Time Heist

Season 8 thus far has been remarkably good. I was worried it wasn't going to work, but there seems to have been stories already written and put aside for a different Doctor than Matt Smith. I can understand why, these sorts of episodes wouldn't work for Matt Smith's Doctor and on the opposite not work great with Peter Capaldi's.

I feel like i'm watching a lower budget version of the film 'Now you see me,' it aimed really high, and for the best part it delivers, a few little flaws, the biggest one being the under use of Keeley Hawes. They did the same with the amazing Helen McCrory back in Vampires of Venice, for someone of Hawes talent I felt the character of Ms Delphox didn't hit the mark.

More positively Jonathan Bailey is awesome as Psi, please producers bring the guy back!! Also, Pippa Bennett-Warner is excellent as Saibra, I'd be interested to learn more of her story too. I liked the pace of the story too, it moves along very quickly.

It's different in some ways, and in others it feels a little repetitive, use of Androids, the Monster at the end (more then a little reminiscent of the end of Hide,) but all in all for me the pros outweigh the cons more so it gets a 7/10.

Time Heist revolves around The Doctor and Clara who finds themselves in an unlikely team joined together to rob the most secure bank in the world. This episode had given me mixed feelings while it was running. It started off with a fast paced tone and we instantly go to the bank heist. Everything is absorbed by the audience immediately and it felt a bit rushed. The episode goes at different directions every time which then makes the episode more interesting as it progresses. However, The Doctor was quite different in this particular episode. He had the Benedict Cumberbatch Sherlock mood all through out the episode. There are even a couple scenes, and one in particular that The Doctor depicts the High Functioning Sociopath. I am not against this, but if this certain thing goes on. The Doctor might just steal the spotlight from Sherlock in the years to come. Peter Capaldi brought another brilliant performance, I would love to see an episode where he is in a limited place and just stuck and have to talk to people and insults popping out everywhere (An episode like Midnight) because he never fails to entertain while on screen. Clara still remains to be a main stay in both the show and the audience's liking and the new characters introduced who will most likely return for more future roles yet to be explored. The villains portrayed in the episode were interesting enough and the scenes depicting Clara scared and terrified and each turn the episode takes add to the intensity of the episode. Having the most secure bank in the world to be robbed was an interesting idea alone, but in Doctor Who. An ordinary episode just isn't enough.

It isn't a perfect episode, but it was thrilling and quite refreshing. An enjoyable episode with different turns in the narrative. A solid performance by Capaldi who has great potential to be in the top 5 list of Doctors.

Verdict: 8.1/10

Very like Ocean's Eleven, even the filming and music! But a nice episode though.

This episode is essentially a bank heist story on another planet. It has a mystery element and a time travel element. I find it rather quintessential Doctor Who in a number of ways. It has aspects of what makes the show what it is and what the Doctor stands for.

Time travel is used well in this plot without becoming totally illogical. Steven Moffatt's era far too often took time travel aspects too far so that they weren't logical or convincing for me whereas this plot basically makes sense. I love that it makes time travel central to the story because that is part of the essence of Doctor Who - it isn't just space travel it is time travel. The way the mystery is tied in with the time aspect is fun too.

The Doctor using his brains to solve a problem is a feature of this story and that is always a great thing, I think, as that is a key part of the essence of what makes the Doctor a special type of hero. Also the Doctor's compassion in trying to appreciate and help an alien 'monster' is a basic Doctor Who feature which is used well here.

The 'villain' being a banker is a great idea and should be used again in future as banking greed is something which makes perfect sense and relates to real life as well as making sense in alien or future worlds. Keeley Hawes is a very good actress and she plays her part as well as possible adding some class. The other guest acting is all of a good standard as well.

The only real flaw for me is that the supposedly impregnable bank is not all that convincingly portrayed. It hardly seems deserving of its immense reputation.

The adventure is not the most exciting or outstanding one ever but is good solid Doctor Who. The deeper themes of how people behave and how people are treated are thoughtfully presented making this a fairly strong episode overall.

My Rating: 8/10.

My Series 8 Episode Ranking: 6th out of 12.