I really have to hand it to the Writer’s Room of The Orville. Because week in and week out, this show seemingly finds new ways to surprise us and season two has been no exception to that rule. Because we’ve been privy to some incredible character growth this season, alongside some unexpected sequels to important plot points from season one and all of those elements really are the mark of great writing through and through. In fact, the writing is so good this year, that last night’s episode of the show, ‘Nothing Left on Earth Excepting Fishes’, ended up finding new ways to surprise me, because at first glance, it seemed as though we were going to get quite the relaxed story.
 
Which made sense in my mind, since a week prior we said farewell to Lieutenant Alara Kitan, so going the chill route would allow for the audience to catch their breath and adjust to life without Alara on the Orville. If anything, it seemed as though this story was going to provide us with a gentle character study once again, something akin to the season premiere since it featured a pair of important personal decisions from Gordon and Ed since Gordon entered the command program because he felt as though he didn’t offer enough to the Union in his current role and as for Ed, well the captain finally felt it was the right time to reveal to the crew that he and Lieutenant Janel Tyler were an item before they ventured off on a romantic getaway together.
 
But that, is where the parallels to the season premiere came to a close and the surprises started coming our way. Because shortly after the Captain and Janel left the Orville, they found themselves surrounded and eventually captured by the Krill, and this age-old enemy of Ed’s, wanted his knowledge of fleet movements for their own military gain and if he didn’t comply, Janel would suffer great pain. Which means that Ed followed a unique Union protocol and gave them fake intel to save her life, only to later discover that Janel, was in fact Teleya, the Krill schoolteacher that Ed and Gordon met while undercover last year and the acts that Ed performed aboard her ship, prompted her to eventually join the cause and seek revenge against the captain. 

Yet while that revelation alone and a little back and forth aboard the Krill vessel would have been enough to carry this episode, the show found a way to truly allow for Ed to attempt to  hash out his differences with Teleya by stranding them both on an alien world after a rival enemy attacked the ship and here…is where is here the show tipped its hand and revealed that it was about to become a fascinating parable on using kindness when it comes to dealing with people, we consider our enemies. Because Ed came to realize that his prior decisions aboard that ship had lasting negative impact, which meant it was time for a new way forward and rather than threaten or demand anything from his captor, he tried to find common ground with her, using their experiences together as a starting point for that, and while it seems as though he was unsuccessful, there were a few breakthroughs here and there, to the point where Teleya even trusted him to save her life when the chips were down.
 
But the most significant moment of the night, came about from what the captain decided to do with Teleya, upon his return to the Orville. Because Ed could have handed her over to Union security or exacted his own brand of revenge. But instead…he let Teleya go. All in the hopes that a true gesture of kindness would help her, and her people understand that perhaps the Union isn’t their enemy after all, and that perhaps both sides should talk and find common ground and this, this was just brilliant. For this is what you hope to see from a show set in the future where peace has been achieved on Earth; characters that are quite frankly, happy to be the bigger/better man or woman and hopefully, this gesture can lead to at least a dialogue between the Krill and the Union because Mercer was right in regard to how the fighting will go on until something catastrophic happens.
 
So, yeah, this one flat out took me off guard, because I really didn’t expect to see a sequel to ‘Krill’, but what a sequel it turned out to be since there’s so much to digest in this one and really, when all is said and done, this was a great episode. Because this one had everything; action, adventure, surprises and meaning and I love that in many ways, Mercer’s decision to exude kindness throughout this tale served as wonderful commentary for how we need to handle some of the problems that currently exist in our world. But while the commentary here was brilliant in its own right, what I’m more curious about, is the lasting impact of this incident on Captain Mercer. After all, the show loves to follow up on past plot points, and one has to wonder if there’s going to be some trepidation on Ed’s part going forward when it comes to the decisions he makes since this, hurt him deep. Until next time.  

