Doctor Who (TV Series) The Girl Who Died (2015) User Reviews

The Doctor creates an immortal

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 18 October 2015]

After a brief prologue where The Doctor prevents a war and rescues Clara, who was drifting in space, the Tardis lands on Earth and our protagonists are swiftly captured by a group of Vikings! Back in their village he tries to persuade them that he is Odin but his pitiful attempts can't compete with the 'real' Odin whose face appears in the sky before he selects the chosen few to go to Valhalla. Clara and Viking girl Ashildr are among the chosen and they soon learn the true fate of the chosen… the warriors are killed and their adrenaline and testosterone extracted to be consumed by 'The Mire', the aliens pretending to be gods. Clara and Ashildr were taken because they were holding the remains of The Doctor's sonic sunglasses which made them curious. Clara tries to act brave but when Ashildr follows suit and challenges The Mire she may have made a mistake; the challenge is accepted and their leader states that they will destroy the village in one day. Clara and Ashildr are returned to the village where The Doctor starts training the remaining men while coming up with a plan to defeat The Mire.

After a pretty dark story last time it was time for an episode with a few more laughs; some such as The Doctor pretending to be Odin are genuinely funny while the use a the 'Benny Hill theme' at one point was a little embarrassing… at least for me. The story itself was pretty good; The Mire made good adversaries and the Vikings were rather fun… largely because the brave warriors had been eliminated leaving a handful of farmers. The cast do a good job; most notably Maisie Williams, who is best known for playing Arya Stark in the 'Game of Thrones'; here she plays Ashildr, a rather similar character. For the most part this is a self-contained story; The Mire are defeated ten minutes before the episode ends. This last ten minutes sets things up for another worry for The Doctor; when Ashildr dies he brings her back to life… permanently. This raises the possibility of her becoming a recurring character… something that could be interesting if handled well. While I enjoyed the episode there were a few flaws; most were easy to ignore but the use of electric eels made no sense at all! The ending wasn't quite the cliff-hanger found at the mid-point of the previous two part stories but it still left me looking forward to the next episode.

A Very Mixed Bag

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 18 October 2015]

Perhaps the best way to enjoy NuWho is not to go in to an episode with any pre-conceptions as to the upcoming episode's merit ? The Girl Who Died certainly didn't look very enticing in the Next Time trailer . Some historical hokum involving camp Vikings which had "mid season filler" written all over it . Nothing special but nothing outstanding that'd be quickly forgotten before the season ends . That said it was co-written by Jamie Mathieson who wrote the two outstanding adventures from last year but this has to be weighed that his co-writer is Steven Moffat . Best not to let any prejudices enter your mind before seeing the episode

If nothing else this episode confirms my continuing frustration with the show . Peter Capaldi show the potential that he could be the greatest Doctor we've ever had and I'm including the classic series 1963-89 in to that equation so I'm not making that statement lightly . A genuinely alien presence and totally hypnotic when he discusses death . Unfortunately he's constantly undermined by behind the scenes obsession that he ahas to be "amusing" in some way as does the wider context of the programme . The story is chugging along happily enough , maybe not as seriously as we'd get in an adventure with William Hartnell but that isn't a criticism in anyway and can understand people loving the scene where the Doctor inspects his parade of Vikings and referring to them as "Lofty , Nog , ZZ Top" but this isn't enough and we then get a misjudged sequence involving the Benny Hill theme . All this "it seemed like a good idea at the time" is symptomatic of Moffat's tenure and despite all the positives of the episode - and it is enjoyable for the most part - it never reaches its full potential

Ho Ho Odin

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 6/10 · 23 March 2019]

The main point of this story is to introduce the character of Ashildr (Maisie Williams) who was a big part of the Series 9 arc. That character is interesting and very well portrayed with Williams putting in a strong performance.

Most of this episode is comedic but there is also a darker more serious aspect. The humour is often funny but it does cross the line into parody in a way that stops the episode having credibility for me. The serious aspects are also mixed. Some things work well and are very interesting while other things are a bit over the top.

Peter Capaldi is so good that he makes rather silly ideas like understanding complex meanings in a baby's cry into quite touching and effective scenes. I still am not keen on those type of illogical ideas and the general silliness in this adventure but Capaldi's quality stops this from sinking to really low levels.

