Ok, my bad, this wasn’t the season finale, I’m used to seasons being 10 episodes, apparently this one is 12, which is great! Because that gives them time to build on things. And also because “Eaters of the Light” wasn’t the best episode.
The problem here was multi-layered. First, while the idea of the lost 9th Legion was appealing (and an actual event, though not like this obviously) it kind of devolved into separate storylines that got a bit weird at times. From Bill getting saved (and then hit on) by the remaining Roman Centurions, to the Doctor and Nardole becoming a part of a Scottish clan of sorts, it was a bit disorienting at times. And in the middle of the episode was a 2-day time jump, are we really supposed to believe Bill did nothing for 2 days? That doesn’t seem like her.
Speaking of which, while Capaldi’s usual charm as the Doctor was in full effect, it did get a little out of hand at times. He was yelling much more than usual, and for reasons that didn’t make sense. They did make a small recovery by making it known that he basically sees all of life from the eyes of a parent looking upon children, a great allegory, but again, it felt out of character.
The monster was cool, that was for sure, and the tale behind the creature was very cool. I liked how it was very much a generational battle, and how the current gatekeeper was so angry at the Roman Empire that she forsook her duty in order to let it wipe out the ENTIRE Roman 9th Legion.
And there was a very simple yet profound message about what war and hate does to people. And having both the Scots and the Romans be so young really let this mean something. But, it came at a cost.
Finally, the scene with Missy was great, as she got to be her usual self, yet also show more signs that she is indeed turning good. Will this stick? Will the Doctor let “hope” take him only to let it backfire and cause his regeneration? We’re going to find out now aren’t we?
Oh! And the season of fear continues! Fear of the unknown (in the monster), fear of loss (in our way of life) and fear of not being able to do what is tasked of us. Not bad huh?
Todd Black
Todd Black is reader of comics, a watch of TV (a LOT of TV), and a writer of many different mediums. He's written teleplays, fan-fictions, and currently writes a comic book called Guardians (guardians-comic.com). He dreams of working at Nintendo, writing a SHAZAM! TV series, and working on Guardians for a very long time!
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