The monks make their demands without moving their lips, who knew aliens could be such great ventriloquists, as they show what will happen if misunderstood, and monkeys of the world see a future not good. Capitulation is the name of the monastic game, as the world's simians demonstrate why they're so pathetic and lame, like the blind leading the blind and getting their just deserts, there's only one person now to stop enslavement and avert.
22 Reviews
So much potential... but so many plot conveniences
pjgs20027 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
If this three part arc had been as good as Extremis was, it would have been remembered as one of the best stories ever. Unfortunately, The Pyramid at the End of the World dropped the ball. Not a lot, but the writing just wasn't as good.
There were a few big things that prevented this episode from becoming really good in my opinion, involving the miscasting of the American, Russian, and Chinese officials, their rushed decisions that worked only to keep the narrative going, and how the ending when the timer was counting down they chose to have the Doctor tell Bill the truth, which took a lot longer than 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Now for the positives: Daniel Nettheim's direction was fantastic. He made the episode really entertaining from beginning to end, and I thought that just like "Extremis" before it, "The Pyramid at the End of the World" was particularly well filmed. The acting was good (apart from those miscast officials), and the ending was emotional, even if we haven't seen very much character development from Bill.
I also liked how the end of the world was shown through a chain of events that started with something really simple- Erica's glasses getting crushed.
Nardole was once again a joy to have on board the Tardis ("I'm not just sexy"), and I hope that Matt Lucas gets to stay on for series 11. Nardole has become one of my favorite characters in a long time and Matt Lucas is genuinely a great addition to the show. I don't say that lightly. He was the best part of this entire episode. I was a bit disappointed that Nardole didn't play a big role in the first few episodes, so I am glad to see that he is getting a bigger role this series. I also really liked Erica. Rachel Denning was very good and in her one episode established herself as a character and an actor who I would love to see become a companion in the future. She was really funny and had great chemistry with Capaldi's Doctor, who did suggest that she could travel with him.
The ending was a mix of good and not so good. The Doctor telling Bill the truth played out well and was acted well, but unfortunately it felt really contrived and took a lot longer than the 1 minute and 40 second countdown (around 4 minutes, I think?).
Togo Igawa was good as the Secretary General of the UN, but the rest of the government officials were miscast and their parts were not well written. They are supposed to be military geniuses, but here they surrender to the Monks in seemingly seconds just to keep the story going.
Overall, The Pyramid at the End of the World was an episode that really should have been great, but it was brought down by too many plot conveniences, flawed writing, and miscasting issues. To add to that, the monks weren't developed at all either. Otherwise, I found it genuinely fun to watch and really enjoyed it due to the fantastic performances from every main cast member (and by Rachel Denning) and thanks to the engaging direction by Daniel Nettheim.
On another note, Extremis and the Pyramid at the End of the World have all been a welcome balance of humor and seriousness and I think both are very well directed just for how fun they are to watch. It's no surprise considering Nettheim also directed last series' acclaimed Zygon two-parter, but I think these two have much more re-watch value
7 out of 10. I would have rated it much higher if the writing hadn't seemed so contrived.
There were a few big things that prevented this episode from becoming really good in my opinion, involving the miscasting of the American, Russian, and Chinese officials, their rushed decisions that worked only to keep the narrative going, and how the ending when the timer was counting down they chose to have the Doctor tell Bill the truth, which took a lot longer than 1 minute and 40 seconds.
Now for the positives: Daniel Nettheim's direction was fantastic. He made the episode really entertaining from beginning to end, and I thought that just like "Extremis" before it, "The Pyramid at the End of the World" was particularly well filmed. The acting was good (apart from those miscast officials), and the ending was emotional, even if we haven't seen very much character development from Bill.
I also liked how the end of the world was shown through a chain of events that started with something really simple- Erica's glasses getting crushed.
Nardole was once again a joy to have on board the Tardis ("I'm not just sexy"), and I hope that Matt Lucas gets to stay on for series 11. Nardole has become one of my favorite characters in a long time and Matt Lucas is genuinely a great addition to the show. I don't say that lightly. He was the best part of this entire episode. I was a bit disappointed that Nardole didn't play a big role in the first few episodes, so I am glad to see that he is getting a bigger role this series. I also really liked Erica. Rachel Denning was very good and in her one episode established herself as a character and an actor who I would love to see become a companion in the future. She was really funny and had great chemistry with Capaldi's Doctor, who did suggest that she could travel with him.
The ending was a mix of good and not so good. The Doctor telling Bill the truth played out well and was acted well, but unfortunately it felt really contrived and took a lot longer than the 1 minute and 40 second countdown (around 4 minutes, I think?).
Togo Igawa was good as the Secretary General of the UN, but the rest of the government officials were miscast and their parts were not well written. They are supposed to be military geniuses, but here they surrender to the Monks in seemingly seconds just to keep the story going.
Overall, The Pyramid at the End of the World was an episode that really should have been great, but it was brought down by too many plot conveniences, flawed writing, and miscasting issues. To add to that, the monks weren't developed at all either. Otherwise, I found it genuinely fun to watch and really enjoyed it due to the fantastic performances from every main cast member (and by Rachel Denning) and thanks to the engaging direction by Daniel Nettheim.
On another note, Extremis and the Pyramid at the End of the World have all been a welcome balance of humor and seriousness and I think both are very well directed just for how fun they are to watch. It's no surprise considering Nettheim also directed last series' acclaimed Zygon two-parter, but I think these two have much more re-watch value
7 out of 10. I would have rated it much higher if the writing hadn't seemed so contrived.
Three minutes to midnight
Tweekums28 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Just as Bill is telling her potential girlfriend about The Doctor and his strange 'dream' where they were interrupted by the pope they are interrupted
not by the pope but by the Secretary General of the United Nations. He wants Bill to take him to 'The President' a role The Doctor takes when the Earth is in grave danger. A five thousand year old pyramid has appeared in Central Asia in an area with large Russian, Chinese and US military concentrations. The Doctor is flown there and assembles the leaders of each force. He then approaches the pyramid and the Monks tell him that in under a year all life on Earth will be dead; they can stop this but only if they are invited to take over the Earth; not only that the surrender must be given through love rather than fear or some other motive. As The Doctor talks to them all clocks are set to 23:57
or as Nardole points out Three minutes to midnight on the doomsday clock. Attempts to unite to attack the pyramid fail and the military leaders are ready to capitulate
the Doctor disagrees and searches to discover just what could threaten the planet. Meanwhile at a bio-research lab in Yorkshire two scientists, one hungover, the other, who has just broken her glasses, work with bacteria
inevitably something goes horribly wrong and they create something capable of destroying all life on Earth. Now it is just a question of will The Doctor be able to find the lab and if so will he be able to destroy the super-bacteria before it is too late without killing himself in the process?
