Doctor Who

The essence of the Eleventh Doctor packed into a single viewing. If Steven Moffat ever faced a real challenge, it was the anniversary episode The Day of the Doctor. And if there was a task before him that could cause a nervous breakdown, it was writing another rule-changing piece that must resolve something, conclude something, set something in motion – and above all, move you. For some, it is an incomprehensible tangle that is only a shadow of the soul that the series had during Matt Smith's tenure. For me, despite the fact that the Eleventh Doctor will never be the hero of my heart, it is (perhaps because of that) a perfectly tear-jerking, nostalgic, and exciting ending. I will always remember... (26.12.2015)

There were so many twists and especially changes to all the rules in both the birthday and the Christmas special that it would easily be enough for at least two seasons. But I devoured both episodes with multiple viewings, and this made the task even more difficult for the whole team led by the newly arrived Peter Capaldi. And it must be said that the stumbling intro in the form of Deep Breath didn't make it any easier for him. Just like in the past, the eighth season surprises with episodes that look best on paper and ultimately only work half the time (the middle two, The Caretaker and Kill the Moon), contrasted with seemingly insignificant filler that become events I enthusiastically talk about for weeks (Flatline and surprisingly also In the Forest of the Night, which was problematic for most viewers). My hesitation about whether the Twelfth Doctor's initial advance better suits the epithet "above average" or downright "amazing" definitively wavers towards the latter with the breathtaking finale. In it, Steven Moffat silences all the unbelievers, doesn't try to restrain the elemental Missy, and once again proves through Clara's inflatable eyes that this series really isn't (just) about the madman in the booth. (14.05.2024)

Awakening. The eighth season was full of hints of possibilities of a twelfth, but at the last moment, it always flinched and Peter Capaldi remained in the position of a bigger or smaller grump whom it is not difficult to like, but not exactly with a loved regeneration. Only at Christmas, he becomes the Doctor I need, and thanks to a few sincere laughs, he remains the second-favorite face of the beloved traveler, right after David Tennant. That it happens in a very clever spectacle spiced with graduated surprises for the viewer and with the assistance of pleasantly frosty enemies, is just another reason for the highest rating. This was surely not the last Christmas, but if it actually was, I could hardly be more fulfilled. (27.12.2015)

Who's been stealing my nightmares? It was Steven Moffat, Doctor, and he stole them so thoroughly that the result is the best season in a long time. Peter Capaldi can give you smiles and goosebumps, and his increasingly humanized regeneration fascinates me more and more with each shot. Moreover, when the storytelling style of two-parters is perfectly functional, whether it is a grand Dalek adventure, unexpectedly politically impactful debate with the Zygons, or contemplation of the infinity of time and space alongside the mysterious Ashildr, the experience is almost perfect. And when the main hero unleashes a real storm in a brilliantly escalating multiple finale, it is now perfect. This series has a still unbeatable strength in its heart... perhaps, indeed, because it has two of them. (14.05.2024)

It's like loving the stars themselves. Comedy occasionally adventurous, occasionally romantic, occasionally situational, and quite often unashamedly crazy - while constantly covering up an undeniable fact. Namely, that the meeting of the Twelfth Doctor and River is the most sincere sweet treat, whose true power lies in nostalgia and in everything these two have experienced together, whether they played together or against each other. Quite possibly the best episode with Alex Kingston, which Steven Moffat resisted writing for all demanding fans for a long time, but I still don't believe that he didn't have it planned out in his head for many years in advance. (27.12.2015)

Some sagas can't deliver the development of a superhero even in a trilogy as convincingly as Steven Moffat manages in just an hour. With the Doctor's one-year absence combined with perfectly cast Justin Chatwin, Peter Capaldi's sorrowful gaze, and his usual playfulness, even though it is definitely the weakest special in competition with the last few years, it reliably spread an optimistic and comic mood in our home. (27.12.2016)

Steven Moffat bids farewell, and clearly wants to do it in grand style. Once again, he takes all the iconic villains under his wings and stands up for the Daleks, Cybermen, and Missy, closing many an open loop. He doesn't want to leave behind anything open-ended, and maybe that's why he doesn't have time to fully develop a longer storyline around the two companions this year, and instead lets them be sweet sidekicks. With Bill this works after the narrative and storyline mainly in the beginning and at the end, while Nardole has become reliable comic relief in every situation. And the Doctor himself in Peter Capaldi's somewhat exhausted yet all the more determined performance a perfect example, and if David Tennant weren't at the top of his acting game, Peter would be my undisputed favorite. In my own viewing experience, I find it difficult to be critical of details or the whole – whether it's addressing the vault, the Monks, or the epic final adventure on the giant ship, I don't see any mistakes and am just amazed at where the Tardis can still go. And I still can't quite grasp that we will see big changes in the eleventh season. The legendary I don't want to go hasn't been this relevant in a long time, and its gentle use in the finale hardly prepares me for what's coming. (14.05.2024)

