When you want something done, you better do it yourself. That's probably what Steven Moffat thought after he saw three relatively lackluster episodes (and a good but not great one) written by other hands following his series 10 pilot, so he wrote this one himself. And it's brilliant - a crazy mind-bender like only Moffat can write. From the deceptive opening sequence where it looks like the Doctor is about to be executed, to the room with the portals (I've always dreamt about one of those!), to the chilling scene with the numbers, this is what Doctor Who is all about. Now I'm really looking forward to the continuation of the story. ***1/2 out of 4.
26 Reviews
Brilliant episode - easily the best of the season so far
gridoon202411 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
War Games...
Xstal4 January 2022
A rather strange sect of alien monks, have trouble shaping words as if they were drunk, like a foreign language film that's been poorly dubbed, to a lip reading pro they'd be ignored, almost snubbed. They've simulated, practiced, rehearsed, caricatured, but the lips hardly move and their speech is all slurred, that said, they look as if they've been close to some kind of heat, quite extremis in appearance, as its melted their meat.
Absolutely the best episode of this season thus far
warlordartos3 May 2021
And the best episode since "Heaven Sent". Really i would rate this in Capildi's top 5 episodes (at least to date of this episode). Absolutely everything is amazing about it. I particularly liked Nardole being a bad ass even if it was for only about 30 seconds...huh...I think I'm starting to like him.
Genuinely blown away
Sleepin_Dragon22 May 2017
This has to be one of the most dizzying, mind bending, outrageous episodes of Doctor Who I have ever seen. I was literally blown away by every single minute. Parallels have been drawn to The Android Invasion, a 70's adventure featuring Tom Baker, which I don't mind admitting is my favourite classic adventure. Extremis felt like a rebooted update, but with so much more added to it.
Where to even begin in terms of reviewing, I thought the story was sensational, if this is the tone for the three parter, and the quality we can expect, then we are in for something special. The appearance of Missy is always something I welcome, she lights up the screen on each time, is she in the Vault? The show ventured into new territory, religion, albeit in a simulated world.
The Doctor's blindness added an interesting new dimension, a frailty in his character is so different. The actual villain, I thought was fantastic, menacing and brilliantly designed. Even Nardole came to life, his story was partially revealed, and we got to see more depth.
Mr Moffatt you are going out on a high. I feel I can already put Extremis in my list of top episodes. Outstanding! 10/10
Where to even begin in terms of reviewing, I thought the story was sensational, if this is the tone for the three parter, and the quality we can expect, then we are in for something special. The appearance of Missy is always something I welcome, she lights up the screen on each time, is she in the Vault? The show ventured into new territory, religion, albeit in a simulated world.
The Doctor's blindness added an interesting new dimension, a frailty in his character is so different. The actual villain, I thought was fantastic, menacing and brilliantly designed. Even Nardole came to life, his story was partially revealed, and we got to see more depth.
Mr Moffatt you are going out on a high. I feel I can already put Extremis in my list of top episodes. Outstanding! 10/10
The Trilogy Begins
hampson-matthew820 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I liked this episode, and judging by the reactions on twitter it is a divisive one too. I liked it because it sets up the next two parts of this three part monk story well. It introduces us to the monks, tells us what they want to do and gives us an entertaining story for this first part.
People have been saying that it's confusing, but it really isn't! These powerful aliens want to invade Earth but to make sure they do it properly they create a simulated world with simulated people who believe they are real to practice on. The simulated people find out they are simulations because of the Veritas and the simulated Doctor warns the real one of their planned invasion, leading into next week.
Simple really.
People aren't understanding it so are saying it's bad, it's really not! It was clever, funny, scary and a load of fun. Maybe give it a re- watch if you didn't follow it. Remember this is the first of three parts, you shouldn't be told everything straight away, there's no fun in that.
Also, people arguing about Missy in the Vault saying it's too predictable, get over yourselves. There is a reason it was revealed in episode 6, not 12 - because it wasn't meant to be a big reveal!
Ah well, you can't please everyone, especially if it's the Doctor Who fan base.
People have been saying that it's confusing, but it really isn't! These powerful aliens want to invade Earth but to make sure they do it properly they create a simulated world with simulated people who believe they are real to practice on. The simulated people find out they are simulations because of the Veritas and the simulated Doctor warns the real one of their planned invasion, leading into next week.
Simple really.
People aren't understanding it so are saying it's bad, it's really not! It was clever, funny, scary and a load of fun. Maybe give it a re- watch if you didn't follow it. Remember this is the first of three parts, you shouldn't be told everything straight away, there's no fun in that.
Also, people arguing about Missy in the Vault saying it's too predictable, get over yourselves. There is a reason it was revealed in episode 6, not 12 - because it wasn't meant to be a big reveal!
Ah well, you can't please everyone, especially if it's the Doctor Who fan base.
The world isn't as it seems in an ambitious, dizzyingly weird Doctor Who
ryanjmorris20 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Doctor Who is neither as family friendly nor crowd pleasing as it once was, and there's no escaping the below average ratings, but does that stop Steven Moffat from still going all out and giving us one of the strangest, most dizzyingly unique Doctor Who stories in the show's lengthy history? No, Sir, it does not. And quite right too.
"Extremis" is entirely unpredictable. Well, saying that, the episode reveals to us that it is indeed Missy (Michelle Gomez, delightful) inside the Vault that's been popping up every episode thus far - it's hardly a revelation no one saw coming. Yet, "Extremis" does well to sidestep the reveal's obviousness in favour of even more intrigue. We know now that it is Missy in the vault, locked there when the Doctor (Peter Capaldi, commanding) refused to execute her hundreds of years ago. He has promised to guard her nonetheless, but why was she being executed? Why has the Doctor still guarded her in the vault? The mystery is answered, but fresh layers take its place.
This is only one portion of the episode though, unfolding through flashback. The present timeline - or so we think - finds the Doctor approached by the Pope. An ancient text called the Veritas has been uncovered, and every person who has ever translated it has ultimately taken their own life. After picking up Bill (Pearl Mackie, as great as ever), the Doctor and Nardole take the TARDIS to the Vatican to work out what the hell is going on with this Veritas. Once there, they uncover a sinister group of monk-like aliens who want to take over the world.
Much like you'd expect from the genius mind of Moffat, though, this is no ordinary invasion. In fact, this isn't even an ordinary world. After some rare brilliant VFX work that sees Nardole pixelate and fade away into nothingness, the Doctor reveals the truth to Bill - this isn't our world, it's a virtual reality. A hologram, if you will. This alien species is so clever that they create a fake version of their target worlds in order to practice their invasion, to get a sense of the response so that they can strategise the best plan to invade with.
It's a head-spinning concept, and the twist lands brilliantly. It's unfolded slowly, with Bill and Nardole getting all the relevant information first but unable to piece it all together. That job belongs to the Doctor, and Capaldi relishes every moment. His conversation with Bill in the episode's climax is terrifying in how scared and sinister the Doctor appears, yet Capaldi is forced to ground his performance in vulnerability. The Doctor is still blind, remember. He's facing the most intelligent invasion he's ever seen, and he can't even see it.
It sounds like heavy stuff, and it is, but Moffat's script knows when to lighten the tone a bit - morbid Doctor Who is unpleasant Doctor who, save for the phenomenal "Heaven Sent". An early sequence of the Pope wandering into Bill's bedroom is brilliantly funny, and Bill and Nardole's lovably chemistry further adds a bit of lightheartedness to an otherwise dark episode. Moffat demonstrates a remarkable control of tone here, and it's vital to some of the episode's more risky subject matter - a Religious group are key players in the episode, but "Extremis" doesn't dismiss them or laugh at the them within the Sci-Fi.
Director Daniel Nettheim further adds to the episode's impact. Doctor Who is renowned for its long corridors, but they've never looked creepier than the ones Nettheim conjures up inside the Vatican's secret library. The projection room oozes influence from 2001: A Space Odyssey and the effect is fantastically disorientating, it truly looks and feels alien - something Doctor Who can frequently struggle with on a BBC budget.
