I am very fond of the Lord of the Rings movies (bear with me, I have a point), but I have a strong suspicion that the movies I am very fond of are not the movies that Peter Jackson made, but something with similar visuals and acting choices but which hew closer to the books.
I have a similar feeling about Spyfall. I liked it a lot, but I suspect the Doctor Who story I like is not actually the one that Chibnall made.
( Spoilers under the Cut )
It has been remarked in several places that Doctor Who seems a lot more confident this season. I have the same feeling as well, but I'm not sure its true. The show did some very daring stories last season so I wouldn't describe it as lacking confidence. What this season does seem to be serving up, which we didn't see a lot of last season, is spectacle and set-pieces that seem to be designed, at least in part, because they are either crowd- or fan-pleasing and ideally both. Series 11 was frequently quite serious about what it was trying to do. Series 12 seems to have decided to have a bit more fun.
I have a similar feeling about Spyfall. I liked it a lot, but I suspect the Doctor Who story I like is not actually the one that Chibnall made.
( Spoilers under the Cut )
It has been remarked in several places that Doctor Who seems a lot more confident this season. I have the same feeling as well, but I'm not sure its true. The show did some very daring stories last season so I wouldn't describe it as lacking confidence. What this season does seem to be serving up, which we didn't see a lot of last season, is spectacle and set-pieces that seem to be designed, at least in part, because they are either crowd- or fan-pleasing and ideally both. Series 11 was frequently quite serious about what it was trying to do. Series 12 seems to have decided to have a bit more fun.