6 Ups & 1 Down From Doctor Who Series 12 - Spyfall Part 1
Doctor Who is back with a Bond-flavoured bang.
After a lukewarm Series 11 and a respectable special opening 2019, Doctor Who is finally back for its twelfth series. Kicking things off with a two-parter, Spyfall saw Team TARDIS up against an alien threat to the world of espionage. With Stephen Fry and Lenny Henry lending themselves to the series opener as MI6's C and VOR's Daniel Barton respectively, Jodie Whittaker and co saw 2020 off with the first half of what looks to be an exceptional story.
Though the excitement within the Who fandom was high as always, expectations for the quality of the episode based on Chris Chibnall's track record weren't as glowing. Though, things are definitely off to a good start. Of course, MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
As always, let's start with the downs.
Down...
1. Ryan Is A Terrible Secret Agent
After being sent to San Francisco along with Yaz to gather intel on Daniel Barton, Ryan is understandably rather anxious about going from playing basketball with his friends in Sheffield, to being an undercover MI6 operative with no training. Yaz seems cool and confident about the whole ordeal, but Ryan is understandably nervous. However, the last place you want to be loudly voicing your concerns about being a SPY, and going to SPY on DANIEL BARTON, is in the middle of his complex of buildings, with VOR staff members all walking around them. Rule one of spy school is to not announce you're a spy. Obviously Ryan skipped that page in the handbook.
Whether this was a lazy writing error, or the production schedule changed this once-private conversation into a not so subtle display of bad espionage on a public campus, we'll never know. However, Even alongside limousine and motorbike car-chases, aliens with no regard of solid objects, and rocket launcher cufflinks, this moment stood out as one rather off note during Spyfall Part 1.