Review- Doctor Who Series 8

Peter Capaldi, I'm so sorry I ever doubted you. You are brilliant and I can barely even see you as Malcolm Tucker anymore. You made this series of Doctor Who one of the strongest ever and for that, I'm glad. Sure, there may have been low points and totally polarizing episodes but there have been some great ones and you were always great as the Doctor. And I sincerely mean that, from the bottom of my heart.

So, this series of Doctor Who has had a lot of things working against it from the start. We had a brand new Doctor, a companion who we had yet to really get into the storyline of and a tone that had lodged itself in the uncomfortable gap between goofy and dark. But you could from the very start of the series, series 8 would be different. We instantly got a darker tone and saw the Doctor questioning if he was actually a good man and while we also saw a giant dinosaur stomping around Victorian London, it was pretty serious. Make no mistake, there was humour but it was all cynical and grumpy. My favourite. Now, a quick rundown of each episode, bit by bit. And spoilers will be afoot so watch out.

Episode 1: Deep Breath
Kind of already covered this one in my talk about Peter Capaldi as the Doctor. Good episode, goofy in places but set the whole series and it's themes in motion as well as giving us some storylines to play around with.

Epsiode 2: Into the Dalek
This episode felt pretty cool at the time and used pretty decent special effects but it feels kind of forgettable looking back. I can't see the episode going down in history as one of the greats. It set up the Danny and Clara storyline (more on that later) and helped further establish the darker tone and the Doctor's loss of identity. Not a bad episode, not an amazing one.

Episode 3: The Robot of Sherwood
Many (including myself) will tout this as the weakest episode of the series. I quite liked the buddy cop aspect of the Doctor and Robin Hood and I love anything with Ben Miller but this episode felt very out of kilter with the rest. It was goofy and silly in a darker series and was only a decent episode overall.

Epsiode 4: Listen
Probably the single most polarizing episode of Doctor Who ever, Listen pushed what had previously been attempted and what was expected to new and fascinating levels. We had some more exploration of the relationship between Danny and Clara, the Doctor starting to crack and some big boy films ideas being thrown around with ambiguity and deceit among them. This was probably one of my favourites of the series and will certainly be debated among Whovians for years to come.

Episode 5: Time Heist
Slick and stylish. Those are the only words to describe this episode. We got a highly enjoyable episode with some interesting characters and an airtight time travel plot that tied together like one of the knots I forgot how to tie at scouts. One of the most well rated and most universally enjoyable episodes of the series, this is a must watch.

Episode 6: The Caretaker
This episode was not an exciting one but that's good. In fact, it was a good one, an essential one and one that many didn't like. Your feelings on this episode will depend on your feelings on Danny and Clara. If you like them, we've got a great little episode here for you. If not, maybe give this one a miss. The monster is not even slightly the focus here but if you're interested in the human side of these characters, it's a good episode.

Episode 7: Kill the moon
I love the first part of this episode. It had a vibe not dissimilar to Alien and I love that. Alien is one of the coolest and most atmospheric films I've ever watched. We later saw the Doctor letting things play out and basically hoping Clara would make the right choice. But then we have the plot hole of the alien in the moon instantly birthing a new moon. What? Really? An episode with promise but a huge plot hole.

Episode 8: Mummy on the Orient Express
The most stylish episode of the series was also my favourite. It had a really awesome premise (you see this creature and have 66 seconds to live) and delivered on it superbly. It took the theme and setting and kept it up wonderfully, never letting go. While some of the random roles from British stars were a bit odd and out of place, it was an episode that, while not critically adored, I loved and will crown my favourite episode of the series. But wait, there's more.

Episode 9: Flatline
Whatever you will say about this episode, it has some of the best special effects I've seen in television. The monsters were done to look really cool and there was a really creepy atmosphere at the way they could attack from almost anywhere. The Doctor kind of took a back seat for this one which angered the Clara haters but as someone who enjoyed her storyline, it was a good episode. The critics loved it but I would only say it was good.

Episode 10: In the Forest of the Night
This episode wasn't a bad one, I want to clear that up. It just didn't fit with the overall dark theme and didn't have enough of a distinct style to fit. It had a nice idea but felt a bit preachy with it's "we are killing the world, not aliens" idea (see my birdemic review). And that tiger. Why build up to it and have it there for about a minute unless you're Godzilla. A decent episode but we all know it was there to fill the time until the finale. Speaking of which...

Episode 11 and 12: Dark Water and Death in Heaven (The Finale)
I liked the finale. I'm biased because I'm a huge Doctor Who fan and I know that some people who casually watch the show did not enjoy it. I'll admit, there were certainly some goofy elements. In some places, the cybermen looked pretty goofy. Some people didn't like the large focus on Danny and Clara and their dealing with Danny's death, but these people tend to have not liked the ongoing Clara and Danny storyline to start with. Missy proved to be a stellar character and her relationship reminded me of the one with Batman and The Joker; they each need the other and their relationship was one of chaos and destruction. I liked that the episode was willing to give us some sadness and some elements of the bittersweet. The hug speech the Doctor gave was really sad and it was a moment that came to sum up the Doctor and Clara. They both lied directly to each other's faces and didn't get their happy ending they wanted (and maybe deserved?). My biggest problem though was their instant shoving in of the Christmas special. Yes, it looks good. Yes, I love Nick Frost. Yes, that looks like a xenomorph knock-off. But at least give us a moment to mourn and think about the whole episode.

This series was mixed yet still one of the best we've had in a while (mainly because the last few have been split into two but that's irrelevant). As a fan of the show, I've loved seeing Peter Capaldi play with the character of the Doctor. As a TV fan, I've enjoyed seeing the show play with some big boy type TV themes and directing. I know some people were dissatisfied in places but I really did enjoy it. I would give it a nine but I feel my bias kicking in. I know most casual watchers of the show would probably land it a 6 or 7. So, I'm going to go for a happy medium (i.e. I'm happy because the show is great again) and give Series 8 of Doctor Who an