I think it is safe to assume, that television fans everywhere have fairly high expectations when it comes to the sophomore season of a budding new series. Because said fans expect a show that they’ve discovered and enjoy to grow in just about every single way imaginable in season two. They want bigger and better stories, they want the characters to face greater challenges both internally and externally and they want these stories to entice and challenge the audience as well and, in all honesty, there’s nothing wrong with fans having these particular criteria in mind because T.V. shows really should get better with age in every way possible.  
 
But, of the many shows returning for season two in 2019, there’s only one that has higher expectations hanging over it, to the point where its fanbase expects flawlessness from the get-go; Star Trek: Discovery. Because this particular entry in this storied franchise took some serious heat from its fanbase in just about every single way imaginable since it offered up a war in season one, something that’s always been a hotbed of controversy in this universe and well, perhaps the best way to summarize all of the complaints that came about from this series, was that so many wanted Discovery to inject more of what we love about Trek into this universe and at long last, fans finally were able find out if their complaints were heard and addressed by way of last night’s season two premiere of the show, ‘Brother’.
 
Now, in my eyes at least, I would venture to say that it’s obvious that the extended hiatus this show went on was put to good use because this really does feel like a series that’s grown leaps and bounds, and in many ways, is addressing everyone’s concerns. Because, there is indeed a sense of family suddenly surrounding the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery, something that was starting to slowly happen at the end of season one. But, here, they have one another’s backs like never before and they genuinely jell and work together seamlessly and that matters because that’s what fans expect from a Star Trek series and that’s definitely a step in the right direction for this saga and the changes present in this episode didn’t end there, because it offered up so much more. 

​Take for example the fact that there’s clearly a grand adventure heading our way this year, and it all involves a mysterious signal that broadcast galaxy wide. Because a signal that’s strong enough to disable the U.S.S. Enterprise and drive Spock mad must be related to something incredibly powerful and the search to understand this signal is what drove all of the adventure in this tale since we were treated to some genuinely epic moments in this episode, the kind that took your breath away and put me on the edge of my seat and that really is something new for this series. But more importantly, the mystery surrounding these signals was handled in masterful fashion, since it gave the audience just enough to work with, and I am quite curious to see how all of this unfolds in the weeks to come.
 
However, I think what I enjoyed the most in this tale, is the fact that it offered up a lot of fun. Because all of the action and tension in this episode were balanced out nicely by some perfectly timed humor, something I really didn’t expect to see, but on several occasions, the clever timing of the jokes left me laughing heartily and it’s good to see the fun arriving in this series. And really, two actors stole the show when it comes to this pleasant surprise and that would be Tig Notaro, who played the stranded engineer Jett Reno and Mary Wiseman, who plays the always quirky Ensign Tilly and these two were simply on their game in every single scene and Mary gets additional Starfleet credits for balancing her humorous performance with some genuinely sweet moments that kept snapping the audience back to the point that this crew is family now.
 
However, all of that aside, this episode did give us plenty of fanboy moments to chew upon, with more beautiful and sweeping visuals of the NCC-1701, because damn that ship is beautiful in any timeline or era, and you can’t help but get excited over the fact that Spock pops up in this one and it didn’t bother me in the slightest that he’s only seen here as a kid and heard as an adult…because it’s Spock! But I digress, because the finest fan moment of the night was spending time with Captain Christopher Pike, a character really only seen once in the prime timeline, so I’m definitely looking forward to spending time with him this season and seeing what makes the second captain of the Enterprise, and now the Discovery, tick. If anything, I would venture to say this was an incredible premiere, and I loved every single second of it since it clearly is taking the series in a bold new direction, one that features some wonderful character growth while staying true to the spirit of the shows that came before it. Until next time. 

