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| Promotional photo for "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos" (from BBC One - Doctor Who, The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos) ©BBC |
That's not to say that it's bad, mind, but basically all the good bits have to do with the characters, not the plot. There are some interesting bits of plot -- the idea of a race of people called the Ux who can build things with their mind is pretty interesting, and the other idea that they've mistaken a returning villain for their god and consequently are doing whatever he says is, while perhaps a bit well-worn, still worth exploring. The problem is that there's not actually much exploration of that idea, or, crucially, any real fallout once the scales fall from the Ux's eyes; they realize he's evil and work against him, and that's about it -- no examination of conscience or even much guilt is expressed.
The other main problem is that that returning villain is Tzim-Sha/Tim Shaw, from the season opener. As I noted in that episode, while he was a nasty piece of work he wasn't exactly a difficult challenge for the Doctor (to put it in fourth Doctor terms, he's more of a Meglos than a Weng-Chiang), so for him to be treated as this super-dangerous foe falls flat rather. It also doesn't help that it feels like bits of this are lifted from The Pirate Planet (planets crushed down and held in stasis) and Babylon 5 (someone plugged into a powerful machine -- that one might be more of a visual lift, but it's still there in the mix), without anything particularly inventive done with the pieces. Tim Shaw's plan is also left frustratingly vague; he wants revenge on the Doctor, so he's going to place a bunch of planets in stasis crystal-thingies, because...that'll learn her? The last planet he threatens is Earth (although all we get is an effect shot from space, so it never feels that urgent or desperate), but that seems more like a whim because the Doctor's there rather than his plan all along. It's like Chibnall had these ideas that he wanted to play with, but because he didn't explore them in much detail they all just kind of awkwardly co-exist, never quite gelling. And the location they use for the planet is even a dreary old quarry, just like Chibnall's predecessors spent most of their time avoiding.
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| Ryan and Graham defeat Tzim-Sha. ("The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos") ©BBC |
And Jodie Whittaker continues to shine as the Doctor, ready to face down bullies like Tzim-Sha (and his acolyte, Andinio) with a confidence and verve that serves the character very well. She's also very patient and kind with Paltraki as he tries to remember what's been going on. I also like how she plays improvising a plan; it has a rather tenth Doctor feel to it, but Whittaker makes it feel like a natural part of her Doctor's character. You can tell she's gotten very comfortable in the role, and I look forward to seeing what she does next series.
Sadly, once again it feels like Yaz is sidelined rather, but then that's been par for the course this series; it's rarely felt like we've gotten much development of her. We know she has a family, she's a junior police officer who's had training to remain pretty level-headed in a crisis, she's been the subject of racist comments, and that's about it. We don't have much in the way of knowing what she likes or dislikes, or what her hopes and ambitions are, beyond general stuff like "be the chief of police one day". It's an ongoing disappointment, and one I hope they proactively address in series 12 -- because right now Yaz tends to get lost in the background.
So the character moments (particularly from Graham) are the best thing about this story; everything else feels a bit underdeveloped and uninspired. Again, part of the problem is that Tzim-Sha isn't the threat that Chibnall seems to want him to be, but there's also a sense of just pulling pieces off the shelf and putting them together without enough care or forethought. Things like the Ux are a pretty cool idea, but they just don't get the development that they need, while the main plot just isn't clear enough to be the clear threat that it needs to be; it's almost like the show is just going through the motions, rather than providing something truly new and exciting. This means that "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos" is a pretty forgettable story, honestly, and decidedly the weakest one of series 11.
We've still got "Resolution" to go, of course (since Chibnall was referring to that as the "end of series special" -- but on the other hand it's not included in the "Complete Eleventh Series" boxset...), but for all intents and purposes this is the conclusion of series 11 -- it's the final episode of the regular run, after all. Series 11 has marked a big shift for the show with its introduction of a female Doctor, but in most other ways this has been the most traditional (i.e., old-school) series of Doctor Who that BBC Wales has produced; there's more of an emphasis on educational bits and the Doctor discovering things alongside the audience and less of an emphasis on gimmicky stuff -- other than Tzim-Sha, who doesn't exactly count, we've gotten no returning foes from the show's past (not counting "Resolution", of course) and no overarching plotline this time around: no equivalent to Bad Wolf or Harold Saxon or the cracks in time or the Hybrid or anything like that. In that regard it's somewhat refreshing; we can get on with the episode at hand without having to worry about things that were said in previous stories, and while in some cases it's almost felt a bit too traditional, as if they need to play things safe with their new female Doctor, it doesn't get in the way that much, and it's certainly provided some excellent storylines. (That said, it remains to be seen whether series 12 will continue in this trad groove or will start to push the boundaries a bit more.)
But make no mistake; the casting of Jodie Whittaker is a huge change, the results of which are still being felt in some (dark) corners of fandom. But smartly, they don't make a big deal of the Doctor being a woman; she just is now, but she carries on just as any other Doctor would do. Jodie Whittaker does a fantastic job in the role, providing us with an incredibly inquisitive Doctor, one who's passionate about her beliefs but one who's also kind. As I've said, her Doctor has a tenth Doctor vibe, partly in the way she reacts to things and seems to be processing stuff out loud on the spot, but also because her Doctor feels very human and relatable. She's not slightly distant or apart from humanity, the way the twelfth Doctor sometimes was (though they definitely softened that aspect of the character in his later seasons -- although it never entirely disappeared); she's instead ready to muck in and help any way she can, and Whittaker makes it all look natural and easy. Jodie Whittaker is the Doctor, just as much as any of her predecessors.
And she's surrounded with a great supporting cast; I'm not sure anyone expected Bradley Walsh to be as good as he is, but he knocks it out of the park every time. It helps that he's incredibly down-to-earth, making sensible decisions (such as packing sandwiches because he knows they go a long while without eating) and responding to the Doctor in a way many of us would respond. (I think the current expression for this is that Graham is a mood.) And Tosin Cole as Ryan does a good job as well of being the slightly bemused teenager who's nevertheless incredibly loyal to his friends, while Mandip Gill does a good job with what she's given as Yaz, making her seem calm and collected. They all work well together, even if Yaz doesn't get enough to do.
So yeah, I think series 11 was a success -- more of a solid set of stories than a triumph, but there's nothing really wrong with that; certainly there aren't any outright disasters in this batch, and there are a couple stories ("Rosa" and "Demons of the Punjab") that in my opinion proudly sit among the best of Who. Now the question is, will this prove to be a foundation that Chibnall will build upon, or will series 12 just be more of the same? That, I think, will prove to be the real test.