The explanation of the Doctor realising he has the face of someone he encountered in Pompeii and interpreting the reason why is unnecessary but Capaldi's acting again makes it work pretty well.

Jenna Coleman does well as Clara but the guest cast are not all convincing with the lead villain quite pantomime style.

The alien Mire soldiers are quite fun looking but their defeat and the whole resolution of the episode are weak and not thrilling or sensible in my opinion.

The aspect of the Doctor using alien tech to save Ashildr is very problematic for me, especially once the arc completes later in the series. Why do the Mire have tech that can give immortality which would be the envy of the universe? Wouldn't others have this same tech or attack the Mire to obtain it? Why do we later find Ashildr as the last survivor as if this tech was never repeated with anyone else? I think it is all an overly exaggerated idea (a common Moffatt era issue) and also unnecessary. It would be far better to give Ashildr a healing power of a less extreme kind which doesn't stretch the plot or the morality of the Doctor giving it to her.

Overall this is a bit of a mess, I think, but the fun and entertainment is ok.

My Rating: 6/10.

Series 9 Episode Ranking: 12th out of 14.

Fire in the Water. This was excellent.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 18 October 2015]

The Doctor rescues Clara who's cut adrift in Space. They land in a Viking village and discover the locals are being taken and harvested by the War race, The Mire. Clara, the familiar Ashildr and a group of locals are taken, but Clara finds a way of escaping along with Ashildr. They confront the leader of the Mire and Ashildr accidentally declares war. The pair are returned to the Village, and it's up to the Doctor to train the locals how to fight, a plan is hatched, but in the crossfire Ashildr is killed. The Doctor resurrects her using alien tech but in doing so makes her immortal.

There was a definite switch in tone, the first four episodes were very dark, almost bleak. The Girl who died was much lighter in tone, fair bit of comedy, the naming and training of the vikings, ZZ top, Heidi etc, the Baby talk once again.

Lots of questions are asked, mostly surrounding Maisie Williams's character Ashildr, does the Doctor know who she is? Is she the War Lord? Is she a future companion? What actually happened to her when she had the helmet on, was it just heart failure? Is she the hybrid Davros spoke of? She's key to the episode, and was very very good. Capaldi's previous appearance in Pompeii is also brought up.

I loved the settings, locations and costumes, the episode looked very good.

Two things that niggled, firstly Odin appearing in the sky, was that from the Teletubbies? and the place for The Benny Hill them tune is 3AM on ITV2.

It was a very good episode, it had some great moments, I thought the last 5 minutes in particular was excellent, I loved the dialogue between the Doctor and Clara, a great tie in to the Fires of Pompeii. I Loved that the Doctor was uneasy at what he'd done to Ashildr, his tidal wave mistake.

This two Part format is working really well, the characters are being allowed to develop.

9/10

This review contains series spoilers

[Jackbv123 · 9/10 · 15 April 2017]

This is a pivotal episode in season 9 and more than the obvious. I never realized that because I never went back and watched it a second time until now.

*Series Spoiler**If you haven't watched all of season 9, do not read on*

The Doctor and Clara are becoming dangerous, especially Clara. The Doctor says to her "You persuaded them to go, I knew that you would". As we saw on the deck of the alien ship, Clara is becoming a Doctor in her own right. We saw a hint of this in Flatline too. Regarding the Doctor, he says "I'm the Doctor and I save people." Between the two of them, their arrogance and god-complex is becoming a threat to the universe. The obvious pivot point is the transformation of Ashildor into the immortal Me. We are given a misdirection when the Doctor speaks aloud to himself that she if a hybrid. Me certainly contributes to the final outcome, but rather than being the hybrid, she is the one, at the end of time, who rightly accuses the pair and names them.

When I first saw this episode, I was not much impressed except to note the introduction of Masie Williams as a refreshing addition to the recurring cast. In fact, I have avoided re-watching most of the episodes following Danny's death. But now I see how this episode, and others surrounding it, is a necessary piece of the story that culminates in the separation of the Doctor and his greatest companion.

Vikings are awesome!!

[ukulele33 · 7/10 · 18 October 2015]

I liked it. The previous episode was better but this one really develops the new doctor. I was never a fan of Capadi but this new season has changed my mind. They actually reference the Pompeii episode which before confused me. Now it makes sense.

