Well, here we go again.
As the Chris Chibnall era lurches to it's demise, we have a new special to partake and going into this, I was filled with trepidation.
Of course, "trepidation" is the standard default mode going into any episode of Doctor Who during Chibnall's time as showrunner and head writer.
The last special, "Eve of the Daleks" dared to actually be good.
Of course, the preceding "Flux" event swung wildly and missed way more than it hit.
Going into "Legend of the Sea Devils", I did have my hopes up a bit. The promos showed us what looked to be a rather lavish production with some promise of high adventure and some humor.
Really, Dan's pirate costume that Yaz has him wear?
Promises, promises. But what would we actually get?
After the break, we'll find out.
THE LEGEND OF THE SEA DEVILS
by Ella Road and Chris Chibnall
True to form, the TARDIS has not landed where the Doctor wanted to go but to where they appear to be needed.
In 1807, a Sea Devil is running a murderous rampage through a Chinese village after be accidentally unleashed by pirate queen Madame Ching.
The Sea Devil escapes on a flying pirate ship.
There's also a massively large underwater prehistoric monster with way too many teeth.
Buckles are swashed with characters swinging in on ropes (with the Doctor calling out "Geronimo!") and sword fights.
The Sea Devils are on a quest to obtain an arcane treasure that will serve as a power source for a machine that will make the Earth exclusively habitable for Sea Devils and not for any one else.
All in all, this special is self contained adventure that may not elevate the Sea Devils standing in the Doctor Who universe of monsters but it doesn't embarrass them either. Their design is faithful to the original look of the Sea Devils from their debut serial with Jon Pertwee back in 1970 but with some modern tweaks such as eyes that blink.
Probably the line of the episode comes when the Doctor and Yaz materialize under the ocean looking for ship wreck. You know those sequences where the Doctor throws open the doors to the TARDIS to show off to the companion they are in space? It's like that but under the ocean.
But the Doctor notices something is missing that Yaz hasn't picked up on yet. And the Doctor says, "No ship, Sherlock!"
Now if you think that "no ship" is a meta reference repudiating the "Thasmin" ship, well guess what?
That ship is put out on the water and taken out for a spin.
It is the Doctor who initiates the chat with Yasmin.
The Doctor says Yaz is “one of the greatest people I’ve ever known” and that includes "my wife". The Doctor gives Yaz the old "I would if I could but I can't" blow off speech.
“I wish this would go on for ever,” the Doctor says, skipping a wishing stone at the end of the episode across the ocean waves. It's a sad, sweet poignant moment.
It's the most noteworthy scene in the special that is not particularly noteworthy. Filled with lots of ideas full of potential, "The Legend of the Sea Devils" manages to do like most episodes of the Chibnall era to squander that potential.
It is not a bad episode. But it could have been so much more
Craig Els who played Dan’s disgruntled but adorable Lupari protector Karvanista in "Flux" is back as the Chief Sea Devil.
At just 47 minutes long, "Legend of the Sea Devils" is the shortest episode billed as a “special” since the show was revived in 2005.
After the special, we got some brief glimpses at the next and final special with Cybermen, the Master (Sacha Dhawan)… and yes, the return of Ace (Sophie Aldred) and Tegan (Janet Fielding).
Cool! Classic series companions!
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