Firstly I must say I like the fact that we are getting some multi-episode plot arcs; it reminds me of when I watched the old 'Doctor Who' as a child. The story is interesting and the Monks make good villains; the fact that they will only take over the Earth if invited rather than doing it by force makes them more intriguing it isn't even as though they created the impending disaster; they just calculated that it would happen. They are well designed; creepy without being too scary. There are some fairly major flaws unfortunately; most notably the two-minute count down at the end clearly lasts far longer than two minutes and the plane we see early on appears to be rather poor CGI; this was particularly disappointing given that other effects, like the way the Monks kill, were so impressive. The cast did a solid job; I especially liked Matt Lucas's performance as Nardole, a character who initially irritated me but has considerably improved; Rachel Denning also impressed as scientist Erica, interestingly hints were given that she could end up working with The Doctor at some point in the future although whether that will ultimately happen is anybody's guess. The conclusion wasn't perfect but it does set things up for the third instalment in this story.
Firstly I must say I like the fact that we are getting some multi-episode plot arcs; it reminds me of when I watched the old 'Doctor Who' as a child. The story is interesting and the Monks make good villains; the fact that they will only take over the Earth if invited rather than doing it by force makes them more intriguing it isn't even as though they created the impending disaster; they just calculated that it would happen. They are well designed; creepy without being too scary. There are some fairly major flaws unfortunately; most notably the two-minute count down at the end clearly lasts far longer than two minutes and the plane we see early on appears to be rather poor CGI; this was particularly disappointing given that other effects, like the way the Monks kill, were so impressive. The cast did a solid job; I especially liked Matt Lucas's performance as Nardole, a character who initially irritated me but has considerably improved; Rachel Denning also impressed as scientist Erica, interestingly hints were given that she could end up working with The Doctor at some point in the future although whether that will ultimately happen is anybody's guess. The conclusion wasn't perfect but it does set things up for the third instalment in this story.
Tick Tock goes the Doomsday clock
Sleepin_Dragon28 May 2017
The question had to be how could the possibly build on last week's Extremis, this episode promised so much, and for the most part I felt it delivered. You can't watch it without being incredibly aware of the huge political message being driven, the possibility of World War Three.
OK, the Monks made a good adversary, I liked them, creepy, measured, and a matter of fact element to them, no shouting or berating, just a clear message, domination. I loved their illuminated strands that could tell the future, and there's also a question mark hanging over the possibility that we're actually in another simulated world.
Absolutely loved Erica, played by the brilliant Rachel Denning, how nice would it be to see a return from her. Pearl Mackie was excellent as always, but I wasn't too convinced about the mix of Generals and Colonels.
Elements of the story have been done to death, the countdown timer, the viral bacteria, so it loses a couple of marks for originality (lack of)
I know the FA cup final was on, but they've started changing the broadcast time every week again, come on BBC, that's not on.
A little down on par compared to the very high standard set this season, but it still has a quality, I am left with a sense of intrigue as to how the trilogy concludes, and what impact Missy has.
OK, the Monks made a good adversary, I liked them, creepy, measured, and a matter of fact element to them, no shouting or berating, just a clear message, domination. I loved their illuminated strands that could tell the future, and there's also a question mark hanging over the possibility that we're actually in another simulated world.
Absolutely loved Erica, played by the brilliant Rachel Denning, how nice would it be to see a return from her. Pearl Mackie was excellent as always, but I wasn't too convinced about the mix of Generals and Colonels.
Elements of the story have been done to death, the countdown timer, the viral bacteria, so it loses a couple of marks for originality (lack of)
I know the FA cup final was on, but they've started changing the broadcast time every week again, come on BBC, that's not on.
A little down on par compared to the very high standard set this season, but it still has a quality, I am left with a sense of intrigue as to how the trilogy concludes, and what impact Missy has.
So Far So Good
scampster-453772 June 2017
We are halfway through the series and halfway through the Monk Trilogy, and each episode has left me feeling really impressed with this season's quality. Obviously the visuals for the Series have been getting better, shown by the Pyramid itself and its controlling of the plane and submarine. The script quality has been outstanding, with this episode being on par with its previous episode "Extremis", making the two of these greats for the Series as a whole.
Our three main leads develop their relationship to new levels, especially Mackie's Bill and Capaldi's Doctor, making the experience much more enjoyable. The guest stars were also really well written and acted, with Rachel Denning as Erica a great stand-out.
The cliffhanger is brilliantly emotional and worrying for the Doctor; how can he save the Earth this time?
The Monks are once again incredible through their eerie voices and creepy costumes, with their powers making them extremely threatening and like omnipotent gods compared to humans. This episode expands on their characters more, which gives them an even creepier vibe, whilst also making for a more unique and intriguing invasion story.
Halfway through Series 10, and its already become one of the best of NuWho; a great jumping on point and brilliant continuation for all viewers. It's a shame the ratings are significantly lower than in recent years, as this is becoming a truly outstanding series.
Episode 7 "The Pyramid at the End of the World" - 10/10
Our three main leads develop their relationship to new levels, especially Mackie's Bill and Capaldi's Doctor, making the experience much more enjoyable. The guest stars were also really well written and acted, with Rachel Denning as Erica a great stand-out.
The cliffhanger is brilliantly emotional and worrying for the Doctor; how can he save the Earth this time?
The Monks are once again incredible through their eerie voices and creepy costumes, with their powers making them extremely threatening and like omnipotent gods compared to humans. This episode expands on their characters more, which gives them an even creepier vibe, whilst also making for a more unique and intriguing invasion story.
Halfway through Series 10, and its already become one of the best of NuWho; a great jumping on point and brilliant continuation for all viewers. It's a shame the ratings are significantly lower than in recent years, as this is becoming a truly outstanding series.
Episode 7 "The Pyramid at the End of the World" - 10/10
The Tension Rises!
Robinson251122 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
One complaint I do have about Series 10 is that there have been barely any moments that have done a good job at raising the tension.
Oxygen had a go, and Extremis was trying to be intense, but because neither of them had any long term threats, the tension just fizzled out. The Pyramid at the End of the World fixes that completely.
Obviously we all know about Peter Capaldi's upcoming departure from Doctor Who. I know, we're all devastated, but this made Pyramid very tense as I was constantly watching for where the episode could take us next, and if it would have any baring on the upcoming regeneration.
The monks that were introduced in last week's exposition-heavy Extremis have landed on Earth with their spaceship in the shape of a Pyramid, and are offering to help the human race survive a fatal catastrophe, but only if they are asked by someone in power.
This is a unique idea for an invasion story, and one that does a great job of raising the stakes for the Doctor, and the supporting characters, all of whom are quite interesting.
