Doctor Who 10.02 'Smile' Review
Doctor Who 10.02 'Smile Review:
The second episode of Series 10, following straight from the end of the previous episode (much like, The End of the World from Rose...) The start is interesting, proving that it isn't a future Doctor, but the mystery of what is in the Vault deepens. What is it that Nardole has to remind him that he is no longer allowed to go off planet? (He also only appears in this scene, clearly not a traditional 'companion'.) Bill's questions regarding how the Doctor drives (or negotiates with) the TARDIS normally are quite well done.
The introduction to the colony planet and the Vardy robots is also quite well done, but there are issues with the excution. I'm not certain how. Is it the writing? (Maybe, but I liked it more than In the Forest of the Night.) Bill is a great character, her interactions with the emoji-bots, and reaction to what happened to the set-up crew, are quite believeable. The way she ignores the Doctor's instruction to stay in the TARDIS after they escape the first time, shows that she is inquisitive, and wants to help the Doctor with what he's doing.
The episode shows that the Doctor is quite fallible (for instance, that he doesn't realise that the ship is a sleeper ship, until Bill alerts him to that fact, although she doesn't fully grasp the significance until he tells her about it.) While finding out about what went wrong with the Vardy's (or Vardies?) is interesting, the resolution seems off. (Surely, it would be better if the Doctor re-programmed the Vardy's so that the deadly error wouldn't crop up again? As soon as someone else dies, or the boy is obviously greiving...) While the concepts are interesting, I have seen them done better in other media.
So, while it is still watchable (and re-watchable), I'm not recommending it that well. The lead-in the to the third episode is more interesting than that resolution. I'm looking forward to see how Bill will react to being in the past, and what that threat under the ice is. To re-interate, not that well recommended. 7/10.