1 Up & 5 Downs From Doctor Who Series 12 - Orphan 55
Series 12 hits its first brick wall.
Spyfall is complete, and now we're back to our usual programming. Doctor Who Series 12 has got off to an arguably solid start, so what does our first 'normal' adventure of the series bring? A well-earned holiday after battling some huge alien tentacle monster by the looks of things. Tranquility spa doesn't end up being so tranquil, this is Doctor Who after all, and our favourite quartet find themselves on a supposedly alien planet amidst a supposedly alien threat.
Orphan 55 puts an entire banquet on the table, then proceeds to eat it before realising it's all still in the packaging and not even cooked. So much was attempted to be crammed into the 50-minute run time, but by the roll of the credits, the world and characters Ed Hime attempted to build came crumbling down. Series 12 had its first major trip and fall here. But it wasn't just onto the ground, it was over a cliff.
First up, we're looking down.
Downs...
5. The Pacing Is All Over The Place
There is no messing around in Orphan 55. Tranquility Spa is barely tranquil, not only because there are towering aliens slaughtering guests left, right, and centre, but also because we barely got to see any tranquility. The scene simply wasn't set. We got no significant time to meet any of the guest characters, or see the sights of the resort before all hell broke loose.
Not only that, but the actual 'action' set-pieces of the episode are few and far between. There simply isn't enough time running in terror or fighting hulking aliens to get the adrenaline pumping. These minute moments are inter-cut by a foe worse than the Dregs themselves- exposition.