An Autist Reviews: The Woman Who Fell To Earth (NuWho Episode 11.1)

*All Reviews Are Spoiler-Free Aside From Any Spoiler Sections*

Ryan Sinclair, his old friend from school Yaz, and Ryan’s nan, Grace, and step-grandad, Graham, all get roped up in a deranged alien’s plan to ascend the ranks of his people when Ryan unwittingly summons him. Luckily, the newly regenerated Doctor is here to help, and while she doesn’t quite know who she is yet, she is certain that she is always willing to help those in need. And with two dangerous creatures on the loose, bombs in their necks, and tragedy on the horizon, Ryan, Yaz, Graham, and Grace need her help! And so does Carl. Because he’s a lot more important and wanted than he wants to be.

"Half an hour ago, I was a white-haired Scotsman"

Well, this was a truly scary, emotional, and exhilarating story! I honestly didn’t recall it being as terrifying and character-focused as it is, but that’s far from a bad thing, this story has a lot of quiet moments and a lot of subtlety to it. There is a lot to say about this story, but as with most fantastic stories, the only things that can be easily commented on are the bad parts of it, so let’s get those out of the way. This story has a big problem with telling before showing in an actually really unique way. Let me give you an example: when the Doctor builds her new sonic screwdriver, she utilizes a crystal, but we only get a good look at where the crystal came from AFTER she’s built her sonic screwdriver. See what I mean when I say it’s a weird version of tell don’t show? Things like this are pretty minor, but it’s annoying when it occurs. This story also has a problem with its main villain, Tim Shaw, explaining things when he should really just be murdering. I mean, why postpone murdering someone in your way just to justify yourself? It doesn’t really make sense. The story also has some issues with its pacing, mostly in that some things just seem to come out of nowhere, and the story ends before the episode does, and what comes after the day is saved just sort of feels weird after all of that. Honestly, using the end of this story as the beginning of the next one would probably have fixed this issue big time. I also don’t see why the main part of the story ended how it did. I can’t go into it exactly, but two things die at the end, and I don’t know why either really did. Oh, this story also has a bit of a problem with people just knowing things, such as Grace knowing the Gathering Coils are attacking the crane and Ryan knowing what 13 is doing to track said Gathering Coils earlier in the story. Aside from those issues, which honestly are minor in the grand scheme of things, this story is perfect. It’s really well-paced for the most part, the characters are all so fun and they bounce off of each other fantastically, and we even get to see some of 13’s darkness before series 12 takes it to a whole nother level! We also get to see her moralizing when, in reality, she doesn’t really have that much of a high ground advantage, which is pretty interesting character-wise; And Graham gets a starting point for his character arc with Ryan, with him being rather insensitive and mean about Ryan’s dyspraxia. It’s an uncomfortable scene, but I suppose it’s a needed one in the end.

"We don't get aliens in Sheffield."

This is going to be quick, after all, the acting is phenomenal. The only issues I have with it, sadly, come from the main cast. The good news is that the main cast only messes up occasionally and only ever in frankly REALLY small ways. So, yeah, it barely amounts to a point off. The side characters are all really fun, and the madman is particularly fantastic, as we mostly only experience his acting through his facial expressions, and autistic I may be, but he was fantastic. Tim Shaw is an obvious stand out too, with his voice being able to easily strike fear into the hearts of viewers. Grace and Graham both do fantastic jobs as well, with neither of them ever messing up a line to the extent that I cared. At all. The acting overall is just fucking incredible here.

Quickfire round: The CGI is fantastic aside from the screen blur effects every now and then, especially at the beginning. This era has a specific laser effect it uses A LOT and it’s on full display at the beginning here and I LOVE IT. Tim Shaw’s voice effect is fantastic, I just personally don’t really like it a ton, so I gave the voice effects a 9/10. The only bad bits about the music come from the use of somber and sad sounding music when it isn’t needed, aside from that, it’s perfect in so many ways, especially how it never overpowers a scene and fades in and out at just the right moments in just the right ways. The practical effects are some of, if not the best, in ALL of Doctor Who. The crane scene is fantastic, the Stenza pod is great, just so much about the practical effects are great here! The costumes are 10/10 beautiful and the makeup is great too, especially on Tim Shaw; he’s mostly as terrifying as he is thanks to that incredible face and that awesome mechanical suit thing! Going back to the crane, and every other set to be fair, the sets are just plain fantastic. They all have their own eerie feel, they all look unique and make sense; what more could you ask for? The action is incredible. It’s fast-paced, terrifying, clear as day, and never held down by acting or effects, and honestly, most of it is just a fucking dude putting his hand on other people’s faces, so that’s saying a lot. The sounds are just incredible, with nothing being out of place, and everything flowing seamlessly; you know the sounds are good when you can’t notice that they weren’t recorded on set, and you can’t tell at all that that’s the case here. The cinematography is fantastic. With other series of Doctor Who, the cinematography has felt like a TV show’s, but here it felt like a fucking movie. It felt like I’d see this shit in a movie theater! Every shot is perfection, every choice is well made and stylistically flawless. Chibnall’s era is the prettiest of any Doctor Who era, and you can’t change my mind!

Being honest, you don’t get a whole lot out of rewatching this particular episode, but you’ll want to watch it again just because of how fun and exciting it is. Now, you will find new details, but there aren’t a lot of them, and mostly they’re just bits and pieces that show how 13 isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, even if series 11, which is lovely to see.

All in all, this story is the perfect mixture of emotional and character-driven storytelling and incredibly scary and action-packed writing, which makes for one hell of an incredible viewing experience. The acting borders on flawless, the effects are almost as good as the acting, and the second you’re done with this story, you’ll want to watch it all over again just for those highs and lows! Sure, you have some weird music choices here and there, a little tell don’t show, and a smattering of uncharacteristic exposition, but a story is allowed to have flaws, and while this story should, by all rights, be a 9/10, my sheer love for it pushed me to crank my score up to a 10/10, and I’m completely fine with that. This story is a fantastic starting point for the 13th Doctor, and I can’t wait to continue her story!

"I am The Doctor, sorting out fair play throughout the universe."

Total - 10 (I’ve fudged it because this is honestly such a fun episode and were it to have even slightly more to offer on a second watch, it’d be a 10 anyway.)

Plot - 9

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Story - 9

Pacing - 8

Dialogue - 10

Narration - NR

Exposition - 8

Enjoyment - 10

Twist/s - 10

Resolution/s - 9

Ending/s - 9

Acting - 10

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MC/s - 9

SC/s - 10

BG/s - 10

Narrator/s - NR

Effects - 10

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Music - 9

Voice Effects - 9

Computer Effects - 9

Practical Effects - 10

Costumes/Makeup - 10

Sets - 10

Action - 10

Cinematography - 10

Sounds - 10

Replay - 8

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Re-Enjoyment - 10

New Details - 6

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