The Doctor being so desperate to find a solution to the problem but refusing to accept the monk's offer, even in the face of the Earth's imminent destruction, sums up the 12th Doctor's character very well, and his blindness is well utilised, especially towards the end.
The biggest problem I have with the monk's plan, is why the request for their help must be made out of love. I'm not sure what this changes about their plan, but maybe we'll find out next week.
The fact that the end of the world is nearly caused by two scientists, a pair of broken glasses and a hangover, is an awesome idea (and I can't help but think there's a political statement in there somewhere).
The deaths of the soldiers at the hands of the monks are quite graphic, especially considering the more simplistic death scenes we've seen over the past few years on this show. It's great to see Doctor Who returning to that.
Then there was the final scenes where the Doctor, having been extremely clever and worked out a solution to the upcoming apocalypse, gets stuck in a locked room with an explosive, due to his blindness not allowing him to enter the exit key.
The whole scene with the Doctor in the lab had a real sense of foreboding which is something I love from Doctor Who. For a while, I genuinely worried that Capaldi was about to regenerate, and the scene with him discussing his predicament with Bill was a wonderful moment.
Bill asking the monks for help to give the Doctor his sight back was awesome too, and wraps up the blindness arc, and the monk's plan, very neatly.
Next time we'll have to do with the Earth invasion, but I must say that I really enjoyed Pyramid at the End of the World. There were some gaps in logic in places but it was constantly interesting and very tense towards the end.
The acting was excellent, the writing was strong and it was a lot of fun.
Oxygen had a go, and Extremis was trying to be intense, but because neither of them had any long term threats, the tension just fizzled out. The Pyramid at the End of the World fixes that completely.
Obviously we all know about Peter Capaldi's upcoming departure from Doctor Who. I know, we're all devastated, but this made Pyramid very tense as I was constantly watching for where the episode could take us next, and if it would have any baring on the upcoming regeneration.
The monks that were introduced in last week's exposition-heavy Extremis have landed on Earth with their spaceship in the shape of a Pyramid, and are offering to help the human race survive a fatal catastrophe, but only if they are asked by someone in power.
This is a unique idea for an invasion story, and one that does a great job of raising the stakes for the Doctor, and the supporting characters, all of whom are quite interesting.
The Doctor being so desperate to find a solution to the problem but refusing to accept the monk's offer, even in the face of the Earth's imminent destruction, sums up the 12th Doctor's character very well, and his blindness is well utilised, especially towards the end.
The biggest problem I have with the monk's plan, is why the request for their help must be made out of love. I'm not sure what this changes about their plan, but maybe we'll find out next week.
The fact that the end of the world is nearly caused by two scientists, a pair of broken glasses and a hangover, is an awesome idea (and I can't help but think there's a political statement in there somewhere).
The deaths of the soldiers at the hands of the monks are quite graphic, especially considering the more simplistic death scenes we've seen over the past few years on this show. It's great to see Doctor Who returning to that.
Then there was the final scenes where the Doctor, having been extremely clever and worked out a solution to the upcoming apocalypse, gets stuck in a locked room with an explosive, due to his blindness not allowing him to enter the exit key.
The whole scene with the Doctor in the lab had a real sense of foreboding which is something I love from Doctor Who. For a while, I genuinely worried that Capaldi was about to regenerate, and the scene with him discussing his predicament with Bill was a wonderful moment.
Bill asking the monks for help to give the Doctor his sight back was awesome too, and wraps up the blindness arc, and the monk's plan, very neatly.
Next time we'll have to do with the Earth invasion, but I must say that I really enjoyed Pyramid at the End of the World. There were some gaps in logic in places but it was constantly interesting and very tense towards the end.
The acting was excellent, the writing was strong and it was a lot of fun.
The Pyramid Decision
timdalton00728 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Science Fiction often is a way for us to see our world through different eyes. As classics like The Twilight Zone or the original series of Star Trek have shown, there is something about the genre that allows us to remove ourselves slightly and see the world we live in a different context. Doctor Who has also shown itself capable of this both in its original run and with its current 21st century incarnation. The Pyramid At The End Of The World, aired on the 27th of May, was to prove that once again with an episode that combined the genre and the show's most recent story arcs with the world we live in now.
That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise though. After all, the episode was co-written by Peter Harness who is the writer who gave us the Zygon two-parter in Series Nine back in 2015 in a similarly topical way. What Harness and show-runner Steven Moffat do with this most recent episode is to apply that to the world we live in that is Post-Brexit on one side of the Pond and Post-Trump on the other. In the aftermath of both of those events and the votes that saw them come to pass, many of those who stood in opposition have asked how it could have happened. Harness and Moffat explore that question here as humanity faces a similar dilemma having been told by the Monks (introduced in the previous episode Extremis) that humanity and all life on Earth will face certain destruction unless they are given consent to help. The episode then becomes a struggle as humanity's representatives (the UN Secretary General representing politicians, military leaders from the three biggest countries on the planet, and companion Bill giving representation to the public at large) must decide what to do.
It is here that the episode gets into its most interesting territory. It explores not who is making those decisions but the why. The Monks demand consent but will only accept it done for they deem to be the 'right' reasons. To get to that point, they reveal why several of the characters might be offering their consent through the usual base but powerful motives including fear and the hope of being able to further manipulate the outcome. When the episode does reach its conclusion, it reveals what the Monks will accept in a powerful moment that makes the entire point that the episode has spent forty odd minutes trying to make: that people, when faced with a decision that looks as if it could do more harm than good despite having an alternative, will make said bad decision based on the best of intentions. In doing so, Harness and Moffat create a metaphor with science fiction for how we have gotten ourselves into our current situations which makes the cliffhanger ending all the more appropriate.
To bring this to life requires more than just a script though. Like the current run of episodes, Doctor Who has been blessed by a strong cast. Peter Capaldi's Doctor continues to shine and in these most recent episodes one has really come to feel that he has settled in at last, finding the right balance from moments of utter seriousness to lighter moments of comedy. Pearl Mackie's Bill continues to shine as well with this episode being something of a culmination of a sub- plot running through the last couple of episodes and which finds Bill facing the consequences of those events while also setting the stage for what is to come. Matt Lucas' Nardole still has the least to do of the three regulars but his presence oddly feels important all the same with his inclusion adding a nice dynamic to the typical Doctor and a single companion relationship we've had the last couple of seasons. The supporting cast is solid though not flashy with Rachel Denning's Erica and Togo Igawa's UN Secretary General standing out among the cast.