Children can hear your name. The end of an era, slowly and gently. A friendly and peaceful episode, where inevitable regeneration does not happen in the moods of sadness, but in the alternating of nostalgia, winking, and smiling tears. Peter Capaldi has grown close to my heart even more than I expected a few years ago, and as much as I couldn't wait for the first scenes of the Thirteenth Doctor, I don't say goodbye to her predecessor easily at all. What's even worse, I still haven't come to grips with not seeing Steven Moffat's name in the new episodes. The creative genius gave the modern era a solid face of mystery and fear, and in the last six seasons, also a tightly held theme and concept of "a firmly established chaos". Maybe precisely because the last episode itself doesn't look like it, it is difficult to understand that a much bigger revolution is happening than when Russell T. Davies, David Tennant, and the others said their goodbyes back in the day. I am moved that everyone involved welcomes this ending with a clear smile. (02.01.2018)

Once upon a time, it was believed that this series would go through somewhat of a rebirth with Steven Moffat behind the camera and Matt Smith in front of it, but I never understood such theories. I understand them now, when a few years later they reappeared with new incarnations of the Doctor and the showrunner. The first case is surprisingly the smallest change. Jodie Whittaker is magical, courageous, crazy, brilliant, and often "David Tennant-esque", enough to leave me delighted with every monologue or typical burst of the Doctor's bluster. However, the unexpected change is the concept, where the main character (unusually with a large number of companions) is more a part of a collective than an extravagant soloist. There is of course no lack of the magic of a sonic screwdriver at the eleventh hour and a lot of the incomprehensible technical-alien ramblings that go with the territory, yet there is less of both than in the entire history of the modern era. Chris Chibnall as the new showrunner tries to entertain and educate in equal measure. I don't mind this approach; on the contrary, trying to overcome Moffat's grandiose disasters, plans, and conflicts extended easily throughout the entire regeneration would be completely impossible. However, for today's spoiled and perpetually negative audience, this is like waving a red flag at a bull. At that moment, the series forgets that it has always conveyed messages of peace and prides itself on the fact that it doesn't matter what anyone looks like or where they're heading in life because in this case, important thoughts are said directly and the writers don't usually wrap them in elaborate settings. While it stumbles, not only in terms of the local ratings (which, let's face it, are biased), to me the humanistic Rosa, the socially critical Kerblam!, or the pleasantly feminist The Witchfinders fit beautifully into what I expect from adventures in space and time. Despite all my praise, this is paradoxically the weakest season since Christopher Eccleston's escapades. Though I enjoy all the companions (especially Graham), at the very beginning Jodie confirms that she is the right choice and the selection of a new composer is successful, many times I was disappointed that there is no coherent overarching story, save for a few exceptions and subtle hints. The family storyline subtly winds through multiple episodes, but otherwise it jumps purely episodically, whether to the past, future, or back to the strange present. No episode is bad (the only one that felt a bit lacking was Demons of the Punjab), but often a good idea is brought to a decent or pleasant end, and rarely to a truly first-rate one. It's fine, I enjoy it reliably, and I am grieved as always at the annual break, but at the same time, I know very well that it can be a great deal better. (14.05.2024)

It takes some getting used to, and after a season of history, satire, and sometimes almost pedantic exposition, here is a special where the strangest thing is that it's not special at all. Seriously, there are the traditional abundant family troubles and relationship strengthening among the main group, but the rest is an episodic, unexceptional, yet fortunately also entertaining and adventurous New Year's spectacle with snow, action, and familiar enemies. After the eras of Russell T. Davies and Steven Moffat, it may not even be possible to rise so high, and Chris Chibnall knew all too well why he was so reluctant to take on the role of showrunner. But he definitely has potential, and not only thanks to Jodie Whittaker, his era is taking on an increasingly clear face. (14.05.2024)

A return to the whirlpool of time with absolute viewer reliability. The only misstep this time around is in the fitting ecological message, when in episodes Orphan 55 and Praxeus the only thing missing from the moralizing monologues on the subject of a destroyed planet is a blinking light indicating an educational message. Still, everything else fits perfectly, and not just in comparison with the previous season. An overarching storyline with an iconic villain, nerve-racking escalation of the individual twists, fan-friendly mysteries and supernatural elements, plenty of space action, and finally a truly grand finale with crowd scenes and the arrivals of giant ships so familiar to us from the old days. Considering the tireless Jodie Whitaker, who can maximize the lively and even quieter moments, and Graham comfortably settled into the role of a baffled grandfather, I would even dare to aim for a higher rating. The joy that my beloved series is still not over and is returning to its peak is huge. (14.05.2024)

The farther away he gets, the bigger and more confident he becomes. The return of the greatest space seducer is a friendly gesture for the dedicated fans, which could have been used even more thoroughly, but even so, I laughed at her like I haven't laughed at the Doctor in a long time. More than ever, I regret the local fervent quarreling against the main heroine, her performer, her companions, and actually everyone involved. I never understood it, and with such a sincere adventure with such a great climax, now I understand it less than ever. Two hearts. One happy. One sad. (14.05.2024)