​When it comes to streaming services and what they can offer, it really is a brave new frontier storytelling wise. Because there are no standard constraints that a streaming show has to abide by, it can air whenever is convenient, and it also allows for the universe of said series to expand in ways we never thought possible and for proof, just take a look at Star Trek: Discovery. Because not only does this series return tonight after a slightly longer than normal hiatus, so that CBS could properly tell this tale, but it also found a way to further expand adventures for the crew by way of four beautiful shorts called ‘Short Treks’ that started airing in the winter and just recently wrapped up and well, rather than examine every single one of them when they came out, I was eager to see what they had to offer as a collective whole and now seemed like a good time to break these stories down in brief fashion, starting with where this abbreviated jaunt through the stars began…
 
‘Runaway’
Now this first visual short story took us on a brief adventure with Ensign Tilly, who just so happened to discover that a stowaway had come on board the Discovery and in true Star Trek fashion, what made this short so compelling and interesting was the sheer fact that Tilly took the time to get to know the stowaway and offer this young lady kindness and understanding over anything else. And for her gentle approach, she came to learn that this unexpected visitor aboard the ship was in fact royalty, and someone who simply wanted to run at first from their destiny and honestly, this was quite the beautiful tale. Because not only did it expand upon Ensign Tilly and what makes her tick, it showed us how big of a heart she has and the kindness that she exudes was enough to influence this royal passenger to return home and embrace her role and it was just a nice way to remind us of how the characters are king in this universe and are always good at their core, regardless of the hardships they’ve faced.
 
‘Calypso’
Now this ‘Short Trek’ was definitely an unexpected and welcome surprise when all is said and done and I say that, simply because this particular chapter, was so incredibly unique. It revolved around a man named Craft whose escape pod was brought aboard a deserted U.S.S. Discovery, and since the ship had been abandoned for a millennium, the computer system had become sentient and identified itself as Zora and well, she and Craft worked to make friends and well, you just don’t see stories like this in Star Trek. And it was a surprisingly majestic tale revolving around how lonely a place the universe can sometimes be and how important it is for any sentient being to have friends and loved ones and the twist of man becoming friends with a hidden machine was simply wonderful to say the least and while this one took me off guard at first glance because of its unique style storytelling wise, this is one that’s grown on me the more I’ve had time to think about it, and it really is an impressive little tale, and one has to wonder if the abandoned ship plot line will come up again in season two of the series.
 
‘The Brightest Star’
Now the third tale, may flat out be my favorite of the bunch, and it’s one that features Commander Saru long before he became a Starfleet Officer. In fact, in this tale, we see him back on his home world of Kaminar and well, what we learned about his pre-officer years and his world was downright fascinating. For his species believed in balance, the kind brought about by self-sacrifice to a neighboring species and his kind were utterly fine with this. They never questioned their purpose, they merely believed that their respective God guided them to this path, and they all waited patiently for their time to come to be sacrificed and that didn’t sit well with Saru. He wondered if there was more to life in general and more out there amongst the stars, and used a piece of a ship from the aliens that take his people to communicate with Lieutenant Georgiou aboard the U.S.S. Shenzhou, allowing for him to escape this place before his time was up and what made this story so beautiful and inspiring, was that it reminded us to dream big and ask for more in life, and pursue it, because the rewards far outweigh the risk or the alternative…
 
‘The Escape Artist’
Now the final ‘Short Trek’ in this collection brings the saga to a close, in the most entertaining way possible by reintroducing Rainn Wilson’s iteration of Harry Mudd and well…this particular episode is truly a delight. Because Wilson also directs this one and we spend a fair chunk of this tale, learning exactly how Mudd gets out of the many jams he finds himself within and watching Wilson provide us with an unrestrained Mudd here, and the fact that this episode almost serves as a prequel to ‘Mudd’s Women’ from The Original Series put a smile on my face for this entire short, because this story was downright hilarious. There was no deeper meaning to be found here, or grand philosophy, just good old-fashioned fun and I think that was a wonderful way to wrap up these vignettes and I won’t lie, this was a really cool set of stories to put together for Trek fans. I’ve just never seen this when it comes to the franchise, and now that we are all done with ‘Short Treks’ for now, I’m ready and raring to go for season two of Star Trek: Discovery.

It’s been quite some time since we’ve sat down to discuss HBO’s True Detective, roughly four years in fact, simply because the second season of this show, one that offered up a twisted and nightmarish noir, involving a grand conspiracy and the secrets we hide, was supremely ill received by fans of this series. They simply longed for the days of season one, where two damaged detectives in the bayou reflected upon a disturbing case involving a serial killer, one who showed signs of resurgence years after lying dormant and this divide amongst the fanbase and critics, more or less sent the show into hiding and that’s a shame if you ask me.
 
