The Woman Who Fell to Earth [TV/2018.10.7]

★★★★☆

  I can't imagine even the most passionate of Chris Chibnall detractors denying that this adventure is a very strong mission statement. It has everything the then-new showrunner set out to do with the show, and it's a wildly different beast than the preceding story, Twice Upon a Time. Of course, some of the more annoying Chibnall naysayers will say pretty much anything to say that this era  ruined the show irreparably, so there's no telling what they'll get up to. 

  The Woman Who Fell to Earth is a bold re-imagining of the show and the ultimate tease for the era to come, but this recent rewatch has led me to discover just how much it works as a standalone, feature-length story that encapsulates Dr. Who at its core. It's almost worth considering it a film, the expertly-done cinematography and lighting and general visual elements brought up a notch to a point Who has hitherto never reached. Chibnall's urban Broadchurch sensibilities are at the forefront, framing our new companions as real people living in Sheffield whose lives get turned upside down with the arrival of a woman from the stars. There's a lived-in quality to the location, a sense that (like the best Who locations) this exists outside of the wacky science-fiction story of the episode. Every so often, you want a taste of realistic sets and the like... and this series opener is the one for you if you're having the ol' craving.

  If you want a razor-tight plot-heavy script, this might not be the thing for you. However, if you want great characters, a breezy pace and a sense of hope and fun and excitement, The Woman Who Fell to Earth is right up your alley. I fell in love with Chibnall's vision by the time this episode first finished in 2018, and coming back to it after the era's end lets you know just how much the show's changed in a few years. Tzim-Sha may not be the most memorable villain, but many other aspects of the episode definitely are. Jodie Whittaker shines so brightly on her first outing, effortlessly portraying the Thirteenth Doctor as a freshly-regenerated, befuddled but nonetheless brave and righteous champion. Much like the Fifth Doctor in Castrovalva, hers is a journey of "finding a Doctor", discovering herself for the first time as she leaps into yet another adventure of death, danger and intrigue (because the universe never lets her catch a break) -- and it's an aspect of regeneration I love to see explored. Hope future writers and Doctors get to indulge in this poetic aspect a bit more. 

  I really cannot fault The Woman Who Fell to Earth in any significant respect. It's a work of real care and ambition from the way I see it; Chibnall loves each and every main character here so much and I feel it. They all have their mini-arcs here, in the span of 60 or so minutes, and they're all performed to the hilt. As for the Doctor, she's a breath of fresh air and her theme (by superb composer Segun Akinola) goes incredibly hard. This is an adventure filled to the brim with such charming moments that I find it hard to rank it lower than most other post-regeneration stories in Dr. Who. Sod it, justice for Tzim-Sha as well. He's got a respectable body count of innocent humans, and his obsession with teeth makes him, at the very least, memorable. Plus, when's the last time a Who episode title had a cruel double meaning? Grace is an instantly amicable character, and her death is made even more tragic by stellar work from all actors involved. I will stand by this adventure until the day I die -- this thing will continue to be fantastic.