Without question.

Yep, there are some plot things to quibble with, but those are much less fundamental issues than those that Arrow and The Flash face.

To be fair, I’m not sure JMS is the right fit for Doctor Who. I suppose (1) the BBC doesn’t want to hire Americans and pay them with British taxpayer money, and (2) wants to retain a certain intangible ‘Britishness’ to it.

I think there are many good episodes in Season 6. Normal Again, Dead Things, and After Life, in particular, and throw in Tabula Rasa as well.

Yep, it felt like Adelaide was sacrificed just to teach the Doctor a lesson in hubris. Not to mention the fact that the Doctor altered history from the second he stepped on the Mars base, so the whole thing doesn’t stand up to any logic whatsoever, really. It still works as a character beat, but the Spooner resolution…

Yep, I disagree with Allison a bit in that I feel like Doctor Who can get away with it sometimes because it’s filled with so much death and destruction—Legends would never produce anything as bleak and miserable as Midnight or The Caves of Androzani—so the everybody lives stuff feels like a contrast to the darker side…

Yep, she’s been great. Going to miss her recaps.

They should totally hire her to replace Chibnall. Please, BBC.

Just watch the first two and the last three of this season!

Okay, let’s go through them then, why Not?

S5. But S5 also had Fool For Love, The Body, and The Gift. So it balances out a bit.

S4 has some of the best one-offs, peak Spike, and great characterization/development. But the stuff with Initiative/Adam is so gummed up and confused. Drags the whole thing down.

Oh yeah, Casino Royale is absolutely superb. Easily the best Bond film, and the only one where the two leads and the villain actually feel human. And the action sequences are just stunning as well.

On paper, it kinda sounds horrible and something that wouldn’t appeal to me at all, but in retrospect that’s only because of how many awful teen shows the US has produced in recent years. Dear God, remember 13 Reasons Why?

I came to it because someone recommended it when we were discussing other stuff Amy Acker had been in. I remember they said the show made much better use of her than the under-written Winifred Burkle (love Illyria), and they were absolutely right. Just wasn’t expecting how mind-blowingly great it ended up being.

Right. I agree with all of that. That’s why I’m fine with writers who put characterization and meta-fiction first, and handwave away the mysteries with super-power like deductions.

Not a hot take for me: Seasons 2 and 3 are definitely the best. You could make an argument for 5 as well, but 4, 6, and 7 all have some fairly glaring weaknesses.

Don’t forget about Colm.

Yeah, I get that criticism. At the same time, though, pretty much every Holmes adaptation (and the originals) have some crazy deductions no human could possibly do. Silly deductions and ridiculous solutions to mysteries that the audience could never have guessed are present in the original stories too.

It also presents the mythological version of Vader, rather than the one who actually exists.