Doctor Who Series 11 Episode Review

The Ghost Monument - Review

Following up from the inane cliff hangar that was Episode 1, this subsequent one has all the goodness of its predecessor. It has more character development for everyone and the score is yet again extravagant!

Picking up right where we left off, our ensemble is picked up by two hardened people with very clear aspirations. They end up marooned on a desert planet called Desolation, and it's dangerous.

As I requested, Yaz Khan got more time to properly show herself. She respects Ryan and feels empathetic towards the supporting pair, who even get some development themselves. Something that I and many others thought was lacking in previous seasons, depth to one-off characters. This makes it more realistic and gritty than before, as we learn more of their chequered past.

With all the primary introductions out the way, The Ghost Monument has a bit more room to breathe and show off the plot and setting. That doesn't mean they shy away from little segments of growth. Speaking of setting, you have to admit that the location is gorgeous, they've really outdone themselves this time around.

It still feels like setup, but it's setup done with the backdrop of recognisable Doctor Who plot and characters. What's more, it leaves you with a sense that things might feel a little more "normal" come episode three, and this new Doctor can exit panic mode for the first time.

Oh, and we finally got our grubby hands on the title sequence! It's short but sweet with stunning visuals and a slight redo of the theme I've grown to love in just seven days.

Now onto the spoilers.

Before The Woman Who Fell To Earth aired, it had been rumoured from trustworthy sites that that season of Doctor Who would break the tradition of having a series arc. But that seems to have been false speculatory jargon as the antagonist from Episode 1 got a direct reference. This could signify them being a formidable foe for The Doctor when the finale arrives at early December. Who knows? They might return with their weird teeth face sooner.

Enough about old enemies, what about these ones we got tonight? Well, I hate to break it to you, but they're nothing special. It's just rags who can apparently see in the future and robots which have played CSGO.

I might sound like a broken record but Segun Akinola is what this show needed. A burst of musical life filled to the brim with wonder and excitement and he delivers on all of those aspects.

At the ending scene of this episode, we got a look at the new design for the TARDIS, and it's also great! It reminds me of the original one with the pillars surrounding the console and the contrasting blue and orange make for an aesthetically pleasing time machine.

Oh, did I forget to mention the custard cream dispenser?

Back to the baddies, while not jaw-dropping, they did make for some good scares. The linear piling up of scares and dangers one by one was effective in keeping everything hurtling along. The Sniperbots were as effective as you could reasonably expect knock-off Stormtroopers to ever be, and the psychological chills of the Doctor's fears being weaponised really got me. But I must say, the sequence where Epzo (the mean guy) is half-suffocated by whatever-those-things-were was the most disturbing Doctor Who moment I have seen in quite some time.

One last, admittedly minor thing. Graham, who I've started to now like, is insistent on calling The Doctor 'Doc'. I have mixed feelings on this.

As for next Sunday, it seems as though Yaz, Ryan, and Graham's trip back to Sheffield will be postponed as they'll travel back in time to meet the one and only Rosa Parks.

Come back next Sunday for my review on Epsiode 3, Rosa.

Bye!