Grey's Anatomy: A Hard Pill to Swallow (16x11)

I'm on a time crunch, so let's rapid-fire this baby.

Cons:

Things I do not care about: Owen and Teddy. Whatever. There's this cutesy little plot thread about Teddy losing her engagement ring, and it turns out Leo swallowed it... I think it's all supposed to make me think they're oh-so-adorable, but ugh... nah. I'm not feelin' it.

Samesies with Amelia and Link and all the baby daddy drama. Link is right that Amelia screwed up and should have realized sooner. And he's not wrong for wanting to know the paternity. I just really wish this whole conflict was a thing that did not exist... isn't Amelia settling down and having a kid with Link enough of a story on its own?

Apparently now we're going to have to watch Catherine and Richard go through their relationship woes... yawnnnn. I've always disliked Catherine, so I'm not really looking forward to this story-line.

The vaping PSA is something I totally agree with, but I don't think there's a way of doing a story like that without it feeling a little bit after-school-special. Not unwatchable by any means, but still.

Supernatural: The Gamblers (15x11)

Okay yeah, overall I really enjoyed that!

Cons:

So, we learned a new piece of mythology this week, that being that Chuck, as the Creator, is also the creator of all of the other deities in every other religion in the world. Apparently he's attached himself to "the religion with the best syndication deal," that being the Judeo-Christian one. This makes sense in terms of the show's overarching mythology, in that Chuck has to be the ultimate Creator of everything... but it's also a little icky to have God as played by a white guy, be the creator of every other deity, as if the "Christian" God came first, and the Bible is the True Account of what happened, while every other religion is just a story that came later. I feel torn, because I understand why, in terms of the story they are telling, they've chosen to make this clear. But the optics are not super great.

The subplot is about Cas discovering Jack is still alive, but there's this kind of stupid fake-out where at first it looks like Jack is a bad guy who is eating people's hearts... turns out, he's acting on Billie's instructions and is killing monsters in order to gain strength. I feel like the fake-out and the whole FBI thing was kind of an unnecessary element, only there to pad out the run time.

The Good Place: Whenever You're Ready (4x13/14)

Okay yeah I cried cried cried. That was powerful.

Cons:

I don't really have the heart to nitpick and critique this finale. It was as good an ending to a TV show as I've seen in a very long time.

I guess... I wish it was longer?

Pros:

Just conceptually, this version of the afterlife is so freakin' gorgeous and ideal and even though I'm an atheist and don't think there's an afterlife, I... hope this is what the afterlife is like?

It just... works, on every conceivable level. Think about it. You die, and then you get to go through simulations where you learn about yourself, where you learn to improve and be a kinder, better person. And then after that, you get to go to a fun place where you can live whatever kind of life you want with absolutely no worries - the conventional dream of Heaven. You can be peaceful, or you can learn new things, you can achieve goals, you can repair relationships with people from your life on Earth. You can do whatever you want, for as long as you want. But after that, you go into the great unknown, and are finally, fully, at rest. We even see a hint of what these souls do when they're at rest - they linger within humanity, inspiring people to do better, to be better, thus continuing the cycle.

Schitt's Creek: Maid of Honour (6x04)

Patrick looked so very handsome in his suit!

Cons:

I thought Johnny and Roland's plot thread was mostly forgettable. It was like they were just trying to fill some time. We've seen that the new property has been purchased, so it's time to keep expanding... but then instead there's a guy living in one of the rooms who may be a squatter, so they have to worry about him. The whole thing culminated in an awkward standoff where the guy offered reasonable explanations for why he had a gun and a bag full of money, and Johnny and Roland looked ridiculous. There was nothing bad or wrong with this story, but it didn't really move me in any way, either.

I wish this episode had more Patrick. That's going to be a consistent thing for me... I just really love Patrick a lot, you guys.

Pros:

Moira's plot thread was centered around the new trailer for her Crows movie. She shows it to everyone, and is less than thrilled with Jocelyn's tepid response. Jocelyn is basically conned into writing effusive praise for the trailer, in order to make Moira feel better.

Arrow: Fadeout (8x10)

I don't really know what to say. I wish I felt differently, but this finale left me feeling a little bit underwhelmed! But let's get into the specifics.

Cons:

So first of all, Oliver's final fate is that he dies, creates a new world that's better for everyone, and then gets to reunite with Felicity in some sort of pocket world there at the very end. Here's the thing that's tripping me up - this is still just straight-up a tragedy. So he brings his mom and Tommy and Quentin Lance back from the dead but he never gets to see them? And more importantly, he still doesn't get to raise his kids. I get that it's supposed to be this big sacrifice, like, in his final act he finally did what he always set out to do and he "saved his city." But it's just kind of too sad for me, to be the ending of Oliver Queen.

