Orphan
55
The
third episode of Series 12. Where to start. Is this as messy as Rise
of Skywalker? Maybe,
maybe not. But the feeling of dissatisfaction is about the same.
Certainly is a let down compared to both parts of Spyfall.
On to the actual story. Graham has collected coupons for a vacation
in Tranquility Spa. It seems that the rest of Team TARDIS has noticed
that the Doctor has been in a strange mood (but this isn't developed
in this episode.) The coupons form a teleporter, so they are
teleported from the TARDIS to the hotel...
From
there the story starts, and we are introduced to the hotel, and the
other guests and staff. But something is amiss. And not just Ryan
being infected by something from a vending machine (which will become
important later). That sequence was certainly done rather well. But
then the hotel comes under attack, which is where the plot mess
starts. Jumping about from character to character as they react to
the crisis. The best part is the Doctor taking charge of the
situation, not only rebuilding the ionic membrane (whatever that is),
but trying to ensure everyone's safe.
However one person's missing. “Benni! Benni! Where's my Benni?”
This could have been done better. The whole Benni plot seems to be
poorly done. Was it the directing, the writing, or both? Something
came up wanting. The part where he wants to die was grating. But
there's more to this. After they are surrounded by the Drex (the
attackers), the group is forced to go underground, where Team TARDIS
discover that the planet, Orphan 55 is Earth! This reveal has been
done better elsewhere, even in Classic Who.
Ryan and the young lady, go to the hotel, while the Doctor
investigates the Drex, learning they are survivors of a nuclear war
that had been caused by climate change induced chaos. Certainly
something topical, but more on it below. Still more messiness ahead.
The mechanic's child proves more competent than he at using the virus
that affected Ryan to allow the teleporter to work properly. That
work's a little, but it should have been set up better. And the
ending with the Spa CEO and her daughter also seems unnecessary.
The Doctor's ending monologue was also a little heavy handed. People
can be the best of humanity, but they don't need to be preached to.
Sigh; 6.75/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment