Director: Lee Haven Jones
Starring: Jodie Whittaker, Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and John Barrowman
Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks is our festive treat from Doctor Who this year. We last left the Doctor being imprisoned by the Judoon and her friends left back on earth. Ryan, Yaz and Graham have been without the Doctor for 10 months now when we are reunited with them, Ryan and Graham have adjusted back to normal life yet Yaz can’t let the Doctor go and wants to find her. For the fam, it has been 10 months but for the Doctor herself, she has been without her friends for decades. We aren’t left waiting too long for our team to be reunited but in true style they don’t get much time to talk as they have to save the world from the Doctor’s greatest enemy, who is given a new look.
This episode is about reflecting back on what the Doctor and her friends have gone through so we are none the wiser what to expect next. What we do know is the dynamic of the fam is very different in this festive special. We all knew we were saying goodbye to two companions, even though we were prepared for their farewell it still doesn’t make it easy to see anyone leave the Tardis. In this episode, we said goodbye to Ryan (Tosin Cole) and Graham (Bradley Walsh), their farewell definitely pulls at your heartstrings and the final moments of the episode are about them and what is next for them. We see a scene paralleling when we first met these two characters with Ryan trying to ride a bike. In this scene alone we can see how far these two characters have come from where they started and how their relationship between each other has changed so much. Cole and Walsh put on a great final performance in this episode and it will be a shame to see them go. Their characters were the strongest out of the three companions. With that being said, now that there are fewer people in the Tardis now, hopefully, this will give Yaz her time to really shine. For the past two series, Yaz has been in the side-lines, her character hasn’t really shone through due to so many voices. A lot of us will miss Walsh and Cole but I guess we should be thankful they got a nice ending to their story; they are alive and will possibly become new defenders of Earth. They are one of the lucky ones as I’m not sure how could have dealt with losing this grandad and grandson team in a horrific way like with Donna or Rose.
Doctor Who: Revolution of the Daleks brings back Captain Jack Harkness
Credit: BBC
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This was probably one of the strongest performances from Mandip Gill playing Yaz. We understand the pain she has been feeling, maybe feeling lost due to being back on Earth and now the life she had has been taken away from her. Gill’s performance was better than in the previous series but there is definitely room for improvement. In the sense, the delivery of some of her lines don’t hit the right place however there is hope now there are fewer people in the Tardis team, her character will be more enjoyable to watch.
What this episode definitely did was reignite my love of Captain Jack Harkness. Jack is definitely back and he is still as epic and amazing as always. He is back with all his gadgets and still has the same banter with the Doctor. Watching the Doctor and Jack back together feels very nostalgic. Jack refers to Rose and Gwen which brings back many emotions. Referencing Gwen makes us want a Torchwood reboot because that would be amazing but we are still waiting. Jack played by John Barrowman is perfect in this episode, he is such a wise character now due to age and experience. The scene between Jack and Yaz is a personal highlight, it is just a very honest and deep conversation. This conversation is just about travelling with the Doctor and what every companion has to deal with, it is quite emotional and sums up perfectly what friends with the Doctor goes through.
Not only is Jack back but also Robertson played by Chris North. If you watched the last series you will recognise this character and he is still as evil as before. He is still up to no good and he is the cause of the Doctor’s greatest enemy coming back. Although you have to admire his courage as he tries to strike a deal with these monsters. It is surprising that this character is allowed to remain alive due to all the death and devastation his plans have caused.
The Daleks are also back, and they are better than ever!
Credit: BBC
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If it wasn’t obvious the Daleks are back and they have a new look. The Daleks are always enjoyable to watch as they are such recognisable monsters and we know what we can expect from them. The story to introduce these creatures reminds me a lot of the episode from the Matt Smith era titled “Victory of the Daleks” (Series 5, Episode 3) with the Ironsides. The Ironsides were Daleks but apparently built by a human from his design but really they had another plan. Yet in this episode, the Daleks are 3D printed from the remains of an old Dalek shell but the creature inside is being grown somewhere else, unknown to the humans. However once the Daleks uncover their plans, creature and shell are reunited. However, we don’t only just deal with this new style of Dalek but we get to see some old-style Daleks that we are all familiar to seeing. Daleks as always are voiced by Nicholas Briggs and they always have an impact because they are such superior beings.
Revolution of the Daleks is a strong episode with some strong performances. I will miss Bradley Walsh as he was unexpectedly such a fun character to watch, his character brought many comedic moments which will be missed. He tried to be the cool grandad. Chibnall did a really great job with the writing for this episode, it had an emotional moment with some witty bits slipped in to add some moments of relief. Obviously, Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor was fantastic, the conversation between the Doctor and Ryan is a real heart to heart moment about changing and discovery. The Timeless Child and the true origins of the Doctor is mentioned but we don’t really go much into it because by the end of the episode, the Doctor has an epiphany as she knows who she is, even if she doesn’t know where she comes from. It is clear that we haven’t heard the last of this the Doctor’s true origins story but we don’t know where this story is going to take us yet.
Yet another strong New Year’s Day Doctor Who special
Credit: BBC
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This episode is very strong and in true Christmas style we are given a surprise at the end of the episode and this results in the reveal of a new companion which is both surprising and exciting. This episode focuses on life without the Doctor and how to deal with that. Ryan is grown up and he knows his time is done while Graham was torn but he would rather be with his grandson protecting and investing the earth. Yaz stay onboard the Tardis but she too seems different, she appears to still be hurting from the Doctor leaving and now heartbreak to saying goodbye to her friends, because deep down does she realise she may not come back? This episode is great and does bring a sense of excitement about what may come next. Due to a new companion on his way, Jack is on Earth in present-day with Gwen and the Doctor will mostly at some point what to discover her true origins. Hopefully, we will get more Jack and the Doctor action as seeing them together is so nostalgic, harking back to the 2005 Russell T. Davies era. There were huge expectations for this episode and what we may thought was going to happen didn’t exactly happen but this episode was strong and a tear or two may have been shed. Now we must wait for the next series but it feels as if Whittaker has gotten the flow of who her Doctor is and Chibnall’s writing seems to be improving greatly as each story evolves.
What do you make of this review? Did you watch the Doctor Who New Year special, Revolution of the Darleks? If so, what did you make of it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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