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Reviews
Doctor Who: Can You Hear Me? (2020)
This one could've been so much more
The idea of the Doctor and the companions nightmares coming to life could've made for a stellar episode that could've enhanced the companions characters and gave hints to the overall story arc involving the Doctor. Instead, we get one god who's fingering people ears while they sleep to steal their nightmares so he can free his friend from an egg stuck between two planets so they can carry on stealing nightmares for....... reasons. Exactly - this was an episode that was unnecessarily over complicated when it should've been something more basic. Even the big exposition dump in the middle couldn't make this easier to follow. The scene with Graham and Grace in the hospital and Yaz with the police officer were highlights of this episode so why didn't we get more of this? Jodie's performance was good again as it has been for this series, and Yaz is a criminally underdeveloped companion (this episode has shown her potential in my opinion) and the visuals are amazing, but this couldn't save a story that should've been a tense episode centred around Team Tardis' nightmares.
Doctor Who: Praxeus (2020)
A solid, but unremarkable episode
As usual with Chibnall's era of Doctor Who, the make up and effects are outstanding. Jodie's performance remains a highlight of this season, and it's amazing to see how much she's grown into the role. It was nice to see Yaz being given something to do this episode, and she actually helps drive the plot forward with her discovery of the tablet which leads them to the spaceship - it was also nice to see LGBT characters survive an episode. The climate change message of plastic killing us and our planet feels more subtlety woven in to the story than in Orphan 55. I would say that this episode is fairly average - it's definitely watchable, but isn't a particularly mindblowing standalone episode.
Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon (2020)
Hands down the best episode of Whittaker's so far!
This is an episode which managed to engage me from start to finish - a first for Chibnall and Whittaker. Although the reveal of Ruth being an incarnation of the Doctor was circulating on the internet for a while, it was still good to see play out on screen, and I'm sure it was a surprise for viewers. It's amazing that they managed to bring back Captain Jack without it being ruined by the press or in teasers so this was certainly exciting. There was also a massive amount of teasing for what's to come for the second half of the series which I'm now very hyped for. Jodie's performance was amazing, as it has been throughout this series. My only complaint is that Graham, Yaz and Ryan contributed very little to this episode - I think Jodie could easily carry a series on her own without any companions, or swap the three out for one new one ahead of Series 13. Either way, I am very excited for the rest of Series 13!!!
Sex Education: Episode 7 (2020)
A review for this episode
I'm writing a review specifically for this episode because it factors in something that makes this second season so brilliant - the amazing female friendships and feminist messages that run through. The group scenes between Maeve, Aimee, Lily, Ola, Viv and Liv are one of the highlights of this season and were absolutely brilliant, particularly when they highlighted the disgusting amount of harassment that happens on a daily basis. I loved the closing scene where they all get on the bus together as support for Aimee after what she went through. I also want to discuss Maeve and Aimee's friendship which didnt get enough focus in the first season but was a major component of this one, which I absolutely loved, and the blossoming relationship between Lily and Ola, which I'm hoping becomes something great. Also, I believe Rahim is a better fit for Eric than Adam is but I find it sad how Adam's life can never be good for long. Plus, Ruby and Otis is a surprise pairing which I loved.
Doctor Who: Orphan 55 (2020)
Started well, ended horrifically
I don't think I've ever seen an episode of Doctor Who start so well - a luxury spa under siege on a distant planet by humanoid aliens, plus I even loved the whole venturing into the apocalyptic world angle. However, this episode really manages to kill itself literally - the side characters were hard to support when they hardly had one defining characteristic between them. The last 15 minutes completely slammed the breaks on any momentum this episode had, and I didnt walk into the beginning of this episode to be lectured on how we are destroying our planet! As always, the production quality was amazing, and Jodie had another stellar episode as the Doctor, but the high that was Spyfall has been ruined by Orphan 55.
Doctor Who: Spyfall: Part One (2020)
Enjoyable, but a bit messy
Doctor Who's 12th season premiere begins - and ends with - a bang! There was lots of enjoyment to be had in this episode, from the B movie style James Bond spoofs to the tense scenes with the cabin! Also, it's amazing to see a Master reveal that wasn't absolutely spoilt by the media - Sacha Dawan certainly looks more than promising as the Master! It says a lot when Stephen Fry isn't the highlight of the episode! The next episode definitely has a lot to live up for after the awesomeness of that cliffhanger. Graham is also a delight! I will say, however, that some performances fell a bit flat, particularly Tosin Cole, who felt like he was just walking through his lines - Jodie NEEDS more moments to show the darker side to the Doctor as the balcony scene with Lenny Henry was amazing! Also, this episode was lacking in plot and the monster still remains a mystery, although I'm hoping that this will be resolved in the next episode!
Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
Painfully meh.
Velvet Buzzsaw is, unfortunately, painfully dull. Not bad, but dull. The trailer made it out to be a tense, artsy horror and a must watch, with an intriguing premise which felt fresh. But, simply put, it wasn't tense enough to be thrilling, funny or dark enough to be comical, or scary enough to be a horror - genuine scares were too few and too far between. The ending is also very rushed, as Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo and Zawe Ashton's characters are killed in the final ten minutes, Natalia Dyer's character (who is basically there to scream) moves back to Michigan, and John Malkovich's character is an afterthought in the credits, and this is all after a slow hour and a half build up. Also, Toni Collette and John Malkovich are severly underused in their parts.
However, all of the cast are exceptional in their roles - in particular Jake Gyllenhaal, who hams it up just perfectly, and what scary scenes there were in the film were good - you'll keep looking at the paintings to see if they move. Also, Gyllenhaal's death scene is one of the tensest scenes in the film, as is Collette's. Russo is also good in her part, although it seens like some sort of plot thread didn't make it into the final cut as it is revealed that one of the paintings resembles the position she's sat in.
All in all, this film is quite disappointing, but the performances are good enough to keep your attention.
Supernatural: Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes (2017)
One of the better filler episodes this season
This is an episode about family, with the return of Alicia and Max Banes, who previously appeared in 'Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox', who team up with Sam and Dean to find their mother Tasha, who they haven't heard from for 4 days. It's amazing to see how the Banes can be compared to Sam, Dean and John. Alicia tells Sam that she often feels like she is left out as, unlike brother Max and mother Tasha, she isn't interested in being a witch and practicing magic, and feels like Max and Tasha have a closer bond. Sam can relate, as we all know that Dean and John had a solid bond in hunting. Sam even says "their mom's on a hunting trip and hasn't been home for a week", mirroring Dean's line to Sam about their dad in 'Pilot'. At the end of the episode, we see Max (mirrored Dean) sacrifice his soul to resurrect Alicia into a twig doll after she is stabbed... remind you of anything. This episode is strong because it manages to show you the parallels between the family, the shattered happiness that happens, and has a sturdy plot to tie it all together! Why 9 stars? Because, similarly to previous episodes, the identity if the baddie was glaringly obvious