In other words, everything about "Extremis" is first rate. This is Moffat's second script of the series, but due to the nature of "The Pilot" this feels like the first time he's been able to let loose and get weird. The first five episodes found the show on good form, but it rarely left its own self explained boundaries. "Extremis" doesn't just step over those boundaries, it sprints past them - never looking back and grinning as it goes.
Grade: A
www.morrismovies.co.uk
"Extremis" is entirely unpredictable. Well, saying that, the episode reveals to us that it is indeed Missy (Michelle Gomez, delightful) inside the Vault that's been popping up every episode thus far - it's hardly a revelation no one saw coming. Yet, "Extremis" does well to sidestep the reveal's obviousness in favour of even more intrigue. We know now that it is Missy in the vault, locked there when the Doctor (Peter Capaldi, commanding) refused to execute her hundreds of years ago. He has promised to guard her nonetheless, but why was she being executed? Why has the Doctor still guarded her in the vault? The mystery is answered, but fresh layers take its place.
This is only one portion of the episode though, unfolding through flashback. The present timeline - or so we think - finds the Doctor approached by the Pope. An ancient text called the Veritas has been uncovered, and every person who has ever translated it has ultimately taken their own life. After picking up Bill (Pearl Mackie, as great as ever), the Doctor and Nardole take the TARDIS to the Vatican to work out what the hell is going on with this Veritas. Once there, they uncover a sinister group of monk-like aliens who want to take over the world.
Much like you'd expect from the genius mind of Moffat, though, this is no ordinary invasion. In fact, this isn't even an ordinary world. After some rare brilliant VFX work that sees Nardole pixelate and fade away into nothingness, the Doctor reveals the truth to Bill - this isn't our world, it's a virtual reality. A hologram, if you will. This alien species is so clever that they create a fake version of their target worlds in order to practice their invasion, to get a sense of the response so that they can strategise the best plan to invade with.
It's a head-spinning concept, and the twist lands brilliantly. It's unfolded slowly, with Bill and Nardole getting all the relevant information first but unable to piece it all together. That job belongs to the Doctor, and Capaldi relishes every moment. His conversation with Bill in the episode's climax is terrifying in how scared and sinister the Doctor appears, yet Capaldi is forced to ground his performance in vulnerability. The Doctor is still blind, remember. He's facing the most intelligent invasion he's ever seen, and he can't even see it.
It sounds like heavy stuff, and it is, but Moffat's script knows when to lighten the tone a bit - morbid Doctor Who is unpleasant Doctor who, save for the phenomenal "Heaven Sent". An early sequence of the Pope wandering into Bill's bedroom is brilliantly funny, and Bill and Nardole's lovably chemistry further adds a bit of lightheartedness to an otherwise dark episode. Moffat demonstrates a remarkable control of tone here, and it's vital to some of the episode's more risky subject matter - a Religious group are key players in the episode, but "Extremis" doesn't dismiss them or laugh at the them within the Sci-Fi.
Director Daniel Nettheim further adds to the episode's impact. Doctor Who is renowned for its long corridors, but they've never looked creepier than the ones Nettheim conjures up inside the Vatican's secret library. The projection room oozes influence from 2001: A Space Odyssey and the effect is fantastically disorientating, it truly looks and feels alien - something Doctor Who can frequently struggle with on a BBC budget.
In other words, everything about "Extremis" is first rate. This is Moffat's second script of the series, but due to the nature of "The Pilot" this feels like the first time he's been able to let loose and get weird. The first five episodes found the show on good form, but it rarely left its own self explained boundaries. "Extremis" doesn't just step over those boundaries, it sprints past them - never looking back and grinning as it goes.
Grade: A
www.morrismovies.co.uk
An intriguing and creepy set up to what looks like an incredible 3-parter
abedein720 May 2017
Going into EXTREMIS I had high hopes after a brilliant and consistent first 5 episodes... and my god did it meet them!
I have to say, Moffat has pulled it out of the bag here with not only the best episode of Series 10 (which is saying something) but also one of the best of the revived series. The episodes overall quality was superb and even my uncle, who has never seen Doctor Who before, really enjoyed this episode and wanted to begin watching the entire show (oh dear that is a lot of catching up he has to do!)
Yes, 'Extremis' was confusing at the start but as the credits rolled my brain clicked and I suddenly understood it - but it still left me with lots of questions (as with any first-parter of a larger story). Why was Missy being executed? Who are these Monks? etc.
So a certain someone was in the Vault, and yes it was rather underwhelming but it wasn't as we'd all have expected. Like Richard Lazarus once said, "nothing is ever exactly like you expect". Yes Missy was in the Vault but the reason is rather beautiful: she was there because the Doctor didn't want to kill his oldest friend, which emulates Tennant and Simm, the way The Doctor couldn't kill The Master at the end of the Series 3 finale, even after his horrific deeds.
Matt Lucas shone in his role as Nardole today and everyone now must surely love him - even Bill said that 'he is a badass' in one of Extremis's best quotes. He took the role as the leader after the Doctor stayed behind and Nardole was written to perfection. You could see the glee in his face as he wandered about place to place with Bill looking for clues to the Veritas.
Extremis was a lot darker than recent episodes with one of the main story lines being a book that makes you want to kill yourself. This is a family show! But Moffat handled it very well by yes making it dark but not too dark that thousands of parents would complain that their kids couldn't sleep due to the horrors.
The production quality was at its highest level of the series. The Haereticum looked terrific with the costumes of the guards and the Pope's disciples as well on point. But of course, the highlight of these visuals were of course the Monks who looked terrifying. If you thought that Oxygen was creepy... well lets just say some young souls won't be getting to sleep for a while tonight.
One could argue what the point was of most of it if it didn't actually happen but then one could say the same for Last Christmas or that 10 minute scene in Dark Water. Extremis did serve a purpose, and a pretty important one too, as it was a steady but climactic build up to a surely fantastic 'The Pyramid at the End of the World' written by Peter Harness (The Zygon two-parter) and 'The Lie of the Land' written by the amazing Toby Whithouse (Under the Lake/Before the Flood).
Overall, Extremis was a superb and intriguing piece of story-telling with its slow-pace but enthralling plot(s) making this episode one of the best of the Capaldi era. Yes it was difficult to understand at the beginning but, with most Moffat stories, he manages to clean it up at the end. This 'shadow world' was just a practise one for these weird-looking monks as their greater plan is to conquer the Earth setting us up for an epic two more episodes of this. Acting was incredible and a particular stand-out was Matt Lucas portraying Nardole to absolute hilarious and 'badass' perfection.
I loved this episode of my favourite show ever.
10/10
I have to say, Moffat has pulled it out of the bag here with not only the best episode of Series 10 (which is saying something) but also one of the best of the revived series. The episodes overall quality was superb and even my uncle, who has never seen Doctor Who before, really enjoyed this episode and wanted to begin watching the entire show (oh dear that is a lot of catching up he has to do!)
Yes, 'Extremis' was confusing at the start but as the credits rolled my brain clicked and I suddenly understood it - but it still left me with lots of questions (as with any first-parter of a larger story). Why was Missy being executed? Who are these Monks? etc.
So a certain someone was in the Vault, and yes it was rather underwhelming but it wasn't as we'd all have expected. Like Richard Lazarus once said, "nothing is ever exactly like you expect". Yes Missy was in the Vault but the reason is rather beautiful: she was there because the Doctor didn't want to kill his oldest friend, which emulates Tennant and Simm, the way The Doctor couldn't kill The Master at the end of the Series 3 finale, even after his horrific deeds.
Matt Lucas shone in his role as Nardole today and everyone now must surely love him - even Bill said that 'he is a badass' in one of Extremis's best quotes. He took the role as the leader after the Doctor stayed behind and Nardole was written to perfection. You could see the glee in his face as he wandered about place to place with Bill looking for clues to the Veritas.