Don't believe that bad reviews. Def a great episode... Plus, Arya Stark!!!!!!!! Maisie is fantastic and hope she is on future shows! Awesome, just Awesome!!! What would be cool is to see her as a future companion. Although i think she is too involved with Game of Thrones to be in every episode. I'm thinking More like Cap Jack, in every few shows.

Vikings is a genre that i haven't seen before in Doctor who and i think they nailed it. The Grittiness works.

Whovians will like this one, people looking to get into the show because Maisie might be disappointed. Watch at your own risk!

Funny, dramatic, emotional and unique.

[ryanjmorris · 10/10 · 17 October 2015]

This episode can easily be broken into two sections; the opening thirty five minutes, and the closing ten. After accidentally running into Vikings in a small village, the Doctor and Clara are soon to be questioned when suddenly a Norse God appears in the sky and offers the village's bravest a chance to dine at the table of Valhalla. Giant robots teleport down, and beam the Viking warriors, along with Clara and a young girl named Ashildr (the excellent Maisie Williams), up to a mysterious location. Long story short, the Vikings are killed and Ashildr ends up declaring war on the Mire, the species involved. So, the Doctor then has twenty four hours to train a town of fishermen and farmers into soldiers to prevent their impending doom. It's simple Doctor Who, and this story benefits from the different structure of the two-part story. This is an episode of two parts, but each tells a different story with mostly different characters in a different time period. We can go over that in a little while, but this new format allows The Girl Who Died to play out with the pace of a standalone episode, then deliver a whopper of a cliffhanger at the end. This episode rockets by at a dizzying speed, scarcely pausing to catch a breath.

There may not really be forty five minutes of heavy plot here, but there's more than enough for the first thirty five to work with. This episode being considerably lighter in tone than the previous four also strengthened it, this was without question the funniest, and most categorically enjoyable episode so far this series. We all know Peter Capaldi is fantastic at drama and seriousness, but his comedy work is just as impressive. He delivers small asides and sudden quickfire dialogue with ease, completely selling how insane the Doctor is, but in such a giddily enjoyable way. Jenna Coleman is, again, on top form. In fact, these two are both so reliably great now that unless I explicitly say otherwise, just assume they were fantastic. Coleman too has a real knack for humour, her comic timing tonight was impeccable. After the Doctor declares he will give the civilians real swords for the first time, with a triumphant soundtrack blaring behind him, we hard cut to the Doctor sat, head in hands, on the floor, surrounded by small fires, passed out locals, wild roaming ducks and the screams of residents in the background. But it's Coleman's delivery - almost pausing between every word as she informs one of the now conscious farmers what just happened - that completes the scene. I could watch her tell that story a hundred times and never laugh any less.

The Mire threat is dealt with in an appropriately silly yet enjoyable way, and all seems good for the Doctor and Clara to say goodbye and set off. So, all round, the first thirty five minutes are perfectly solid stuff. But leave it to Doctor Who to take it up a notch. After the Mire leave, we discover that Ashildr died during the battle, and the final ten minutes take a whiplash-inducing right turn into a sequence of events unlike anything this series has offered yet. We know that Capaldi and Coleman bounce off each other delightfully well, but their best sequence tonight came when the Doctor recognised his own face while mourning Ashildr. As the Doctor finally understands why his regeneration chose a face he had seen before, Clara watches on with a seamless combination of horror, perplexity and bemusement. There's an array of emotions and feelings on Coleman's face as Clara watches the Doctor go through this revelation out loud, and it's a truly remarkable sequence, given further emotional weight when the quickly cut flashbacks to David Tennant and Catherine Tate are considered too. He subconsciously took on the face of Caecilius from season four's The Fires of Pompeii in order to remind him that he can always, always save people. This reveal was a big risk, but a great one, and one that perfectly summarises what this show, and this character, is really all about.

