark and mature, dealing with the theme of grief, it's sad, and it's the most successful experimental episode ever. The whole episode turns out to be an extended monologue for the Doctor, with scares, blood even, and confusing twists and turns. Doctor Who--for fans at least--can surely not get any better than this. The effects are the best they have ever been, emotions are high, and the outcome is mind-blowing (had it not been spoiled in a BBC synopsis...) General audiences may dislike it for the lack of action in the first half, or find it 'confusing'--which you must expect if you're switching on halfway through. For those who can appreciate it, it's an impressive, thematic work of art, with fantastic writing, direction and of course, an awesome performance by Peter Capaldi. I don't think he's my favourite doctor just yet; but he's sure as hell one of the best actors to ever portray the Doctor.

Uneven sentiment

[voyou-703-655350 · 6/10 · 7 December 2015]

Ignoring the etymology of fandom, should I envy most here-reviewers' ability to see perfection everywhere ? For a moment, they had me doubt my hearing. I was cleared after a triple check sans screwdriver: This episode's music score doesn't know its role, and is so bad it sounds like it comes straight from Hollywood. 2 points gone out of 10. By the way, it's not the only case this year, it's just the worst offender.

Then, perfection can't be boring. Granted, the ending is superb, but the first 30 minutes keep calling for snacks. You don't want fridge logic in the middle of your show; more of that later. I was bored for quite a while; that's new. Not for lack of action; it's full of running and plunging. There's a gimmick, a yawn-inspiring monster, aphorisms, tons of exposition, but not one ounce of fun. Well, at least there is a payoff after the ennui, unlike next week...

When I say superb ending, I mean emotionally. As the conclusion of a fairy tale. Despite the non-sense. I had issues with the setting, some too silly to ignore. Not counting the fact that, when a hand turns to dust at the start, I know in my guts that I just saw the Doctor die. That's because every director, writer, and their cousin has been abusing tricks and twists, and Moffat himself cannot tell a straight story anymore.

For starters, a few things that are merely annoying:

• Diamond is hard, not tough. Hard minerals aren't scratched by softer ones. Scratched. That's all it means. A tough mineral resists falls and hammers, and diamond is fairly fragile. Azbantium... who knows ?

• So, looks like the Doctor's knuckles are the toughest material in town. That's his choice for tunnelling.

• The Doctor says that when the Sun sets, the stars will reveal where he is... while looking at a very cloudy sky.

• Who needs a screwdriver when you open doors with your mind ? That's actually more than mildly annoying. And then... it's not telekinesis, moving objects, no, call it telepathy, distant direct dialogue between minds, because, you know, doors have thoughts. Mind you, that's the guy who translates a non-language, i.e., baby burps. Next week, the Doctor will have a chat with his own attached femur.

• As the DW/Sherlock osmosis grows, the Dr. now has a mental palace. At this rate, in the next episode, he might shoot and kill an unarmed man.

• Death cheats. It continuously chases you at a turtle pace... except when it pops out of a freshly dug garden hole. Cheap shot !

Then there's the story structure, which is the meat of the trick. It works precisely because it's 7000 years on. Later iterations pass quickly so that you don't have time to see the cracks. Now I'll assume the Doctor spends about 3 days in the castle; it's arbitrary but generous considering (we are repeatedly told so) how fast the Doctor thinks and solves puzzles:

• The first time we see it, there are a few hundred thousand skulls in the pond. I wonder how many billions it takes to fill it so that the Doctor crashes into bones instead of water. Salty air but surprise on arrival, and the stool wouldn't help one bit.

• The most important iteration is the last one. Of course, the second most is the first, but you won't see that one. Because the first time around there is no hand, no sand, no bird, no skull, no dry clothes, no etc, yet the Doctor reaches the same conclusion and takes the exact same bet. And that, ladies and boys, is the definition of a gimmick.

• You noticed that the Doctor takes notes, in a notepad. Yet not one of his incarnations has the idea to explain his progress and leave the notepad in the jacket by the fireplace. You know, in one of the rooms that doesn't tidy itself up.

• The Doctor is dead. We do have a copy of him to watch this Christmas, but still, the Doctor is dead. Also, current copy carries billions of identical skulls in his pocket.