Related to that is the problem I've already discussed in the past two episodes. We have episode eight, which was the Crisis crossover thing, then episode nine, which was a backdoor pilot... so Oliver's fate, dying the way he does, surrounded by people from other shows, doesn't really feel appropriate to the story of Arrow as a whole. Everything about the Crisis is disconnected from the beating heart of eight seasons worth of buildup. It's someone else's big bad, some other characters' final stand. It doesn't feel like it should have been Oliver's.

Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon (12x05)

This episode was one shock after the other! Dang!

Cons:

I'm really excited about all of these big developments, I really am. But at the same time, yikes! We went from having very little overarching plot in Season Eleven, to having a bajillion things going on in this season! The Master, the destruction of Gallifrey, this new Doctor that our Doctor doesn't recognize, the return of Jack Harkness, the Cybermen... it's all piling up! Now, rather than being worried about not having enough to sustain a season, I'm more worried that overcrowded storytelling is going to make it difficult for all of these various plot points to land! I shouldn't judge too soon, but... wow! There's a ton happening here!

The only thing that I think got lost in the shuffle this week was the Doctor's relationship with her companions. I really liked that moment of solidarity at the end, but it fell slightly flat because the Doctor didn't seem to notice or care when first Graham, and then Yaz and Ryan, were taken. We as the audience know that they're all fine, but it bothers me that the Doctor wasn't more worried.

Supernatural: The Heroes' Journey (15x10)

This made me laugh so hard.

Cons:

I remember in the promo for this final season, they talked about how there really weren't any C-plot episodes in Season Fifteen. That's obviously not the case, but I do like that this episode felt like a part of the overarching story, even though it had a different tone. What I don't like is the way this show does exposition during its C-plots. It's so clumsy and badly written, and you would think after all these years they'd have found a better way of handling it. You have Sam literally saying "Cas is up in Heaven searching for information." He says that to Dean, who already knows. It's so lazy, and it wouldn't be that hard to fix!

Pros:

To start with the light and fun stuff... Garth! It was so good to see him. This final season kind of feels like it contains "curtain calls" for a lot of the show's beloved guest characters of the past. And even though I know what they're doing, I'm still loving it. Garth survived, which is an added bonus. They seemed to have learned their lesson about killing off characters just for shock value, and are instead respectful of using those deaths only when they have real narrative impact. (I'm hoping I haven't just jinxed it...)

The Good Place: Patty (4x12)

Leave it to The Good Place to always push things that one step further!

Cons:

I honestly don't know what to say! I loved every minute of this. I guess I wish we could have met with other known historical figures in the Good Place? Maybe we'll get one or two next week. I like the joke of most known figures being in the Bad Place, but just a couple of cameos would have hit the spot.

Pros:

Philosophically, this episode dropped a bombshell. But it dropped a bombshell in the way that this show often does, which is to say that once I realized where they were going with this, I also realized that I should have known all along. Basically the Good Place is great and fantastic and happy, but it's also eternity, and eventually people become happiness zombies, completely numb to the complexities and joys of existence. Eleanor and Michael come up with a solution, based on what Eleanor said about what makes life worth living - knowing that it will end. They set up another door, and it allows for a final exit from the Good Place, whenever you're ready. ("Whenever You're Ready," as it transpires, is the name of next week's finale, so that's gonna hurt!).

Grey's Anatomy: Help Me Through the Night (16x10)

Heyyy we're back. And Alex Karev is gone. This episode isn't about that, but I'm deep in my feelings about it, so... be prepared for me to rant when it becomes relevant.

Cons:

So, guess what I'm going to complain about? Teddy and Owen got engaged. And I think I'm supposed to be charmed by that in some way, or think it's a cute resolution for them. But it's just so hollow. I don't feel a connection between them. I hate that they made Koracick an asshole for a good chunk of the season, just to distance us from that ship so we'd get on board with Owen. Nope. Still team Tom Koracick, if I'm being honest.

And the fact that Amelia's baby might be Owen's is straight-up one of the most annoying twists this show has ever, ever had. Please no. Just let Link and Amelia raise their baby. And Scout is such a cute name, because Link's name is Atticus... get it?

