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lightcastleAnd just like that I am reminded why I like this show.
If you do it right, it can be cracking great fun.
The Doctor grabs Nefertiti, a big game hunter from the early 20th century, Amy, Rory, and Rory's dad to try and turn an abandoned ship around before Earth Forces are forced to shoot it out of the sky.
That's the pre-credit teaser.
Chris Chibnall provides the writing here and clearly decided to have a blast. We've got a mismatched gang of adventurers, a mystery, and dinosaurs in space... GO!
Despite the setup, it never degenerates into stupid or goofy for its own sake. It's written with love for this kind of adventure story. It's basically a stand-alone, although there are some nice nods to general continuity.
It was refreshing to have everyone be useful and interesting. No tag-along companions, there to show off how awesome Amy or the Ponds are. Instead, much like the Demon's Run episode from last season we get a quick whirlwind glances at other people who could easily be awesome companions themselves. I'd happily see Nefertiti, Riddell, or Brian again. Wonderfully, there aren't any forced angsty bits among the Ponds, but rather some genuine affection, and the whole thing clips along at a nice lively pace.
There's very little plot to spoil here, because it isn't relying on forced twists to make an impact. Who built the ship? Why are the dinosaurs? Why is it headed towards Earth? These things drive the plot, and the answers aren't immediately obvious, but they all make sense.
I liked the whole damn thing. It was fun. Doctor Who should be fun. I'm glad someone remembers this.
If Asylum of the Daleks was just the outlier of trying to hard to be "big" and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is going to be representative of the new "no story arcs" approach, this may be a fine season after all.
If you do it right, it can be cracking great fun.
The Doctor grabs Nefertiti, a big game hunter from the early 20th century, Amy, Rory, and Rory's dad to try and turn an abandoned ship around before Earth Forces are forced to shoot it out of the sky.
That's the pre-credit teaser.
Chris Chibnall provides the writing here and clearly decided to have a blast. We've got a mismatched gang of adventurers, a mystery, and dinosaurs in space... GO!
Despite the setup, it never degenerates into stupid or goofy for its own sake. It's written with love for this kind of adventure story. It's basically a stand-alone, although there are some nice nods to general continuity.
It was refreshing to have everyone be useful and interesting. No tag-along companions, there to show off how awesome Amy or the Ponds are. Instead, much like the Demon's Run episode from last season we get a quick whirlwind glances at other people who could easily be awesome companions themselves. I'd happily see Nefertiti, Riddell, or Brian again. Wonderfully, there aren't any forced angsty bits among the Ponds, but rather some genuine affection, and the whole thing clips along at a nice lively pace.
There's very little plot to spoil here, because it isn't relying on forced twists to make an impact. Who built the ship? Why are the dinosaurs? Why is it headed towards Earth? These things drive the plot, and the answers aren't immediately obvious, but they all make sense.
I liked the whole damn thing. It was fun. Doctor Who should be fun. I'm glad someone remembers this.
If Asylum of the Daleks was just the outlier of trying to hard to be "big" and Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is going to be representative of the new "no story arcs" approach, this may be a fine season after all.