Last, the castle itself. While the examples above are mere distractions, the castle bugged me all along, because its purpose doesn't make sense, and the way it works doesn't make sense either:

• The Veil is slooooow. You could fall asleep during a chase scene. I mean, you being chased, not just watching it. It is however deadly, and really tries to kill the Doctor. Since when exactly does that make the Veil an efficient interrogator ? I'm all for our hero being lucky, randomly spurting a life-saving confession at the very last second, but something else is equally lucky there: One second and a dead doctor later, that Veil machine would have lost its job and ended up in a junkyard.

• Someone wants to know about the Hybrid, but nobody asks. Can it be more inefficient ? The Doctor guesses. It's still a guess. Could have been all about the prophecy of the Simpleton, from season 17.

• The Doctor confesses the exact same things hundreds of billions of times. Memory reset at each Doctor's creation, you say ? Still inane: Confessions are the prize, not some trash to be erased. In a well-designed system, each confession should be instantly T-mailed to whoever ordered this clock tower.

• the teleporter keeps a complete data bank of our hero. It can create a fully fleshed Doctor, with all memories intact. His secrets are all there, you know, in the parts of the considerably contrived contraption constructed specifically for their extraction.

Great gimmick, great conclusion, and we end up with a positive rating despite a lacking first half. A memorable if unbalanced episode.

BORING.....unless you think its great, a bottle episode.

[bljonathan · 3/10 · 29 November 2015]

This seems to be a bottle episode. An episode where the story is contained and seems like a cheap filler episode. It may not be but that seemed to be.

After the death in the last episode. The Doctor goes into a sort of mourning metaphor where he is in a castle and a ice wall which he bangs down with his fist, whilst being chased by something. Insert some psycho analysis of what the Doctor is afraid of. This is a boring episode and unwarranted when you consider the Doctor has lost a lot of people close to him in the past (Adric) and he didn't have a mental breakdown for a whole 55 minutes. This episode is far too long for what it is and the music needs to be toned down.

Face the facts. This is a masterpiece.

[unty-81812 · 10/10 · 29 November 2015]

A wonderful episode of Doctor Who that serves to bring this mostly excellent season towards its finale. A masterpiece ,features a breathtaking one-man show from Peter Capaldi and a twist-ending that makes this one or maybe the best episodes of the modern series' run. Maybe of the all series. It's a beautiful thrilling, brilliant twist to this episode that sends the whole affair cascading into a barrage of terrific images and terrific sounds ( superb new musical score from Murray Gold) that won't soon be forgotten. Never forgotten.

"In Lower Pomerania is the Diamond Mountain, which is two miles and a half high, two miles and a half wide, and two miles and a half in depth; every hundred years a little bird comes and sharpens its beak on it, and when the whole mountain is worn away by this, then the first second of eternity will be over."

It's the brothers Grimm fable. One fable into the fable. Rest in peace Moffat haters. Rest in peace troll voters.

Capaldi at his very best

[dhensonuk · 10/10 · 28 November 2015]

That may well be one of the best Dr Who episodes I have ever seen. Just the Doctor trapped in one location, no other people, and taken to an extreme. We learn more about the Doctor. We learn about the lengths he will go to. The thinking behind this episode is breathtaking.Peter Capaldi dominates the screen. His intensity is frightening. I don't want to say more without giving the plot away. The design is also stunning. A medieval feel with endless corridors and floors on the tower that move. An impression of great height and also great claustrophobia. Not a lot happens and yet I could watch this episode again and again At last something written for Capaldi that gives him something to really sink his teeth into.

The best episode of the revival, no doubt about it.

[gmfh3 · 10/10 · 28 November 2015]

Since 2005 when Doctor Who returned to our screens since a long hiatus there has been 9 seasons full of beloved episodes. Many fan favorites include Blink, Human Nature, Midnight, The Day of the Doctor and more, although this latest episode Heaven Sent knocks them all out of the park.

The penultimate episode of Series 9 features only the Doctor with a few cameos from some others. 99% of this episode features only Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. This episode really showcases his acting ability and solidifies him as one of the best actors to play the Doctor ever.

Moffat's writing on this episode is on point with questions set up to keep the audience invested, twists and turns and a satisfying pay- off. Talalay's direction is fantastic much like last year when she directed Dark Water/Death in Heaven.

Overall this is probably my favourite episode of New Who and maybe even my favourite Doctor Who episode of all time.