Only in her third year did The Doctor get where the remnants of her fan base wanted her. To my beloved Liverpool! Uhm, I mean... To a real space adventure, stretched out over an entire (albeit short) season. And so, when the sixth episode of Flux is supposed to be about the fate of a huge number of people, races, planets, or galaxies, let it be worth it and let all possible iconic enemies stand up. Maybe it's just a sprawling space opera, but that's exactly what I've been waiting for, and even though it never deviates from genre boundaries this time, I wouldn't trade it for any other. I will always like this hesitant, sensitive, considerate, and doubting heroine, because out of all the well-known regenerations, she is the least childish, carefree, and self-confident, but precisely because of that, in many respects the most considerate and understandable. Even if the legacy of her era is to be just that, it is enough for me to surprisingly be moved to satisfaction. (14.05.2024)

Daleks do not store stuff. It would be more than strange if the concept of a time loop in the Whoniverse was something new. And it's not. Nevertheless, it works as an unexpected refreshment even in minimal space, with a pleasantly rapid pace, a decent amount of plot twists, and above all with the Tardis playing an important role. Even in the claustrophobically evolving plot, the Doctor is a humane motivator who is never far from a kind word, even though this time she is a bit literal about it. Is it a sure bet on the part of the screenplay? Yes. Does it move me? Definitely. (14.05.2024)

As the rating shows, the second worst episode of the entire series and by far the most condemned special, which has nothing special about it, nor any justification for why it was released on Easter holidays... but I still have a weakness for it. Perhaps because it is a pirate adventure, of which we can never have enough, perhaps because I enjoyed the fragile rules of this world, perhaps for the humor that is not afraid to ease the tension at a decisive moment. And maybe just because the Sea Devils set sail on my birthday. Something's missing. No ship, Sherlock! (14.05.2024)

Nobody else got to live our days. The final episode of any era always brings me that difficult nostalgia, and I must admit that I care about the ambitions or the story only as rather a secondary concern. Chris Chibnall in his latest grand finale is not as recapitulative as his predecessors, despite a few bearded cameos. Nor is he is as philosophical; just sad. Yes, there is the archenemy who steals every scene with dancing and grimaces, there is a lot of epic sci-fi and characteristic family hugging for this era. But there is also a lot of longing and desire for things to be different and not have to end. I have written it several times before, I will write it again: Jodie Whittaker was amazing, underappreciated, and truly heartfelt for me. I don't think she will ever return, but every expression of hers exuded how much she loved her role and how she put everything into it. That's why I shed a few surprised tears at the end of The Power of the Doctor, because even knowing what is coming as the beginning of another chapter, I really didn't want to say goodbye to her. (14.05.2024)

Once upon a Time Lord. I belong to the minority that enjoyed the Chris Chibnall era and adored the previous incarnation, but I won't lie. In just the first five minutes, the first mischievous dialogue, and I feel like it's 2008 and the series is back in the days where it wasn't at its best, but at least most emotional. The duo of David Tennant-Catherine Tate is a treasure whose discovery once merited the most dramatic increase in the fan base, and their return is like a balm to the soul. The fear that the atmosphere will be as strong and crazy as it used to be is supported by ignorance of where the cosmic adventure can turn, how much drama the old/new creator Russell T. Davies will want to allow at the beginning, and how much he will risk trampling his own legacy. And of course, surprisingly, gender and sexuality are also commented on. After all, this is Russell T. Davies, the man who created Jack Harkness and all of Torchwood. If you still don't get it, you've missed your own fandom, congratulations. But it's a shame to shake your head: the balanced ones here are the winners, and as soon as the main character dramatically shouts for the first time, I'm right at home. Peaceful family life, a surprising twist cleverly grafted onto long-forgotten mythology, and word battles that can only be helplessly chuckled at. (15.05.2024)

Was it me, or was Isaac Newton hot? A pure delight of adventurous storytelling, theatrically precise acting full of the finest nuances, and an unmistakable sense of tension when the viewer suddenly realizes in a completely ordinary moment that the Cosmic Owls are not what they seem. The weaker special effects can easily be forgiven when I remember David Tennant era and the macabre body effects associated with his more terrifying episodes. A minimalist piece and yet the essence of the series, all in one. (15.05.2024)

The weakest of the birthday specials, but only because it could easily have merited a proper two-hour film. Because it has everything. Little winks from the distant past, from a sinister enemy, in whose skin Neil Patrick Harris enjoys every line, tears, joy, and of course it wouldn't be a final episode without bending firmly established rules and surprises in ways that leave me just staring at the screen in amazement, pleased that Russell T. Davies is teasing me and the audience's expectations with a knowing smile. But the most relieving feeling comes from the last ten-minute stretch, from finding unexpected peace, from reconciliation that never should have come and yet is here nonetheless. Therefore, the chuckle at the end is not only a relaxing and familial experience, but almost therapeutic. Thank you for this trifecta for happiness. I never thought The DoctorDonna would appear on the screens again, so I'm just blissfully smiling that I have been able to witness it. I've never been so happy in my life. (15.05.2024)