Doctor Who

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Season 8
Season #: 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 346 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 232 out of 346
  2. Mixed: 55 out of 346
  3. Negative: 59 out of 346
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User Reviews

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  1. marc5477
    Nov 20, 2014
    5
    I really dont mind the new doctor nor Clara but the season itself was very boring. The tie ins were very iffy and not well developed to make them interesting, and the final episodes were simply not very smartly written. I think its time for new writers. I know that they have already gone through almost any common idea ever conceived but that is the case for every tv show new and old. TheI really dont mind the new doctor nor Clara but the season itself was very boring. The tie ins were very iffy and not well developed to make them interesting, and the final episodes were simply not very smartly written. I think its time for new writers. I know that they have already gone through almost any common idea ever conceived but that is the case for every tv show new and old. The key is to make the recycled story fun by making the character and their interaction fun or interesting. This season was just boring...… Expand
  2. AlfieTimewolf
    Oct 5, 2014
    4
    Just like when Matt took over, I was willing to give Peter Capaldi a chance to prove himself as the Doctor, bur so far all I've been is disappointed. Capaldi is an excellent actor, he was excellent as Caecilius in 'The Fires of Pompeii', as well as John Frobisher in season three of Torchwood, but his recent appearance as the space and time travelling Time lord has left nothing to beJust like when Matt took over, I was willing to give Peter Capaldi a chance to prove himself as the Doctor, bur so far all I've been is disappointed. Capaldi is an excellent actor, he was excellent as Caecilius in 'The Fires of Pompeii', as well as John Frobisher in season three of Torchwood, but his recent appearance as the space and time travelling Time lord has left nothing to be desired about.

    Deep Breath left me confused and unsatisfied, a little annoyed and definitely amused by the high pitched theme tune - in fact, I haven't /stopped/ laughing at the theme tune, it's just not right. Episode two was better, but I still didn't enjoy it. Robot of Sherwood (episode 3) has been the one I've liked the most, and it wasn't written by Steven Moffat.

    In regards to Sherlock, Moffat is an excellent writer. But now, watching series 8, I think he definitely needs to take a step back from being the head writer of Doctor Who. He's making show far too complicated now, and not even in the good way anymore.    … Expand
  3. caslo
    Sep 24, 2014
    4
    Having just watched S08E01 I am very disappointed with the integration of Clara with the new doctor. How can you take one of the most entertaining companions ever and stick her in such a sad vehicle. Jenna Coleman is brilliant in the part yet almost everything else begs for her to find a way to break her contract.
    On a side note: If you didn't know that Madame Vastra was "married" to the    Having just watched S08E01 I am very disappointed with the integration of Clara with the new doctor. How can you take one of the most entertaining companions ever and stick her in such a sad vehicle. Jenna Coleman is brilliant in the part yet almost everything else begs for her to find a way to break her contract.
    On a side note: If you didn't know that Madame Vastra was "married" to the female character Jenny you will get plenty of that... Get rid of the LGBT cultural advisor and hire a writer for God's sake.    … Expand
  4. analogkid280
    Aug 26, 2014
    4
    The new doctor is excellent. Being a Pertwee and later fan I am so happy to see a return to real classic style episodes, and with dinosaurs! That being said it looked like this script was written on the back of a sugar cereal box by kindergarteners. All characters other than the Doctor where cookie cutter stagnant and not persistent with how we have gotten to know them in the past coupleThe new doctor is excellent. Being a Pertwee and later fan I am so happy to see a return to real classic style episodes, and with dinosaurs! That being said it looked like this script was written on the back of a sugar cereal box by kindergarteners. All characters other than the Doctor where cookie cutter stagnant and not persistent with how we have gotten to know them in the past couple of seasons. Even a good set of clever one liners and references could not save this jumbled mess. Also yes, we know they are lesbians! Please stop telling us that. What is this 2004 or what? It was like being stuck in a hipster public service announcement playing in loop mode. Am I the only one that thought that the cyborg guy looked like Leslie Nielsen's brother?… Expand
  5. Oddacity
    Oct 25, 2014
    4
    I know that Peter Capaldi could be an amazing Doctor. I know because I've seen it. "Time Heist" had a distinct flavor of excellent Doctor Who writing in which Capaldi flourished and really felt like the Doctor and he did it with his own style. In "Mummy on the Orient Express" it was classic whovian wonder and suspense and Capaldi really shined in the episode. All the others were soI know that Peter Capaldi could be an amazing Doctor. I know because I've seen it. "Time Heist" had a distinct flavor of excellent Doctor Who writing in which Capaldi flourished and really felt like the Doctor and he did it with his own style. In "Mummy on the Orient Express" it was classic whovian wonder and suspense and Capaldi really shined in the episode. All the others were so disappointing, especially after waiting so long for this new series. I really think Moffat has lost touch with what makes good episodes. That thing, that X factor, is ultimately always allowing the Doctor to flourish. I think that this season should have focused on the Doctor far more and, though it's not over, I say it's too late to build up a Doctor that will be so beloved as to stand the test of time as a whovian favorite. It could have happened, but it didn't. I say it's on Moffat.… Expand
  6. tvnewsguido
    Aug 24, 2014
    6
    The pilot's plot was dumb (not as dumb as some of the Season 6 stuff but still D U M B).

