The Church on Ruby Road

Nothing against the choice of actors.

It could have been great... but it was thoroughly disappointing.

Boring, non-engaging and uninspired writing created a boring cheap rip off of gremlins, they did not introduce characters properly including the doctor himself...

No real villain to set the tone of the new season and the special effects were sub-par to say they least leaving a bitter, cheap post 2000s George Lucas taste.

The story did not take flight and we did not get a taste of what the new doctor will be like. In fact, he was completely wasted but it still contains potential!

Hoping for better things to come.

Our intro into the age of the fifteenth doctor is jumbled at best. Now I'm not one of the trolls that have been review bombing Doctor Who lately because of its LGBTQ+ inclusion, a big part of why I love the show is that it's bringing us the future in more way's than one but it's the Christmas special's storyline I'm having trouble with. Starting with the goblins, I just don't understand them, so they enjoy coincidence and use knots as science. It's not the first time DW has tried to use sci fi rules to explain fantasy but apart from their catchy singing, the whole Goblin concept doesn't feel very thought out.

I was really taken in by the mystery of where Ruby comes from, I'm already coming up with ideas of who her parents are. However her relationship with the doctor seems to be developing too quickly to form any investment in their friendship. Her dynamic with the doctor is instant and they already begin talking to each other like they've been friends for a while. It Just doesn't feel natural

While I think Millie Gibson's character has potential, I don't know if Ncuti Gatwa's doctor has truly found his footing yet. This is a shaky start but Russel T Davies is the man who brought the doctor back to our screens and breathed new life into him. I have faith that he'll be able to do it again, even if it takes a little longer this time.

Ruby Tuesday has been having a lot of bad luck, and that luck is getting worse, fortunately The Doctor is on hand to offer a helping hand.

Typical Christmas nonsense, it seemed to fit the bill for silly season, I just loved Ncuti and Ruby, he instantly won me over, I think he's going to be a great Doctor.

So this episode is mainly dedicated to introducing us to Ruby. Millie Gibson is going to be great, I'm sure we have lots to learn about her as the season progresses.

On the plus side, the acting was excellent, credit to all involved. The production values were excellent, and I'm getting vibes that Anita Dobson is going to play a part going forward, surely a villain in the making.

On the debit side, I wasn't crazy about the storyline, and I'm not sure the goblins worked. The goblin song, that was shocking, sorry Russell it was cringe, on par with The Toymaker's dance. Too many cheesy smiles, please can those be toned down a little.

It's going to get flack for ticking all of the boxes, but it is The BBC and Disney, that's not going to change anytime soon.

7/10.

The new era has begun and I like where this cold go.

This doesn't of course change that I think this was a rather weak episode that I nearly forgot while I was watching it, as it wasn't that interesting of a story or concept, but what made me hopeful was the Doctor and the new companies chemistry and overall character. There is no doubt potential here, even though it was a bit of a rocky start for me.

The Doctor searches for an absurdly unlucky woman named Rose. The unlucky incidents turn out to be done by an army of goblins.

The overall concept and idea here is fun enough for a Christmas special, but it is a rather dull and uninteresting story for me. The only part that really spice it up is the first real performance of the new Doctor and the new companion.

I must say, I can't wait to see what Ncuti Gatwa does with his Doctor run. His charisma is absolutely insane, and I think he captures the Doctor really well. I also really liked Millie Gibson as Ruby. I think this will be a fun run, especially with the already set up twist and turns.

The effects are pretty fun here, but a bit too much green screen is used for my licking. Practical puppets and costumes though, sign me up.

As said, this isn't a bad episode, but an unfocused and underwhelming one. I wish it was a better introduction o the new Doctor, but while the episode didn't do him justice, the cast did, and I can't wait to see more!

Whilst I really like the new doctor and Ruby this episode just felt off. I respect big creative swings which this episode is but it's largely a miss- so much happens but nothing happens? It just felt messy the musical elements were nice but detracted from the episode. The directing at point felt very amateur and cheap it definitely feels like this episode had a much smaller budget than the past three. On the grounds it's a campy Xmas special I'm more forgiving for this episodes downfalls but I will not revisit it any time soon and I desperately hope this isn't a forecast of what's to come and is more of a misguided accident.