Pearl Mackie began her one year on the sow in the Pilot which saw her life change in a space of a year.
This is a stronger opener as we are used to but it works to see Peter and Pearl together as a duo. No matter how the press were rude that time, I got used their dynamic and it works. I love the way Twelve is a tutor and this starts a series where he is better developed than he has been and that makes Peter better recognised than he has been.
Matt Lucas doesn’t have much of a role here and this is a problem I have with Nardole throughout the series and I think if Matt was cast earlier then the teamwork might have been better and Nardole might have fared better but there are episodes where Nardole is better used but not this one and I am sad as I love Matt as Nardole and think he deserves better.
Stephanie Hyam plays Heather, Bill’s lover and she did good but why did thy have to make her a monster and this is another major problem especially for the first LGTB companion which is Bill and if they hadn’t done what they do and made Penny more a friend than a lover then maybe the whole thing would have worked and this is unfortunate but it’s best to give it a try and they did well. I expect more improvements to make it work but the monster did have something useful but like the glass lady, the monster just got on my nerves.
Clara reference was amazing, she wasn’t named but the Doctor not wiping Bill’s memory signifies a reference to Clara and I know a lot of them aren’t really happy but for me it worked as it didn’t interfere with S10 in a great way as Rose did in S3. Luckily she is referenced later in the series as it’s needed.
Good start but it just lacked something with crew’s dynamic!
Score: 9/10