For I am one of the few who actually enjoyed season two through and through simply because it is clear that the powers that be truly want each season to stand on their own and I applaud any T.V. series that tries to push the storytelling envelope. However, I also fully understand that sometimes audiences aren’t quite ready for that kind of paradigm shift and prefer that the show sticks with what works and really what matters the most here is that HBO heard the criticism and allowed for the show’s creator, Nic Pizzolatto, to take the time to tinker with the show’s formula so that fans everywhere can enjoy every aspect of this series once again, and now, years later, the rejigging in question has come to its end, and a new season of this series is upon us, which begs a million dollar question; were HBO and Nic successful in revitalizing the magic this saga brought forth all those years ago?
 
The answer to that question, is a resounding yes. Because the two-hour season three premiere of the series, ‘The Great War and Modern Memory’ and ‘Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye’ provided us with every single element that helped us fall in love with the show in the first place. In fact, it would seem that blending together the best parts of season one and two is going to be a focus for season three, and for proof, look no further than how the time jump, has made a triumphant return. For if you recall, in season one, the story jumped between 1995 and 2012 consistently, with a little 2002 thrown in for good measure. And here, the story takes us on a journey with Detective Wayne Hart through three periods in time; 1980, 1990 and 2015, and while it seems as though that many jumps would be confusing, the story handles these transitions in the smoothest of fashion and subtle and great changes to the character help us to identify where we are in the timeline. 

But I made mention of how elements from season two find their way into this tale as well, and that’s accomplished by way of resurrecting the bleak and hopeless vibe that permeated last season from beginning to end and a case involving a pair of missing children, one of whom turns up dead, is what provides us with some incredible darkness in this tale. After all, we are privy to seeing how the parents and the people of this Ozark community react to something as heinous as this, and there is some genuine hopelessness that comes forth from seeing those reactions and what truly impressed me was how quickly these two episodes established the feeling that something incredibly sinister is happening in this town, and how it’s going to take a lot of digging to uncover who would be twisted enough to harm a child, and whatever Hays and his and his partner Roland West find, is going to shatter this community like never before.
 
However, we have talked a lot about how past seasons have snuck their way into this season, which begs another question, does season three have anything original to offer, and it most certainly does. For this season, thus far anyway, is quite the intimate affair, unlike the prior two chapters in this story which were quite grandiose in scope. Because this tale focuses heavily on Detective Hays and how this case has impacted so much of his life, and by making Hays the centerpiece of the story, we are privy to his hopes and fears and demons when it comes to this case and that allows for the investigation to progress at a different pace since we bear witness to how every revelation and discovery impacts Hays emotionally and that’s just a phenomenal twist to add to the series. And it is greatly enhanced by the performance of actor Mahershala Ali, who plays Detective Hays, because he outright puts on an acting clinic in this story, since he gives Hays unique depth in every single timeline.
 
Yet, while this reconstruction/revamp of this series is downright fascinating in its own right, I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, that we haven’t talked much about the case and there’s good reason for that. Because it’s inherently evident that these two episodes serve as the grand setup for the mystery that will hang heavy over this season and it would be silly to speculate on the investigation since we know so little at this point. If anything, I appreciate the slow burn approach to Will and Julie’s respective murder and kidnapping since it allows for a classic detective story to unfold and really when all is said and done, I absolutely loved this premiere. The series is quite frankly, better than ever, and I’m utterly hooked by what’s unfolding and I am definitely ready to learn more about this heinous crime and whether or not Detective Hays can find peace and resolution when it comes to a case that has haunted his soul for thirty-five years. Until next time.  

Family is a huge deal to all of us. For some, it is an outright support network, and those folks are close with their siblings and their parents and they know that in the event they need someone to talk to or turn to when something is on their mind or if trouble is on the horizon, that family will be there for them on a moment’s notice, and for others, family truly is that Rockwell-ian environment we see on television, where everyone gets along swimmingly and hold each other in the highest regard and gather around the table daily to celebrate the wonder of being blood. But I keep using the word ‘some’ when it comes to family, because unfortunately, not everyone gets to experience the lovely images we’ve just discussed.
 
