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3.1 – Orbis by Alan Barnes and Nicholas Briggs
Orbis kicks off series 3 of the 8DAs and it’s…ok. Weirdly, it carries on directly from Vengeance of Morbius from series 2 but also feels pretty different. Sheridan Smith is as charismatic as ever as Lucie Miller and she’s probably the best part of this story. McGann feels a bit dull in this one sadly. My two big problems with Orbis are that it feels a bit rushed (the Doctor’s been on Orbis for 300 years but then Lucie shows up within 10 minutes of the start of the story) and also overly violent. I just don’t think this one works particularly well.
6/10
3.2 – Hothouse by Jonathan Morris
And this one was even worse! Hothouse is just dull. Very stock characters. You’ve got the weird assistant lady (like Edna in The Incredibles) and a morally corrupt environmentalist villain. Yawn. This is my first Krynoid story and they’re rather bland here unfortunately. 8 and Lucie’s chemistry is really the only thing holding these stories together it seems…
5/10
3.3 The Beast of Orlok by Barnaby Edwards
The Beast of Orlok started off really well, with a tense mystery and intrigue and really solid side characters (Miriam Margoyles and Samuel Barnett!), but sadly in its second half it devolved into a bland and generic monster run-around that I found immediately forgettable (literally).
6/10
3.4 Wirrn Dawn by Nicholas Briggs
I think there are some interesting things in Wirrn Dawn but overall I did not have a fun time with this one. The side characters are again quite generic, especially Salway, who’s the “guy acts tough and abrasive to make people see him as not scared” archetype exactly and he’s just so boring. The actual plot is structured quite weirdly, and it made the story a bit confusing at times, but I didn’t mind it overall. There’s an annoying amount of torture though which I’m not really a fan of in Doctor Who. The Doctor also has a really strange take on the morality of the situation at the end. Overall, this is really quite messy. Not a fan.
5/10
3.5 The Scapegoat by Pat Mills
The Scapegoat was pretty fun. The first half especially was absolutely insane, with bonkers humour combined with goat aliens making for a wonderful time. The second half was a bit weaker but still quite good, and the whole vibe and tone of the story is just really fun. This story is just a good time.
7/10
3.6 The Cannibalists by Jonathan Morris
The Cannibalists is a fun little story with a side cast fully composed of quirky robots. I don’t really have much to say about this except that it’s just a lot of fun. I’m not sure I’d quite give it an 8 but it’s definitely the best of series 3 so far. Servo is a lovely little character with surprising emotion behind him. The Cannibalists is just a very fun romp.
7/10
3.7 The Eight Truths by Eddie Robson
The Eight Truths is another solid episode that sees the return of Karen (now played by comedian Kerry Godliman!) and The Headhunter. There’s a lot that I really like about this one: the riffing on cults and MLMs, Lucie’s role in the proceedings and the side characters, but I don’t know, there’s just something missing here. The plot is entertaining and fun, but I think it has a similar problem to the rest of the 8DAs, it’s just not very immersive. The sound design and atmosphere is barely there and the music is incredibly forgettable, resulting in the script being the key to the story, and yes it is good, but it’s not a favourite (also the cover spoils everything) Still, this is a strong 7, maybe an 8 at a push.
7/10
3.8 Worldwide Web by Eddie Robson
Worldwide Web is a strong conclusion to series 3, and actually my favourite episode of the lot! Carrying on from The Eight Truths, The Eight Legs have seemingly taken over the world as their plan draws ever closer to completion. There’s a lot that’s really cool about this episode, particularly the motivations and plans of the villains, as well as Sheridan Smith as Lucie giving a really great performance. The side characters also continue to be entertaining, I really liked Sanheev Bhaskar’s Dr Avishka, a very helpful scientist whose chance encounter with the Doctor gave him the opportunity to prove himself, and seemingly changes the course of his life. I wasn’t particularly impressed with The Headhunter this time around, and the end of her story was fairly disappointing to me. Still, this is a great finale.
8/10
Overall, series 3 was incredibly disappointing, and there’s only a few stories I’d bother revisiting here. The majority of this is skippable.