Doctor Who (TV Series) Orphan 55 (2020) User Reviews

Thumb suckingly bad.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 3/10 · 12 January 2020]

This was terrible.

Plain and simple this was the worst episode since the show made a return. Not only are the viewing figures tumbling, but the quality is as well, it pains me to slate this show, but this was awful, the story was dreadful, the TARDIS crew were terrible, and as for the thumb sucking moment, I couldn't believe my eyes.

At this rate the show will be dropping into the 3 million viewer numbers, worrying signs. People give feedback with their remote controls, an epic fail, I am worried about the backlash after this.

The minor positive, the monsters, I liked the design of them, gruesome looking, but considering the elaborate goings on they were rather primitive, their appearance was curious, until the heavy handed ending.

Crayons and spam Sums it up nicely. We get more preaching....

Ryan, you are the worst companion of all time, you make Dodo look like Sarah Jane Smith, that's not the fault of his acting, but the poor guy hasn't got a chance with the script he's working with. They are deliberately making him useless, clueless, gutless and dismal.

I watch Countryfile each week while I wait for this, and genuinely the number of swans in that pond was more interesting than this trash.

Diabolically terrible. 3/10

It's All Over Now.

[Alvinfields · 4/10 · 17 January 2020]

After watching this episode I thought it was OK. I couldn't understand all the negative reviews. So I went back and re-watched some David Tennant, Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi episodes. I was literally shocked to see how far the quality of this show has fallen. Something needs to be done about this before it is too late. It's not just the writers but also the actors. They don't seem to understand what they are doing to Doctor Who's legacy. And I was amazed at how much Jodie seems to be trying to mimic the 10th Doctor. I can't think of any other way to fix this problem other than to get rid of Jodie, her companions and Chis Chibnall and try to start over. As an avid fan since 1966 who managed to make it through the hiatus between classic who and new who it really pains me to see what is happening.

Can the Doctor time travel back to 2005 please?

[Aroura64 · 4/10 · 13 January 2020]

When Doctor Who returned in 2005, the programme was extremely watchable. Good writing, good acting, humour and no politically correct nonsense. If the makers of the show had stuck with this format, it would still be an unmissable show with high ratings. I have tried to get on with the new format, but I just can't get into it. I found tonight's episode difficult to follow. I also did not appreciate being lectured to at the end of the episode. The perpose of Doctor Who, is to entertain, not alienate the audience - if you'll pardon the pun. However, there was one thing I did enjoy, the monsters in rubber costumes!

Swift return to the S11 standard of writing.

[W011y4m5 · 1/10 · 12 January 2020]

I'd attempt to form a coherent criticism of this abysmal episode if I knew where to even begin... But with a story so ridden with nonsensical plot holes & blatantly noticeable continuity errors, it's best to merely conclude that "Orphan 55" is a dire, shambolic, humiliating mess for all involved in its production & a genuinely embarrassing imitation of superior installments from previous seasons gone by, desperately seeking to replicate the magic of Russell T. Davies' "Midnight" without even the slightest inclination as to what made that tale work so effectively over a decade ago in 2008; tonight honestly marks a new low for the show since Chibnall agreed to take over. In hindsight, I'm almost impressed we've managed to reach such depths without the assistance of a submarine or at the very least, some form of protective submersible gear.

What's more is it's staggering to comprehend how we've reached new levels of peak wokeness! Gone are the days when Doctor Who's audiences were gently immersed in to the creator's personal politics of "enlightenment" - prepare yourselves for the violence & aggressiveness of unrepentant drowning...

Oxygen tanks at the ready - we all knew Benni's would some day come in useful!

For example, when the Doc & co. safely teleport in to the TARDIS & away from encroaching danger, leaving 2 humans behind - a helpless mother & daughter stranded, doomed to die a painful death at the hands of predatory creatures - instead of being the saviour her character usually is (& returning to save their lives with her very handy time capsule), Jodie Whittaker's incarnation alternatively chooses to give a questionably forced, preachy speech about the current troubling climate crisis to her "fam" around the console... Almost oblivious to the fact that she possesses the obvious ability to easily prevent their inevitable demise with a few clicks of a button & the pull of a lever? Thus, she leaves them to be ripped apart because self-righteously monologuing from the comfort of her trusted vehicle is far more important. Amusingly, I'm not disagreeing with her either - regarding the subject of global warming - but there's a time & a place & whilst individuals are supposedly being torn limb from limb... I'm pretty sure her concept of timing is ironically debatable.