Who's the guy that Jackson and Owen were operating on? Koracick's protege? Did I forget a new character that's been introduced, or are we just now meeting him? I lost track completely of the existence of such a character.

Modern Family: Dead on a Rival (11x12)

Meh. I'm really just ready for this show to be over, y'all.

Cons:

Sometimes a thing will happen on Modern Family and I'll get excited to see where it's going. But where it's going is... nowhere. Like Alex, for example. She's trying to find an assistant. Does that mean we're going to spend time with her in her new job, learning a bit about what she does and what challenges it brings to her life? I doubt it! And what about Manny? I appreciate the show for acknowledging how insufferable and immature he is... but are we going to see him actually grow and change before the show ends? Seems unlikely, and even if it happens, it won't be enough. And hey - what about Haley and Dylan and the kids? They sure haven't been around much lately.

To get more specific... there were a couple of setups in this episode that seemed funnier than the results ended up being. For example, Alex lusting after her potential new assistant was played as a throw-away joke. I thought we were going to spend time maybe seeing other candidates, and make something deeper out of that. Instead, it became about Jay's assistant Margaret working for Alex. Not a bad story, but not as promising as the one I thought we'd get. Ditto for Cam and Mitchell's story, which began when an old man showed up at their house, saying he used to live there and he had come back to die. I thought this was going to be funny and maybe even heartwarming, but the plot immediately shifted to something unexpected when the old man finds out that his childhood enemy still lives next door, and it becomes about angry old people seeking revenge. Again, not necessarily bad... but I felt more promise from the idea of the story than we ended up getting.

Also... Josh Gad is a funny guy and everything, but has he ever appeared on this show before? I hate that he showed up and apparently Phil was the guy who inspired him, and they had a special handshake... we've never seen this dude before. That's just annoying.

Schitt's Creek: The Job Interview (6x03)

Well this was quite cute, although I missed Patrick!

Cons:

Alexis getting a pet turtle was just a touch too cutesy for my taste. If they were going to go there and actually have her get a pet, I wish there could have been more done with it. As it is, the turtle was a clumsy metaphor for putting effort into her relationship with Ted, and it didn't seem to really go much of anywhere.

Moira talked about her desire to get out of Schitt's Creek in this episode, which surprised me somewhat. Not that she would still be wanting to leave, I guess, but just that the show hasn't commented on that in such a long time, and it felt like some artificial urgency was inserted into Moira's motivations here, just because this is the last season. Johnny seems to be pretty happy putting down more roots in the area. Is the endgame really going to be Moira and Johnny leaving? Because if so, that feels thematically a little bit challenging, given that this was their goal on day one, and they've changed so much.

Arrow: Livin' in the Future (8x09)

Oh boy, I feel mean for saying this... but I just don't really care.

Cons:

Going into this, I knew it was the backdoor pilot episode. (Note that I'm titling it what the creators wanted to call it, instead of the name of the new show, as is standard). And I also knew it really wasn't going to be my cup of tea. I'm... weary of the Arrowverse. I think it's really sinking in for me here that Oliver fucking died, and it was in a messy and bloated crossover event that felt almost entirely divorced from the show I've been watching for eight seasons. There's really nothing left of the show I once loved - it has been fragmented and twisted past recognition. There are things about this new spin-off that seem cool and fun, and I hope, for the sake of a future with more genre shows led by female casts, that it does well. But I already know I don't care enough to tune in.

To get more granular for a moment, I found myself frustrated by this version of Star City in 2040, for the same reason I was frustrated by the flash-forwards in Season Seven. So many unanswered questions. We know that Oliver is dead... what about Felicity? Where is Diggle? Rene? Lyla? I get why every character can't be squished in here, but maybe just a mention, so we can know the status of the important players in this game? I think the obfuscation really works against the show's best interests.

Doctor Who: Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror (12x04)

This episode reminded me, in a good way, of that Van Gogh episode from the Matt Smith days. Let's dive in!

Cons:

I should say that while I did find this portrayal of Tesla to be endearing, I was a little disappointed about some of the stuff we didn't get to see. First of all, I'm not trying to insult the actor who played Tesla, because he did a fantastic job... but the actual Tesla was a babe, and they didn't really play up his natural attractiveness here. Also... I'm not an expert, but I do know that Tesla fell in love with his pet bird at one point in his life. The dude was eccentric to say the least, and I feel like this episode limited the more bonkers elements to the aliens, instead of turning a closer look on Tesla himself. Maybe it worked out better this way... I was just a little wistful for what we might have gotten.