The episode's production values are likewise as solid, though perhaps not as flashy as in the last couple of weeks. The production designers and costumers deserve a large amount of praise for their creation of a potential war zone in a fictional Middle Eastern country (the same one that Harness used in the aforementioned Zygon two-parter) as well as the interior of the titular pyramid. Indeed, the Pyramid itself is a convincing piece of work as are many of the effects used in the episode including a memorable sequence where the military solution is called into play. All the having been said, the direction of Daniel Nettheim feels very workmanlike throughout with little effort being made to do anything beyond just what the script requires which feels like a shame given his previous work on the series. On the whole though there isn't much to complain about and perhaps Nettheim simply decided that the story didn't require the kind of flourishes he brought to previous episode's.
The Pyramid At The End Of The World feels like another triumph for Doctor Who this season. It creates a compelling genre metaphor and does so within a story-line that is equally as compelling, exploring why it is that when faced with making a bad decision for good reasons we do so anyway in spite of knowing the consequences. To do so, it puts cast and crew alike to strong use allowing its leads to shine. Now the only question is if it can live up to that cliffhanger ending or not...
That shouldn't come as too much of a surprise though. After all, the episode was co-written by Peter Harness who is the writer who gave us the Zygon two-parter in Series Nine back in 2015 in a similarly topical way. What Harness and show-runner Steven Moffat do with this most recent episode is to apply that to the world we live in that is Post-Brexit on one side of the Pond and Post-Trump on the other. In the aftermath of both of those events and the votes that saw them come to pass, many of those who stood in opposition have asked how it could have happened. Harness and Moffat explore that question here as humanity faces a similar dilemma having been told by the Monks (introduced in the previous episode Extremis) that humanity and all life on Earth will face certain destruction unless they are given consent to help. The episode then becomes a struggle as humanity's representatives (the UN Secretary General representing politicians, military leaders from the three biggest countries on the planet, and companion Bill giving representation to the public at large) must decide what to do.
It is here that the episode gets into its most interesting territory. It explores not who is making those decisions but the why. The Monks demand consent but will only accept it done for they deem to be the 'right' reasons. To get to that point, they reveal why several of the characters might be offering their consent through the usual base but powerful motives including fear and the hope of being able to further manipulate the outcome. When the episode does reach its conclusion, it reveals what the Monks will accept in a powerful moment that makes the entire point that the episode has spent forty odd minutes trying to make: that people, when faced with a decision that looks as if it could do more harm than good despite having an alternative, will make said bad decision based on the best of intentions. In doing so, Harness and Moffat create a metaphor with science fiction for how we have gotten ourselves into our current situations which makes the cliffhanger ending all the more appropriate.
To bring this to life requires more than just a script though. Like the current run of episodes, Doctor Who has been blessed by a strong cast. Peter Capaldi's Doctor continues to shine and in these most recent episodes one has really come to feel that he has settled in at last, finding the right balance from moments of utter seriousness to lighter moments of comedy. Pearl Mackie's Bill continues to shine as well with this episode being something of a culmination of a sub- plot running through the last couple of episodes and which finds Bill facing the consequences of those events while also setting the stage for what is to come. Matt Lucas' Nardole still has the least to do of the three regulars but his presence oddly feels important all the same with his inclusion adding a nice dynamic to the typical Doctor and a single companion relationship we've had the last couple of seasons. The supporting cast is solid though not flashy with Rachel Denning's Erica and Togo Igawa's UN Secretary General standing out among the cast.
The episode's production values are likewise as solid, though perhaps not as flashy as in the last couple of weeks. The production designers and costumers deserve a large amount of praise for their creation of a potential war zone in a fictional Middle Eastern country (the same one that Harness used in the aforementioned Zygon two-parter) as well as the interior of the titular pyramid. Indeed, the Pyramid itself is a convincing piece of work as are many of the effects used in the episode including a memorable sequence where the military solution is called into play. All the having been said, the direction of Daniel Nettheim feels very workmanlike throughout with little effort being made to do anything beyond just what the script requires which feels like a shame given his previous work on the series. On the whole though there isn't much to complain about and perhaps Nettheim simply decided that the story didn't require the kind of flourishes he brought to previous episode's.
The Pyramid At The End Of The World feels like another triumph for Doctor Who this season. It creates a compelling genre metaphor and does so within a story-line that is equally as compelling, exploring why it is that when faced with making a bad decision for good reasons we do so anyway in spite of knowing the consequences. To do so, it puts cast and crew alike to strong use allowing its leads to shine. Now the only question is if it can live up to that cliffhanger ending or not...
A terrific final act can't fully save a cluttered, unfocused Doctor Who
ryanjmorris29 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Well, "Extremis" always was going to be hard to top, wasn't it?
Including "Extremis", Doctor Who has been tackling the multi-episode narrative in increasingly refreshing ways lately. Season Nine's "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived" found a powerful new way to introduce a vital character, and the three part finale of the same season ("Face the Raven" - "Heaven Sent" - "Hell Bent") took on a multi-story approach that allowed each episode to function independently and still form one fluid narrative thread. It's no coincidence that I gave all six of the aforementioned episodes a perfect score.
"The Pyramid at the End of the World", co-written by Steven Moffat and Peter Harness, is the first episode in this current trend that fails to recapture the same dizzying successes. Now, "Pyramid" isn't an actively bad episode by any means, but it represents a notable step down from every episode so far this season - in fact, I think I'd have to go back to "Sleep No More" to find another episode as clumsy as this one.
The premise is frustratingly brilliant. The Doctor has escaped the simulation and he's filled Bill in on all of that - shown through a zippy and unique spin on the "Previously..." segment - but now the real invasion begins. A 5000 year old pyramid has mysteriously appeared over night, and it's brought the U.S, Russian and Chinese armies together in potentially catastrophic ways. With the knowledge that this was written by Harness, the man who gave us that war speech, one would be forgiven for expecting something compelling and politically motivated.
In the end, though, the pyramid is completely irrelevant. In fact, an awful lot of the episode is pointless, empty and, dare I say, boring. Doctor Who, and the Moffat era especially, is frequently brilliant in its handling of misdirection, but "Pyramid" makes the mistake of telling us how unimportant its central plot thread is and then carrying on as normal. An alien invasion should feel daunting and important and terrifying, but almost all of the scenes here actually focusing on the Monks and their plan fail to register.
The episode is more successful in its sub plot - y'know, the one featuring no key cast members until the final act. Confined to a dangerous science lab, Erica (Rachel Denning) and Douglas (Tony Gardner) were hardly game changing characters, but their barely explained scenes in the episode's middle act actually find a sense of enigma, of mystery. Despite featuring faces we don't know doing things we don't understand, their scenes almost always feel more important than those featuring the Doctor or Bill.
It creates a sense of confusion within the episode. There's too much going on: the story leaps and bounds through a huge number of sequences but rarely do they feel vital enough to the overall backbone of the narrative. The pyramid plot essentially builds to nothing - the key mystery of the pyramid itself is actually resolved immediately after the opening titles - and the science lab thread mostly feels far too disconnected to the main story to fully come into its own.