The Perfect Episode

[CallumLikesMovies · 10/10 · 29 June 2017]

After the first 5 minutes, I knew this episode was going to be special. After the first 15 minutes, I couldn't stop watching. By the end, I was convinced that this was the best episode of any TV show I've ever seen.

Peter Capaldi's acting in both Heaven Sent and The Zygon Invasion have cemented him as one of the greatest Doctors of all time and one of the greatest actors of the 21st century. The pure emotion displayed by Capaldi is beyond measure. It's perfect.

The climax of the episode, the compilation of The Doctor punching the away at the wall of diamond, it's the standout of the episode easily. Realising that all the skulls in the moat are The Doctor's previous attempts at escape is really heavy stuff. The way Capaldi reads off the Brothers Grimm is perfect. The music during the compilation is perfect. The music in general is perfect.

There's too many positive things to mention about this episode I could go on forever. I meant it when I said it was the best TV episode ever. I'd give it 11/10 if it were possible.

Best of the season, with a brilliant performance by Peter Capaldi!

[CharmingNewSociety · 10/10 · 30 November 2015]

There is still, as of the time of writing this, an episode to go (and the Xmas special), but what a season this has been! There's been some really standout episodes in the past runs, but no season has come close to this as a whole.

Honestly, the only episode this year which was a bit of a misfire was Mark Gatiss' "Sleep No More", and it wasn't even bad. It was a perfectly standard episode of Doctor Who which just didn't match the same level of excellence of the other installments around it.

Seriously, just between "Heaven Sent", which is undoubtedly the Twelfth Doctor's best thus far, and his speech in "The Zygon Inversion", Peter Capaldi had better receive a BAFTA award for this series!

This episode was just brilliant. It was dark, atmospheric, introspective, and clever. And it's almost better upon repeat viewing, picking up all those extra little nuances.

Truly Magnificent.

[ggatwick · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

When I first watched this episode, I was extremely ill at home, and didn't really understand it (especially with intermittent bathroom breaks). Upon rewatch however, it instantly became one of my favourite Who episodes.

The soundtrack, the cinematography, the script and the acting all magnificently gel together to create something truly beautiful, culminating in one of both Moffat's and the show's best episodes. Since then, I've rewatched Heaven Sent countless times, and it only gets better with every viewing, it's honestly impossible to overstate my love of this episode, and it's definitely worth your time, especially if you're one of the people who think Moffat "ruined Doctor Who".

The Dial of Recapitulation...

[Xstal · 9/10 · 30 December 2021]

The Time Lord interminably stuck on repeat, pursued by The Veil, that will not retreat. In search of confessions, entombed in the dial, prisoned in a cage, through cunning and through guile. How long has he been here, how long will it take, to burrow, dig, tunnel, excavate and escape. Time is on his side or maybe it's not, punches will not be pulled, taking shot after shot after shot after shot after shot...

Move Over Blink...

[tomatdotcom · 10/10 · 29 November 2015]

Whenever I watch anything, be it television or film, I always indulge a bad habit and mentally construct a review of the product in my head. It's just a bit of fun, a way for me to hone in on what I like or dislike about the story being told. Rarely does this critique ever make it past my own brain, as it is purely for my own benefit.

Yet rarely do I watch anything as mind-numbingly awesome as "Heaven Sent".

(All of the words in that sentence were chosen with care. My mind was indeed numbed by sheer appreciation for the art Moffat presented, and I mean awesome in the truly epic sense. Awe was inspired in me this evening, and I wish I knew how to delete it from my memories so that awe could once again re-acquaint itself.)

To begin with, the monster itself was potentially the scariest ever faced by the Doctor. The Weeping Angels used to hold this prestigious title (at least in "Blink" they did; after that their appearances only served to undermine the terror), but now the Veil receives top billing. Steven Moffat believes that nothing is scarier than a monster that won't ever stop, only slowly approach you until inevitability takes hold. The man definitely strives to provide proof of his beliefs, that's for sure. The Veil will go down as a classic and while I doubt it will appear again, being such a personal villain, I truly hope it isn't ever squandered like the Angels were.