Compared to Matt Smith or David Tennant, this portrayal is hardly recognisable.

One has to seriously question writer Ed Hime's perceptions of morality when his protagonists prioritise virtue signalling over physical acts of heroism. It's almost as if he heralds those who are "talkers" - people who are guilty of verbally proclaiming what it means to be "good" through paragraphs of meaningless exposition - utterly devoid & without any intention of ever actually implementing their own hollow words in to discernible action.

Therefore, to put it bluntly, this script didn't belong on the table of a read-through. It belonged in a bin...

Worst Doctor Who Episode.

[kingkass · 2/10 · 12 January 2020]

The most forced, rushed, terribly written, directed, and edited episode of this show I've seen. My god this was bad.

The plot relied on stupid decisions by the characters. It seems the story was forced around a monster design and a laughably forced message on global warming.

I thought last week's episode had some promising moments but this has suddenly gone to the worst the shows ever been. It's just sad

So Bad & Bored

[author-49568 · 1/10 · 14 January 2020]

This episode literally did not make sense.

So one old man... who's probably a few years away from a natural death by old age... wanders off in hostile country and about twelve people including the Doctor rush off to save him? I agree with saving every life possible but the odds were insane, so instead of one dead you end up with say, thirteen dead. And bringing a ten-year-old boy and an elderly woman into danger? Very poor judgment.

And the crazy woman with the braids pulls a gun and threatens to kill them all when they're in the thick of danger? And blames it on a terrible family from her childhood? Nice villain backstory for an idiotic character.

Running after an old man with a crew of twelve people into the wasteland.... but abandoning a mother and adult daughter at the end without a second thought. Consistent much?

For a planetary spa, there were so few guests... only about thirty? Way to go to make a profit from the economics of this enterprise. I've seen resorts in tropical places that have three hundred to a thousand guests... Good luck terraforming a planet occupying only 0.0001% of its surface.

And how the heck did barbed wire even stop this gigantic tank? Tanks in World War I did even better...

As I said before the sight of about twelve people (with an old lady who can barely run more than ten kilometres per hour) against aliens who looks very sleek and fast and own the terrain... goes back to my point about the stupidity of sending twelve people just to save one life....

What the heck was that about the security guard shooting the old man just because he asked for it? And then the doctor's crew berating this security guard. It's called mercy killing and it was asked for by the victim... no different from shooting a horse because it's in severe pain. He was an old man at the mercy of about six to seven aliens surrounding him anyway with no hope at all...

Green wigs, yuck, looked like a high school set. And that squirrel costume too.

One saving grace. The aliens (aside from the stupid close-ups at the beginning) actually looked pretty cool when shot from a distance. It may be on budget but looked pretty effective, real rubber suits without relying on fake CGI. That was the only good thing about this episode.

I forget the name of the episode but I remember one about the Doctor staying at a spa with robots that had smiley faces on a screen... I think Peter Capaldi? That was much better than this trash.

Absolute Worst Episode Since Season 11

[EthelredBusybody · 1/10 · 14 January 2020]

First up I will say that I was very disappointed with season 11. I like Jodie and the companions (individually), but I thought that the writing in season 11 was really bad and didn't allow the actors much scope. I personally think three companions is at least one too many and I thought that fact was partly responsible for the bad writing - too little to spread around.

Season 12 started off really well in my opinion. The new master is great! I think the second of the two-parter wasn't quite as good as the first, but it was still engaging. The humour vs. drama balance was just right in both episodes, I think.