    Peter Capaldi was interesting to watch as always.

    I fear for the future of this show.
  7. killergranny100
    Jan 4, 2015
    4
    For every good episode we got, we got 3 or 4 average or terrible episode. Worst series by far. Plus what the hell was up with that forest episode? It was like something you would find on CBBC. Anyways i like peter capaldi as an actor, but i don't think he's the doctor we were expecting. I think it would have been fun if he were more like emmet brown out of back to the future, instead ofFor every good episode we got, we got 3 or 4 average or terrible episode. Worst series by far. Plus what the hell was up with that forest episode? It was like something you would find on CBBC. Anyways i like peter capaldi as an actor, but i don't think he's the doctor we were expecting. I think it would have been fun if he were more like emmet brown out of back to the future, instead of the cold, mean and just bad attitude doctor we got. Adding insult to injury the scripts were god awful!… Expand
  8. awesomefastguy
    Aug 24, 2014
    6
    Peter Capaldi joined Doctor Who too late. Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were two original Doctors which they acted well at and were given a good script and plot. Unfortunately, when Russell T Davies left, the show became a mess. Steven Moffat has lowered the target audience and evidently try to manipulate a program that children used to watch with their parents to a programPeter Capaldi joined Doctor Who too late. Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant were two original Doctors which they acted well at and were given a good script and plot. Unfortunately, when Russell T Davies left, the show became a mess. Steven Moffat has lowered the target audience and evidently try to manipulate a program that children used to watch with their parents to a program aimed solely at young children. The scariness is gone from a show that used to be terrifying and is now filled to the brim with silly comedic lines and over-complicated plots that people stop caring about within minutes with are forced to bare through it for at least one year. The latest Doctor was a breath of fresh air, and he is definitely a brilliant Doctor. It's just a shame he joined Doctor Who when it had already been ruined.
    This episode was actually better than I expected, but his assistant is still as irritating as ever and the pitiful and pointless 'jokes' still don't work. I think that Peter Capaldi was brilliant, but I won't be watching any more (new) episodes of this show for a very long time...    … Expand
  9. F0SSILGUY
    Sep 12, 2014
    4
    I'm a fan of Dr. Who, at least the new series, but the new Doctor definitely disappoints. I was quite interested in how it would work having Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, but the character retains very little of the restrained insanity that Christopher Eccleston through Matt Smith provided, and that gave the Doctor his charm. Peter Capaldi is a good actor, and I thought he'd make a goodI'm a fan of Dr. Who, at least the new series, but the new Doctor definitely disappoints. I was quite interested in how it would work having Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, but the character retains very little of the restrained insanity that Christopher Eccleston through Matt Smith provided, and that gave the Doctor his charm. Peter Capaldi is a good actor, and I thought he'd make a good Doctor, but an actor is only as good as his script, and in the first three episodes the scripts have been real stinkers. The Doctor has lost all his charm, he's just annoying. Clara, who was in my opinion the best companion of the new series, has become irrelevant, since her connection with the Doctor has become almost nonexistent. The worst episode was number 2. 1 and 3 weren't terrible, but they also weren't really very good. Maybe someone can turn the Doctor back into the Doctor, and get the story back on track. Yes, I know the Doctor's personality changes with every regeneration, but the Doctor is always the Doctor. The weird quirkiness that makes him instantly recognizable even with a new face and a new personality is entirely missing in the new Doctor, and they really need it back.… Expand
  10. AchedTeacher
    Oct 29, 2014
    4
    Solid "meh" all around. The Doctor seems to have no drive at all, and some of the cast is really annoying. The kids, mostly.

    The Doctor seems to be... sort of a scientist this incarnation but then the showrunners seem to do research on sciency things. They had him reference the Fibonacci sequence as if it's some scientist's know-it-all, some quantum mechanics but it's not. This    Solid "meh" all around. The Doctor seems to have no drive at all, and some of the cast is really annoying. The kids, mostly.

    The Doctor seems to be... sort of a scientist this incarnation but then the showrunners seem to do research on sciency things. They had him reference the Fibonacci sequence as if it's some scientist's know-it-all, some quantum mechanics but it's not.