Eventually, "Pyramid" ties its two threads together, and the result is spectacular. The episode's final act is ingenious in the way it uses the Doctor's blindness as more than inconvenience - it's now a fully fledged plot point. His revealing of the truth to Bill is ultimately what kick starts the Monks' peaceful invasion of Earth, and it's handled so smoothly and so confidently that the rest of the episode feels inconsequential.
But that's where the big issue lies. This is going to conclude as a 2 hour and 15 minute story: we're now an hour and a half in and the narrative is lacking urgency and consequence. Next week's "The Lie of the Land" seems to be facing an impossible task - it has to wrap up a story that barely even feels like it's begun. The nature of this story's structure means that "Extremis" remains undamaged by the issues of "Pyramid", but it also backhandedly makes "Pyramid"'s issues more noticeable. This is an episode of Doctor Who that seemingly has far too much going on and far too little actually happening.
Including "Extremis", Doctor Who has been tackling the multi-episode narrative in increasingly refreshing ways lately. Season Nine's "The Girl Who Died" and "The Woman Who Lived" found a powerful new way to introduce a vital character, and the three part finale of the same season ("Face the Raven" - "Heaven Sent" - "Hell Bent") took on a multi-story approach that allowed each episode to function independently and still form one fluid narrative thread. It's no coincidence that I gave all six of the aforementioned episodes a perfect score.
"The Pyramid at the End of the World", co-written by Steven Moffat and Peter Harness, is the first episode in this current trend that fails to recapture the same dizzying successes. Now, "Pyramid" isn't an actively bad episode by any means, but it represents a notable step down from every episode so far this season - in fact, I think I'd have to go back to "Sleep No More" to find another episode as clumsy as this one.
The premise is frustratingly brilliant. The Doctor has escaped the simulation and he's filled Bill in on all of that - shown through a zippy and unique spin on the "Previously..." segment - but now the real invasion begins. A 5000 year old pyramid has mysteriously appeared over night, and it's brought the U.S, Russian and Chinese armies together in potentially catastrophic ways. With the knowledge that this was written by Harness, the man who gave us that war speech, one would be forgiven for expecting something compelling and politically motivated.
In the end, though, the pyramid is completely irrelevant. In fact, an awful lot of the episode is pointless, empty and, dare I say, boring. Doctor Who, and the Moffat era especially, is frequently brilliant in its handling of misdirection, but "Pyramid" makes the mistake of telling us how unimportant its central plot thread is and then carrying on as normal. An alien invasion should feel daunting and important and terrifying, but almost all of the scenes here actually focusing on the Monks and their plan fail to register.
The episode is more successful in its sub plot - y'know, the one featuring no key cast members until the final act. Confined to a dangerous science lab, Erica (Rachel Denning) and Douglas (Tony Gardner) were hardly game changing characters, but their barely explained scenes in the episode's middle act actually find a sense of enigma, of mystery. Despite featuring faces we don't know doing things we don't understand, their scenes almost always feel more important than those featuring the Doctor or Bill.
It creates a sense of confusion within the episode. There's too much going on: the story leaps and bounds through a huge number of sequences but rarely do they feel vital enough to the overall backbone of the narrative. The pyramid plot essentially builds to nothing - the key mystery of the pyramid itself is actually resolved immediately after the opening titles - and the science lab thread mostly feels far too disconnected to the main story to fully come into its own.
Eventually, "Pyramid" ties its two threads together, and the result is spectacular. The episode's final act is ingenious in the way it uses the Doctor's blindness as more than inconvenience - it's now a fully fledged plot point. His revealing of the truth to Bill is ultimately what kick starts the Monks' peaceful invasion of Earth, and it's handled so smoothly and so confidently that the rest of the episode feels inconsequential.
But that's where the big issue lies. This is going to conclude as a 2 hour and 15 minute story: we're now an hour and a half in and the narrative is lacking urgency and consequence. Next week's "The Lie of the Land" seems to be facing an impossible task - it has to wrap up a story that barely even feels like it's begun. The nature of this story's structure means that "Extremis" remains undamaged by the issues of "Pyramid", but it also backhandedly makes "Pyramid"'s issues more noticeable. This is an episode of Doctor Who that seemingly has far too much going on and far too little actually happening.
Pyramid at the End of the Budget
tymbus28 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The Pyramid at the End of the World was a particularly Moffat era invasion of Earth; no hordes of Daleks vs Cybermen but a focus on desperate emoting and talk. Fast talk replaces action.
The twist here was that the Monks had to be passionately invited to conquer our world in the name of love. Cue a fairy tale like sequence where military leaders pleaded for our planet but whose motives were found wanting and so found themselves turned to dust.
Part of the story echoed Michael Creighton, again - Smile's nano swarm being reminiscent of the author's novel 'Prey'. This time I was reminded of 'The Andromeda Strain' in which human fallibility nearly unleashes a mutating virus from a laboratory. In this Doctor Who story, we were invited to believe one scientist's party life style and another's broken glasses contributed to a life destroying bacteria being unleashed on the world.
Despite a lot of the set up being contrived, particularly The Doctor's blindness, and a laboratory not using a swipe card or touch pad door system (?!), the contrivances did pay off in a tense episode that was certainly better that its predecessor. I actually bought into The Doctor's dilemma, trapped in an air-locked room with a combination lock that he couldn't see. And Pearl Mackie one again really sold the scenario with her impassioned portrayal of Bill.
Moffat's dramatization of World Politics was less convincing - much like that Silurian story where whoever happened to be at hand got to begin negotiating world piece. I can't honestly see Donald Trump allowing The Doctor to be President of the World. And the Doctor accessing secret databases by touching a screen and his temples just underlined a worry I often have that Moffat treats SF with contempt rather than familiarity.
Cappaldi again gave a glimpse of what might have been if his previous seasons had been better written, although why Moffat clings to the electric guitar prop I have no idea other than he forgot to give this Doctor a character so the prop must stand in its stead. It was, in this story, a mercifully brief lapse. Instead we were given a dramatic count down to destruction, creepy monsters and some striking if dodgily realized visuals.
I don't know how the figures stack up, but CGI effects took a real down turn with Moffat's arrival. At time's Doctor Who has once again had the feel of a program at the end of the BBC's budget.
The twist here was that the Monks had to be passionately invited to conquer our world in the name of love. Cue a fairy tale like sequence where military leaders pleaded for our planet but whose motives were found wanting and so found themselves turned to dust.
Part of the story echoed Michael Creighton, again - Smile's nano swarm being reminiscent of the author's novel 'Prey'. This time I was reminded of 'The Andromeda Strain' in which human fallibility nearly unleashes a mutating virus from a laboratory. In this Doctor Who story, we were invited to believe one scientist's party life style and another's broken glasses contributed to a life destroying bacteria being unleashed on the world.