Because for some, their experiences with family have been…unpleasant to say the least. These are the people who don’t speak to a parent, or a sibling because of a grand disagreement, or for reasons far worse and there are sadly some folks out there, who have been outright abandoned by their family for whatever reason, leaving some people alone on days where we sit down to break bread with our friends or family. Which is why, good or bad, family really does make an impact upon our lives, and our experiences with blood help form us in ways we never thought possible since family either gives us what we need to grow, or forces us to seek it out in the world and the good and the bad when it comes to family was on full display during last night’s episode of The Orville, ‘Home’.
 
Now in this tale, we saw Lieutenant Alara Kitan faced with quite the choice. For her super strength was beginning to fade, due to her long-term exposure to Earth’s gravity and she could either return home to Xelaya and see her strength slowly heal as her body re-acclimated to that world’s incredibly strong gravity, or she could stay on board the Orville and eventually be no different than her human crew members, and well, despite her reservations, she chose the former. Because a return home meant she would have to deal with a family and a society that saw the military as a joke, and wouldn’t you know it? Her return home was about as awkward as it gets, since we learned during this part of the story that Alara was in essence the black sheep of her family since she wasn’t as intelligent as the other kids growing up and was ostracized for it and since she didn’t become an epic scholar like her father, a great rift existed between the two of them. 

​If anything, this segment of the story was downright brilliant, since it put on display the tough stuff when it comes to family, and it also featured the tough discussions we sometimes have with the people that we love and for anyone who’s ever felt like an outcast or that they failed or disappointed their family, this part of the story was supremely relatable and touching in its own right. Of course, eventually, Alara and her father found a way to reconcile, after everyone’s lives were threatened by a couple of Xelayan Anti-vaxxers who wanted revenge on dear old dad for debunking their son’s crappy research, and while that led to touching and tear jerking growth between father and daughter, what really surprised so many, myself included, is what came after Alara regained her strength. Because after making peace with her father and receiving his love and respect for the first time in her life, Alara made another difficult choice and left the Planetary Union to stay home and experience the life she always wanted and while that’s quite some seriously beautiful growth for the Lieutenant, for the moment it truly seems as though Alara is gone from the series.
 
Which, I mean, is nothing new in science fiction shows, since Lieutenant Tasha Yar made her departure from Star Trek: The Next Generation in season one, but I simply did not see this coming and her exit led to quite the emotional goodbye and I do hope Alara returns at some point because she is quite the awesome character. But, all misty eyes aside, we need to talk about the fact that this is one powerful episode. It was truly emotional and relatable and immersive and well, that’s thanks in large part to the actors in this tale. For Halston Sage was on point as a rattled Alara and gave her best performance to date on the show and while it was neat to see Jason Alexander return and Patrick Warburton pop up as a temporary security officer, let’s be honest, the two doctors stole the show.
 
Because John Billingsley, who played Doctor Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise was brilliant as the villain in this tale, and Robert Picardo, who played the Emergency Medical Hologram in Star Trek: Voyager, simply put on an acting clinic in this episode and it’s just a delight when Star Trek veterans drop by his new and wonderful universe. When all is said and done however, I once again tip my cap to Seth MacFarlane and the Writer’s Room of this show for once again focusing on the characters, because this paradigm shift storytelling wise is making for some magnificent television and while it is heartbreaking to see Halston Sage depart for the time being, the show must go on and I am quite curious to see what life on the ship will be like without Alara and I’m also wondering who exactly, will open the next jar of pickles for Captain Mercer. Until next time.   

When we last settled in to discuss the wonder that is The Orville, which ironically only happened a couple of days ago, I made mention of the fact that a grand shift appeared to be underway on this series, one that would put the characters front and center on this show since the season two premiere was focused heavily on the crew and what makes them tick and well, it would seem that my musings on this matter were in fact correct. For last night’s episode of the show, ‘Primal Urges’, was laser focused on providing us with another quality character study, one that quite frankly, took us to some surprisingly unexpected places.
 