Extremis was a lot darker than recent episodes with one of the main story lines being a book that makes you want to kill yourself. This is a family show! But Moffat handled it very well by yes making it dark but not too dark that thousands of parents would complain that their kids couldn't sleep due to the horrors.
The production quality was at its highest level of the series. The Haereticum looked terrific with the costumes of the guards and the Pope's disciples as well on point. But of course, the highlight of these visuals were of course the Monks who looked terrifying. If you thought that Oxygen was creepy... well lets just say some young souls won't be getting to sleep for a while tonight.
One could argue what the point was of most of it if it didn't actually happen but then one could say the same for Last Christmas or that 10 minute scene in Dark Water. Extremis did serve a purpose, and a pretty important one too, as it was a steady but climactic build up to a surely fantastic 'The Pyramid at the End of the World' written by Peter Harness (The Zygon two-parter) and 'The Lie of the Land' written by the amazing Toby Whithouse (Under the Lake/Before the Flood).
Overall, Extremis was a superb and intriguing piece of story-telling with its slow-pace but enthralling plot(s) making this episode one of the best of the Capaldi era. Yes it was difficult to understand at the beginning but, with most Moffat stories, he manages to clean it up at the end. This 'shadow world' was just a practise one for these weird-looking monks as their greater plan is to conquer the Earth setting us up for an epic two more episodes of this. Acting was incredible and a particular stand-out was Matt Lucas portraying Nardole to absolute hilarious and 'badass' perfection.
I loved this episode of my favourite show ever.
10/10
Moffat Returns with One of His Smartest Scripts
scampster-4537721 May 2017
I was really impressed with Moffat for this week's episode, which makes me feel as if he will do Capaldi justice by giving him even better scripts for his final episodes. This episode really intrigued me and distracted me so well from whatever's going on in the real world around me; I was immersed into the storyline.
The Vault reveal may feel a little underwhelming because it was obvious, but that's only because it was the only thing that actually made sense to be inside. And it was revealed halfway through the Series, so the Vault storyline is definitely not over, and it was clearly never about what is inside; there's going to be much more to this story that we'll have to wait and find out about.
"Extremis" also sees Nardole take a step-up to becoming more important to the Doctor and Bill, making sure he is absolutely needed and not just in the background, reminding the Doctor to look after the Vault. Bill's personal life is building piece by piece, as well as her relationship with the Doctor, as we see their relationship move onwards from the madman with a box stage to actual people who see each other (no pun intended) as real people, despite their flaws and can still rely on each other.
The Monks were terrifying and so well done. From the way they move, look, speak, it was all brilliantly done. It was a perfect build-up for the following episodes, as well as being an incredible episode on its own with many rewatchable qualities that can be enjoyed time and time again (which has been quite rare these past few years).
{On a side-note, many of the people who have disliked the episode seem slightly confused about the story and don't fully understand it, so they could probably do with a re-watch. Some also don't like the Vault reveal, but I already explained that it makes perfect sense and shouldn't be/couldn't be anything or anyone else. Many other negative points they make is never truly justified and makes it clear they dislike the episode for no real reason.}
Episode 6 "Extremis" - 10/10
The Vault reveal may feel a little underwhelming because it was obvious, but that's only because it was the only thing that actually made sense to be inside. And it was revealed halfway through the Series, so the Vault storyline is definitely not over, and it was clearly never about what is inside; there's going to be much more to this story that we'll have to wait and find out about.
"Extremis" also sees Nardole take a step-up to becoming more important to the Doctor and Bill, making sure he is absolutely needed and not just in the background, reminding the Doctor to look after the Vault. Bill's personal life is building piece by piece, as well as her relationship with the Doctor, as we see their relationship move onwards from the madman with a box stage to actual people who see each other (no pun intended) as real people, despite their flaws and can still rely on each other.
The Monks were terrifying and so well done. From the way they move, look, speak, it was all brilliantly done. It was a perfect build-up for the following episodes, as well as being an incredible episode on its own with many rewatchable qualities that can be enjoyed time and time again (which has been quite rare these past few years).
{On a side-note, many of the people who have disliked the episode seem slightly confused about the story and don't fully understand it, so they could probably do with a re-watch. Some also don't like the Vault reveal, but I already explained that it makes perfect sense and shouldn't be/couldn't be anything or anyone else. Many other negative points they make is never truly justified and makes it clear they dislike the episode for no real reason.}
Episode 6 "Extremis" - 10/10
Written to intrigue
doctor-934-20711122 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Written to intrigue
I may not be a fan of the RCC but even in simulation we see a greater evil. Computer simulation, what an idea.
The Doctor is blind and guarding the vault.
He is remember the 'execution' of Missy and is sworn to guard her for 1000 years dead or alive. Nardole is in there as comic relief.
Also the Doctor is in Bristol to receive a Vatican City delegation, or is he?
He picks Bill up. Pipes and the Pope? Nice tough of rough humour.
The Vatican, Veritas is 'getting translated' and suicides are being committed.
I will blow this open right now. An alien invasion simulating Earth is happening. Even the projectors are getting it correct. Are you real or part of the simulation?
This reminds me of a Combination of The Android Invasion and the Long Game. The Android Invasion, the adversary simulates Earth to see how to invade it. The Long Game, everyone on Earth is playing a Game within a Game.
So now we have an invader with the perfect replication, Doctor included. Well big mistake, personality is also copied and hence the Real doctor could be warn. 3 plots lines in one.
Plot holes anyone?
Can the Doctor stop the invaders? That is answered next week after Arsenal beats Chelsea for the FA Cup!
I may not be a fan of the RCC but even in simulation we see a greater evil. Computer simulation, what an idea.
The Doctor is blind and guarding the vault.
He is remember the 'execution' of Missy and is sworn to guard her for 1000 years dead or alive. Nardole is in there as comic relief.
Also the Doctor is in Bristol to receive a Vatican City delegation, or is he?
He picks Bill up. Pipes and the Pope? Nice tough of rough humour.
The Vatican, Veritas is 'getting translated' and suicides are being committed.
I will blow this open right now. An alien invasion simulating Earth is happening. Even the projectors are getting it correct. Are you real or part of the simulation?
This reminds me of a Combination of The Android Invasion and the Long Game. The Android Invasion, the adversary simulates Earth to see how to invade it. The Long Game, everyone on Earth is playing a Game within a Game.
So now we have an invader with the perfect replication, Doctor included. Well big mistake, personality is also copied and hence the Real doctor could be warn. 3 plots lines in one.
Plot holes anyone?
Can the Doctor stop the invaders? That is answered next week after Arsenal beats Chelsea for the FA Cup!
Extreme questions of logic
A_Kind_Of_CineMagic28 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This is a weird one to review. It is good in various ways and I do enjoy it but I find it a bit less impressive than its reputation. It is highly rated in many polls and ratings sites but for me it is overshadowed by most of Series 10 which is one of my favourite NuWho series and has a lot of great quality episodes. This one is decent but is just a bit less to my taste than other episodes this season.
The episode is presented with style and excitement and science fiction feel so it sweeps you along. The acting is terrific and the threat posed seems very menacing. The effects and cinematography are excellent but I did not find the episode as fun as many fans did and found the storyline a bit lacking in internal logic.
There is a subplot to do with Missy being executed on a planet where execution is a service they provide and where they say they keep records on every being in the universe. This is reminiscent of Doctor Who: The Movie where the Master is executed by the Daleks and, as with that 1996 story, this does not really make much sense to me. Surely if these executioners were that omnipotently powerful they would not just provide an execution service? It seems to me the Doctor would surely know all about them and strongly disapprove. It does not really ring true for me. It is not a major problem though and I can accept it because the Missy subplot is pretty interesting and Michelle Gomez and Peter Capaldi act it very well. I love that Missy is nicely toned down from her earlier characterisation and given an apparent hidden depth which adds some extra dimension and quality to the character. Gomez gets to show more of her great acting talent.