Despite a lot of the set up being contrived, particularly The Doctor's blindness, and a laboratory not using a swipe card or touch pad door system (?!), the contrivances did pay off in a tense episode that was certainly better that its predecessor. I actually bought into The Doctor's dilemma, trapped in an air-locked room with a combination lock that he couldn't see. And Pearl Mackie one again really sold the scenario with her impassioned portrayal of Bill.
Moffat's dramatization of World Politics was less convincing - much like that Silurian story where whoever happened to be at hand got to begin negotiating world piece. I can't honestly see Donald Trump allowing The Doctor to be President of the World. And the Doctor accessing secret databases by touching a screen and his temples just underlined a worry I often have that Moffat treats SF with contempt rather than familiarity.
Cappaldi again gave a glimpse of what might have been if his previous seasons had been better written, although why Moffat clings to the electric guitar prop I have no idea other than he forgot to give this Doctor a character so the prop must stand in its stead. It was, in this story, a mercifully brief lapse. Instead we were given a dramatic count down to destruction, creepy monsters and some striking if dodgily realized visuals.
I don't know how the figures stack up, but CGI effects took a real down turn with Moffat's arrival. At time's Doctor Who has once again had the feel of a program at the end of the BBC's budget.
The Plot at the Thin End of Sense
A_Kind_Of_CineMagic1 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
There is plenty of drama, visual impact and fine acting on display in this episode. Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie are great and hold things together for the viewer. The Monks are menacing villains and the threat of world destruction is impactful.
The episode isn't really to my tastes in terms of plot execution and style to be honest. I do think it is entertaining on a surface level and is a decent standard but when examined more deeply it isn't as good as a lot of others in this great season in my view.
I do find this episode ok so I am not ripping it to shreds but for those who are interested here are some things I felt could have been improved:
The plot of the scientists running an experiment that unleashes a deadly gas that will 'destroy all living things' is not done very impressively in my opinion. Yes scientists can make deadly mistakes and that could have been a terifying idea but here it does not ring true and is a bit silly. We are asked to accept that such catastrophically dangerous materials that could end the world have unknown dangers and are entrusted to 2 bumbling scientists without any checks or sufficient safeguards. Life threatening materials are handled with one of them hung over, both eating and drinking in the lab, no communication with anyone senior, not shutting sealing doors even after he realises there is a problem, an automatic vent they cannot override etc etc.
If it had evoked the Chernobyl disaster with hugely dangerous chains of events, safety breaches and human error then it could have been done chillingly well but this failed in my view to do it in a believable way. They had a huge team of CERN scientists in the previous episode sat doing nothing in scenes we learned were just a computer simulation and yet here we get 2 unconvincing scientists and no team behind them. Why didn't they depict a believable scientific team like the ones at CERN failing to contain a bacteria/virus? It could have been done so much better. It is compounded by the Doctor acting like the female scientist is a genius who he admires 5 minutes after she nearly destroyed the Earth by her and her colleagues incompetence.
I am also not a big fan of the Doctor being 'President of Earth" and the way that plays out here with him advising military leaders at a critical border position is jarring for me. It isn't set in a fantasy world, it is set on Earth and features nations and regimes who would not let military leaders and the Secretary General of the UN make carte blanche decisions which impact the whole world without any national political leaders involvement or any consultations. If you are going to create unrealistic fantasy scenarios I need them to be good enough that I forget it doesn't match real world logic. This didn't achieve that and altogether lots of things in this episode just felt a bit re-used and less impressive than stories that came before it.
On the plus side there are some great effects of crumbling humans etc as well as the strong acting of the main characters. I also give credit for it being a bit of distracting fun if you do not think too deeply.
It has bits of drama with hard-hitting ideas of world destruction and nicely acted, thoughtful scenes. I just think it could have been put together much better to make a great episode. As it is, I prefer most of Series 10 which was an excellent season. This is an ok filler story and keeps the season's consistently good standard from slipping too far.
My Rating: 7/10.
Series 10 Episode Ranking: 12th out of 14.
The episode isn't really to my tastes in terms of plot execution and style to be honest. I do think it is entertaining on a surface level and is a decent standard but when examined more deeply it isn't as good as a lot of others in this great season in my view.
I do find this episode ok so I am not ripping it to shreds but for those who are interested here are some things I felt could have been improved:
The plot of the scientists running an experiment that unleashes a deadly gas that will 'destroy all living things' is not done very impressively in my opinion. Yes scientists can make deadly mistakes and that could have been a terifying idea but here it does not ring true and is a bit silly. We are asked to accept that such catastrophically dangerous materials that could end the world have unknown dangers and are entrusted to 2 bumbling scientists without any checks or sufficient safeguards. Life threatening materials are handled with one of them hung over, both eating and drinking in the lab, no communication with anyone senior, not shutting sealing doors even after he realises there is a problem, an automatic vent they cannot override etc etc.
If it had evoked the Chernobyl disaster with hugely dangerous chains of events, safety breaches and human error then it could have been done chillingly well but this failed in my view to do it in a believable way. They had a huge team of CERN scientists in the previous episode sat doing nothing in scenes we learned were just a computer simulation and yet here we get 2 unconvincing scientists and no team behind them. Why didn't they depict a believable scientific team like the ones at CERN failing to contain a bacteria/virus? It could have been done so much better. It is compounded by the Doctor acting like the female scientist is a genius who he admires 5 minutes after she nearly destroyed the Earth by her and her colleagues incompetence.
I am also not a big fan of the Doctor being 'President of Earth" and the way that plays out here with him advising military leaders at a critical border position is jarring for me. It isn't set in a fantasy world, it is set on Earth and features nations and regimes who would not let military leaders and the Secretary General of the UN make carte blanche decisions which impact the whole world without any national political leaders involvement or any consultations. If you are going to create unrealistic fantasy scenarios I need them to be good enough that I forget it doesn't match real world logic. This didn't achieve that and altogether lots of things in this episode just felt a bit re-used and less impressive than stories that came before it.
On the plus side there are some great effects of crumbling humans etc as well as the strong acting of the main characters. I also give credit for it being a bit of distracting fun if you do not think too deeply.
It has bits of drama with hard-hitting ideas of world destruction and nicely acted, thoughtful scenes. I just think it could have been put together much better to make a great episode. As it is, I prefer most of Series 10 which was an excellent season. This is an ok filler story and keeps the season's consistently good standard from slipping too far.
My Rating: 7/10.
Series 10 Episode Ranking: 12th out of 14.
The Pyramid at the End of the World
MrFilmAndTelevisionShow6 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
A very interesting prospect or idea, the pyramid appaearing out of nowhere with the power to stop any and all weapons be they aboard ships or whatever. I think the power of this episode lays completely within the fact that it absolutely leaves the audience wanting to know what happens next, what did consenting do? How will the Doctor save the world? What will the Doctor save the world from? And also, who are the monks?
