Doctor Who 14.2 "The Devil's Chord"

 A music teacher teaching a boy the piano says he's discovered 'the Devil's Chord' ergo the boy gets excited.  Enter Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) who tells him that the boy is his son and as he's outlived his usefulness he kills him.  Then thanks the teacher for being a genius as he discovered the chord and then sucks the music out of him, literally, figuratively, take your pick.  Then takes a bite out of all music and removes it from the world.

Meanwhile, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) asks ruby (Millie Johnson) where she wants to travel.  She comes up with the '60's as her mother's friend loves The Beatles and she listened to their album.  Change of outfits to the '60's era and they find themselves on the famous zebra crossing as they walk down it mimicking the famous album cover.  At the studios they relieve the tea lady of her trolley and serve tea to everyone.  ending up in the studio where the Beatles are recording.  However they think the song is rubbish as it's about a dog and boring.  In the tea room, they tackle Paul (George Caple) and John (Chris Mason) separately.  John says he'll amount to nothing and Paul is disillusioned with the whole concept of music.  Soon finding out that music has vanished everywhere. With a rooftop piano the Doctor gets Ruby to play a tune and Maestro enters and proceeds to stop them.  Giggling just like the Toymaker from The Giggle.  Also as you'll recall the Toymaker mentioned his legions and Maestro says the same later on in the ep. 

They escape and hide in a basement.  The Doctor is once again fearful and as he explained in Space Babies why he was scared then, it's a little difficult to imagine that he could flee again and feel this way too once more.  He says that the last time he fought an "Elder God" his soul was ripped in half.  He can't go though something like that again.  Ruby comments she's still alive in 2024 and as he takes her to her future, everything is destroyed and was that snow falling again, or debris flying around.  With no music, humans went to war and destroyed themselves.  Again another harkback to Doctor Fourteen (David Tennant)  in The Giggle and his saying how humans are capable of such destruction.  

Maestro controls the environment and as they head back to 1963, they are trapped again and the Doctor tries to control her meddling with his Sonic, which works for a while, but Maestro's tuning fork turns out to be more powerful than his Sonic.  Here it's revealed that she is the Toymaker's daughter.  As people begin to play the piano, listen to music again, Maestro turns up and proceeds to end them and along with that any spark of humanity getting away from the dismal doom.  

At the studios, the Doctor and Millie try to use music to lure Maestro there and play notes which will become a Beatles' song.  However, Maestro fights them at every opportunity and soon the Doctor ends up trapped inside a drum and Ruby inside a double bass.  As each note they played was matched by Maestro and her violin.  Since there is one chord that brought her here and so matching that chord will take her back or vanquish Maestro. The piano is pushed out of the room.  Which was handy as Paul and John pass by and play that very note needed and thus saving Ruby and the Doctor.  Discovering they have the talent to make good music after all.  Maestro is defeated and there's a song and dance number at the end, which quite honestly was a bit cheesy, "there's always a twist at the end."  Twist as in story plot point, but also as in the dance, I presume, ha.  There was also a dance number with the aliens in the Christmas Special, which seems to have carried on further here.

Some references to The Giggle here as well as the Doctor telling Ruby that he lived on Totters Street with his granddaughter, Susan, but she's gone now.  Referencing the first episode, An Earthly Child.  Ruby says she's still alive so the Doctor won't fail, only living her demise, so to speak in the future.  As she should now, Time isn't set in stone and she's seen that by the Doctor taking the TARDIS anywhere in time.  References to The Pyramids of Mars here. 

Doctor Who 14.1 "Space Babies"

We get to see what happened in The Church On Ruby Corner and how it set up the premise for this series going forward.  As well as Ruby (Millie Gibson) in the TARDIS, getting to see the ins and outs, before reminding the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) that her mum's waiting for her on her birthday.  A forward to a prehistoric land where she wants to see dinosaurs.  Asking what happens if she does anything to change history, like stepping on a butterfly.  The Doctor dismissing this by saying, "no one steps on a butterfly."  He explains they're in the US right now which will become certain States in the future.  But she does it doesn't she, I mean, she had to, step on a butterfly.  Luckily the Doctor manages to salvage that situation.  Since she could've changed everything and might not even have been born.  As he tells her at the end of the ep that the snow in the space station was a warning.  She's never to go back to that day and he can't and won't take her back.  She has to know that and he stresses that.  As the snowfall continues in the TARDIS.  Of course we know this may or may not be the case, I'm opting for the former, that somehow they will get to the point where this does, has to, happen.  We also see Ruby change when she does step on the butterfly, signifying she could become this different, more hostile person.

