Doctor Who
Season 10, Episode 1 “The Pilot”
Directed by Lawrence Gough
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Peter Capaldi, Pearl Mackie, Matt Lucas, Stephanie Hyam
BBC America
Air date: April 15, 2017

At last, at last, Doctor Who returns to the airwaves regularly for the first time since December 2015! The long wait is over. We finally get to see Peter Capaldi kick off his last season playing the Doctor. We also start to find out what Steven Moffat has in store for his sixth and final tour through the Doctor Who universe. To top it off, we are introduced to new companion Bill Potts, played by Pearl Mackie. The result is fairly wonderful introduction to a textured new companion, told with a grace and charm that highlights the strengths of the show.

Doctor Who
Season 9, Episode 12 “Hell Bent”
Directed by Rachel Talalay
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Maisie Williams, Ken Bones, T’nia Miller, Clare Higgins
BBC America
Air date: December 5, 2015

This week, we find the Doctor back on Gallifrey, the home of Time Lords. It’s a place of many traps, both for the Doctor and for Doctor Who. There is the Doctor’s own, occasionally troubled relationship with his own people. There is the temptation to reveal too much about who the Doctor really is. There is frequently the desire to indulge in the worst kind of fan nostalgia by summoning up key words, faces, and objects from the past.

In this week’s episode, “Hell Bent,” I think the Doctor emerges relatively unscathed, but only after the showrunner Steven Moffat leads us through some abrupt and unconvincing turns that aim high but cater to the show’s worst storytelling tendencies.

On the latest episode of Doctor Who, freed from billions of years of imprisonment, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) finds that he must face the Prophecy of the Hybrid, and he knows he must face his destiny. Or does he have something else in mind?

During TARDISblend 97, we are joined by Andy Sorcini from Geeks Of Doom’s The Drill Down and discuss Episode 9.12 “Hell Bent,” the season 9 finale, and compare it to other finales from the television show. We also look into the implications of some of the revelations made in this episode, make some predictions for the future, and look forward to the upcoming Christmas Special.

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend podcast!

On Doctor Who Episode 9.11 “Heaven Sent,” after witnessing one of his worst nightmares, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) is teleported to a mysterious castle that seems to reconfigure and alter its passageways causing a disorienting labyrinth prison for the Time Lord. He begins to unwind the mystery of who put him here and why, only to find he must face more of his own fears and confessions.

During TARDISblend 96, we discuss the critically acclaimed episode with a phenomenal performance from Peter Capaldi – the good, the bad, and the several jaw-dropping revelations from the adventure. We also examine where our predictions were right and/or wrong!

All this and more on the latest TARDISblend podcast!

Doctor Who
Season 9, Episode 11 “Heaven Sent”
Directed by Rachel Talalay
Written by Steven Moffat
Starring Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman, Jami Reid-Quarrell
BBC America
Air date: Saturday, November 28, 2015

WARNING: SPOILERS for Season 9 of Doctor Who…

This week on Doctor Who, Episode 9.11 “Heaven Sent,” we are forced to consider the myths of Prometheus, the Greek Titan. In an episode featuring only three actors, the Doctor is trapped in a prison apparently designed to both punish and tantalize him. A method of escape apparently exists, but it comes at a horrible price. It is a beautifully atmospheric piece of Gothic horror with a clockwork castle, an amorphous death-like adversary, and plenty of chills that bite deeply enough to hit bone.