The Pyramid at the End of the World
Prismark1027 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
The Pope interrupted Bill's date in the last episode. This time it is the UN Secretary General. Bill does not get a break in her love life.
The Doctor is elevated President of Earth in times of crisis and with a 5000 year old Pyramid suddenly appearing in a volatile central Asian country, the Doctor is needed by the United Nations.
Inside the pyramid are the Monks who show a hint of their powers as the various armies attack them. However despite the various simulations they ran as observed in the last episode to invade the planet. They only desire to gain power if they are invited. It is love they want not fear as ruling by fear is inefficient.
Yet the Monks inch forward the Doomsday Clock as a central conceit because somewhere in Yorkshire a biological research lab is going to set off a disastrous chain of events that will end all life on Earth. Only the Monks can stop this, if they are invited.
There are heavy elements of doom as well as silliness, even farce in this episode. Co-writer Peter Harness does have a weird sense of logic. A female research scientist who broke her reading glasses but did not figure she could easily replace them at a Pound shop. A male middle aged research scientist who turns up to work with a hangover where they are conducting dangerous experiments.
Worse still, various generals and Bill trusting humanity's future on the Monks despite the malevolence they present and Bill really not having the authority to consent. At least Bill managed to get the Monks to cure the Doctor's blindness, after all he is the only one who can stop them.
The Doctor is elevated President of Earth in times of crisis and with a 5000 year old Pyramid suddenly appearing in a volatile central Asian country, the Doctor is needed by the United Nations.
Inside the pyramid are the Monks who show a hint of their powers as the various armies attack them. However despite the various simulations they ran as observed in the last episode to invade the planet. They only desire to gain power if they are invited. It is love they want not fear as ruling by fear is inefficient.
Yet the Monks inch forward the Doomsday Clock as a central conceit because somewhere in Yorkshire a biological research lab is going to set off a disastrous chain of events that will end all life on Earth. Only the Monks can stop this, if they are invited.
There are heavy elements of doom as well as silliness, even farce in this episode. Co-writer Peter Harness does have a weird sense of logic. A female research scientist who broke her reading glasses but did not figure she could easily replace them at a Pound shop. A male middle aged research scientist who turns up to work with a hangover where they are conducting dangerous experiments.
Worse still, various generals and Bill trusting humanity's future on the Monks despite the malevolence they present and Bill really not having the authority to consent. At least Bill managed to get the Monks to cure the Doctor's blindness, after all he is the only one who can stop them.
huge logical errors
bxabi06 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I generally like Doctor who, but this episode contains huge errors which simply destroy the story.
- it is unlikely that a lab working with dangerous substances automatically and unstoppably vents air every 20 minutes.
- if you leave an infected room, you take the infection with you, so blowing up the room will not eliminate the threat.
- the monks are a bit weird too (but that would be OK without the other mistakes)
Solid second parter to the Extremis monks trilogy
dkiliane27 December 2019
Warning: Spoilers
While this episode, the second of three featuring the "Monks'" bid to take over Earth, while a definite drop in quality from the masterful Extremis, is still a solid episode in its own right. After the initial summons of Bill by the leader of the UN (an entertaining callback to the Pope incident in the previous episode) to help locate The Doctor since an ancient pyramid materialized overnight in a contended location between the worlds powers (US, China, and Russia), the episode has somewhat of a slow burn. But there is enough suspense, not only in the mystery of the supposed catastrophe that will cause humanity to hand the Earth over to the "Monks," but also with their intentions and insistence on pure consent for them to take over. It's an intriguing premise, and The Doctor's curiosity fuels our own.
With that said, very little actually happens in the episode and the majority of the side characters, other than the lady scientist, I guess, are rather underdeveloped and thus garner no sympathy when their demise arrives. The episode uses a doomsday clock gimmick in an attempt to ante up the stakes, but since the threat isn't even really understood until well into the last act of the episode, it falls a bit flat, and I found myself wondering more than once when something will actually happen.
The final act does deliver pretty well, however, with the bio-contamination catastrophe from the lab acting as a catalyst for Bill to be the one to hand over the Earth to the "Monks" in order to save The Doctor (the pure motive of love being the necessary ingredient), and it is satisfying, believable, emotionally resonant, and made for a decent cliffhanger for the third and final episode. So, while not as excellent as the first part, it still succeeds where it counts, adding up to solid Doctor Who entertainment. 8.5/10
With that said, very little actually happens in the episode and the majority of the side characters, other than the lady scientist, I guess, are rather underdeveloped and thus garner no sympathy when their demise arrives. The episode uses a doomsday clock gimmick in an attempt to ante up the stakes, but since the threat isn't even really understood until well into the last act of the episode, it falls a bit flat, and I found myself wondering more than once when something will actually happen.
The final act does deliver pretty well, however, with the bio-contamination catastrophe from the lab acting as a catalyst for Bill to be the one to hand over the Earth to the "Monks" in order to save The Doctor (the pure motive of love being the necessary ingredient), and it is satisfying, believable, emotionally resonant, and made for a decent cliffhanger for the third and final episode. So, while not as excellent as the first part, it still succeeds where it counts, adding up to solid Doctor Who entertainment. 8.5/10
From virtual to practice here come some nasty corpses
doctor-934-2071116 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Really The Doctor is faced with a problem
but what an incredible midpoint.
A pyramid shows up out of nowhere.
An Agrolab is the target for the aliens.
So the President of Earth is called upon by the Secretary General of the U N and find Bill Potts.
All right, how can you get a TARDIS into an aircraft? Nitpick point.
This is not Time-Flight!!
So we end up in a junction, but what the invaders' plan?
The Pyramid is a spaceship with these 'monks'.
The monks can prevent a 'disaster' if the surrender is 'pure'.
Step 1)
The Earth must show unity.
Attack neutralised.
Still an error happens at the Agrofood labs.
The multiple visits to the Monks' pyramid should be a clue to a distraction.
The Midnight Clock is counting down.
The Doctor needs to solve the puzzle.
The plan is to blind the monks and isolate the fault the monks are using.
Dead are the UN Secretary and the 3 marshalls of big world militaries.
The Doctor does find the fault in the lab and decides the only way to stop the disaster is to blow up the lab.
Bill pays a price as the Doctor's sight is restored
but what an incredible midpoint.
A pyramid shows up out of nowhere.
An Agrolab is the target for the aliens.
So the President of Earth is called upon by the Secretary General of the U N and find Bill Potts.
All right, how can you get a TARDIS into an aircraft? Nitpick point.
This is not Time-Flight!!
So we end up in a junction, but what the invaders' plan?