And then the Doctor, using wonderfully sketchy science, revives Ashildr and once again all seems wrapped up. Until the last minute, when the Doctor throws the curveball to Clara that by reviving Ashildr, he has taken away her ability to die. Clara instinctively questions this, is dying an ability? The Doctor tells her it is; for those burdened with the inability to die, it does not feel like immortality, it feels like everyone else dying. So he has left Ashildr a tool to choose one person to take on that ride with her, for when she, like the Doctor, truly understands what that feels like. Coupled with the knowledge that this is Clara's final season, the Doctor's words of not wanting to lose someone who means so much to you are tear inducing, sold completely by Capaldi in his most emotional sequence of his entire run. This, right here, is what makes Doctor Who so brilliant, so unlike anything else on TV. It can ricochet across genres and tones within one forty five minute episode, and stick every landing with ease. This episode - thanks to its fantastic writing, clever thematic ideas and impeccable performances from Capaldi, Coleman and Williams - shows off this strength more than any other in recent memory. From its horror inspired opening sequence, through the fun and enjoyable middle act, to that stunningly unforgettable final shot of the world continuing around Ashildr as her expression changes from joy to sorrow, The Girl Who Died had it all.

What a wonderful piece of television.

Good but not Great

[Equalizer16 · 7/10 · 18 October 2015]

The series so far has been absolutely splendid with only a few minor faults in my opinion, and what is the verdict of this week, good but not great.

The Girl Who Died surrounds the Doctor facing the choice to help an inexperienced group of Viking villagers fight against one of the most deadly alien warrior races in the universes (the Mire). With Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams guest appearing, fans feel that medieval theme along with emotion and monsters.

First of all, I think the story heads in to many directions, is about the war against the aliens, is it about the Doctor choosing to stay and help, is it about the Doctor helping to train these inexperienced farmers, or is it solely about Ashildr (Williams) as she is the title role. So episodes sets up these themes but doesn't focuses one purely and kind of abandons these ideas later. Of course this is not strange for Doctor Who, but I don't think it worked.

We also have the big bad monsters, which I think the episode kind of forgot about as we lack the knowledge of where they came from and what is there main objective. The Mire were also meant to be scary and fearful, and the Vikings not standing a chance against them, but I did not see this.

I also think the episode really only began to the very end when we learn what Ashildr is or will become, as this sets up plot lines to come, this then makes the rest of the episode seem pointless, I also thought the character didn't stand much. Granted though the ending has put me in the excitement to learn what will become of this character and her relationship with the Doctor.

One good choice though was the moment of the Doctor considering why he has his face, although I think to explain it was unnecessary, I think they made a good effect.

Overall this was a good episode, but not great and just needed to know what it was. I give it a 7.

Utterly Fantastic!

[NineTenElevenTwelve · 9/10 · 20 October 2015]

This was an episode I was definitely interested in. Granted, the biggest reason for that was seeing Maisie Williams on the show. And how did this episode fare? It exceeded by expectations ten-fold!

The dynamic between the Doctor and Clara has been absolutely outstanding this season! Their one-on-one moments with each other have been some of the best moments in the episodes thus far. I especially like how the Doctor reflects on how much he has affected Clara. It feels very much like a subtle callback to Davros explaining to the Tenth Doctor about how his turns his friends into soldiers. And speaking of the Tenth Doctor, holy crap that flashback! I honestly did not see that coming at all! This was a surprisingly satisfying way to wrap up the arc involving the Doctor's face with it confirming that the 12th Doctor did in fact get his face from Caecilius in The Fires of Pompeii. I can now say that, technically, there's an episode featuring my two all-time favorite TARDIS teams: 10 with Donna and 12 with Clara! But, beyond the fanservice, it still fit in surprisingly well with the story. Even now, the 12th Doctor is still struggling with who he is in some areas. This was a nice moment with him realizing that he subconsciously chose the face of Caecilius in order to always remind himself that he's the Doctor and he always finds a way to save people.

Now on to Maisie Williams. I think she did a really good job and I took a liking to her character. It's hard for me not to see some small similarities between her character of Ashildr and her Game of Thrones role as Arya Stark. Ashildr acted a lot like Season 1 Arya. I liked her moments with Clara and the Doctor and her temporary death actually was quite a surprise at first. Though, obviously, it's a bit hard to hide a plot point that's literally the title of the episode. Still, I did like how the Doctor went about saving Ashildr and I also like how the Doctor delved a bit into explaining what immortality can be like for a mortal. It looks like the next episode will delve a bit more into that as the Ashildr we're going to see next time, from what I saw in the trailer, appears to be much angrier and darker than the one we saw here. That probably makes sense given how, by the next episode, she'll have been alive for a few centuries at least. I also took note of the Doctor calling her a hybrid, which seems to be a reference back to the The Witch's Familiar with the talk of a Time Lord/Dalek hybrid. Obviously, Ashildr is only a human/alien hybrid but it does bring up some interesting questions about this season's arc. If Ashildr survives the next episode, there's a chance that we could see her again. Maybe she might appear in the finale? If the next episode ends with her still feeling angry with the Doctor, could she appear in the finale as Missy's companion? How crazy would that be?! But, of course, I'm getting ahead of myself. For now, let's just focus on her in this episode. As I already said, I liked her and I look forward to seeing her in the next episode. I also really liked the ending shot with her slowly going from happy to sad while everything moved past her. It was a good representation of her staying the same whilst the world she knew aged around her.