The main plot is about 'The Veritas', which involves the Pope and Vatican officials. This seems a bit overly religious for my taste and seems to be trying to mimic The Da Vinci Code. There are scenes of the Pope walking in on Bill's date which I find a bit clumsily presented and raise questions of why the TARDIS isn't translating some of the language. However, this is all turns out to be part of a simulation
The idea they are part of a computer programme and are not real is problematic for me. For a start how can a Doctor who is not real send an email from a laptop that is not real on the internet in a virtual world so therefore does not exist and get it to reach the real Doctor in the real world via the real internet?! That is weird. Additionally, once this is achieved the real Doctor somehow remembers events from the virtual world which he could not possibly have experienced such as Bill's date.
The Monks are pretty similar to the Silence (creepy, long fingered, crusty fleshed, open mouthed aliens that look rather mummy like and have powers over human perception) so that does not feel very fresh and the story is a bit convoluted.
The Monks are shown to be hugely powerful so there would be way way easier and more sensible ways for them to conquer the planet. This is even pointed out on screen by the Doctor.
On the other hand, the Monks are certainly an effective monster which creates tension and impact.
Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Michelle Gomez and Matt Lucas all add real quality. Lots of bits are intriguing and maintain interest so overall this is a quite enjoyable standard episode but I just didn't feel it was as impressive as some fans say it is. What it certainly does achieve is to maintain a good level of quality in this excellent season.
My Rating: 7/10.
Series 10 Episode Ranking: 10th out of 14.
The episode is presented with style and excitement and science fiction feel so it sweeps you along. The acting is terrific and the threat posed seems very menacing. The effects and cinematography are excellent but I did not find the episode as fun as many fans did and found the storyline a bit lacking in internal logic.
There is a subplot to do with Missy being executed on a planet where execution is a service they provide and where they say they keep records on every being in the universe. This is reminiscent of Doctor Who: The Movie where the Master is executed by the Daleks and, as with that 1996 story, this does not really make much sense to me. Surely if these executioners were that omnipotently powerful they would not just provide an execution service? It seems to me the Doctor would surely know all about them and strongly disapprove. It does not really ring true for me. It is not a major problem though and I can accept it because the Missy subplot is pretty interesting and Michelle Gomez and Peter Capaldi act it very well. I love that Missy is nicely toned down from her earlier characterisation and given an apparent hidden depth which adds some extra dimension and quality to the character. Gomez gets to show more of her great acting talent.
The main plot is about 'The Veritas', which involves the Pope and Vatican officials. This seems a bit overly religious for my taste and seems to be trying to mimic The Da Vinci Code. There are scenes of the Pope walking in on Bill's date which I find a bit clumsily presented and raise questions of why the TARDIS isn't translating some of the language. However, this is all turns out to be part of a simulation
The idea they are part of a computer programme and are not real is problematic for me. For a start how can a Doctor who is not real send an email from a laptop that is not real on the internet in a virtual world so therefore does not exist and get it to reach the real Doctor in the real world via the real internet?! That is weird. Additionally, once this is achieved the real Doctor somehow remembers events from the virtual world which he could not possibly have experienced such as Bill's date.
The Monks are pretty similar to the Silence (creepy, long fingered, crusty fleshed, open mouthed aliens that look rather mummy like and have powers over human perception) so that does not feel very fresh and the story is a bit convoluted.
The Monks are shown to be hugely powerful so there would be way way easier and more sensible ways for them to conquer the planet. This is even pointed out on screen by the Doctor.
On the other hand, the Monks are certainly an effective monster which creates tension and impact.
Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Michelle Gomez and Matt Lucas all add real quality. Lots of bits are intriguing and maintain interest so overall this is a quite enjoyable standard episode but I just didn't feel it was as impressive as some fans say it is. What it certainly does achieve is to maintain a good level of quality in this excellent season.
My Rating: 7/10.
Series 10 Episode Ranking: 10th out of 14.
Stylish, entertaining, and funny
pjgs20021 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Along with last week's "Oxygen," Extremis is the best episode of series 10 up to this point. It's smart, original, genuinely funny, and really experimental. Daniel Nettheim directs it and I think he did a fantastic job. The episode is stylish, engaging, visually impressive, genuinely funny, and feels kind of like a James Bond movie, and Murray Gold's atmospheric score accents this cool-feeling episode well.
The opening scene-when the Pope walks into Bill's date with another girl- is one of the funniest sequences I can remember in Doctor Who. Moffat really outdid himself with this episode, making it funny, dark, and very intriguing. On the acting side of things, Capaldi puts in another great performance (his monologue towards the end is fantastic), Mackie is good as Bill, and Matt Lucas gets to flex his comedic chops to great effect, really making the episode fun. Michelle Gomez is always a pleasure to have onscreen, and Missy is written in a more subtle way than usual.
I actually really think that having the Pope and the Church involved in an episode is a great idea, and (knowing that Moffat is an atheist) I commend the episode for treating religion with respect. It was really interesting to see the Catholic Church and CERN in the same episode. On another note, I would really like to see a religious companion in the future, as it could bring a new perspective to the show.
All in all, Extremis is a great episode of Doctor Who. The only reason I'm not giving it a 9 is because the final minute felt tacked on. 8.5 out of 10.
The opening scene-when the Pope walks into Bill's date with another girl- is one of the funniest sequences I can remember in Doctor Who. Moffat really outdid himself with this episode, making it funny, dark, and very intriguing. On the acting side of things, Capaldi puts in another great performance (his monologue towards the end is fantastic), Mackie is good as Bill, and Matt Lucas gets to flex his comedic chops to great effect, really making the episode fun. Michelle Gomez is always a pleasure to have onscreen, and Missy is written in a more subtle way than usual.
I actually really think that having the Pope and the Church involved in an episode is a great idea, and (knowing that Moffat is an atheist) I commend the episode for treating religion with respect. It was really interesting to see the Catholic Church and CERN in the same episode. On another note, I would really like to see a religious companion in the future, as it could bring a new perspective to the show.
All in all, Extremis is a great episode of Doctor Who. The only reason I'm not giving it a 9 is because the final minute felt tacked on. 8.5 out of 10.
Hit and Missy
tymbus22 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
It seems a bit odd reviewing what unexpectedly turned out to be the first part of a multi part story, but there were in-episode story lines and a kind of closure to some of them which made events intelligible and some kind of evaluation possible. Unfortunately, massive spoiler alert, the closure to one was that most of what we had been watching was all a dream or rather the SF equivalent, a virtual reality; a trope so common that Marvel's Agents of Shield is currently (in the UK) plowing the same furrow.
Flashbacks revealed how the Doctor came to lock Missy in a vault (although maybe she has regenerated while in there). Moffat's imagination really seems to have been caught by the opening moments of the Doctor Who TV Movie. He has already recreated the Dalek council and now stages another execution for The Master, this time at the hands of The Doctor (except, of course, he chickened out at the last moment). Why The Doctor felt sorry for Missy was unclear particularly when, the next moment, it is revealed that the Doctor is responsible for so many deaths members of a race devoted to killing other races run away from him in terror. It was a funny moment by throws The Doctor's ethics into question.
A second story line involved a mystery torn from the pages of Umberto Eco's The Name of The Rose. In the Vatican, priests are committing suicide after reading a book called The Veritas meaning The Truth. The truth turns out to be that everything that we have been watching post opening credits is a series of virtual worlds created by aliens in order to study the Earth before invading it. So this was a New Who take on the Classic Who story The Android Invasion in which aliens recreate a picturesque English village on an alien world (the Kralls seemed to be fascinated by English pubs and maybe longed to try out real ale and a plowman's lunch).
Extremis refers to a situation of danger and to the moments before or point of death. Of course none of these simulacra of the characters were actually alive, but as they gradually learned the truth of their situation it was hard not to be drawn in to their moment of existential horror.
