6 Ups & 5 Downs From Doctor Who Series 12

Downs...

5. The Worst Episode: Orphan 55

Doctor Who Orphan 55
BBC

No Doctor Who series is stellar from start to finish. Though, Russell T Davies' four series as the showrunner are definitely close to the mark here. We're always guaranteed a few duds each time we get a batch of 10, 12, or 13 episodes at a time, and the worst of the bunch this time round was episode 3, Orphan 55. Set on a supposedly distant planet housing the holiday park, Tranquillity Spa, proceedings turned quickly sour right out of the gate.

Not only was there no time to take in the 'tranquillity' of this holiday destination, the plot was bogged-down by unnecessary sub-plots featuring old couples, rocky Father/Son relationships, and estranged Mothers and Daughters. Just to hammer home the flimsy, hollow nature of the episode, it concludes with the big twist of the host planet to Tranquillity Spa being a future Earth, devastated by climate change. The audience cared very little for the guest character (as I guess we were supposed to), and the tacked-on moral message about caring for your planet wrapped this episode up in a rather shabbily-tied bow.

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Born in Theatre, sits at a Computer. After over a decade of tinkering with Video Editing software, Rich gets to spend his precious time editing whatever's thrown at him. Also the go-to for Doctor Who, and could tell you why Sans Serif fonts are better than most. Still occasionally tap dances under the desk.