The rest of the side characters were entertaining but nowhere near as good as the supporting cast from the previous two episodes. Though I did take a liking to Ashildr's father. The Mire were an interesting threat for the episode but they did disappoint in some areas. We didn't get to see them do much aside from stomp around a bit, fire some attacks, and get scared off. The main Mire villain, "Odin", did have an interesting design (along with the rest of the Mire) and there was some interesting set-up for a future appearance by him. Whether this will be in the next episode with Ashildr, later in Series 9, or in a later episode altogether is currently unknown. But the promise for a future appearance is nice and, hopefully, they'll get more of a chance to shine later on. I did really enjoy how the Doctor and the others went about defeating the Mire. Tricking them into running off and then blackmailing them into retreating with threats of spreading a humiliating video of them across the intergalactic internet. The Doctor has become a troll. Anyway, the method of tricking them was also very well-executed by using electric eels, Ashildr's puppet skills, and the Mire's own technology against them. This was a classic Doctor plan. No TARDIS. No sonic. Just the Doctor, some friends, and a plan. This felt like a very subtle callback to how the 11th Doctor saved the world in The Eleventh Hour.

Overall, I really liked The Girl Who Died. It had some great character moments, some interesting and unexpected callbacks, and some intriguing set-ups for future episodes. And I know that the episode ended with "to be continued" but I still consider this episode and the following episode as one-shots. They, as of now, appear to be two separate stories that are only connected by one character and one particular plot element.

The episode is what should have died

[dkiliane · 6/10 · 29 April 2019]

This is unusual for me. My review rating of the episode (at least for Doctor Who) is rarely this well below the average rating. Usually I'm right around the average rating or even a point above. But I just couldn't get into this episode. The first time when I watched it casually it was alright but after a second viewing from a more critical standpoint, it just doesn't hold up.

The Doctor and Clara find themselves captured by Vikings (nowhere near as cool as it sounds) who are quickly vanquished by the Mire posing as Norse gods, specifically Odin. The Doctor then reluctantly trains the remaining villagers to fight back, which goes awry, but manages to hatch a plan with the help of a young woman named Ashildur to trick them into surrendering, basically using virtual reality. And it's just as awful as it sounds.

There are a few good character moments for the Doctor, Clara, and Ashildur, and a few funny moments here and there (most of which feel rather misplaced) but other than that, the rest falls completely flat. The villains are campy, the Vikings are campy and stereotypical, and the story is meh. The twist ending, with the Mire medkit somehow making Ashildur immortal made no sense and was a ridiculous and weak plot device to shoehorn in the follow up episode. This episode fails on all counts that mattered. 6/10

What a strong episode of Doctor Who!

[masonbingley2000 · 8/10 · 17 October 2015]

There are some very pessimistic people out there that cannot give a proper review of an episode, only talk about it negatively which isn't a review at all really. In my opinion and many others I imagine, this episode was fantastic!

Let us start with Maisie Wiliams, her performance was great. There were some dodgy lines for her, but her overall performance was adorable and utterly amazing. What a stunning actress. The final scene with her will stick In my memory for a very long time as it wasn't just good, it was brilliant and showed time and space so well.

Peter Capaldi as always, is great. His performance her is great, sometimes his accent gets a little strong and his words can get swallowed up, but he always performs to his best ability and that is clear.

Clara has more of a character this episode too, she finally gets to speak her mind and save herself well. It worked and Jenna's performance was adorable, funny and yet, serious. Her character did degenerate slightly, but has improved since the start of series 9.

As an episode, this one has true potential of a classic hit. It has raw emotion, humour and skill. Well done to Jamie Mathieson and Steven Moffat. The Viking imperfections or historical inaccuracies didn't bother me at all. This was a great episode and I hope you agree. You may see a flashback none of us were expecting in episode 5. I cried, a lot.

