Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils (2022 Easter Special)

I wanted to feel more connected to this episode than I ended up feeling! I apologize for the brevity of my thoughts.

Cons:

In terms of the main plot, the Sea Devils themselves, the pirates and their various backstories, I found myself wanting more than what I got. We spent a lot of time with people without ever really learning about them or connecting with their characters.

I also got annoyed that Dan was separated from the Doctor and Yaz yet again. I swear they have a vendetta against letting Dan and Thirteen do any bonding, but whatever.

I was waiting for the theme, but other than "you shouldn't drown the whole world because you'll kill people", I wasn't really understanding what this story was meant to make me understand.

Pros:

A good episode of Doctor Who should be cheeky and cheesy and low budget and who-gives-a-fuck, and there was some of that energy here for me. I liked the air bubble at the bottom of the ocean, I liked the fun masks for the Sea Devils, the pirate costumes, especially Dan looking like an idiot... what a precious little dumb dumb. That was great fun.

Dan calling his almost-girlfriend there at the end was very sweet! I like the simplicity of Dan as a character. I don't mean simple as in uninteresting, more just he's a nice supportive guy who's enjoying his adventures but also worries about what else he might be missing out on.

Obviously the Yaz and the Doctor stuff has to go here! I saw some people being all mad that they didn't have some big romantic moment but... they kind of did? I mean, they admitted to having feelings for each other! You don't have to have a kiss for characters to be canonically queer and attracted to each other. I feel like this was one of the best moments in the show's history for explaining the inherent dichotomy and tragedy of Doctor Who's entire premise. We've had some romances on the show over the years, but the Doctor must always go on without their love interest at some point or other. It's the whole premise of the show. Rose is with an alternate version of the Doctor, River Song got to live out her life but the Doctor had to say goodbye to her... there is no happily ever after when you can regenerate and keep starting your life over and over again, with those memories haunting you of past loves.

And Thirteen is honestly one of the more jaded of the modern Doctors; she has a really hard time letting people in. She hides behind her quirky, flighty, whimsical outer shell and here's a moment where she's able to be honest with Yaz, and her honesty is: I like you but I can't let it become more than that, because I'm afraid of the pain.

It's sad, yes, but it's also beautiful and I found the scene really moving! I hope maybe Yaz and the Doctor can share one moment of connection before Yaz leaves the show, although of course I'd love to see her carry over into the next regeneration... Yaz is one of the best companions this show has ever had, I feel like there's so much more they could do with her from here!

So that's my super short review, I'm sorry I didn't get more into the weeds on this one. A perfectly serviceable episode, it just didn't totally grab me.

7.5/10