The Devil's Chord

In the prologue to this story a music teacher in 1925 plays a 'forbidden note', the devil's note and as a result a strange woman, identifying herself as Maestro emerges from his piano. Back in the present The Doctor asks Ruby if there is anywhere (anywhen) she would like to go; she tells him she'd love to watch The Beatles recording their first album. They manage to blag their way into the studio but the first song is not what they expected; the words are trite and the music bland. The world no longer has proper music and if The Doctor and Ruby don't bring it back by defeating Maestro humanity will be doomed.

After the admittedly low bar set by 'Space Babies' this is a real step up. The story was imaginative and more importantly it was fun. Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson continue to impress as The Doctor and Ruby and Jinkx Monsoon was suitably over the top as Maestro. The effects were good. The only part of the story I wasn't keen on was the 'twist at the end'... I really could have done without that but that is just a matter of personal taste; others may love it. Overall an improvement on the series opener; hopefully things will continue to improve.

The Doctor and Ruby travel back to the 1960's, and meet The Beatles.

Definitely an improvement over Space Babies, a very creative and imaginative storyline, well executed, with some exuberant performances.

Some exquisite imagery, scenes of a future, devastated Earth looked terrific. Ncuti and Millie looked fabulous in their sixties outfits.

Very Disney at times, but you can definitely see that there's some money being spent on this show.

I wish they'd gotten together a quartet that resembled The Beatles a little bit more, they just weren't right somehow.

Jinkx Monsoon, as camp and over the top as you'd expect, and as we all know The BBC loves A drag Queen, but Jinx did a good job, I'm sure there'll be more to come, I enjoyed the character.

Was that a Susan Foreman reference?

7/10.

It had its moments, but a bit disappointing overall. Problems: Beatles, especially Paul really didn't look much like the people they were playing. The plot seemed a bit disjointed. There really wasn't enough research into the era, which led to some anachronisms; the big one was the women's clothing - this was supposed to be set in 1963, but the miniskirt didn't surface until 1966. (X-men and the Man From Uncle film made the same mistake!). The men's clothes were better. I can't say I'm a big fan of turning it into a musical. Overall, it could have been better than it was without a lot of extra work.

... but it gets ruined because RTD can't play it straight.

I kinda wish they would still have a pauper's budget again, because it seemed to have worked mich better during his first run. Yes he was also campy there and also at times edged on the thin line between "a little silly" and "completely bonkers". But with this episode he completely wrecked that line.

The villain was extraordinary. Or could have been if they didn't run their mannerisms into the ground. A little less forced drama, a bit tighter pacing, especially during the "final battle" and this could have been an absolute delight.

And don't get me started on that musical number at the end. I enjoyed it in the first episode, but here it felt so overly forced and was not fun at all. More like a parody of Austin Powers. Horrible.

The latest Doctor Who episode was a perplexing deviation from the series' usually engrossing narrative standards. Ostensibly designed to focus on a musical theme, the episode unfortunately fell flat due to a poorly executed storyline that failed to captivate. From the outset, it was evident that the narrative ambition was not matched by its execution-resulting in a viewing experience that felt superficial and disappointingly uneventful.

One of the primary letdowns was the lack of dynamic progression within the plot. Doctor Who, known for its imaginative twists and deep, character-driven tales, seemed to lose its way, presenting a story that felt underdeveloped and unnecessarily drawn out. The episode could have benefited significantly from tighter editing, potentially being more impactful as a concise 20-minute piece rather than a full-length installment.

Moreover, the episode's attempt at reinvention did not translate into the high-quality storytelling we've come to expect. While innovation in series format can be refreshing, it requires a careful balance of novelty and substance-something this episode sorely lacked. Comparatively, it contributed little to the overarching saga of Doctor Who and did not provide the emotional or intellectual engagement typically induced by the series.

It is truly unfortunate that, despite its promising premise, the episode did not deliver the excitement or the immersive experience that defines the best of Doctor Who. This was a notable disappointment, especially for someone like myself, who usually finds it easy to lose themselves in the adventurous realms of the Doctor and their companions.