"Orphan 55" was a major disappointment to me. It was full of meaningless trivialities and stuff that made no sense at all. For example, if the "dregs" were mutations, that presumably took ages to evolve, how is it that an earthly underground system is still intact? Surely that wouldn't have withstood the millennia? Why was the Doc seemingly unconcerned about leaving the planet without the two women?

The overall storyline, such that it was, was insufficient to sustain the Doc and her three companions, never mind the additional tacked-on storylines of the guests and workers of the resort that did nothing for me at all.

Others have complained about the "preachiness" (which was a common complaint about many episodes in season 11) and I agree to some extent. But had the entire story actually been any good, I don't think I would have noticed it that much.

I hope that the season improves, but at the moment I am not sure it will. And it has nothing to do with Jodie and everything to do with the writers.

The Doctor's worst enemy is running the show.

[d-alston · 4/10 · 14 January 2020]

While the visuals have never been better for Doctor Who, the whole show is being sabotaged by the pedestrian vision of the show-runner, the non-existence of the personalities of two of the Doctor's companions (Ryan and Yaz) and the woeful inadequacies of the lead, Jodie Whittaker. Adding to the problems is the choice of writers for these stories, who all seem to wish they were writing for any other genre than science-fantasy. The entire style and wit of the show has vanished under an avalanche of social responsibility and fashionable points of view regarding politics which, while being laudable, are ham-fistedly represented and have been focussed on at the expense of story and imagination. It's all rather weak and obvious in comparison to previous eras of the show, and - after an energetic and expensive-looking opening story - this one is a return to the lows of the previous season. The only stuff that works are the elements which have been stolen from earlier, better episodes of the show. You can afford to miss this, but while the current show-runner is at the helm, and Whittaker is at the controls of the TARDIS - don't hold your breath waiting for anything to improve.

Some good ideas but ultimately a bit disappointing

[Tweekums · 6/10 · 13 January 2020]

This episode sees The Doctor and her fellow travellers teleported to Tranquillity Spa when Graham gets a winning coupon in a vending machine. Here they are met by Hyph3n; a woman who appears to be half-squirrel judging by her features! Before they can settle down and enjoy themselves things go wrong; Ryan contracts a 'hopper virus' from a vending machine and then the alarms ring because the resort is being attacked by creatures known as Dregs. It then emerges that far from being a resort on a paradise planet it is in fact a domed resort on Orphan 55... a planet destroyed by an environmental catastrophe now inhabited by the mutated descendants of those who couldn't afford to leave. When a guest is taken by the Dregs a rescue mission is mounted but it goes wrong leaving everybody deep in Dreg territory with diminishing oxygen supplies. If that weren't enough one of the other guests is plotting against the operator of the resort for personal reasons.

After a decent opening double episode story things get a bit disappointing. I knew things weren't going to be good when we were introduced to Hyph3n the Squirrel-girl... the name, the spelling, the fact that she looks like a squirrel were all more than a bit too silly. Then we get a father and young son team of mechanics who have bright green hair for no obvious reason. On the plus side the Dregs, which I assume were at least partly inspired by the Morlocks from the classic 'The Time Machine, were suitably scary... at least when we only see them in close up; once we see them entirely it becomes apparent that they are monsters of the 'men in rubber suits' variety. The big reveal about the identity of Orphan 55 and the Dregs is unlikely to surprise too many people. The episode has an obvious message about protecting the environment so the Doctor's concluding monologue feels more tedious than necessary. The cast is solid enough; I particularly liked Laura Fraser's performance as Kane, the resorts operator. There are a couple of scientifically questionable moments... how are fires burning when an alert is saying the oxygen is down to one percent and there is no indication of what the hordes of Dregs, described as apex predators, might have eaten before they broke into the resort. Overall I don't think it is as bad as some reviews suggest but I won't deny I was a bit disappointed.

Seeds of hope extinguished

[ib1903 · 3/10 · 13 January 2020]

Very poor even by the substandard efforts of last season. All written to deliver one message that most tuning in to Doctor Who a sci-fi program are trying to escape from especially the way it is lectured at the end. Current affairs and agendas are top of the list now superceding story and plot and will likely be the final nail in the coffin of this once great programme unless sackings happen sooner rather than later. If more effort was made to keep the story believable then maybe the less than subtle preaching wouldn't seem so bad but sadly no just plain terrible.