Moffat's story had his usual visual tropes; things lurking about at the periphery of vision, spooky beings creeping up on characters. But the camera work and pacing didn't deliver the shocks quite as well as usual. In fact the pace of the story was more leisurely, an entirely good thing. I must add that I am not at all interested in the Doctor's blindness and couldn't make head nor tail of the sonic glasses vision shots.
That said, there was one stand out hilarious moment in which Bill reassured a potential girlfriend that there was no need to feel guilty about her feelings only to find an entire bedroom full of Catholic priests including the Pope. I laughed out loud.
I can only hope part two delivers a good story when the crimson shrouded mummy's launch their invasion with the help of an Egyptian pyramid or something.
Flashbacks revealed how the Doctor came to lock Missy in a vault (although maybe she has regenerated while in there). Moffat's imagination really seems to have been caught by the opening moments of the Doctor Who TV Movie. He has already recreated the Dalek council and now stages another execution for The Master, this time at the hands of The Doctor (except, of course, he chickened out at the last moment). Why The Doctor felt sorry for Missy was unclear particularly when, the next moment, it is revealed that the Doctor is responsible for so many deaths members of a race devoted to killing other races run away from him in terror. It was a funny moment by throws The Doctor's ethics into question.
A second story line involved a mystery torn from the pages of Umberto Eco's The Name of The Rose. In the Vatican, priests are committing suicide after reading a book called The Veritas meaning The Truth. The truth turns out to be that everything that we have been watching post opening credits is a series of virtual worlds created by aliens in order to study the Earth before invading it. So this was a New Who take on the Classic Who story The Android Invasion in which aliens recreate a picturesque English village on an alien world (the Kralls seemed to be fascinated by English pubs and maybe longed to try out real ale and a plowman's lunch).
Extremis refers to a situation of danger and to the moments before or point of death. Of course none of these simulacra of the characters were actually alive, but as they gradually learned the truth of their situation it was hard not to be drawn in to their moment of existential horror.
Moffat's story had his usual visual tropes; things lurking about at the periphery of vision, spooky beings creeping up on characters. But the camera work and pacing didn't deliver the shocks quite as well as usual. In fact the pace of the story was more leisurely, an entirely good thing. I must add that I am not at all interested in the Doctor's blindness and couldn't make head nor tail of the sonic glasses vision shots.
That said, there was one stand out hilarious moment in which Bill reassured a potential girlfriend that there was no need to feel guilty about her feelings only to find an entire bedroom full of Catholic priests including the Pope. I laughed out loud.
I can only hope part two delivers a good story when the crimson shrouded mummy's launch their invasion with the help of an Egyptian pyramid or something.
so illogical and self-contradictory it makes my head hurt!
joshpoe-019072 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is a sad example of a writer trying to show how clever they are and instead creating a train wreck so epic that nothing rational remains!
Where to begin? There are basically two huge screw-ups in the plot: 1) anything and everything to do with the Veritas This "ancient historical book" has one purpose: to tell the people in the simulation that they are in fact simulations. a) Why does this even exist? It can't exist in the real world (where no-one is being simulated), and and it's counter-productive for it to exist in the simulated world (where the point of the world is to mimic the real world as closely as possible.) b) If the aliens are looking to conquer the present, why would they introduce the Veritas 1000 years into the past? Or if they first arrived 1000 years ago, surely it would have been MUCH easier to conquer the world then?
2) The "clever fact" that computers can't produce truly random numbers is completely botched by a wrong understanding of how that works. a) Yes, computers create repeatable sequences of quasi-random numbers, but only if they start at the same "number seed". Since the people in the simulation are not identical copies of each other, they would not spit out identical "random" numbers. b) "Truly random" numbers are quite easy for a computer to generate if it uses a changing numeric value as the number seed. For example, using the current clock time as the seed. This literally takes only a single line of programming code to do.
3) bonus absurdities: a) Why is everyone committing suicide when they find out they're not real? Sure, some people would react that way, but everyone? Except for Bill, who for plot reasons is allowed to want to "live" even though she knows she's a simulation. If anything, I think that a desire to live regardless would be the majority reaction? b1) Why does everyone assume the book is right in claiming that they're simulations, just because it can predict a string of numbers? There's plenty of more reasonable explanations, such as the book mind controlling everyone. b2) For people who don't understand programming (*eye roll* - such as the writers!), there is no reason to assume the book is correct, since the reader has no way of knowing that "computers can't generate truly random numbers" to begin with. c) The suicided president seems to imply that the aliens are testing human's reactions to the Veritas, which is completely pointless, given that the tests are to see how real humans would react in an invasion. Ironically, the Veritas is the one part of the simulation that doesn't exist in the real world, so they are literally testing the most pointless thing possible.
Where to begin? There are basically two huge screw-ups in the plot: 1) anything and everything to do with the Veritas This "ancient historical book" has one purpose: to tell the people in the simulation that they are in fact simulations. a) Why does this even exist? It can't exist in the real world (where no-one is being simulated), and and it's counter-productive for it to exist in the simulated world (where the point of the world is to mimic the real world as closely as possible.) b) If the aliens are looking to conquer the present, why would they introduce the Veritas 1000 years into the past? Or if they first arrived 1000 years ago, surely it would have been MUCH easier to conquer the world then?
2) The "clever fact" that computers can't produce truly random numbers is completely botched by a wrong understanding of how that works. a) Yes, computers create repeatable sequences of quasi-random numbers, but only if they start at the same "number seed". Since the people in the simulation are not identical copies of each other, they would not spit out identical "random" numbers. b) "Truly random" numbers are quite easy for a computer to generate if it uses a changing numeric value as the number seed. For example, using the current clock time as the seed. This literally takes only a single line of programming code to do.
3) bonus absurdities: a) Why is everyone committing suicide when they find out they're not real? Sure, some people would react that way, but everyone? Except for Bill, who for plot reasons is allowed to want to "live" even though she knows she's a simulation. If anything, I think that a desire to live regardless would be the majority reaction? b1) Why does everyone assume the book is right in claiming that they're simulations, just because it can predict a string of numbers? There's plenty of more reasonable explanations, such as the book mind controlling everyone. b2) For people who don't understand programming (*eye roll* - such as the writers!), there is no reason to assume the book is correct, since the reader has no way of knowing that "computers can't generate truly random numbers" to begin with. c) The suicided president seems to imply that the aliens are testing human's reactions to the Veritas, which is completely pointless, given that the tests are to see how real humans would react in an invasion. Ironically, the Veritas is the one part of the simulation that doesn't exist in the real world, so they are literally testing the most pointless thing possible.
Extremis
Prismark1020 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The previous episode concluded with the Doctor being blinded. This episode has the Pope asking for the Doctor's help. There is a book called Veritas (it means 'truth' in Latin) and people who have read it go on to kill themselves.
You might think how convenient that the Doctor has been blinded but over the course of the episode, the Doctor has listened to the book and learned the truth. There is an invasion plan and it is being rehearsed in a simulated Earth. It is just that the inhabitants of this cyber-world think it is all real.
Extremis written by Steven Moffat displays some familiar tropes. A library, a simulated world, sinister looking baddies and also some irrelevance. It is a gorgeous looking episode with some excellent production design apart from the CERN building which looks like a school canteen.
Extremis also has two unrelated narratives in two different time streams.
We start off with an execution, it is going to be Missy with the Doctor as the executioner. This happened a long time ago but we return to these scenes throughout the episode.
Then we have the Doctor being visited by the Vatican's cardinals. At one point the Pope turns up in Bill's living room when she has just brought a girl home on a date. The Doctor goes to the Haereticum to read the forbidden text while Bill and Nardole find a portal that takes them to different parts of the planet.
Once the true meaning of the book is revealed and the audience finds out who the Doctor has been talking to in the vault, the Doctor in the real world gets an email alert. This story is to be continued.