The Pyramid is a spaceship with these 'monks'.
The monks can prevent a 'disaster' if the surrender is 'pure'.
Step 1)
The Earth must show unity.
Attack neutralised.
Still an error happens at the Agrofood labs.
The multiple visits to the Monks' pyramid should be a clue to a distraction.
The Midnight Clock is counting down.
The Doctor needs to solve the puzzle.
The plan is to blind the monks and isolate the fault the monks are using.
Dead are the UN Secretary and the 3 marshalls of big world militaries.
The Doctor does find the fault in the lab and decides the only way to stop the disaster is to blow up the lab.
Bill pays a price as the Doctor's sight is restored
Rachel Denning was delightful. The rest of the episode... not so much
asdfgadsadf11 June 2018
I have to say, Erica needs to be the next companion. Rachel Denning was funny, smart, capable, and just a wonderful screen presence, in my opinion. She was the highlight of the episode and (after watching the whole series) one of the highlights of the whole season.
Nardole was also great and Matt Lucas was hilarious.
Lots of plot holes conveniences though. Monks were weak villains. Peter Harness has written better. Kill the Moon was fantastic.
Nardole was also great and Matt Lucas was hilarious.
Lots of plot holes conveniences though. Monks were weak villains. Peter Harness has written better. Kill the Moon was fantastic.
Not as good as "Extremis" - but that's a very high bar
gridoon202412 September 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This follow-up to "Extremis" is inferior for sure: it feels more prosaic, and some scenes (the American - Russian - Chinese military officers "giving peace a chance") are VERY unconvincing, but it's still fun to watch, and includes some pretty gruesome (if bloodless) deaths. Looking forward to the conclusion of the story. *** out of 4.
The Claws Of Pyramids
Theo Robertson27 May 2017
A Pyramid appears from nowhere and Earth's military forces are powerless to stop a countdown to the end of the world
This reminded me in some ways of the 1971 story The Claws of Axos where an alien race offer a solution to Mankind's problem but you know there's going to be a catch. Axos isn't considered an especially good story from the period but the reason I liked it was because Michael Ferguson directed the script with directorial flourish and imagination. Here with this 2017 episode director Daniel Nettheim just brings a journeyman style to the proceedings. To be fair to all the directors who have worked on the show DOCTOR WHO isn't really something to bring in auteur aspects but even so I do wish directors would try and bring an element of risk and their own hallmark to the stories
Narrative wise Pyramids is no great shakes and if you're an old school fan like me you'll be irritated how NuWho works . The UN call on "President Doctor" who turns up spouts innumerable lines giving away plot mechanics and exposition and more often than not the problem is easily resolved , too easily in fact . There's also the gut instinct that the Monks feature in a three episode story that will almost certainly have been better told as one 45 minute episode . Time will tell but there's a feeling here that the season is deteriorating slightly after a fairly good low key start
This reminded me in some ways of the 1971 story The Claws of Axos where an alien race offer a solution to Mankind's problem but you know there's going to be a catch. Axos isn't considered an especially good story from the period but the reason I liked it was because Michael Ferguson directed the script with directorial flourish and imagination. Here with this 2017 episode director Daniel Nettheim just brings a journeyman style to the proceedings. To be fair to all the directors who have worked on the show DOCTOR WHO isn't really something to bring in auteur aspects but even so I do wish directors would try and bring an element of risk and their own hallmark to the stories
Narrative wise Pyramids is no great shakes and if you're an old school fan like me you'll be irritated how NuWho works . The UN call on "President Doctor" who turns up spouts innumerable lines giving away plot mechanics and exposition and more often than not the problem is easily resolved , too easily in fact . There's also the gut instinct that the Monks feature in a three episode story that will almost certainly have been better told as one 45 minute episode . Time will tell but there's a feeling here that the season is deteriorating slightly after a fairly good low key start
No thank you
sailor_julia2 June 2022
I only gave four stars because I don't like bills.
Since the beginning I found her annoying. Donna Rose, Amy, Rory or Clara would have never given to the monks.
The actress didn't do a bad job, it's just her character. I understand she had big shooes to fill after the departure of Clara but it didn't do the trick for me.
Since the beginning I found her annoying. Donna Rose, Amy, Rory or Clara would have never given to the monks.
The actress didn't do a bad job, it's just her character. I understand she had big shooes to fill after the departure of Clara but it didn't do the trick for me.
It all began in season 10
Badger121018 February 2023
Dr Who as a whole has had some bad episodes but we know seasons 11 and on has consistently been poorly written and acted but I never realized until now it all began in season 10.
This episode has things happen only to get from the beginning to the end and it is all convenient. This was obviously written by people who really don't know what the world is like, the history of humanity; although they think they do because they talk to people who also dont know. The dialog and acting is tiring and cheap, Capaldi doesn't seem to care and I can't tell if he knows he is done or he doesn't like what he is given.
This is possibly the worst Capaldi episode and it is the showrunners fault and it continues over the next seasons.
This episode has things happen only to get from the beginning to the end and it is all convenient. This was obviously written by people who really don't know what the world is like, the history of humanity; although they think they do because they talk to people who also dont know. The dialog and acting is tiring and cheap, Capaldi doesn't seem to care and I can't tell if he knows he is done or he doesn't like what he is given.
This is possibly the worst Capaldi episode and it is the showrunners fault and it continues over the next seasons.
Orange Faced Cool
fcabanski12 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Within the first few minutes, we learn that Bill is Gay, which is cool, and we learn Trump sucks.
Then the writers attack Christianity by having the alien monks work on faith. They keep intoning their warped version of Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." That's evil, see.
Most of the episodes involving Matt Smith and the skinny goof were good but not great because the Doctor wasn't great. Now the Doctor, Capaldi, is great, but the leftist political idealism is so bad it pulls the show into the muck.
The Doctor at the lab is terrific Doctor Who. Even Bull, overacting making the deal, can't ruin his scenes. He runs circles around the bad guys, but one key error puts a wrench in the Doctor's plan. Of course, this plot twist (failure) is visible from miles away - the Doctor's blindness is going to come back to bite him. It's just a matter of how.
Then the writers attack Christianity by having the alien monks work on faith. They keep intoning their warped version of Mark 11:24 "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." That's evil, see.
Most of the episodes involving Matt Smith and the skinny goof were good but not great because the Doctor wasn't great. Now the Doctor, Capaldi, is great, but the leftist political idealism is so bad it pulls the show into the muck.
The Doctor at the lab is terrific Doctor Who. Even Bull, overacting making the deal, can't ruin his scenes. He runs circles around the bad guys, but one key error puts a wrench in the Doctor's plan. Of course, this plot twist (failure) is visible from miles away - the Doctor's blindness is going to come back to bite him. It's just a matter of how.
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