Doctor Who Watch consensus review: The Woman Who Fell to Earth

You’ve read our site expert’s thoughts, now the other writers give their own take on last week’s opening episode.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Before we watch the new episode tomorrow, let’s find out what the other writers of Doctor Who Watch thought of Series Eleven’s opening episode, The Woman Who Fell to Earth.

We’re just a day away from another brand new episode of Doctor Who. But while we’re really excited about The Ghost Monument tomorrow, we finally look at what the writers of Doctor Who Watch thought of the opening episode.

I’ve covered my views extensively for The Woman Who Fell to Earth. But to summarize, I certainly enjoyed it. It was light on plot, but honestly, that actually worked for me. Because Chris Chibnall is at his strongest when preferring to focus on characters instead of story.

For a prime example of this, look at The Power of Three. Along with an intriguing mystery, the episode is perhaps best remembered for how it focused on Amy and Rory’s home life, as well as re-introducing UNIT into the series. The episode should’ve been more fondly remembered with those key elements in place.

Unfortunately, it had been given a rather rushed conclusion, and the alien threat was very forgettable, with hardly a hint of motivation to it.

Exploring characters

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By contrast, “Tim Shaw” wasn’t actually too bad. Still not a villain that exactly stands out, but you know why he’s on Earth, why he’s so dangerous and what his motivations are. Writing a clear and fleshed out villain is already an improvement, by Chibnall’s standards.

But what Chibnall is really great at when it comes to writing is exploring characters. All of them, including Grace, felt real. The funeral moment at the end, particularly Graham’s speech, is a prime example of the humanity we can expect to see in this series. So while the plot of The Woman Who Fell to Earth was distinctly average, the character development and new style of the series all looked very promising.

But what do our other writers, Luke and Raphael, think of this episode? Let’s find out, as our contributor Luke begins his review by looking at some of the show’s more controversial elements, like the new theme tune…

Luke loves Jodie Whittaker’s new Doctor. But was there much else to love about her first episode?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC.

Image obtained from: BBC Press.)

Luke Molloy – Contributor

What a bold decision by the creative team! To have the Doctor fall straight into a bar and begin drinking wine, whilst establishing herself as the FIRST EVER Doctor (“the other 12 blokes don’t exist anymore”) before that brand-new theme tune—who thought they’d replace something so iconic with Cindy Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?

Of course, that didn’t happen, and in our universe Doctor Who was the same old Doctor Who. The attraction to the show was the titular “woman”—Jodie Whittaker—who was, by far, the most appealing element of this mismatched episode. She fizzed with more energy than a toddler on Haribo Tangfastics, with the screen effervescing anytime she was present. Zipping along in her own little Doctor-like world, it would be impossible not to like her.

Her performance culminated with a great “Doctor” scene. Leaping at great height from one crane to the next, to stop the Predator-like “Tim Shaw”—she declared that she was the Doctor—and I didn’t bat an eyelid. Very few actors grip the role within their first episode, but Whittaker has got it with her originality—a promising sign for the time travel ahead.

I just wish we’d had more of her as the Doctor, rather than the awkward regeneration routine we’re forced to sit through at the beginning of every debut episode (why hasn’t that been ditched by now?). However, that’s what the other nine weeks (and hopefully next couple of years) are for.

Great new Doctor, average plot?

I’ve talked about Jodie Whittaker a lot and that’s because everything else was a bit “meh”. We had four companions (or “friends”) in this episode and, simply, it’s too many. Considering 75% of the dialogue composed of questions, it was hard to get to grips with any of them.

Yas faded into the background, Graham was only likable because Bradley Walsh is so damn fantastic, and Ryan didn’t have enough of the spotlight to make an impression. There was none of that instant likeability factor you get with classics like Amy Pond. The four-piece TARDIS team might make it difficult for characters to find breathing room, which is a worry for the upcoming run of episodes.

Villain “Tim Shaw”, for his initial threat and badass death-hand, was very much salad dressing (literally at one point) for the groundwork that had to be set. His plot was an oddly weak one—he was simply hunting a random Sheffield boy.

Yet it still managed to confuse, adding in DNA bombs and an eel-like supercomputer which became relevant then dropped whenever convenient. With the visuals and SFX looking amazing for a teatime BBC drama, the writing suffered in comparison due to its mediocracy.

Smith’s Eleventh Hour still sets the standard for a Doctor’s debut adventure, but The Woman Who Fell to Earth has the edge on Capaldi’s Deep Breath. Actually, what’s surprising about what was arguably one of Who’s most anticipated episodes ever is how little I have to say about it. It was good—just good.