Next minute we're on the space station where they are chased by a beast in the corridor.  This show loves its corridors, passages on spaceships and space stations.  The Doctor is surprised that he ran and he doesn't feel scared of anything, but he did now.  In the lift they reach another floor where they come across a baby who thinks they're his parents.  Cue more babies in strollers.  There's also a baby Captain.  Lots of banter and quite a bit of exposition as Ruby asks questions and the Doctor explaining certain terms to her, such as him having two hearts, the chameleon circuit and the translation circuit.  There's even a nanny as she tells the children what to do, as well as getting their noses wiped.

A touching moment when they realize it's been six years and the babies didn't grow in body, but grew in mind.  And they've never been hugged!  Cue plenty of hugs and of course, the Doctor kept adding space babies after he called them babies.  Not to mention that "maverty" was also shown on that map/board.  Following on from Wild Blue Yonder.  Also the theme of orphans and abandonment close to Ruby's heart and life.  The space station was shut down due to financial reasons and the babies were left there with the crew leaving under protest.  The babies were born and left here.  The nanny (Golda Rosheuvel) was the accountant but stayed to look after them.  Explaining she didn't want to show herself since eventually the air will run out, she she'll die, as will they.  

They wonder why the beast is roaming the lower depths and as Ruby says earlier on, it's a story.  Thus the beast is the big, bad wolf.  Venturing back below they work out that the beast was created at the same time as the children were born, so she was right.  The Doctor realizes that the beast is made of bogies, hence the literal bogeyman and we see a flashback to the babies getting their noses blown.  Which isn't what Ruby wants to hear as she's just had a snotful dropping on her.  The Doctor also wasted no time in hugging Ruby, any chance he gets.  As well as smiling as a form of distraction when the snow falls.  As we get a flashback to the church again and her mysterious mother.  Who now appears to be different in character.

As nanny airlocks the bogeyman when he's chasing the pair.  The Doctor tells Ruby to stop her from ejecting him out.  He needs to be saved, as he's part of the babies' lives.  He enters the airlock and saves the beastly bogeyman.  At the end you also get a howl from him.  As the smell was the nappies, the Doctor says they generated enough methane to boost them towards the planet where they can get help.  Another topical reference to getting refugee status.  Ruby makes it back for her birthday and brings the Doctor with him and his TARDIS.

Ruby reminds me of Clara (Jenna-Louise Coleman). in so many ways.  Not least of which is her curiosity but also how she runs around like her quite a bit and we don't know much, if anything about her at all, yet.  Impossible Girl ramifications.  As well as her tartan minis, again reminiscent of Clara. The Doctor also mentions how they used names on his planet like the Doctor, the Colonel and there's even a Rani. As a bit of exposition for new viewers.

Doctor Who 3 "The Giggle"

Soho 1925 as John Logie Baird's (John Mackay) assistant Charles Bannerjee (Charlie de Melo) comes into a toy shop to buy a toy.  But he only wants the one Stooky Bill and not his entire family.  The Toymaker (Neil Patrick Harris) with his crummy German accent (!) converses with him and accuses him of not being British, to which he replies he was born in Cheltenham.  A rather topical, bigoted remark on his part, we modern audiences can easily equate with. He takes the doll to Logie Baird as he uses it to send out the first TV pictures as the doll burns, as it would be too hot for any human to handle such temperatures.  As the puppet giggles, we enter back to today and how the crowd on the streets have gone "proper mental."  With The Doctor (David Tennent) stopping one man from getting run over, he tells the Doctor he's right and he knows he's right that's why he's in front of the car.  The Doctor glimpses a man in a bow tie dancing and obviously he stands out.  However, UNIT arrives and takes them all away, Donna (Catherine Tate) specifically requesting for Wilf (Bernard Cribbens) to be taken care of.