I am an unpopular electric eel in a pool of catfish

[revans-58368 · 4/10 · 18 October 2015]

When I first saw the trailer and spotted vikings with horned helmets I knew the lay of the land. An attempt at creating a Game of Thrones styled episode fell flat on its face, even Arya couldn't save the day. It felt like an elongated retelling of Robot of Sherwood, it's virtually the same story. Capaldi is being treated the same way poor Colin Baker was, a talented actor attempting a new direction with the part but continually given badly written serials. It felt farcical, slapstick in Doctor Who? Is Graham Williams back in charge? Before this review is ultimately slated please consider the point i'm trying to make, lots of reviews are heralding this episode 9/10 or 10/10 superseding seminal serials such as The Satan pit and The Family of Blood.

Surprisingly Underrated

[tommyhawka · 8/10 · 17 October 2015]

I can't believe people are reviewing this episode saying it's the worst episode of Doctor who ever. To be honest it was an amazing character development episode. It was simple and we needed a break from the last two cliffhanger episodes.

I have a feeling that the next episode could be one of the best doctor who episodes ever.

I really liked how they explained why the doctor chose his face. It explains why he has the same face from the fires of Pompeii episode and it shows that the doctor is a good man and he saves people.

This was a extremely good episode to get everyone excited for the second part and i hope Jaime Mathieson continues to write more doctor who episodes. So far every episode he has written has been amazing.

Why???

[barnbohusk · 9/10 · 17 October 2015]

Can not understand all this negative reviews about this episode.

The principal plot really sucks, but all the things that involved was really good executed, all the stuff about Ashildr, and her death was pretty good too, can actually happen, things like that. Ashildr can be a great character for the future, and this season is all surrounded with "hybrid" stuff. And the reason about his face, seriously, can you see a better way to resolve that?

And the funny moments was really exceptional, "I'm not a huger", the yo-yo moment!!!! that was genius!

Anyway a really good episode, i'm very excited about the future!

Two brilliant writers unite for a not quite as brilliant story.

[obrienjonah14 · 8/10 · 17 October 2015]

One thing I want to get out of the way - and I know you're not supposed to 'review' other reviews but I just wanted to clear something up about a point of jaqqobb's review - is that they did give a reason for Ashildr's death. Granted, it was not a brilliant explanation, but there was one.

Looking back at Jamie Mathieson's previous two stories, I can't help but get the feeling that Steven Moffat is the reason that this story is a lot more lighthearted than recent stories - and Mathieson's contributions last series. I am a fan of both of these writers, but this has been my least favourite episode of series 9. For an alien race that supposedly picks up the best skills from other races, the Mire were pretty nonthreatening even if they had a decent design. The best parts of this episode were the more serious character moments such as the various times the Doctor contemplates 'creating tidal waves' in time.

Leading up to this episode I was not completely convinced from what I had heard, but I was still hoping for more from two writers that have both created very good stories - and the best ones of Series 8 in my opinion.

The Pointless Child...

[Xstal · 4/10 · 29 December 2021]

Generally I'm not a fan, of Maisie Williams and the things she's done. Insincere, without dimension, this episode and the lady mentioned. The start of a moronic arc, as useful as a guard dog without bark (and teeth). A terrible piece of seasonal casting, but they've built her throne and now she's everlasting (sadly). But remember, poor episodes always come in pairs, lookout.

My Hovercraft is Full of Eels

[boblipton · 2/10 · 17 October 2015]

Many years ago, Doctor Who was originally conceived of as an educational program, with lessons in history and science for its intended audience and no monsters. Then they had to rush the second serial into production. It was "The Daleks" and those basic ideas went out the window.

So, when the Doctor and Clara land in a "viking village" in which all the men wear helmets with horns and they have to be saved by electric eels in medieval Norway, I was.... well, nonplussed is a fine word that isn't much used these days Feel free to add it to your vocabulary. I was nonplussed and flabbergasted, as if a Monty Python Yorkshireman had written an episode. I'm sure flabbergasted is a word you already recognize.

The production values continue to be great and I really enjoy the way Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman play the Doctor and Clara. It's nice to see a callback to 1965's "The Chase" with the Mire showing up. There's a strong hint that this episode is the start of a new story arc.

I just wish they had done it with a less nonsensical episode.

