S2.5 - THE STORY AND THE ENGINE

SEASON 2 - EPISODE 5 - THE STORY AND THE ENGINE
Not as bad as SPACE BABIES. Not as good as THE WELL.
Confusing and invigorating in equal measure THE STORY AND THE ENGINE
takes us to a barber shop that is in two places at once. It is on Earth
in Nigeria, as well as in space on the back of a giant spider. The Dr
and Belinda Chandra have landed in Lagos, where a shadowy Barber has
ensnared innocent souls and is stealing their tales for sinister ends.
The episode then becomes a tale of gods and monsters using stories as
fuel for the engine that drives the spider-ship.
The Fugitive Dr is back too! For a brief moment. In a scene that felt a
bit awkward to me, both in how it was presented and what it means for Dr
Who lore. Does the doctor now remember the pre-Hartnell era? Did he
sneak a look at the fob watch from FLUX when we wasn't watching? Or was
it the barber shop spilling the doctor's past from his story that
triggered the doctor's memories? At the beginning of the episode the
doctor says to Belinda “My body changes a lot. It’s the first time I’ve
had this Black body.”  In which case, how come the Fugitive Dr also has
a black body? I'm not quite sure what this scene means. Does the doctor
remember his past or not? Maybe it isn't that significant. Or perhaps it
is. Regardless, it felt a little clunky to me.
Mrs Flood is also back. Blink and you will miss her. I'm not sure if
these brief cameos are clever or just annoying. I am leaning towards the
latter at this moment in time. We'll have to see how they all pull
together at the end of the season. On top of that, we also have a
shadowy child following Belinda Chandra, from the cast list at the end
it seems this child's name is Poppy. Interesting!
Dr Who showcases a visual evolution since the Disney investment but
ultimately seems to prioritise style over substance in the grand scheme
of things. With only three episodes left of the season it's going to be
fun watching Russell Davies pull all of his threads together into a
coherent finale. Just as well the finale is two episodes, he might need
it. I’m not sold on Dr Who becoming a fairy tale driven series either.
Or the mythology and god references. I do like some science in my
science fiction.
Six out of ten, mainly because the episode looked really good and the
doctor was the main focus this week.
--
https://www.theory11.com/