Another major tick this episode presented was it's sendoff of Clara. "Face the Raven" was an enjoyable story, and a highlight in a particularly strong season (bar "Sleep No More", unfortunately), but I simply didn't get the tear-jerking closure for one of my favourite companions that I needed. Her goodbye scene was touching and heartfelt, and I appreciated it as good writing, but if it was aiming for my heartstrings it ever so slightly missed the mark. With one shot, and a proper teary goodbye, this episode managed to fix that for me. Her goodbye held more subtly than Rose crying on a beach, but I felt it just as much. Watching Capaldi's impeccable acting, his genuine remorse over the loss of a friend, was largely what drove me over the edge, and I thank him for it. One the same note, such a sparse and intimate episode would have completely fallen apart without an incredible performer capable of carrying it entirely alone, and carry it Capaldi did. Truly this is his definitive Doctor story, in tandem with one of the greatest writers in the business also performing at his very finest.

The story itself was jaw dropping in it's ambition, more so in it's execution, a riveting mystery that I never quite found myself ahead of, propelled by a monster who was genuinely terrifying, even without the cheap jump scares. The ending (which I won't spoil mainly because it would take me days to finish gushing about it), was genius in it's purest form, a fitting end to a fantastic episode. Even as the first half of a two-parter (technically three-parter), I was not left unsatisfied by it's ending, because of how isolated it was. What comes next will be a whole new adventure, not a continuation, so I do not feel cheated by having to wait another week for it to conclude, I feel excited.

Because I know that right now, uniterrupted, Doctor Who is at one of it's highest peaks in it's entire half century of existence. And I'm more than happy to sit on this cloud and wait for Moffat to deliver once again - I just don't know how it will be possible to ever top this.

Easier To Respect Than To Enjoy

[Theo Robertson · 6/10 · 2 December 2015]

If nothing else I was only looking forward to this two part story because the titles borrowed a reference to a Matt Johnson/The The lyric . Sweet Bird Of Truth from the 1986 masterpiece album Infected . An intriguing source if nothing else but from a mainstream point of view The The is music of an acquired esoteric taste commercial appeal hasn't beckoned . It's the same with this episode You can see what the production team are trying to do here . A bottle episode featuring The Doctor on his lonesome - get that Bafta award for Capaldi now . Only problem is the production team then try to sabotage their attempts to make this the greatest piece of television ever

Radical ? Well yes until you stop to consider a bottle episode was done as far back as the third story away back in 1964 , a year when the parents of many of the people praising this episode probably weren't born . Truth be told Love And Monsters , a post modernist black comedy bordering on a meta-fictional love letter to the show is probably more radical

And if you're making a bottle episode with one character talking to himself maybe it's a good idea to streamline everything and cut everything to the bone , not as in the case here extend the episode . This has been the constant problem of the season . The premise of the first story featuring Davros was stretched out beyond its natural length , The underwater base story and the Zygon story both felt they were two different episodes crowbarred and welded together very uneasily . It also raises the question if Capaldi is so good here why has been wasted by poor writing in most of the rest of the season ?

Heaven Sent is good in parts and does have a clear and clever concept behind it . The execution is unfortunately poorly done and while some people might be expecting this episode to sweep the TV awards next year it will be rightly ignored . A pity perhaps but reality is a terrible thing as the lyrics of Matt Johnson constantly point out

By far the WORST Capaldi episode, may be worst ever

[presleylennon-685-563198 · 2/10 · 29 November 2015]

This was, by far, the least entertaining Doctor Who episode to date. Not only was it boring, the explanation and how it all worked doesn't fly. Much is the case with many Doctor Who episodes, but even with a huge stretch of the imagination in the whole Whoverse, it doesn't hold water.

It doesn't explain why or how, even though it attempts to do just that. It would seem he's found Galifrey, which is pleasing, but nothing as to why he was imprisoned by Ashildr to get him there, who did the imprisoning or how it had to be a very bad - millions of years - version of Groundhog Day to accomplish it.

Capaldi is fantastic, as always, but an episode with no other characters in it leaves a LOT to be desired. As it was, it was just watching the ravings of a mad man. A real mad man. Not a mad man with a blue box...

Excellent

[themrearslan · 10/10 · 1 December 2019]

Best solo actor performance that i ever watched in TV Series.

GREAT PIECE OF TELEVISION

[wolfsimon-30675 · 10/10 · 13 January 2018]

What a great episode! Peter Capaldi is my favourite doctor since I've seen that masterpiece, he acts so well in it. The whole plot building up very slowly is truely great and the Breaking The Wall scene is probably my favourite Doctor Who-Moment of all time. Thanks to Capaldi, Moffat, Talalay, Gold and everyone who took part on this 55-minute long great piece of TV... The 9.6 is totally justified!