Now the foundations of this new era are established, better writing for the next nine stories could make this a brilliant series. Otherwise it will only be Whittaker’s lifeforce keeping the candle burning. However, Whittaker is just that good, I get a feeling everything else will fall into place.

3/5

How well do the new companions work in Doctor Who? Raphael gives us his thoughts.

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Raphael Kiyani – Contributor

So begins the hotly anticipated new era of Doctor Who, with The Woman Who Fell To Earth. But does it crash and burn, or does it land on its feet? Well, it’s somewhere in the middle for me.

First things first. Jodie Whittaker is the Doctor. She’s the Doctor we recognize and adore and unleashes a spellbinding performance as the Thirteenth Doctor. As expected – she exudes the role and transcends the gender change with confidence and style.

Right from her first scene she’s instantly our hero that we’ve known for so long and cherish so dearly. There’s a spark of wonder and excitement in her eyes. Her smile invites adventure. She’s exuberant, manic, playful with flairs of Smith’s quirkiness and Tennant’s vigour, but has a bit more grit.

However, I don’t think she’s truly arrived as her own Doctor quite yet. I personally haven’t gauged her individuality. This is down to the construct of the story. The entire episode has Thirteen in a post-regenerative haze, which was to be expected, but I felt it went on longer than it should have.

There were no stand-out iconic or epic Doctor moments that cemented Thirteen as her own either, making the episode feel more subdued with a slow-burn effect. I would have preferred a slightly more bombastic approach.

New companions

In terms of our new companions, all three feel grounded, relatable and likable with solid performances from the respective actors. I like them. I’m intrigued by them. Their chemistry between themselves and the Doctor were the beating hearts of the story. It felt like a dysfunctional family or an unwitting Scooby Gang which was a vibe I was greatly entertained by.

But as it stands, all of them feel underdeveloped to a lesser or larger extent. Chris Chibnall had his work cut out for him re-introducing the Doctor plus introducing three new regular characters – and it shows. Though strong foundations have been built by the trio, moving forwards I’m excited to see them be fleshed out more.

The plot and the villain both felt underwhelming and forgettable. Not bad by any means, but it all felt a little safe and basic – lacking both excitement and interest. There’s a lack of urgency or danger too with the pace limping along. It needed some bite.

This would have hurt the story more if it wasn’t for the engaging performances from our new TARDIS team. Furthermore, the new shift in tone and style balanced out what I felt was an average plot.

The camerawork and cinematography were breathtakingly gorgeous, the tone was darker, grittier and almost Torchwood-esque. Doctor Who looks and feels different. This freshness was captivating and bolsters the story.

Props must be made to new composer Segun Akinola too for the enigmatic and ethereal score that haunted the episode. This added greatly to the fresh tone of Chibnall’s Doctor Who.

Overall, The Woman Who Fell To Earth is a mixed bag and not a perfect start to this brand new era of Doctor Who. The plot and the villain felt uninteresting and safe. Characterisation in places felt underdeveloped.

On the other hand, the tone and style felt fresh and engrossing and offers a new vision for the show. Very good foundations have been established with this episode too, with an excellent new Doctor and intriguing new companions. Despite shortcomings, it was an entertaining, emotional venture with many exciting prospects for the future.

It’s the start of a brand new era in Doctor Who. But while The Woman Who Fell to Earth was a strong introduction, is there room for improvement?

(Image credit: Doctor Who/BBC. Image obtained from: official Doctor Who website.)

Site expert’s summary

Overall, the writers at Doctor Who Watch agree that The Woman Who Fell to Earth was a decent enough introduction to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor, and her Doctor stays very true to others while also presenting a fresh take. As virtually all other Doctors have done before, in fact.

However, we also all agree that the plot could’ve been better. Right now, I’m not too bothered by this. After all, this episode had to introduce a lot. Not just a new Doctor, or even just one new companion, but three. That’s quite a lot to include in one single episode, so it’s not surprising that Chibnall’s episode was rather light, plotwise.

However, I do hope that over the coming weeks, the balance will be improved. The Woman Who Fell to Earth had excellent moments of humanity, and not just with the companions, either. But if Chibnall really wants us to believe this is still Doctor Who, then he also needs very strong villains, too.

A lot of people enjoy the show for the monsters as much as the Doctor him/herself. Considering that Chibnall has pointed out, time and time again, that Series Eleven will be focusing on brand new monsters, we need to hope that those monsters will be strong, memorable opponents for the Doctor.

Regardless, Jodie Whittaker’s first episode was a very promising Doctor Who debut. We can’t wait to see more of her in the role.

What did you think of The Woman Who Fell to Earth? Do you agree with our writers? What leapt out to you the most about the episode? Let us know in the comments below.