You might think how convenient that the Doctor has been blinded but over the course of the episode, the Doctor has listened to the book and learned the truth. There is an invasion plan and it is being rehearsed in a simulated Earth. It is just that the inhabitants of this cyber-world think it is all real.
Extremis written by Steven Moffat displays some familiar tropes. A library, a simulated world, sinister looking baddies and also some irrelevance. It is a gorgeous looking episode with some excellent production design apart from the CERN building which looks like a school canteen.
Extremis also has two unrelated narratives in two different time streams.
We start off with an execution, it is going to be Missy with the Doctor as the executioner. This happened a long time ago but we return to these scenes throughout the episode.
Then we have the Doctor being visited by the Vatican's cardinals. At one point the Pope turns up in Bill's living room when she has just brought a girl home on a date. The Doctor goes to the Haereticum to read the forbidden text while Bill and Nardole find a portal that takes them to different parts of the planet.
Once the true meaning of the book is revealed and the audience finds out who the Doctor has been talking to in the vault, the Doctor in the real world gets an email alert. This story is to be continued.
The Monk Trilogy Begins!
Robinson25115 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I've wanted for a long time now a epic three-part adventure. One that can expand the story into lots of different directions and give us classic villains and brilliantly built-up plot devices. This arc begins with Extremis, in my opinion, one of Steven Moffat's best scripts in years.
Last week's Oxygen ended with the Doctor left blind by his adventure in outer-space, relying on his trusty yet controversial Sonic Sunglasses for help with navigating his way around. I'm really glad this concept was continued beyond Oxygen, it's a brilliant idea and it makes for a great story in Extremis.
The episode starts off with a flashback to the Doctor arriving on a planet to kill his nemesis Missy. I'm not sure why she's been sentenced to death by these... people, but any excuse to have her back is fine by me! It's great having Michelle Gomez back as Missy again, and she gives another brilliant performance as the best incarnation of the Master by far!
This flashback reveals that it was in fact Missy in the Doctor's secret vault, which was a reveal that was not exactly grand or explosive, more like it just pops up during a conversation.
It's also not as surprising as I would've liked. With the way it was being built up, I was expecting something totally new and dangerous to be revealed in a tense, exciting scenario, but instead it goes with the twist that pretty much everyone saw coming a mile off.
It's weird seeing Missy begging the Doctor not to kill her though. This cold, genius character, who has tried on more than one occasion to turn the Doctor over to her sadistic villainous ways, kneels in front of him and appeals to his sense of mercy. To give her one last chance to turn 'good'.
It's surreal and a great direction for the character, even if it's been done before. Steven Moffat seems to enjoy taking long standing villains and showing us their human side. He did it with Davros in The Witch's Familiar, and he's doing it again with Missy. This is something that makes for thrilling and deep drama, but also limits their future as a recurring character in my eyes. Davros could only really go in one direction in The Witch's Familiar. He had to turn bad again at the end to make for a workable climax. I feel like Missy will probably go down the same road later on in the series but I could be wrong.
Anyway, the rest of the episode revolves around a book called the 'Veritas', which is an ancient book that has only recently been translated, which begins causing problems when everyone who reads the book commits suicide. I was gripped by this plot right from the off as it felt like a very interesting idea, and I was excited to see how this would pan out.
The Doctor, Bill and Nardole head to the Vatican's secret library which features some fantastic direction and set design by the way.
Inside, they find a man who has email a copy of the Veritas to different organisations. After finding him, the man runs and shoots himself. Bill and Nardole head off the look for him, and they find a portal which leads to several different places on Earth such as the Pentagon. Meanwhile the Doctor tries to get his sight back temporarily by using a... device to borrow it from his future, but before he can read the Veritas he is interrupted by the menacing Monks.
These creatures look absolutely amazing by the way. The costume designers did a fantastic job bringing these creatures to life as they genuinely scary, and very well designed.
The doctor takes the man's laptop and tries to read the Veritas but his sight begins to fail just as he starts reading, leading to him being chases through the library with his failing sight in one of my of my favourite scenes in this episode. It's scenes like that make me really glad they didn't drop this concept after Oxygen because it makes for a very tense and exciting chase that doesn't just come down to running around again, but has some very serious stakes this time.
Bill and Nardole step through a portal when they find themselves in CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research). They find a team of scientists who are preparing to blow themselves up. When asking one of the scientists why they are doing this, the scientist demonstrates the Shadow test to Bill, when he asks her and Nardole to quickly say a number, they both reply the same number at the same time. He keeps repeating this test until eventually the whole room is saying the same number together. I love this scene, it's so harrowing and creepy and it's definitely my favourite scene of the episode.
Bill and Nardole run back into the portal where Nardole works out that those worlds are just simulations. He also works out that he is a simulation which causes him to disappear. Bill finds the Doctor who, having listened to the Veritas through a computer, explains to Bill that the book explains about a computer simulation that an alien race are using to learn about Earth, in order to invade it.
If you want to know whether you're real or not, do the shadow test. This confirms to Bill that they are all just simulations.
Bill disappears at the hands of a monk and the Doctor uses the memory that has been recorded though his Sunglasses and sends it to the real Doctor to warn him of invasion.
Once I'd wrapped my head around this, I felt this twist was a brilliant. I really enjoyed the build-up of this episode. It's classic Moffat style, before he forgot what made his stories so compelling. This episode kicks off the Monk trilogy in fine style.
Last week's Oxygen ended with the Doctor left blind by his adventure in outer-space, relying on his trusty yet controversial Sonic Sunglasses for help with navigating his way around. I'm really glad this concept was continued beyond Oxygen, it's a brilliant idea and it makes for a great story in Extremis.
The episode starts off with a flashback to the Doctor arriving on a planet to kill his nemesis Missy. I'm not sure why she's been sentenced to death by these... people, but any excuse to have her back is fine by me! It's great having Michelle Gomez back as Missy again, and she gives another brilliant performance as the best incarnation of the Master by far!
This flashback reveals that it was in fact Missy in the Doctor's secret vault, which was a reveal that was not exactly grand or explosive, more like it just pops up during a conversation.
It's also not as surprising as I would've liked. With the way it was being built up, I was expecting something totally new and dangerous to be revealed in a tense, exciting scenario, but instead it goes with the twist that pretty much everyone saw coming a mile off.
It's weird seeing Missy begging the Doctor not to kill her though. This cold, genius character, who has tried on more than one occasion to turn the Doctor over to her sadistic villainous ways, kneels in front of him and appeals to his sense of mercy. To give her one last chance to turn 'good'.
It's surreal and a great direction for the character, even if it's been done before. Steven Moffat seems to enjoy taking long standing villains and showing us their human side. He did it with Davros in The Witch's Familiar, and he's doing it again with Missy. This is something that makes for thrilling and deep drama, but also limits their future as a recurring character in my eyes. Davros could only really go in one direction in The Witch's Familiar. He had to turn bad again at the end to make for a workable climax. I feel like Missy will probably go down the same road later on in the series but I could be wrong.
Anyway, the rest of the episode revolves around a book called the 'Veritas', which is an ancient book that has only recently been translated, which begins causing problems when everyone who reads the book commits suicide. I was gripped by this plot right from the off as it felt like a very interesting idea, and I was excited to see how this would pan out.
The Doctor, Bill and Nardole head to the Vatican's secret library which features some fantastic direction and set design by the way.
Inside, they find a man who has email a copy of the Veritas to different organisations. After finding him, the man runs and shoots himself. Bill and Nardole head off the look for him, and they find a portal which leads to several different places on Earth such as the Pentagon. Meanwhile the Doctor tries to get his sight back temporarily by using a... device to borrow it from his future, but before he can read the Veritas he is interrupted by the menacing Monks.
These creatures look absolutely amazing by the way. The costume designers did a fantastic job bringing these creatures to life as they genuinely scary, and very well designed.
