in

It's a thrill to see Jodie Whittaker fighting fantastically silly monsters in Doctor Who: Orphan 55 – review – The Independent, Independent

It's a thrill to see Jodie Whittaker fighting fantastically silly monsters in Doctor Who: Orphan 55 – review – The Independent, Independent


    

             

                                   

                                                                         

Last weekend’s TV ratings were dominated by an interstellar jamboree featuring strange entities, bizarre costumes and unlikely plot twists. Yes,Dancing On Icereally did return with a bang.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

But even as it mopped up, poorDoctor Whowas left trailing in second place to the tune of over a million viewers. This has led to mutterings of trouble in the Tardis, though the criticisms have been directed at show runner Chris Chibnall rather than historic first female Doctor,Jodie Whittaker.

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Part of the problem may have been that the two-parter with which the new Who kicked off the series didn’t feel particularly connected to the franchise’s cosmic lineage. It was a perfectly serviceable James Bond pastiche with the odd alien tossed in, apparently out of a sense of contractual obligation. Some of us appreciated it on its own overheated terms. Yet it seems more than a few Who-heads decided they’d rather see Trisha Goddard landing on her bum over on ITV.

                                                                                                                                                                                             

  Download the new Independent Premium app  

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines  

                            

The good news, then, is that episode three is very, very (very)Doctor Who. There are fantastically wobbly sets, a pitched-battle clearly filmed in a quarry outside Who’s Cardiff HQ and, best of all, people in rubber monster suits menacing the Doctor and her trio of sidekicks, Yaz, Ryan and Graham.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

    

        

left

Created with Sketch.************************ () ************************************************************************** ((************************************(**************************************** (**************************************** (****************************************************************(********************************************         

******************** (right) ************Created with Sketch.***********************************************

******************************************************************************************************************* ****************************** (**************************************** (******************************************** (******************************************** (******************************************** (****************************************** **************************************************     

                                                                                                                         

Plus there’s a radioactive cherry on top in the shape of a plot twist pinched unashamedly fromPlanet of the Apes. That devastated world upon which the Doctor and her crew are marooned – the one populated by the rubber-clad nasties? It is – * sinks to knees and wails at the heavens * – our very own … planet … Earth! Specifically a far-future vision of Earth built on the premise that we continue to ignore Greta Thunberg, make merry with non-disposal straws and eventually trigger an environmental apocalypse.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

The big reveal comes as a shock to our heroes as they’ve just beamed in for a quick break at what they imagine to be an inter-galactic holiday resort. The journey begins with Graham (Bradley Walsh) accidentally assembling a teleport device out of supermarket coupons (golly, the new scripts can be a bit ludicrous). And then, presto, the gang are whisked off to a deluxe Space Butlins.

                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Alas, said facility is quickly unmasked as the portal to a holiday from hell. They should have suspected something was up when the first staff member they encounter turns up dressed like a refugee from Tom Hooper’sCats. Anyway, the upshot is that the luxury spa and retreat is bang in the middle of an Orphan Planet. That is: a world that has endured a cataclysm so horrible that 180 per cent of the population has perished, while the pampered one per cent have cleared off. Perhaps Meghan and Harry were just trying to beat the rush.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Of course,Doctor Who4606065 cannot simply be about our number one Time Lord fighting mutated ex-humans with their huge glistening jaws. So Chibnall and screenwriter Ed Hime chuck in an auxiliary story about an estranged daughter infiltrating planet “Orphan 70 ”in order to blow up the resort and get even with her aloof mother (who has a senior management position). The subplot feels tacked on, but who cares? The monsters are fantastically silly and whittaker is great value as she flaps around in the semi-dark looking terrified.

                                                                                                                     

Doctor Whohas been a lot of things across the decades yet has always had a heart of purest hokum. So it’s a thrill seeing it reconnect with that lately under-serviced aspect of its personality. Whatever else you can say about Hime’s contribution to the canon, you can’t accuse it of losing its balance and landing on its rear-end. This isDoctor Whoprimed for lift-off and ready to skate back into the affections of fair-weather fans.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

    

The best in film, music, TV & radio straight toyour inbox

  

  

                                                              

                                          (************************************************************************** (Read More) (************************************************************

What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings

Four injured in stabbing attack outside Primark store in Manchester city center – Sky News, Sky.com

Four injured in stabbing attack outside Primark store in Manchester city center – Sky News, Sky.com

Real Madrid beat Atl̩tico Madrid on penalties to lift Spanish Supercopa РThe Guardian, Theguardian.com

Real Madrid beat Atl̩tico Madrid on penalties to lift Spanish Supercopa РThe Guardian, Theguardian.com