2nd Opinion, Take 2 “The Halloween Apocalypse” – What the Flux!?

JC’s verdict on the opening episode of Series 13.

It’s a weird time to be reviewing Doctor Who right now. Just weeks ago the BBC were hyping up Russell T Davies’ return, and that got many people excited about a whole new era ahead, myself included. Then, all of a sudden, it was like the BBC remembered they were meant to be getting people excited about this latest and final Chibnall series instead. It’s a confusing marketing message. The publicity since Chibnall took over has been pretty terrible.

Alas, moving on to the episode itself, back in my review for “Spyfall, Part 2,” I said I was growing tired of the monster-of-the-week format that Doctor Who has adhered to since its return in 2005, so I was pleased that Chibnall decided to have just one story this time (though I’m worried with him writing them all but one solo). Long-form storytelling is a staple of TV in the Netflix age. In many ways, Doctor Who was far ahead of the game and is going back to what it was doing between the 60s-80s. It’s something I hope RTD continues as well (and hopefully we’ll get back the episodes we’ve lost over these last few years!)

However, as much as I’m a fan of the show returning to the serial format, I’m not sure if Chibnall has delivered a good introductory episode here. It’s hard to say right now. The problem is, the episode plays out as little more than a series of disparate scenes all plonked together one after the other with no concern for plot coherency.

We go from Thirteen and Yaz mid-adventure, to Liverpool in the past, to Liverpool in the present, where we meet new companion Dan. Then we’re introduced to the main villain, and back to the TARDIS. Then the dog-like Karvanista makes an entrance, then we meet a random couple in the Arctic, then there’s a timey-wimey appearance from new character Claire and a Weeping Angel, followed up by Vinder on Outpost Rose (hey, that’s a reference!) then Swarm’s sister turns up for good measure. And if that didn’t wear you out yet, the Sontarans briefly come back into play too. Follow it all up with some bombastic CGI, lots of noise, explosions and the end of the universe!

Set-up is one thing, but there’s just too much going on here for the audience to comfortably digest in 50-minutes. It’s exhausting. Did Chibnall have to introduce quite so many elements in this one episode? I shouldn’t really be surprised, as it’s a familiar Chibnall problem, along with his exposition-heavy dialogue that I’ve harped on about for the last couple of series. I’m sure the episode will make more sense down the line, but right now, what can I say? Either I give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it’ll all pay off nicely, or judge it on its own merits. If I do the latter, like I should in a review for a single instalment, then this was just messy. It’s like Chibnall just threw as many things at the screen as he could, and saw what stuck. I can’t imagine your average Joe viewer having an easy time following this one, and judging by the AI score they didn’t (it was the lowest since “Love & Monsters”).

Anyway, I should talk about Dan. I found his introduction as new companion to be pretty decent. I think John Bishop had enough charm in the role and was believable as a down-on-his-luck guy with a heart of gold (though the latter part was a bit over-egged). Dan did seem remarkably unfazed by all the craziness he was running into though. Leading into that, his reaction to the TARDIS was a bit underwhelming. Vinder (Jacob Anderson) meanwhile was okay, but I need to see more of him in action before I can make any serious judgement.

I felt Thirteen and Yaz were the weakest part of the episode. A bunch of development between the TARDIS duo happened off-screen, which is frustrating. Meanwhile, Thirteen got several moments that should be big, but they got drowned out by all the noise of everything else that’s going on (and that overly loud score). Yaz went into unlikeable territory quickly with her smug attitude (reminded me of Rose in Series 2). The only thing I found amusing was that she is no longer a police officer (no doubt in reality so people can get off Chibnall’s back about her never actually doing any work, yet still being praised as a great officer).

From the off, Claire’s scenes were very intriguing, and she was the character I was most drawn to. It all felt very Moffat-y. Maybe it was the strong Sally Sparrow vibes she gave off, and Annabel Scholey’s already winning performance. Why does the Doctor dismiss Claire so quickly though? Doesn’t it seem like something the Doctor would want to learn more about right now? The real-world answer is simple: this is part one, and Chibnall wants a mystery for fans to deduce. It just doesn’t make sense for the Doctor to act like that.

As for villains, Joseph Williamson was there, setting up something in the tunnels. I have nothing more to add right now, as neither does the episode. Thankfully, Sam Spruell was more impressive as the big bad, Swarm. His sister Azure (Rochenda Sandall) didn’t get quite as much to do, but her one big scene gave me Hellraiser cenobite vibes. Despite initially being set up as a foe, the Karvanista turned out to be anything but. I wasn’t really a fan, and I thought the costume looked goofy too. I’m not really going to talk about the Sontarans as they’ll be getting more focus next time, and I’ll save it for then.

Ultimately, “The Halloween Apocalypse” is a big, messy start to this 6-part adventure. It’s not without merit, with some intriguing mysteries and main villain set-up. The key now is how, and if, it all pays off…

Asides

• Much like the “new year” specials, the setting – Halloween in this case – was barely used.
• The pre-title sequence was incredibly cheesy, but at least it gave me a good pic for the thumbnail.
• The imaginatively-titled “Kill Disks” couldn’t hit anything, let alone kill, much like Chibnall’s Sniper bots.
• If you want to see goody two-shoes Dan masterfully turned on its head, watch this.
• Look, I love the Weeping Angels, but their scene didn’t add anything new.
• Some CGI was particularly impressive. Special mention to Swarm’s transformation…
• …Though I actually preferred his look when he was imprisoned rather than the glitter-y version.
• Why was there a mattress in the TARDIS console room (or was that just to make Thasmin shippers crazy)?
• What’s going on with the TARDIS? Why is it bleeding, and developing more doors now?
• Do Lupari planets have a North?