Spyfall By Chris Chibnall

Art By SoundSmyth

Yes, The Season is nearly over, and I’m finally delving into Series 12, for my first live action series review. I’ve put this off for a while, and I’ve got to say, both parties are absolutely unfair to Series 12.
It is not the worst thing ever, and Jodie Whittaker and Chris Chibnall should not be fired, and it is certainly nowhere near as good as the absolute gold we were regularly getting in the Capaldi era.

Yep. This is gonna be a thing.
Spoilers, but only for the episode I’m reviewing, you aren’t getting Fugitive of The Judoon bombshells until I reach it.

Spyfall Part One and Two By Chris Chibnall

 What is it about: A huge two parter about an alien invasion ala the Russell Era. As The James Bond parodies rise, a dark connection to the Doctor shows up, and things go sideways...

Oh, Brilliant: Jodie Whittaker is good in this part, and She is certainly not a bad Doctor. Anyone who denies that is in denial about this era. However, the scripts in series 11, minus Punjab, Woman Who Fell To Earth, It Takes You Away, Resolution and Kerblam, were absolutely fricking abysmal.
Even Peter Capaldi or Tom Baker couldn’t have made them Masterpieces, and I think Jodie has definitely kicked it up a notch this series, as I don’t think Jodie has ever been so electric.
Her anger has never been so palpable, her strength in the part is undeniable, and she’s definitely not an affable little jokester anymore. She’s still the same character, look at her confrontation with Barton in part one, she is almost like an investigative reporter, only having thinly veiled threats, while still being exceedingly 13. But Part Two she is far better. Her fear, emotion around The Master and Gallifrey, is the exact Doctor we’ve been missing since Series 10. I’ve never been so invested in Jodie.

Yaz: Thank god, Yaz is pulling her weight at last. I love her Police skills shining through during the scenes where she has to be a spy. Her scenes in the Kasaavin void are excellent, the surreal crap I’ve been missing, and she sells herself even as a semi leader when The Doctor isn’t around, which was previously Graham’s role.

Graham: Graham is the epitome of lovable, the comic relief without being too comic, he’s has he always was, which is good, as aside from Ranskoor av Kolos, he was the highlight of series 11.
The Laser shoes are the most unbelievably stupid thing that would be in a Bond flick, and they’re equally very Who. Graham talking about the two shoe shuffle is laugh out loud hilarious in a way that I haven’t laughed since Donna. A marked improvement over Wi-fi jokes.

Ryan: Ryan is an idiot. The one thing that hasn’t improved is this character, who was always a dead weight on the team, and continues to be incredibly stupid in nearly all of his lines. He’s cringeworthy as a spy, and.... he’s cringeworthy as everything else. Please kill him off.

And You Will Obey Me: Sacha Dhawan is absolutely great as the Master, and that’s not only because he’s hot as hell. He’s screamy, but subdued when it calls for it. Excellent casting. And he has the TCE! The only thing that bugs me is what the heck is going on with the regeneration order. I just want to know how Missy survived, damn it. It doesn’t bother me that Dhawan as the Master is completely different, There are plenty of examples of switches like this, eleventh Doctor to twelve for example. What, were they going to keep the Master good? Not on a long shot, and this is about what I was expecting, but The Doctor Falls was so good, it doesn’t deserve the Planet Of Fire treatment.

Historical Figures: I love the genre hopping in part two, where the story becomes that much more large and epic. Ada Lovelace is excellent, and as a bonus, it doesn’t contradict the wonderful Enchantress of Numbers. Even better is Noor Inyat Khan, a historical figure who is super cool, and who I knew positively nothing about. She could have carried a whole episode.

The Monsters: I really like the Kasaavin. The otherworldly lovecraftian vibe is so cool, I was really disappointed when The Master totally usurped them as villains. Until The Master became even better than them, but still, excellent monsters.

Overall: Woo! 🦀 Gallifrey is gone 🦀 Spyfall is an excellent series opener, on par with Impossible Astronaut, at the very least. It has problems, and as Stubagful and Council Of Geeks noted in their reviews, none of it is very original. But it’s so fun, I don’t care.
Blow up planets as much as you like, Master, if we get television as good as this.
Both Parts: 8/10




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