The atmosphere of Torchwood, the aesthetic of Broadchurch, but unmistakably Doctor Who – ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’ kicks off a new era of the show that is sprinkled with some echoes of showrunner Chris Chibnall’s previous television work.
Chibnall has always excelled in writing ensemble pieces, and now that he is in full control of the show’s direction it is clear that this is his vision for its future. As a result, we don’t get to see Doctor number 13 straight away. Instead of diving straight into her alien antics, we first find our footing with more grounded, human characters.
Ryan (Tosin Cole) commands much of the focus for this episode, as grandson to the exuberant Grace (Sharon D. Clarke) and her second husband, Graham (Bradley Walsh). It isn’t long before Yasmin (Mandip Gill) gets involved too, bringing into the mix a spark of enthusiasm from a young woman looking for adventure outside the monotony of life in Sheffield. By the episode’s close, she has the least development out of all our new characters, reflecting a lot of the same qualities found in the show’s female companions from years before. But with this many original characters being introduced and only an hour of screen time, there is only so much one can cram into a single episode. We can surely expect to learn more about her over the course of this series.
And as for the Doctor herself? Well after a manic first half of the episode during which she settles into her recently regenerated body, she eventually starts to demonstrate what sort of Doctor she will be like. Most noticeably, this Doctor is incredibly tech-savvy, and perhaps a little more hands-on than previous incarnations. Building a new sonic screwdriver, a TARDIS-tracking device, and a teleporter all from scratch, Whittaker’s regeneration exhibits a certain brand of resourcefulness that we can hopefully look forward to seeing more of in future episodes.
Though her humour sits somewhere between the Tenth Doctor’s affable charm and the Eleventh Doctor’s clumsy disregard for social convention, there are also some moments that feel so utterly unique to this gradually-developing Thirteenth Doctor. Most obviously, she takes absolute joy in the thrill of the mystery, jumping from one theory to the next with barely a moment in between to breathe. But to find out more about her brand new personality, we will have to wait a little longer. As is often the case, leaving these questions open-ended at the beginning of a Doctor’s first series works to keep the audience hooked.
Despite Chibnall declaring that he would be scrapping story arcs in favour of standalone adventures this series, it appears that this is not entirely the case. The demise of Grace shakes all our main characters, and gives Bradley Walsh the opportunity to prove that he is just as adept at drama as he is with comedy. As the heart of the group, her death leaves some tension between Graham and Ryan, who have now been sucked unwillingly into the Doctor’s adventures along with Yasmin. So although we might not be expecting any Moffat-style sci-fi story arcs, it looks likely that the arcs we will be getting from Chibnall will be much more character-focused.
The alien of the week is perhaps the least interesting part of ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’, taking a backseat to let our main cast shine in their roles. However it still provides enough mystery to be interesting and its menace pervades the episode in a similar style that often worked in Torchwood. Most of the intrigue doesn’t come from the alien so much as it comes from how our main and supporting characters react to its dark presence. This is a good move for a debut episode of Doctor Who – before we get to the more fascinating villains, we need a solid connection with the characters we are following. And seeing how some of Chibnall’s finest contributions to the Doctor Who universe were for Torchwood, it is no surprise that he is revisiting some of those same character/monster dynamics.
It is impossible to talk about this new instalment of Doctor Who without discussing the tone it sets technically for the entire Chibnall era ahead of us, since it marks such a distinct change in so many areas. The use of anamorphic lenses has given the show a beautiful cinematic look much like Broadchurch, allowing for impressive set pieces such as the final confrontation on the crane to be realised to their full potential. The special effects have also been taken over by a new team of people known for their work on award-winning films such as Blade Runner 2049, Interstellar, Inception, and Ex Machina. The increase in quality is very apparent, with the design of the Gathering Coils standing out as a particularly striking creature.
And finally, the new composer Segun Akinola has taken over the musical reigns from Murray Gold. He doesn’t try to imitate any of Gold’s lush orchestrations, instead aiming for a more electronic approach that complements the fresh cinematic aesthetic. Highlights from this episode include the sonic screwdriver building montage, and of course Whittaker’s final “I am the Doctor” moment as she squares off against the grotesquely evil Tim Shaw. Though he has big shoes to fill, Akinola has shown the potential to create music that will fit perfectly right into Chibnall’s vision.
Despite some clunky plot devices such as Ryan’s vlogging, ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’ is one of the more successful debut stories of a new Doctor. Chibnall works best when he is writing for ensemble casts and exploring each individual’s intricate relationship with other individuals. Perhaps this is what held him back during his previous Doctor Who episodes, where he was often confined to writing standalone episodes with few core characters. His style often seeped through as he attempted to introduce recurring characters such as Rory’s father, but his work on the show never quite reached the heights of Torchwood and Broadchurch.
But now that he has full control of Doctor Who’s direction, Chibnall is able to bring the best of his talents to the table. ‘The Woman Who Fell to Earth’ sets a standard for wonderfully engaging storytelling that focuses more on the people surrounding the Doctor than the core character herself, and opens up a new era of the show with unbridled enthusiasm and confidence.
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