Doctor Who at its most terrible

[michaellaing71 · 1/10 · 17 October 2015]

It is rare that I give a 1 star review but certainly this episode of Doctor Who earned it. This is just a terrible, terrible episode. Horrible concept, terrible dialogue, awful costumes (why the hell did they give the Vikings horned helmets, I thought that idiocy stopped in the 1970's). A completely moronic plot save (electric eels come from South America).

I might not have minded so much if the comedy had been funny but it really wasn't. This was a completely stupid episode, writing at its very worst. I keep hoping there will be a good episode but it is going down hill faster than a toboggan.

Icky Wicky Drecky

[blastcookie · 2/10 · 17 October 2015]

I gave it a 2 because you have to have somewhere to go for future efforts don't you? And this season is probably going to provide opportunities to rate lower.

It's a shockingly bad episode, it seems cheaply made and in these days of cheap set-extending effects I don't see why it need look cheap.

The script, was it thrown together in a weekend? Boring, and the point of the episode was not even what we had just watched for 30minutes.

The village is the important thing here so why start with hijinks in space? We need background to these characters in the village so we care about them when they are under threat.

Everyone is hollow and cardboard (in addition to Jenna Coleman's usual cardboardery turn as emotionless void #1) The costumes looked bad. Odin had a cheap horned hat that looked like spray-painted tat from 1973. And so on.

This is the kind of dreck that got the show cancelled all those years ago.

Worst episode of all time?

[TheMoreYouKnow · 1/10 · 17 October 2015]

I cannot believe that this script was not rejected before production; who writes this sh*t? The most developed character was an off-screen baby and the plot was clumsy at the best of times.

Somehow in a 40 minute episode almost devoid of any meaningful story, they managed to omit an explanation of the only significant plot point: how Ashildre died. Are we supposed to assume that she died from wearing a heavy metal helmet? Or more likely, from lack of characterisation and poor acting.

When did they hire the special effects team from Monty Python? Whose mouldy duvet did they use as a make-shift green screen for that time-lapse shot?

I seriously fear for this series' future.

Get better writers you idiots

[scott-lewin88 · 1/10 · 19 November 2015]

This episode just sucked. I found myself cringing all the time. Nothing happened in it, too much stupid dialogue, goofy things, and general awfulness. I don't know what's happened to doctor who but it ain't good. Not at all. The enemies looked ridiculous, the acting was pitiful, and the whole thing with resurrection made no sense. It was boring, cringy, and generally just bad in every way. This series has been disappointing, and this episode just epitomises why.

Please help doctor who. I don't know who liked this episode, but whoever you are, open your eyes!! David tennanf and Christopher ecclestions episode were so much better.... So so so much better,,.

The joke it was that died

[Shoddie · 3/10 · 5 November 2015]

I can only hope that this episode was an aberration. The Peter Capaldi / Jenna Coleman partnership has proved a quirky but absorbing deviation from the perpetually younger Doctor of previous incarnations. However, their on screen relationship does require some gravitas in terms of the plot and dialogue. With good writing, a bit of humour can add to the richness.

The set and costumes for this episode were more suited to Asterix the Gaul than anything even mildly serious. The screenplay seemed to be an attempt at the Douglas Adams style of humour, perfect for Zafod Beeblebrocks, who appears as the chief alien, but utterly unsuited to the other protagonists. Humour and tragedy can be combined to great effect in a good production but here they just cancelled each other out leaving me entirely unmoved. There was some good acting and characterisation but the plot was so ludicrous that it simply appeared out of place.

Doctor Who is important both to the BBC and the fans. Maintaining interest and production values is important to a long running series such as this. I wonder if this episode was intended as a gentle hint as to what might become of the BBC if they lose more funding? I can't believe that the makers of this sad offering could have expected it to be well received.

Hate when the writers dont get it right..

[ckelland · 1/10 · 28 February 2023]

"We will be cut down like corn." There was no corn in Europe at those times... let alone access to electric eels.

I can suspent my belief that aliens constantly attempted to destroy humans through out history . But not that vikings had corn and electric eels..

Certain writers for certain episodes can really kill this shows flow.. this is one of those episodes. When the show is on point it's fantastic. When the writers just go off the rails like in this episode, it really takes you out of the fantasy. Some episodes i wish could wiped from my memory, cause they spoil the who series, this is one of them. Minimum characters finally met.