The Witchfinders

From the very beginning, I've loved Whitakers take on the doctor. The episodes were a bit weak to begin with, felt flat, but this one is one of the better ones and it does feel like doctor who to me. I'm especially happy with the villain, although they were defeated quite quickly. This might had worked better as a twoparter. But in general I'd say it's a good, basic episode. Don't know why people hate it. The comedy wasn't a 10/10, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Good things about this episode.Alan Cumming as King James hamming it up gloriously and upstaging everyone else every time he came on (That wouldn't be hard with Tosin Cole who is truly awful).The "witches" were unsettling and scary like the best Doctor Who monsters should be.Some gags to lighten the mood.Bad things about this episode.The Doctor just doesn't have the same weight or depth of previous Doctors, it's too light,too jokey in all honesty she could be another companion.This is highlighted in the scenes with Alan Cumming who basically acts her off the screen.The "Message" I'm getting sick and tired of the message of the week being shoved in the episode and shoved down my throat.This week it was 'women were treated like second class citizens back in the day actually' Really? Duh! I think we knew that. I've got news for you there are certain parts of the world today where they still are. I watch Doctor Who to be entertained, not lectured, just entertain us and stop the man bashing.

Doctor Who has always been a very specific show, but this new series isn't and it almost doesn't feel like the same show anymore, which is probably a bad thing since most people watching are used to something else. In a way I think Doctor Who is alienating it's longtime fans.

Double, double toil and trouble, a story about a muddy tendril, that doesn't come close to casting a spell, though it does remind of a living hell. The Doctor's clearly lost the plot, this episode composts and rots, the writers take us all for fools, put them in chains bound to ducking stools.

Not too shabby this week. For most part this series has been shockingly less than average. But this week's episode took a few tiny steps closer to the standard I had come to expect from Doctor Who.

I hope the remainder of the series a few more of these.