For while the premiere gave us a grand and sweeping character driven story, this episode narrowed its view and took us on a journey with Commander Bortus and well, it turns out the Commander was struggling with everyday life in this tale. Because we learned that his home life is a mess right now, to the point where Bortus made every effort to avoid being at home and the easiest way to make that happen, was to explore his sexual fantasies in the Environmental Simulator. Yet while this was both hilarious and awkward for the audience, since we were in fact, privy to Bortus’ fantasies in detail (allowing for us to bear witness to the Moclan equivalent of a bad romance novel), it was necessary to the story since it eased us into a plot point that was surprisingly deep and powerful. 
 
Because there was a genuine reason as to why the Commander was suddenly so obsessed with living in a world of sexual fantasies instead of spending time at home, and all of it related to the fact that he never got over what happened on Moclus when it comes to his child. In fact, he outright resented that Klyden didn’t fight harder to keep Topa female and that decision created quite the rift in their relationship and honestly, I didn’t see this plot twist coming. I truly thought this was going to be a story about addiction and the power and draw of that, but instead, this was a tale about a broken man, one whose heart was still in two pieces over how his mate didn’t fight harder for their family and a greater cause and that was definitely powerful and poignant because it allowed for a greater message to come forth.

In essence, the story put forth that we never quite know what kinds of decisions our loved ones will make when faced with a life changing crisis, and it is up to both parties in the relationship to discuss the matter and figure out a way forward once the dust has settled, and not doing that, was the grand mistake that Bortus and Klyden made. They barely discussed what happened on Moclus and the resentment grew silently between them and really, I love the fact that the episode explored this part of the human condition. It’s simply something that you don’t see examined in science fiction all that often, or in any genre for that matter and kudos to writer Wellesley Wild for putting together a story that dealt with some sensitive and powerful stuff and what was equally as impressive when it comes to this episode, is that it had plenty more to offer the audience.
 
Because outside of the Bortus/Klyden storyline, the crew had their hands full with a big-time rescue mission. For a planet that was being devoured by its sun, just so happened to have people living beneath its surface. Meaning it was a race against time to get them aboard the Orville and that push made for some intense and tear-jerking television, since John and Isaac had to work hard to combat a nasty virus that Bortus inadvertently uploaded, in order to save the ship from danger, and the people on the planet had to decide who from their doomed civilization would survive since they were out of time, and there simply wasn’t enough room on the rescue shuttle to save them all. And it was quite beautiful and heartbreaking to witness how one family’s sacrifice helped Bortus to realize that the past must remain in the past, and that it was imperative that he work with Klyden on their marriage, to ensure a sound future for his family.
 
When all is said and done however, I have to admit that I was quite impressed with how this episode blended together so many powerful elements over the course of the hour, seamlessly. Because everything worked perfectly in this tale. The jokes were flawless, the drama was on point, and I was on the edge of my seat during the finale and well, once again, this series simply delivered another incredible episode, and I do find it interesting that Commander Bortus has now provided this series with two emotionally loaded and poignant episodes and I really do love the fact that the show took the time to follow up on ‘About a Girl’ in this fashion. But alas, our super-sized dose of The Orville this week has come to its end, and we are back to only enjoying this magnificent saga once a week and once more, I’ll be counting down the minutes until next Thursday to see what storytelling wonders await us on this stunning series. 

It’s been quite the unique year when it comes to Doctor Who, because nothing about this series has resembled the old guard of the show with the Thirteenth Doctor at the helm of the TARDIS and quite frankly, that’s a good thing. Because this season of change has allowed for Jodie Whittaker to shine as the Doctor since her character has been taken to new heights this year and these adjustments have allowed for the writing to explore brave new frontiers and to me, all of the changes that have come about, have made this year, one of the finest the saga has ever offered and while a new Doctor and new direction for the series should have been enough for us to digest, the series had one more big surprise waiting for us under its proverbial sleeve.
 