I talked before about how not every companion is going to have something to do in every episode... that only makes sense, when working with a slightly larger cast. But Graham really hasn't had a lot of material to sink his teeth into recently, has he? I was definitely noticing that this week.

The Good Place: Mondays, Am I Right? (4x11)

This is as close to a filler episode as we're ever going to get in The Good Place. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, but I did notice that nothing in this episode broke from what we might have expected.

Cons:

So, both of the plot lines this week were good, and they had nice character beats, and they furthered the plot, I guess... but they also just treaded water for me maybe a little too much. Think about what happens here. At the end of the last episode, we learn what the new plan is going to be. At the end of this episode, we find out that the Soul Squad has been granted access to The Good Place, and that the experiment is going to be replicated just like Shawn already agreed. So what is this episode? It's Michael working out how to let go of the planning, and it's Chidi and Eleanor having insecurities about their relationship, which they patch up in no time flat. The status quo didn't really change - everything played out and things are moving forward as planned.

That's not strictly a bad thing, but it did leave me feeling a little bit underwhelmed, which usually doesn't happen with this show. Everything that happened here could have been done in montage - a quick line about how the candidates for the first round of the experiment had worked out, and that Michael, with Vicky's help, had gotten the demons on board with the new plan.

Supernatural: The Trap (15x09)

Whaaaat did I just watch though? That made me... so happy? In the sad way? You know. You get it.

Cons:

I understand that the actress playing Eileen can't be in all the rest of the episodes, but I'm still sad to see her leave. It reminds me of Mary leaving, after her resurrection - just a plotty excuse to get a certain actor out of the show for a while. I wish it wasn't necessary. Eileen had better be in several more episodes, and she had better f**king live. That's all I'm sayin'.

Jared and Jensen were clearly having fun playing vampires, which is good for them, but it was a little too cheesy for my taste. Especially when Vamp!Sam got shot and Vamp!Dean attacked Jody. That should have been actually moving - this idea that even as a monster, Dean would go berserk watching Sam die. But instead I was too distracted by Dean's silly monster attack face. It's a small thing, but still.

Pros:

So let's start with the Purgatory stuff. This whole subplot was really just an excuse for Dean to emotionally apologize to Cas, and you know what? I am not mad about it. Really, it's a simple quest - get in, find magic flower, get out, create weapon to trap Chuck. So instead of watching two people hunt monsters, grab a flower, and get the hell out of dodge, we focus on the emotional aspect of this relationship.

Modern Family: Legacy (11x11)

This episode sort of... passed me by. And I think maybe that was the point, but I'm not sure it stuck the landing.

Cons:

So the big "reveal" in this episode is that Phil's father dies. He goes on a trip to visit him, we see a fairly normal visit. They get into shenanigans with their car, Phil wants to make sure his father's mind is still all there, they go to a barber shop. And then the reveal lands, that this was Phil's last day with his father. The point is supposed to be that even a mundane day might be your last, so really appreciate all of your time with your loved ones.

I don't know... I don't want to be unfeeling, but this plot thread didn't make me... feel anything. How did Phil's dad die? He did seem perfectly healthy. A more daring story-line would have shown Phil struggling with an aging and ailing father, and making decisions about his care at the end of his life. That's more often what losing a parent really looks like.

There's also this little moment where Claire and Mitchell, having recently learned something new about the sacrifices their father made for them when they were kids, look at their dad with fond expressions, as if to say that they too know their time with their father might be short. That's... morbid? Especially since Jay still has a young child, who hopefully he will be around to raise for a long while yet.

Arrow: Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Four (8x08)

This is not going to be a normal review, I'll just warn you right off the bat. My utter insistence that I will not be watching the cross-over events means that I went in to part four out of five of this story, having seen nothing of the first three parts, and having no plans to watch the ending either. That's my decision, and I'm sticking to it - so be prepared for utter nonsense!

Cons:

I feel like I need to say it one more time - I did not watch the episodes leading up to this. And like - I was supposed to. I know that. I am not honoring the intent of the storytellers, so anything I complain about is going to ring false. Because maybe the other episodes dealt with these issues.

Can I just say, though, how disappointing and hollow I felt, to have Oliver die with only Barry and Sara there to see it? Sara makes a certain amount of sense, given their history, and I know Barry is a dear friend. But this is still an episode of Arrow, isn't it? This emotional beat didn't hit as hard as it should have, because Oliver wasn't really dying as Oliver, and that's disappointing. I know he "died" earlier in the Crisis, and had a big broment with Diggle... and that's all well and good, but still. Here at the end... I guess I wanted more.

