An Overview of Doctor Who: Series 9 · 2:39am Dec 10th, 2015
I can't help but feel depressed right now. The time of the year has come where practically every show I follow has either entered a mid-season hiatus or a between season hiatus. And the time for the Doctor Who drought has come again (with only a small oasis this Christmas with The Husbands of River Song). But, right now, it's time for me to once again give a quick overview of my thoughts over the episodes of this past season of Doctor Who. And, as always, this is all just my personal opinions and I'd be interested in hearing what the rest of you have to say. So let's go ahead and dive straight in!
Episode 1: The Magician's Apprentice
This was an awesome start to Series 9. Capaldi's Doctor took his first steps into a season of fantastic development for his character and the friendship between the Doctor and Clara was better than ever. Missy's presence in the episode was a welcome addition as was the surprise return of Davros, Skaro, Kate Stewart, and several other characters from previous episodes in both the Moffat and RTD eras. Add in some impressive effects and an edge-of-your seat cliffhanger and you've got a great start to a great season! I give The Magician's Apprentice a 9/10.
Episode 2: The Witch's Familiar
The Doctor, Clara, and Missy all got to really shine in this episode. The conversations between the Doctor and Davros were moving, thought-provoking, and provided a few surprising twists. Receiving the explanation behind Missy's survival as well as getting expanded info on Dalek mythos were both welcome. Overall, this was just a fantastic character piece for the Doctor, Clara, Missy, and Davros. And, lastly, it gave us a fitting farewell to the sonic screwdriver that had been with us since Matt Smith's first episode all the way back in 2010. I give The Witch's Familiar a 9/10.
Episode 3: Under the Lake
This was an all-around awesome ghost story. The setting was interesting, the guest cast was extremely likable, the inclusion of a deaf character was worth of applause, and the ghosts proved to be very intimidating monsters. The Doctor and Clara also got some very wonderful exchanges in this episode and the mystery behind the ghosts was an incredibly interesting puzzle to solve. I give Under the Lake a 10/10.
Episode 4: Before the Flood
This was a fitting and interesting conclusion to the previous episode. The guest cast got a lot of room to shine (especially Cass) and the conflict with the ghosts only got more intense. The concept of the bootstrap paradox was an interesting inclusion into the story and the Fisher King had an awesome design (in spite being pretty underused). Overall, this was a satisfying, if slightly inferior, follow-up to Under the Lake. And the rock-style opening credits were awesome. I give Before the Flood an 8.5/10.
Episode 5: The Girl Who Died
This was a very fun episode with an incredibly emotional conclusion. Maisie Williams got a great introduction into the series as Ashildr and the false Odin was a lovably cartoony villain. The Mire had a great design but were unfortunately underused. There were some wonderful comedic moments scattered throughout and the solution to stopping the Mire and saving the village was just classic Doctor Who. The Doctor and Clara got some great moments together, the reveal behind the Twelfth Doctor's face and the flashback to The Fires of Pompeii were fantastic, and this was an overall great start for Maisie Williams's arc throughout Series 9. I give The Girl Who Died an 8.5/10.
Episode 6: The Woman Who Lived
This was simply a fantastic episode. The Doctor and Ashildr/Me's chemistry was great and the exploration of what immortality would be like for a normal human was as interesting as it was heartbreaking. The only downside I can think of was how forgettable the main villain was. But the pros of this episode FAR outweigh the one con I can think of. Add in some good comedy, and great 1600's setting, and a mention of Jack Harkness and you've got yourself an awesome episode! I give The Woman Who Lived a 10/10.
Episode 7: The Zygon Invasion
This was a very tense and suspenseful episode. The return of Osgood was great as was the continuation of the Zygon plot started back in The Day of the Doctor (the opening flashbacks were welcome as well). This felt like a very big episode with everyone investigating the Zygons around the world. While UNIT overall was a bit too inept and needs to be used more efficiently in future reappearances, Kate Stewart and Osgood got some great moments. The Zygon Clara reveal with a surprising twist and this was an overall great start to a fantastic story. I give The Zygon Invasion a 9/10.
Episode 8: The Zygon Inversion
Peter Capaldi truly shined in this episode as he gave a speech that will surely go on to become of his the Twelfth Doctor's defining moments. I could write an essay on how good the Doctor's speech in this episode was. From this thorough debunking of the pointlessness of war to the ridiculing of narrow-minding terrorists to the emotional outburst pertaining to his experiences fighting in the Time War. This episode, and the overall 2-parter, were a wonderful commentary on war and terrorism today and, without getting too political, I think a few world leaders could learn something from listening to the Doctor's speech. Clara, Osgood, and Kate also got great moments and this was a perfect conclusion for this story. I give The Zygon Inversion a 10/10.
Episode 9: Sleep No More
A very experimental episode which I personally enjoyed thoroughly. The working of the found footage format into the plot was an interesting move. The Doctor and Clara were great as always, the villain was creepy, the monsters were terrifying, and the guest cast was enjoyable. On the downside, the Doctor does make a slight OOC decision at the end. But, overall, I found this to be a pretty fun ride. I give Sleep No More an 8/10.
Episode 10: Face the Raven
There are so many things I love about this episode: the Doctor's new outfit, the return of Rigsy and Ashildr, the Diagon Alley-esque setting, and the emotional death of Clara at the end. While some may argue that the impact has been lessened by later events (more on that in a bit) I still find Clara's death in this episode to be a powerful moment and the conversion between her and the Doctor held prior to it as incredibly heartbreaking and emotional. The mystery was interesting and Rigsy's tribute to Clara at the very end was beautiful. I give Face the Raven a 10/10.
Episode 11: Heaven Sent
Easily one of the greatest episodes New Who has give us thus far. Peter Capaldi truly shines in this episode and proves that he can totally carry an episode on his own. The Doctor dealing with Clara's death gave some very powerful moments and the mystery of where the Doctor was trapped was very intriguing. The Veil was a terrifying monster, the effects and production design were fantastic, and the twist of the Doctor repeating the same events for billions of years was a great reveal. While the cliffhanger may have been ruined for some due to some of the BBC's recent idiotic choices, this episode was an overall great start for the Series 9 finale. I give Heaven Sent a 10/10.
Episode 12: Hell Bent
This is an episode I love more and more each time I revisit it. While Gallifrey didn't get as much focus as expected, it was still great seeing the planet return to the show and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future. Both Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman gave absolutely incredibly performances for their final episode together. And while I can understand why the execution of Clara's departure in this episode may irk some, I'm personally incredibly satisfied by it as I found it to be a fitting departure for such a complex, great companion and it gave me a true feeling of closure that Face the Raven didn't. Ashildr/Me's story was brought to a satisfying full-circle and the Doctor and Clara's adventures ended on a sad yet optimistic note. Overall, this was a fantastic conclusion to one of the best seasons New Who has produced thus far. I give Hell Bent a 9.5/10.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, Series 9 was, as I said, a spectacular season. It had great monsters, interesting mysteries, wonderful guest casts, and was the perfect final season for Clara Oswald. And, now, the next era in the Capaldi tenure has begun!
Before I close this out, just a quick list:
Favorite Episode: A tie between Under the Lake and Face the Raven
Least Favorite Episode: Sleep No More
Favorite Returning Character: Missy
Favorite New Character: Ashildr/Me
Favorite Returning Monster: The Zygons
Favorite New Monster: The Veil
Favorite Moment: The Doctor's speech in The Zygon Inversion
Now, let us look forward to the return of River Song this Christmas!
What did the rest of you think of Series 9?
Really. I actually feel a lot more relaxed because my evenings and weekends open up a lot more during this time.