After all, if there’s one thing that’s been a true staple of the modern era of the show, it’s the Christmas Special, something we Whovians love gathering around the T.V. for long after we’ve enjoyed a delicious dinner and unwrapped our presents. But this year, that special was pushed down the line to New Year’s Day, leaving me to wonder exactly what the series was planning because making this kind of a move had to mean that something bigger was on the horizon, the kind of story that needed to be free of the weight of Christmas and as it turns out, I was right since ‘Resolution’ delivered a tour de force story on ‘Who Year’s Day’, one that featured the return of an age old villain to the saga; the Daleks.
 
However, before we dig too deeply into their return, we need to take a moment and talk about something that is an important element of the holiday special, the fact that it always has a little bit of heart. For every single special that came before this one had a dash of holiday cheer or special moments with the characters and this particular tale was no exception to that since it featured a reunion between Ryan and his mostly absent father, Aaron, and well, this was quite the brilliant addition to the story. Because it served as a lovely break from the more terrifying moments involving our iconic villain, but also because it finally resolved a lot of lingering pain for Ryan.
 
Because Ryan finally had the opportunity to finally say what he needed to say to his dad regarding his excessive absence from Ryan’s life and he wasn’t the only one to hammer this point home and force Aaron to face his past and his mistakes since Graham made a go of it as well. And he was finally able to get Aaron to explain some of his reasoning for being absent from his family’s life and express his regret when it comes to how he’s handled his relationship with Ryan and it was just awesome to see the show take the time to focus on character growth in an episode that quite frankly made action and adventure and thrills and chills a greater focus, and all of that came courtesy of the Doctor’s greatest enemy. 

In fact, kudos to Chris Chibnall for writing a script that removed the goofy stigma that the Daleks have endured over the past few years because here…they were back to their terrifying selves, or self in this case. For in reality it was only one ancient Dalek on Earth, and it wanted nothing more than to complete its mission and satiate its bloodlust and it managed to accomplish the latter of those goals since this Dalek was murder happy, slaughtering people with impunity in this tale and what made this creature all the more terrifying, is how it turned out to be the most resourceful and intelligent and conniving Dalek of the modern era, outside of Davros that is, since it was able to scheme its way into surviving every bad thing that came its way and that matters, because this little punk’s resilience pushed the Doctor to make a tough decision.
 
If anything, how the Doctor dealt with this surprise Dalek is what made this episode so supremely worthwhile. Because let’s be honest, when it comes to the Doctor and the Daleks, leaving emotion at the door is nearly impossible for either side, especially the Doctor since she’s seen horrors untold when it comes to these squirmy schemers and the first thing that I really liked when it came to her having to face off against them once again, is how she was in essence on her own this time around since we came to discover that UNIT is no more, a plot point that I’m not sure how I feel about just yet, so that might be another blog for another time, so I digress.
 
Which circles us back to my point about the lack of help the Doc received in this tale, because it gave the new Doctor her greatest challenge to date and she handled it in magnificent fashion. She worked the clues and kept a level head when she discovered exactly what she was up against and it was chilling to see her face off with the Daleks for the first time, again. But what matters more about this standoff is that she stood toe to toe with her greatest foe and didn’t show an ounce of fear, something that honestly cannot be said of prior incarnations of the Doctor and well, it made her decision to put an end to this particular Dalek a sound one since she really did give the little guy every chance to stand down and see reason, but it refused to do so and it was either bid it farewell or see more innocent people perish.
 
If anything, it was refreshing and incredible to see the fierce side of the Doctor return, and while it may seem hypocritical of her to take a life when she’s preached preservation, it is obvious that this decision brings the Doctor’s journey this year to its logical conclusion since she is now the Doctor through and through, since the Doc, will do whatever it takes to preserve life. In the end however, I really enjoyed this New Year’s Day special. It was bold, and intense and terrifying from time to time since that Dalek was something else and I loved that the Doctor once again made it known that she’s the world’s greatest protector and at this point, I really cannot wait to see what adventures await us and Team TARDIS in 2020, and I will definitely be counting down the minutes until the Doctor returns. Until next year.