Batwoman sure didn't have anything to do, did she? I guess it makes sense in that she has less of a rich history to pull from, but still. When Memory!Oliver said "who are you"? I was like... bitch, same!

Schitt's Creek: The Incident (6x02)

Just as adorable as ever, of course!

Cons:

I tend to be really uncomfortable and grossed out by bathroom-related humor, so when I realized that the premise of this episode was going to be that David wet the bed, I was... less than thrilled. And even though there wasn't a lot of lingering on it, and David and Patrick were cute as always, I will admit that I'd rather just... not? Have a story like this? I'm not prudish, it's just the one thing that I always think is uncomfortable to address, even - or maybe especially - in a comedic setting.

Pros:

But that said - Patrick is such a sweet and understanding man. I love how David is just blatantly like: "I'd totally leave you if our positions were reversed" even though we both know that's a lie! And Patrick knows how to be comforting and understanding, but also can't help but make fun of David just a little bit: "this is an expensive mattress!" They really do get each other on a deeper level. And the end, where Patrick puts on his mouth guard and nose breathing thing, just to put David at ease... aren't they just the sweetest.

Meanwhile, Moira takes to social media to promote her movie, and accidentally live-streams a conversation about David's little accident. One of the things I love most about this show is its comedic restraint. You would think that the reveal that David's embarrassment was broadcast to the internet would have far-reaching consequences, and we'd have all sorts of overblown reactions, and people pointing and laughing at David in the streets... but no. It's relatively subdued, but in a good way. Most of the comedy comes from Alexis thinking the whole thing is funny, and being reluctant to delete the video, and Patrick being adamant that David can never ever ever find out. And... he doesn't. The episode ends with Patrick taking David's phone out of his hands so they can go to sleep, crinkly plastic mattress protector and all. I love it.

Doctor Who: Orphan 55 (12x03)

This was a really great episode, and it made me feel more connected to the Doctor as a character, than maybe any other episode we've seen in Whittaker's run.

Cons:

There is a very Planet of the Apes reveal in this episode. Which is to say... it contains the same reveal from Planet of the Apes. I didn't hate it, and the environmental message is good and all, but this is not exactly breaking new ground for science fiction, obviously.

I could have done without Ryan and Bella actually kissing? Sometimes I think we undersell the value of a romance without explicit onscreen confirmation/physical affection. It's all very heteronormative to have this flash-pan romance play out on our screen, and then to actually show them kissing at the end of it as if we couldn't have figured out what was going on without that. It's not a huge complaint, it's just something I notice sometimes - that these types of kisses feel like forced story beats.

Pros:

One of the hallmarks of a successful episode of Doctor Who is when all the guest characters are distinct and memorable. There were a lot of different dramas and relationships playing out this week, and I felt like we had the appropriate amount of time with all of them. There was Bella, and then the surprise twist with Kane being her mom... there was the father/son engineer team of Nevi and Silas, and there was the old couple, Benni and Vilma. And each of these characters had distinct traits. I understood who they were, what they wanted, and how their relationships worked with the people around them. When you have less than an hour to tell a story, that's really impressive!

The Good Place: You've Changed, Man (4x10)

Another great episode, of course! Man, I can't believe we're staring down the barrel of the end of this show. I love it so very much.

Cons:

Because of of all the plotty stuff going on, we didn't get much time to revel in the fact that Chidi has returned, and that he and Eleanor have confessed their love for one another. I enjoy Chidi being confident, and it makes sense as a consequence of everything he's been through. But his neurotic tendencies are definitely a big part of the character, and I'm hoping that before the end of the show, we get a chance to see more of this new settled Chidi, so he still feels like the character we've grown to love over four seasons. I also want a chance to hang out with Chidi and Eleanor as a couple, because there have been so many interruptions to their love story that we haven't gotten to see it flourish very much.

I wish we could have seen Simone, and the other humans from the experiment? It feels a little odd to have them totally absent, two episodes in a row, after all of the buildup of their characters over the season. I want them to come back in to the story before the end.

Modern Family: The Prescott (11x10)

I think this episode was trying to mimic some of the greats from the past - the Vegas episode, or some of the big holiday episodes, where there's so much action, so many character beats, crammed together to create a fast-paced and energetic story. And this episode... well, it did that, I guess, but I definitely still have some stuff to complain about.