At UNIT HQ the Doctor meets up with Kate (Jemma Redgrave) again and Melanie Bush (Bonnie Langford) who he's overjoyed to see again.  With Donna's comment on how she wasn't the first red headed companion.  There's a spike in the human brain which is causing them to "act" out.  They wear arm bracelets to stop themselves from being affected and even Kate has hers removed to show the full effect of the madness.  Donna meanwhile draws up a musical scale and Melanie hums it.  They've heard it before but can't recall where.  Shirley (Ruth Madeley) pulls up Stooky Bill and his giggle, which the Doctor recalls and his known location was in Soho not far from the residence of Logie Baird, and his first transmission in 1925.  The Doctor gives one of his speeches about humanity and how they're brilliant and intelligent and at the same time can be so violent, destructive and crave the suffering.

Donna mentions how the Doctor can't cope with his companions and what's happened to them.  He says he doesn't feel himself anymore especially with what was endured with the Flux in particular.  However he doesn't have an easy task this week as he's forced to encounter The Toymaker again.  Especially when his superstition over spilling the salt has come true and he says that's the reason he came back, the Doctor opened the way back for him to return.  So for Fourteen, this will be another burden on him having opened that portal and memory, of sorts.  As I said in the previous ep review, his dark foreboding has been realized. 

As the Toymaker "toys" with them, Donna doesn't take the Doctor's advice and return to the TARDIS, as he throws balls at them since it was the first game caveman played, by throwing rocks at others and killing them.  He then vanishes with the two in hot pursuit in a never ending corridor.  They are soon parted once more and the Doctor meets Baird's assistant, who needs his help to return to normal.  But the Toymaker is pulling his strings and he's unable to help him.  Unlike Donna who gets the better of Stooky Sue as she tries to torment her, knocking her head off and warning the babies against attacking her.

In their next encounter the Toymaker runs through the fates of his companions, mentioning Amy and particularly the ones that have passed, such as Bill.  As well as the Flux, causing the Doctor to challenge him to a game.  Playing cards, the Doctor reminds him it's one-all and it's best of three according to his own rules.  As the Toymaker reminds him how he got the better of the (current) Master and sealed him in his gold tooth, now in his mouth.  There's also someone more scary yet to be seen, but he doesn't expand on that.  Donna says she's "already running."  Outside the Toymaker dismantles his toy store and places it in a toybox which the Doctor takes with him to the present.

Back in the present day, the Toymaker gets hold of the Galvanic beam that Kate needed permission to use and got from the Doctor.  As he tries to destroy him and his companions.  But he does get to use the Galvanic beam on the Doctor who begins a regeneration.  So we're sat here thinking it's all over right now and that's it for Doc Fourteen.  Surprise, surprise he recovers and enters into a "Bi-Generation."  The Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) appears and they have to pull away from each other.  Apparently in the Whoniverse, two Doctors are now viable.  So one can go his own way, to a life he deserves and the new one continues in his place.  As he says to Fourteen, "don't worry, I've got this."  At the end.

As they challenge the Toymaker to a game of balls and he finally is defeated, and boxed away in his Toybox, as well as Kate picking up his gold tooth (potential for a future ep with the Master perhaps.) With Fourteen losing his shoes along the way.  Fifteen also musters up another TARDIS so they can have one each.  

So Fourteen becomes part of the Noble-Temple family and has already had secret trips into the TARDIS with Rose and Auntie Mel is also welcomed.  A time for him to relax and maybe have some adventures of his own.  I couldn't help but think of the War Doctor and those eps with Ten when he had that family life and went off to World War One and the loss of the Time Lords.  Everything bad coming for him.  Now he gets to lay his weary head in a caring family and to use his words, he doesn't have to go anymore...all teary eyed here for some reason!!

