This weekend’s Doctor Who episode was a found footage story about The Doctor and Clara arriving on a ship (not a space restaurant! You don’t feel the need to add “space” to things like “restaurant” do you? lol) finding themselves chased by things resembling Egyptian mummies.
Not a particularly memorable episode by all accounts, but one of those scary episodes that come up every so often. Perhaps similar to last season’s superior Mummy on the Orient Express, it’s a format that works well. My question for this week is:
Roughly what proportion of double-part to single part episodes would you prefer? Is a double episode format better? Is it working for you?
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I’m loving this season, but that episode just felt a bit weak and rushed standing alone like that. I definitely think that the longer stories make for better pacing and world-building.
The limits of the one episode, one story is even clearer with the duds. I think TV is moving away from that format and Who is getting wise to it. The two parters are certainly a happy medium.
I like these new two partners. The Davros one worked because it had a good story. The Under the Sea one worked because it was unexpected. Unfortunately the Zygon one was a typical two parter, all build up in the first episode and then nothing much happened in the second part. Generally I don’t like two parters because if it is a bad story you are stuck with it for another week, and generally Doctor Who two parters are bad. The first part is usually build up. We spend too long with the supporting characters but we don’t care about them because we know the one who the doctor loves will die and the arrogant one will cause all the problems. Then the second part is an extended third act with lots of unnecessary running about. The only two parter I ever liked was the Empty Child story.
Hello, by the way.
Haha, interesting analysis! Though naturally I disagree. I liked the Zygon two parter. Yes, it did have the showdown with The Doctor moralising but I think it was solid performance from Capaldi and it felt tense.
What did you think of the Under the Lake / Before the Flood and The Girl Who Lived / The Woman Who Died?