The doctor takes the man's laptop and tries to read the Veritas but his sight begins to fail just as he starts reading, leading to him being chases through the library with his failing sight in one of my of my favourite scenes in this episode. It's scenes like that make me really glad they didn't drop this concept after Oxygen because it makes for a very tense and exciting chase that doesn't just come down to running around again, but has some very serious stakes this time.
Bill and Nardole step through a portal when they find themselves in CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research). They find a team of scientists who are preparing to blow themselves up. When asking one of the scientists why they are doing this, the scientist demonstrates the Shadow test to Bill, when he asks her and Nardole to quickly say a number, they both reply the same number at the same time. He keeps repeating this test until eventually the whole room is saying the same number together. I love this scene, it's so harrowing and creepy and it's definitely my favourite scene of the episode.
Bill and Nardole run back into the portal where Nardole works out that those worlds are just simulations. He also works out that he is a simulation which causes him to disappear. Bill finds the Doctor who, having listened to the Veritas through a computer, explains to Bill that the book explains about a computer simulation that an alien race are using to learn about Earth, in order to invade it.
If you want to know whether you're real or not, do the shadow test. This confirms to Bill that they are all just simulations.
Bill disappears at the hands of a monk and the Doctor uses the memory that has been recorded though his Sunglasses and sends it to the real Doctor to warn him of invasion.
Once I'd wrapped my head around this, I felt this twist was a brilliant. I really enjoyed the build-up of this episode. It's classic Moffat style, before he forgot what made his stories so compelling. This episode kicks off the Monk trilogy in fine style.
Underrated Masterpiece
G4rlic28 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is underrated AF, and i understand why. The Missy flashbacks are crammed in for very little pay off, and the two following episodes are average at best... but as a stand alone episode this story is incredible!
Seeing the show take a far slower, far darker tone than normal is ,in my opinion, where Doctor Who truly shines. The mass suicides, the mystery of the Veritas, the doctors continued blindness and the slow reveal that everything in the universe is all part of a simulation, are all handled surprisingly maturely for this show.
I would love to see more slow paced, conceptual episodes like this one in every season of Doctor Who!
Seeing the show take a far slower, far darker tone than normal is ,in my opinion, where Doctor Who truly shines. The mass suicides, the mystery of the Veritas, the doctors continued blindness and the slow reveal that everything in the universe is all part of a simulation, are all handled surprisingly maturely for this show.
I would love to see more slow paced, conceptual episodes like this one in every season of Doctor Who!
Extremis is extremely entertaining Doctor Who
dkiliane27 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Now we get to the good stuff! This episode is the first part of a well done three parter. Basically, The Doctor is asked by the big potato himself (the Pope - people who know Spanish should get the potato pun) to investigate a text titled the Veritas that seems to make anyone who reads it commit suicide. Rather high stakes to start off the premise of the episode!
And the stakes continue to rise as the episode progresses, culminating in one of my favorite twists in all of Doctor Who. But even before then, this episode has much to offer. Banter between Bill, Nardole and The Doctor is priceless as usual, and The Doctor engineering solutions to get around his blindness (a consequence from the previous episode's events) is hugely entertaining. There is a nice underlying tension to the episode's tone, punctuated by clever moments of levity. And the writing is in top form as The Doctor manages escape from "the Monks," as they are called, along with Bill and Nardole's chilling realization that the whole set up was a simulation set up by the Monks to prepare their invasion of Earth. The climactic conclusion with the simulation Doctor able to send a warning to the real world Doctor was incredibly triumphant and thrilling. The best episode thus far in season ten and one of my personal favorites! 9.5/10
And the stakes continue to rise as the episode progresses, culminating in one of my favorite twists in all of Doctor Who. But even before then, this episode has much to offer. Banter between Bill, Nardole and The Doctor is priceless as usual, and The Doctor engineering solutions to get around his blindness (a consequence from the previous episode's events) is hugely entertaining. There is a nice underlying tension to the episode's tone, punctuated by clever moments of levity. And the writing is in top form as The Doctor manages escape from "the Monks," as they are called, along with Bill and Nardole's chilling realization that the whole set up was a simulation set up by the Monks to prepare their invasion of Earth. The climactic conclusion with the simulation Doctor able to send a warning to the real world Doctor was incredibly triumphant and thrilling. The best episode thus far in season ten and one of my personal favorites! 9.5/10
Great until the cop-out ending
Tweekums21 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This episode follows two separate stories which we switch between. In the main story The Doctor, who is still blind, is contacted by The Vatican. An ancient manuscript, the Veritas, has been translated and everybody who worked on the translation has killed themselves despite them believing suicide to be a mortal sin. After picking up Bill, they head to the Haereticum, the secret library of heretical texts in the Vatican. Here The Doctor sits down to read the Veritas and is interrupted by some rather unpleasant beings. Meanwhile Bill and Nardole discover a strange room; each of its doorways lead to somewhere important around the world, they briefly visit the Pentagon then go to CERN and learn a shocking truth. The second story takes place in the distant past as The Doctor prepares to execute Missy before storing her remains in the vault.
For the most part this was a delightfully dark episode. The fact that The Doctor was still blind added to the sense of danger, the scenes in the Haereticum were distinctly creepy and there was a real sense of mystery about just what the Veritas contained. As the truth is learnt it becomes more intriguing then we get a disappointing resolution that is the equivalent of hitting the reset button what we've just seen was a mere simulation but the simulated Doctor can email the real Doctor to warn him. We are used to characters being brought back after dying but to be told that most of what we just watched was a simulation is a bit disappointing. The scenes of Missy's 'execution' were interesting enough although I'm sure most viewers will have suspected that she is the one in the vault long before it was revealed. Overall I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy this episode because up until the end I thought it was great hopefully when the story continues what happened here will feel more justified.
For the most part this was a delightfully dark episode. The fact that The Doctor was still blind added to the sense of danger, the scenes in the Haereticum were distinctly creepy and there was a real sense of mystery about just what the Veritas contained. As the truth is learnt it becomes more intriguing then we get a disappointing resolution that is the equivalent of hitting the reset button what we've just seen was a mere simulation but the simulated Doctor can email the real Doctor to warn him. We are used to characters being brought back after dying but to be told that most of what we just watched was a simulation is a bit disappointing. The scenes of Missy's 'execution' were interesting enough although I'm sure most viewers will have suspected that she is the one in the vault long before it was revealed. Overall I wouldn't say that I didn't enjoy this episode because up until the end I thought it was great hopefully when the story continues what happened here will feel more justified.
Extremis
MrFilmAndTelevisionShow6 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I was mighty confused as to why Bill told some Catholic Priests that they were all going to hell? Doesn't seem like a particularly positive thing to say. Nevertheless the episode was certainly interesting the Doctor's blindness, the strange creatures and VR. I wasn't expecting a two parter but I do think it'll be very good when I see it.
A good story that is poorly executed and acted
Badger121015 February 2023
Season 10 seems to just float about between weak story, poor execution, didactic punches and poor acting.
Capaldi continues to have less energy than previous seasons as if he is bored with his character. Matt Lucas character is annoying and his inability to act makes it worse. Pearl Mackie also cannot act and with her character being a lesbian, we are constantly reminded of it.
This season we are bombarded with Bill being a lesbian, great we've heard it a dozen times in 6 episodes, move on. On top of that, the constant leftist attacks on capitalism, wow, their ignorance abounds and I can see Moffat really wasn't in charge of this season because he is a better storyteller that what we've had so far.
This season is a bore and is really not memorable and is truly unremarkable.
Capaldi continues to have less energy than previous seasons as if he is bored with his character. Matt Lucas character is annoying and his inability to act makes it worse. Pearl Mackie also cannot act and with her character being a lesbian, we are constantly reminded of it.
This season we are bombarded with Bill being a lesbian, great we've heard it a dozen times in 6 episodes, move on. On top of that, the constant leftist attacks on capitalism, wow, their ignorance abounds and I can see Moffat really wasn't in charge of this season because he is a better storyteller that what we've had so far.
This season is a bore and is really not memorable and is truly unremarkable.