Poor Jodie is being hung out to dry.

Humans are idiots as a group

[kenbobsaxton · 8/10 · 15 June 2020]

A story which points out how stupid we humans behave, is a recipe for bad reviews by those who believe taking care of the planet which keeps us alive is a political issue rather than the actions of an intelligent species. This episode is as good as most episodes. Poor reviews are mostly from those who believe that behaving intelligently, reasonably, based on science and data is stupid.

It is not a 1star and it is not the worst thing on TV

[neogoelm · 7/10 · 13 January 2020]

I do not usually write reviews but this hate against DW and this episode is straight outrageous and ridiculous at the same time. It is not that the episode was not without faults. The writing was weak, the characters had potential but eventually fell flat, some of the decisions were straight nonsensical. At worst Orphan 55 is a forgettable episode, that had a good idea that failed to execute. People who complain about that probably review it with a 5 or 6, for being mediocre. But people who review it with 1 star, don't complain about that: They complain about "agendas" and "the political correctness" as if climate change (the issue that the episode adresses) is a left or right thing, or as if climate change it's a conspiracy theory of the liberals of BBC. Get real and stop being this toxic. Doctor Who does not need your kind of toxicity. Orphan 55 is a mediocre episode, with a good message. Just that.

Future Seems To Be Full of Current Day Politics

[james-26989 · 1/10 · 14 January 2020]

The writers of this series need to review their priorities. You're either entertaining an audience or preaching your political agenda. I for one do not watch sci-fi shows to be reminded of current affairs. Please stop preaching to me!

I couldn't stop laughing XD

[micahmahaffey-77223 · 1/10 · 15 January 2020]

I smoked prior to watching this episode because I can't get through these current episodes while sober.

Anyway, I had the time of my life laughing at how nonsensical everything was. I literally couldn't stop laughing.

This was bad in the same way spiders in Sheffield was. So bad I can't stop laughing XD

The editing where the kid gets mad at his dad and storms off, cuts to the doctor talking for a solid minute then back to the kid storming off was hilarious. XD like what even happened there? this was so poorly made I love it XD

I'd personally take terribly funny episodes like this over stale ones like ghost monument.

This was pure gold.

2/10

What?

[scan49 · 1/10 · 13 January 2020]

What the heck was this? A random, inconsequential Episode 3. Quickly starts out like Benidorm meets Aliens then a random bunch of old / new / dressed-up folk end up in tunnels doing nothing in particular because of nothing in particular. Extremely poor concept, characters, script, structure and direction. Looks cheap as heckuva bit less and only Sylvester McCoy and Bonnie Langford would have made it better with some sweets.

Driven to write a review

[simonduke-43809 · 2/10 · 15 January 2020]

I am rarely compelled to write a review. The good things I have seen are usually already eloquently described by others before I get the chance however....With this Episode of Dr Who I felt I had to. After enjoying the Christmas Specials this was a complete and utter disappointment. The storyline was awful, the acting not up to scratch and the green hair.... The monsters made the original Sea Devils seem scary. This has to be the worst episode of Dr Who ever, please don't let this be the new benchmark.

BENNI! - a decent premise, cool monsters, but bad all round

[pauluscomputerus · 4/10 · 14 January 2020]

When you look at the episode's premise you might think, "that's cool" but then the script is full of exposition and cliche, the acting (particularly from the guest cast) is pretty awful. Production values fantastic once more. I fear the extra investment in production has been drained from the writing department!

And Wilma and Benni... Contenders for worst couple on any episode of television ever. Come on DocWho team, let's get a decent ep on the go. Jodie Whittaker is an incredible actress with so much promise, lets get some good stuff happening!

Loved this one

[syke-5 · 6/10 · 12 January 2020]

Ok So it was a little like HG Wells time machine (The Morlocks) and the aliens did look like the ones from Torchwood but overall I enjoyed this episode, finally got some good sci-fi even if the ending was a little preachy.