Cons:

Fresh off the high of Schitt's Creek's season premiere yesterday, watching this episode made me realize how sexist a lot of sitcoms still are these days. Modern Family was so fresh and innovative when it started, and now it feels woefully out of touch in comparison to so many other comedies on the air. There are so many gross jokes about sex and women being gifted to men in this episode. You've got Higgins promising to "deliver" Gloria to Phil, and nodding along with all of his inadvertently sexist statements. You've got Manny and Luke trying to hook up with older women, and having conversations about who gets who. I don't know, there were just so many moments that felt icky to me, in a sort of general, unspecified way.

On the nitpick front, it was stupid that Claire's hair dye came out entirely in the pool, with just one dunk of her head... I know it's new dye or whatever, but that was a stupid farce for the sake of some not-so-funny physical comedy.

Pros:

I thought this set-up was going to be a flop, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Basically, Alex is staying in a fancy hotel because of her job, and the whole family sneaks in to use the cool amenities, even though they aren't supposed to do so without being accompanied by a resident.

Schitt's Creek: Smoke Signals (6x01)

I managed to catch up with this show just in time to join in for the final season while it's airing! What a delightful discovery Schitt's Creek has been for me.

Cons:

The only real complaint about this episode was that I missed seeing Jocelyn and Twyla and some of the other townsfolk, but I'm sure we'll get to check in with them in no time at all!

And if I had a nitpick, I thought the whole thing with Alexis reading the date on her plane ticket wrong was a tad too unrealistic. Sure, I can see her making that mistake... but are you telling me she never sent her flight confirmation email to Ted? Are you telling me he never checked in for the arrival time, in making his plans to pick her up when her plane landed? I guess it just seems silly that Alexis' mistake wouldn't be discovered until literally just before she's about to go to the airport.

Pros:

Let's start with Moira and Johnny. Moira is still in distress because of her film being cancelled, and after getting trapped in the closet during a minor fire at the motel, she comes to a realization about her relationship to acting. She decides to call it quits, and celebrates by going out for a picnic with Johnny. But when she calls her agent to formally quit, she learns that her movie has been picked up by a streaming service, and gets back into the game!

Doctor Who: Spyfall, Part 2 (12x02)

I really, really enjoyed that, and it certainly helped to alleviate some of my complaints about last week's episode!

Cons:

That said, I definitely found the stuff with Graham, Ryan, and Yaz to be significantly less interesting than all the stuff that was going on with the Doctor. It sort of felt like they came up with stuff to fill the time until the end, so Barton can announce his big evil plan.

And if I had one other big complaint, it would be the predictability and laziness of said big evil plan. I actually have stuff I want to praise about the reveals in this episode, and the way that technology and DNA were being merged. So it's actually the social message I'm talking about when I say that this was a little lazy. Basically, we're all dumb-asses for allowing corporations to own so much data about us. We don't read the terms of service, we click away our private lives without a second thought, and we're all addicted to our gosh-darn smart phones! And now, humanity is paying the price. I know that science fiction is supposed to touch on these types of issues, but this particular commentary feels so played out. It's not wrong, it's just... we already know all this.

Pros:

But like I said, I actually thought that several of the reveals about the villain's plan worked very well. First there's the fact that the Kasaavin were anchored in different points along time, instead of different places in the universe. Then there was the way the Doctor discovered the importance of her temporary companions - people who were instrumental in the history of the development of the computer. It was a cool nested mystery that became clear with time, and I liked watching the Doctor figure that out.

Doctor Who: Spyfall, Part 1 (12x01)

We're back! Man, I missed these friends.

Cons:

This is only part one of the story, so I feel like some of the things I might have qualms about will be addressed. But I do want to say that last season, one of the most prevailing complaints about the show was how "safe" everything was. And here, we have some humanoid aliens that look like beams of light, we have the entire episode taking place on Earth, we have the familiar trappings of a spy movie, we have the return of a familiar villain... none of this was bad at all! But none of it felt particularly fresh or innovative, either.

Also, I know that Doctor Who is a show made nominally for children, but I still think the reveal that "O" is the Master was telegraphed a bit too much... I could have used a few more misdirects. I basically knew he was the bad guy from minute one.

Pros:

But this episode was, for the most part, quite fun! And I'm excited that it's a two-parter, because we got to exist in the mystery for a while, and really explore the different possibilities of what could be going on here. I like that we have MI6, and Stephen Fry, and a tech mogul with hidden allegiances, and fun spy gear, etc. etc. It was simply a fun story to hang out in for a while, and then of course it ends with a big twist that's going to catapult everything in a new direction for the second half.