Timely glitches
voyou-703-65535024 May 2017
I don't want to comment when the level of writing is that bad anymore, but I couldn't resist mentioning one tiny little thing that I didn't find in any other review (I even thought all the useful writers of bad reviews had given up when I saw only praise for the amateurish, dreadful Knock Knock.) So here it is.
The Tardis doesn't translate Italian. A glitch, surely, just in time for a pope who doesn't speak English to show up. A secondary effect of this glitch is that the Italian translator, unlike any other alien in the universe including the Pompadour, has a strong non-English accent.
The glitch is very timely indeed, for when usually the Tardis comes near the Vatican's special library (which is not secret, by the way, only restricted, like a bank's vault,) anyone could read any book, in particular today's McGuffin in its forgotten language.
I'll say no more. I can resist laughing about the stupidity of the rest, in particular the VR BS. If it doesn't slap you right in the face, good for you.
The Tardis doesn't translate Italian. A glitch, surely, just in time for a pope who doesn't speak English to show up. A secondary effect of this glitch is that the Italian translator, unlike any other alien in the universe including the Pompadour, has a strong non-English accent.
The glitch is very timely indeed, for when usually the Tardis comes near the Vatican's special library (which is not secret, by the way, only restricted, like a bank's vault,) anyone could read any book, in particular today's McGuffin in its forgotten language.
I'll say no more. I can resist laughing about the stupidity of the rest, in particular the VR BS. If it doesn't slap you right in the face, good for you.
pointless
doorsscorpywag21 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
So it looks like we are off on another 3 part pile of nonsense. The first episode had the Catholic Church seeking the help of the Doctor with a translation of a book that caused people to commit suicide. Even Catholics. By the end of the episode the viewer might wonder what the hell was that about.
Alien corpses dressed in red robes want the Earth for some reason and thought up this complex convoluted waste of time to repeatedly practice defeating the Doctor. At least he did not have to headbut a diamond this time.
Perhaps they have heard our Moon is a giant egg and want a large omelette. They had better be aware that our trees can suddenly appear in times of peril and leave some sparkly dust behind that makes us all forget. Perhaps the Fisher King will turn up again with a battalion of Skovox Blitzers and Dalek Eternal.
The sub plot told us what we all knew that The Master is in the box. But the reasoning behind it was pretty stupid. With all that technology in the Universe we end up with a large one arm bandit like handle to kill the Mistress.
The sooner this current crew go away the better. Bill or Ben whoever she is happens to be the worst companion I can recall. Bigly!
The writing is terrible and makes the Sarah Jane adventures look Shakespearian by comparison.
Yes it is a kids show but kids are not that stupid. Hopefully this will not bring Clara back but with this unbelievably bad storytelling anything could happen.
Alien corpses dressed in red robes want the Earth for some reason and thought up this complex convoluted waste of time to repeatedly practice defeating the Doctor. At least he did not have to headbut a diamond this time.
Perhaps they have heard our Moon is a giant egg and want a large omelette. They had better be aware that our trees can suddenly appear in times of peril and leave some sparkly dust behind that makes us all forget. Perhaps the Fisher King will turn up again with a battalion of Skovox Blitzers and Dalek Eternal.
The sub plot told us what we all knew that The Master is in the box. But the reasoning behind it was pretty stupid. With all that technology in the Universe we end up with a large one arm bandit like handle to kill the Mistress.
The sooner this current crew go away the better. Bill or Ben whoever she is happens to be the worst companion I can recall. Bigly!
The writing is terrible and makes the Sarah Jane adventures look Shakespearian by comparison.
Yes it is a kids show but kids are not that stupid. Hopefully this will not bring Clara back but with this unbelievably bad storytelling anything could happen.
The first of a trilogy. Joy
studioAT23 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Every time it looks like 'Dr Who' is on the up and having something that vaguely resembles a return to form, we get an episode like this, that is so mind-bendingly silly that you wonder what all the fuss is about.
'Dr Who' isn't the show it once was back when it re-launched in 2005, but it's still capable of good moments, which this episode to it's credit does have. Sadly though they come in an over complicated plot, with lots of odd references and plot devices we've seen done better in previous years.
Peter Capaldi is good, he always is, but much like Matt Smith before him he's lumbered with dud material.
'Dr Who' isn't the show it once was back when it re-launched in 2005, but it's still capable of good moments, which this episode to it's credit does have. Sadly though they come in an over complicated plot, with lots of odd references and plot devices we've seen done better in previous years.
Peter Capaldi is good, he always is, but much like Matt Smith before him he's lumbered with dud material.
Moffat make Dan Brown great
megalomaniacs4u20 May 2017
We start off with some intriguing flashbacks, someones going to die.
Flashforward and it goes all Dan Brown, with the pope visiting the doctor.
We enter the Vatican library with sub Angels & Demons plot of Veritas a mystery text - all previous translations going missing along with the translators.
So far so good, the flashbacks are more interesting than the main plot as we get to find out who's in the vault although given Moffat's typical Who arc plotting it was fairly obvious.
The main plot goes Matrix and we end up with Bill & Nardole in CERN (more Angels & Demons linkage).
Unfortunately after a slow final third Moffat pulls the mother of all Russell T. Davies style Deus ex Machina cop-out endings with a "clever" (i.e. monumentally stupid) twist.
So much promise, the flashback plot works and the main plot is so derivative its disappointing. Still next week looks more promising.
Flashforward and it goes all Dan Brown, with the pope visiting the doctor.
We enter the Vatican library with sub Angels & Demons plot of Veritas a mystery text - all previous translations going missing along with the translators.
So far so good, the flashbacks are more interesting than the main plot as we get to find out who's in the vault although given Moffat's typical Who arc plotting it was fairly obvious.
The main plot goes Matrix and we end up with Bill & Nardole in CERN (more Angels & Demons linkage).
Unfortunately after a slow final third Moffat pulls the mother of all Russell T. Davies style Deus ex Machina cop-out endings with a "clever" (i.e. monumentally stupid) twist.
So much promise, the flashback plot works and the main plot is so derivative its disappointing. Still next week looks more promising.
God Is Not Great
Theo Robertson20 May 2017
The Doctor is contacted by the Vatican and right away the alarm bells should be ringing. After all what's the first thing that flashes through your mind when you see a Catholic priest ? Exactly. DOCTOR WHO is a BBC show and what's the first thing that flashes through your mind about "A much loved BBC personality"? Exactly. One does worry that we'll be getting an edition of SONGS OF PRAISE from the Vatican City where Cardinal O'Mahoney is preparing some choir boys for their first communion where any half decent human in general and any half decent parent in particular would not approve as to how these young boys are getting prepared . You know what I'm saying here and the punchlines are going to write themselves
Except they don't. Instead Moffat has written a vaguely intriguing dual plot involving an execution and a timey Wimey thing where 11th Century Christianity is terrified of a project in to the future. Sadly the two plots have little in common and the associated fall out from the plots have a problem gelling. You can see the point that Moffat is trying to tie in a theme of redemption but is it necessary to conflate religion with science ? All this gets quickly forgotten as the timey wimey stuff comes to the fore, Get ready for yet another massive reboot button where "Everyone lives" cue lots of young fans gasping "OMG Steven Moffat is so clever" Still if keeps youngsters glued to the television away from the clutches of men of God that can only be a good thing
Except they don't. Instead Moffat has written a vaguely intriguing dual plot involving an execution and a timey Wimey thing where 11th Century Christianity is terrified of a project in to the future. Sadly the two plots have little in common and the associated fall out from the plots have a problem gelling. You can see the point that Moffat is trying to tie in a theme of redemption but is it necessary to conflate religion with science ? All this gets quickly forgotten as the timey wimey stuff comes to the fore, Get ready for yet another massive reboot button where "Everyone lives" cue lots of young fans gasping "OMG Steven Moffat is so clever" Still if keeps youngsters glued to the television away from the clutches of men of God that can only be a good thing
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