Episode: Extremis
Story Number: 270
Series: 10
Screenwriter: Steven Moffat
Director: Daniel Nettheim
Thoughts:
I never considered “Let’s see what happens if combine Doctor Who with the tropes of Dan Brown novels” would be something I’d actually enjoy, but of course, this story goes deeper than that. From the Vatican to CERN to the White House, the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole seek to unravel an ancient mystery and find that everything they know is a simulation.
Dan Brown is not the only influence here as Series 10 continues to make strong connections to previous stories of Doctor Who. The Monks look and act similar to the Silence combined with the Headless Monks (could the Meddling Monk also be involved). And we’ve seen inside simulated life in episodes such as Last Christmas.
Some things are revealed in this episode. For one, unless there’s some major twist coming up, it’s clear that Missy is in the vault. Another is that Nardole is assigned to watch over the Doctor by River Song and that he’s not as bumbling as he appears. I expect both these things will continue to play out over the series.
There are a lot of great moments in this episode. The Pope interrupting Bill’s date is a hilarious gag, as are Bill’s responses. Nardole continues to develop as a companion and I’m enjoying how he and Bill are growing as friends. The Doctor’s blindness – and stubborn decision not to tell Bill – continue to play a role and I like how Capaldi performs when he partially restores his sight. There’s also the darkness that the concluding scene is played in a room with the corpse of a US President. Grim. Finally, the interplay of the Doctor at Missy’s “execution” with the main story is well done.
The denouement is a bit soft (e-mail!) but it seems to tie up a good episode well. Actually, it’s a bit of a surprise that this is just the first of three episodes about the Monks since it stands so well on its own.
Some questions that likely will never be answered: Will Moira ever figure out the Bill is lesbian? Where did the CERN scientists get all those explosives?
Score: 8 of 10
It Is About Space and Time 