I feel Doctor Ten bore the brunt of the human suffering, the fall out of his travels and wars, constant battles and was tired of it all.  Still recalling his regeneration into Eleven, uttering he didn't want to go and well, now he was brought back.  Back for good too.  Even though Eleven (Matt Smith) was my fave, it was great to have Ten/Fourteen back to stay, who knows the possibilities of a future return and jumping into that TARDIS for old times sake!!  Two hearts crossed!  Ha. 

Doctor Who 2 "Wild Blue Yonder"

I liked this episode for several reasons.  Not least of which is how it begins with Donna (Catherine Tate) having spilled coffee again and they end up in 1666 and having to ask Isaac Newton the year they're in.  As well as pointing out the word "gravity" to him, which he completely misses as "maverty" oh dear.  They even use it themselves in the episode.  Then ending up in a spaceship as the TARDIS gets damaged and buzzes off as it needs time to repair itself, with the Sonic attached.  As the Doctor (David Tennent) recalls the HATS (Hostile Activation Displacement System) system whereby the TARDIS leaves when there's a hostile situation.  But it wasn't just for these reasons.  As they get closer to finding out that whatever landed here when the airlock was opened three years ago, as they try to assimilate themselves into the Doctor and Donna.  But dang those long arms.  It was a good scene where they were hot and cold and realized they had 'doubles.'  Lots of added banter too and some emotional scenes when Donna says she knows what he went through with the Flux and how she read his mind.  What happened to all those people wasn't his fault.  Also how the Wild Blue Yonder is a war song, but when she sung it she was told it was full of fun and joy.  he says it's an Air Force song and not Army.

I think that keeping this episode secret, as Russell T Davis did, worked, if the plot was revealed it would've given too much away and there wouldn't be any surprises if we knew from the start that they'd come across 'monstrous' versions of themselves in a bid to escape the ship they were stuck on.  What was interesting was how the 'aliens' could've mimicked anyone on the ship, but were both fortuitous and at the same experiencing bad luck, in having these two here.  Knowing they'd have no hope to get off the ship.  Loved the references to being brilliant and idiotic at the same time.  It was akin to a screwball comedy with some dark-ish elements thrown in.

Having crashed into the ship, they hear a voice which the Doctor doesn't understand the language of, since well he speaks over billions and this one isn't one of them.  Sufficied to say, whenever this voice is heard, the ship alters its shape inside.  They pass a very old robot (sloth-like) in the never ending corridor and the Doctor calls him Jimbo.  Have no idea why.  He opens up the floor to find a ride which they use to drive down the corridor.  getting to the front of the ship, Donna comments there's no stars and he says they're at the edge of the universe.  Light hasn't caught up with them yet and in a few billion years she can get home to see her family.  Noises are heard throughout, which sound like something's colliding or moving about on the ship.

So as the Doctor gets Donna to move the plastic gadgets in the large drawers, they show them as if they're in an alternate universe and we don't know they have doubles, until their arms grow long.  They find out they're aliens as they shift and alter their body parts to fit in place.  Then get chased by them.  As they do give chase, the imposter aliens suddenly find themselves growing at massive size and speed and get stuck in the corridor.  Thus giving them time to escape for a bit.  The salt scene does suggest they could be vampires and even having large teeth, but this wasn't to be.  They soon realize that they know their thoughts as they are morphing into them.  So the real pair suggest they don't think anything.  Which finally the Doctor finds is too difficult to do.  Donna saying that they didn't get into the airlock, but the Captain of the ship got out, to save the ship and the universe from these monsters getting to reach civilization.  Then she killed herself, but the aliens don't know why.

Donna saying the voice is a countdown as the Doctor realizes what the words mean.  He says that's what he thought from the beginning.  As they race to stop it, he gives up and the TARDIS returns.  Though he picks up the wrong Donna as he questions her on her choir teacher, Miss Bean.  But returns in the nick of time as he realizes the imposter's arm was too long.  The ship explodes after the countdown is sped up.  They return home and to Wilf (Bernard Cribbens) waiting for her, only to find that the people on Earth are going crazy out of their minds and chaos.  

The Doctor has a foreboding about the salt.  As he told them they can't cross it until they count each grain, or if they're not afraid and not vampires etc, they should cross it.  Which does come back to haunt him in the final Specials ep.