In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure this is the worst episode of Doctor Who I've ever seen.

[imdb-10447 · 1/10 · 30 January 2020]

In all seriousness, I'm pretty sure this is the worst episode of Doctor Who I've ever seen. So much of it just doesn't make sense or feels forced or is weirdly preachy. It's trying to tap into the zeitgeist but it misses the mark entirely. Really quite unbelievably bad.

LOL

[FilmAnon_54588 · 10/10 · 17 January 2020]

The Dregs are a rip off of the Vorcha from 'Mass Effect' AND the Hoix (see Love and Monsters). Also ripped off: Midnight. This is bad. That is all.

Not perfect but decent enough

[malcolmjrowe · 7/10 · 26 January 2020]

The bad

Unconvincing aliens (but this has been part of Dr Who throughout the years).

Curious timing; as noted in one of the more negative reviews there is a scene where a boy storms off, the Doctor does a bit of talking and then the boy is still storming off.

Wackiness to provide comic relief at the expense of plausibility (something that Who has frequently been guilty of): the incompetent maintenance guy and his highly competent kid; Hyph3n with a 3 (see also 'Unconvincing aliens') .

Overly preachy in places.



The good

Exciting storyline with a genuine sense of peril.

Interesting twist.

Interesting message even if overstated.

Interesting setting.

To the reviewer complaining about the 'one possible timeline' line, I would say that, although Who talks about fixed points in history and the line did make me think 'Eh!' for a moment, it has always been quite fluid about possible futures. If not, the series is riddled with inconsistency. I think the ethos is that you can't mess with your past because that has already happened in your timeline but feel free to try to change your future.

Doctor Who is given the C-Beebies Treatment

[DVD_Connoisseur · 3/10 · 12 January 2020]

As the Tardis crew land in Tranquility Spa, a futuristic Center Parcs, and meet a squirrel-like woman called Hyph3n (Amy Booth-Steel), my heart sank. This character embraced the Sylvester McCoy days, a dark period in the series' history. What followed was grim for long-running fans of the series.

Thumb sucking and green haired characters added nothing to the show's credibility, and this was further compounded by lines like "This is a funny looking linen cupboard". The effects were far from special and seemed to have been borrowed from the "Sarah Jane Adventures".

The beautiful Bella (Gia Re) provided a brief but welcome distraction from the tedium.

The Doctor has become a chaotic lady from Yorkshire whose actions normally involve shouting out, "Run back to the (insert safe place of choice)!"

Ironically, the toothy baddies are called "The Dregs". You really can't make this stuff up.

The Doctor finishes the episode with a speech by Greta Thunberg.

Rubbish. Like "Aliens" made by for kids' television. This is the death knell of "Doctor Who".

Terrible!

[dhoose · 1/10 · 18 January 2020]

First, let me say that I am a firm believer that we need to do all we can to fix the climate change problem. That said, this was more of a PSA than an episode of Doctor Who. I get that shows sometimes want to make a political statement and I'm fine with that but it's usually more subtle. This just slaps you in the face with activism. Worse, it does it as if we are all children. Even though I agree with the message, I hope it doesn't continue this way or I will have to quit watching and I actually enjoy Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor. I watch shows like this to escape reality.

Shockingly Awful

[jimkennyeverett-691-760833 · 4/10 · 16 January 2020]

I actually like the opening sequence, its a nice throwback to Tom Baker Era Doctor Who. That's the good bits out of the way. This episode was sadly a throwback to Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy era. The first Alien they are greeted by looks like a reject from Cats stage show, the Mechanics with Green hair were awful and the Dregs were well......the Dregs to be honest. An unoriginal story done pretty badly and not very special effects top off this awful, predictable episode. I don't know how much longer I will be giving this show the benefit, last Season was poor, so far this is much worse. They wanted a Female Doctor, the least they could do is provide her with better material to work with.

Soooo bad

[ben-86-603935 · 1/10 · 16 January 2020]

I think this is the episode I finally give up in Dr Who. Not even going to waste time talking about it.