I thought I was just being kind, but I was saving the world.
I'm honestly surprised by how much I've grown to love Bill and Nardole's friendship. Their hug when he turned up at her apartment (er, after he convinced her he was really himself) almost made me cry.
I'm absolutely certain that even as I type this someone is complaining about how the plot was resolved, but for me the only off moment of the episode was the false regeneration. Which sucks, because the scene up to that point was wonderful -- I was really fascinated by how the Doctor's reasoning was 100% believable and 100% not at all Doctor-y -- but then suddenly "I'm being needlessly cruel to you in order to prove a point that I could have proven in a much less cruel way". And in addition to feeling cruel it also felt cheap. I would not be tall surprised if the scene was done that way specifically so they could stick footage of a regeneration in the trailer and never mind how it fits into the actual story.
But other than that this episode was spectacular. The dystopia was well-done, and I really liked that Bill wasn't the only one who remembered that the world wasn't supposed to be that way. I liked the guards, once we got past the awful "let's all laugh about how much we just traumatized Bill for no reason" scene. And (again ignoring that scene) Nardole, the Doctor, and Bill were all brilliant.
And the fact that Bill's imaginary version of her mother, built around the photos the Doctor took for her, is what saved the world -- I love that so much. So much. That just felt perfect to me.
Oh, and Missy! Missy. Missy was also in wonderful form this episode. (It's okay when Missy is needlessly cruel to Bill. That's in-character and appropriate, and Bill being completely bewildered by her ("why are you keeping a woman in a big room? because even I think that’s weird, and I’ve been attacked by a puddle.") was fantastic. (Yes, Missy, Bill will get you a particle accelerator, a 3D printer, and a pony. ♥)
All in all, 8.5/10, will watch again.
Next week: [trailer spoilers]ICE WARRIORS
I'm absolutely certain that even as I type this someone is complaining about how the plot was resolved, but for me the only off moment of the episode was the false regeneration. Which sucks, because the scene up to that point was wonderful -- I was really fascinated by how the Doctor's reasoning was 100% believable and 100% not at all Doctor-y -- but then suddenly "I'm being needlessly cruel to you in order to prove a point that I could have proven in a much less cruel way". And in addition to feeling cruel it also felt cheap. I would not be tall surprised if the scene was done that way specifically so they could stick footage of a regeneration in the trailer and never mind how it fits into the actual story.
But other than that this episode was spectacular. The dystopia was well-done, and I really liked that Bill wasn't the only one who remembered that the world wasn't supposed to be that way. I liked the guards, once we got past the awful "let's all laugh about how much we just traumatized Bill for no reason" scene. And (again ignoring that scene) Nardole, the Doctor, and Bill were all brilliant.
And the fact that Bill's imaginary version of her mother, built around the photos the Doctor took for her, is what saved the world -- I love that so much. So much. That just felt perfect to me.
Oh, and Missy! Missy. Missy was also in wonderful form this episode. (It's okay when Missy is needlessly cruel to Bill. That's in-character and appropriate, and Bill being completely bewildered by her ("why are you keeping a woman in a big room? because even I think that’s weird, and I’ve been attacked by a puddle.") was fantastic. (Yes, Missy, Bill will get you a particle accelerator, a 3D printer, and a pony. ♥)
All in all, 8.5/10, will watch again.
Next week: [trailer spoilers]ICE WARRIORS