    This Doctor seems not human like Tennant and not goofy like Smith and not particularly smarter than your average college professor.    … Expand
  11. Skayt26
    Nov 17, 2014
    5
    Peter Capaldi plays a very good Doctor ; i like it.
    Clara is more interessant than in the season 7.
    Several very good surprises... and several deception too (unfortunately)
    I like and I dislike.
    I expected so much more
  12. Volupian
    Nov 18, 2014
    4
    Probably the worst season since the modern reboot. Sorry, as much as I love Capaldi in other things - he is not a great Doctor. All the Doctors (modern) have had, underneath, that crucial layer of sadness and pathos. The weariness of all that he has seen and done. And Capaldi does not capture that. The moment that Clara 'betrays' him and then asks him why he isn't mad - why he isProbably the worst season since the modern reboot. Sorry, as much as I love Capaldi in other things - he is not a great Doctor. All the Doctors (modern) have had, underneath, that crucial layer of sadness and pathos. The weariness of all that he has seen and done. And Capaldi does not capture that. The moment that Clara 'betrays' him and then asks him why he isn't mad - why he is helping her exemplifies this. He doesn't respond with anything like the sort of layered emotional response that we are used to from previous Docs. And for all the talk about him being a darker, more menacing Doctor... I didn't see it. All the potential darkness promised by a set of stern eyes covered by severe brows dwindled with their most obvious grooming as the series went on. By the last episode, Mr Capaldi's brows were really quite ordinary - plucked and trimmed into docile submission.
    Beyond Capaldi, you then have to address the bad writing of this series as well. It was all so.... boring, so filled with Clara Clara Clara. I honestly did think they had to be going in the direction of making Clara the next Doctor somehow - because it was the only way I could explain this obsession with focusing on her. Everything seemed to be leading it to it as well .. all the moments when Clara had to be or act like the Doctor. Perhaps it's all still going there... who knows? But there was no real meat underneath any of the stories this time. They attempted to inject some with the last episode and the question of whether the Doctor was a good man - was he a man that required and desired an army; is he very similar to the Master after all? But they totally bottled out of that question and didn't even bother to answer.
    I did enjoy the potential hand-wringer reaction to those last episodes though. Injecting the idea of knowing you get burned up in a crematorium after you die was perfectly villainous in what is largely considered still to be kiddie-fare. Now THAT was dark.    … Expand
  13. Rafhael
    Nov 26, 2014
    6
    Note: this review is being written after the season finale. I voted 06 because is Doctor Who, and yes we have great episodes here, but talking about Doctor Who, the minimum score acceptable is 8.5/9.0, so we had a bad season this year...

    Peter Capaldi work well, he has a different point of view and it's good for the evolution of the Doctor. But some bad episodes (too bad, by the way!!),    Note: this review is being written after the season finale. I voted 06 because is Doctor Who, and yes we have great episodes here, but talking about Doctor Who, the minimum score acceptable is 8.5/9.0, so we had a bad season this year...

    Peter Capaldi work well, he has a different point of view and it's good for the evolution of the Doctor. But some bad episodes (too bad, by the way!!), bad performance of Pink, less links with other seasons screwed up everything on the whole season.

    In season 07 we see more than "friendship" in the relation of Clara and the last Doctor, to fix it (because of the age of the actors, i thing) they make a fast, empty and boring relation with Clara and Pink, Samuel Anderson work pretty bad in the whole season, maybe fault of the script/character writing. Is not why is Doctor Who we don't need to have sense in some things and explanations...

    Stay with Capaldi, he's really good, more serious and experienced, put more "history" on the next season and a better companion, make a good point and a good work writing something good and with good explanations to get to the season finale! And please, not screw up something to fix another!    … Expand
  14. KadeSmash85
    Mar 26, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. So there were certainly moments in season 8 that I absolutely loved, such as some of the cheeky humor in part of the 12th Doctor and even some of the emotions you see in Clara dealing with this freshly new regenerated Doctor... My favorite like had to be "I will slap you so hard you will regenerate." When she got absolutely livid with the Doctor in Kill the Moon. But those moments were so... far and few between it was hard to know how I felt about the new season. The magic and playfulness from the previous seven seasons just didn't feel like it existed and the Robots of Sharewood episode just stuck out like a sore thumb and seemed unbelievable; even at the end of the episode when it revealed Robin Hood was in fact a real person of history (I still feel like he isn't by the end of that episode). The dark themes, the struggle with the concept of life and death especially just felt more like a confusing mess and turn off than something I was interested in. Danny Pink's death was fairly predictable and while I felt for Clara's emotions at losing Danny I personally didn't feel like I was losing anything with his death. All I felt in the matter was a tad bit of sympathy for Clara, and that was about it. Speaking of Clara, that was another issue I took.... Clara seemed more straight forward and blunt, and you certainly see that here and there in the new series, and while I love when a character is fleshed out.... All the lying was like... What are you doing, Clara? When did you become such a liar? I didn't like it... And while she was an emotional wreck over Danny's death I just couldn't BELIEVE she was willing to destroy the Tardis keys and force the Doctor into bringing Danny back from the dead by rewriting history.... I also couldn't believe that The Doctor was not absolutely livid with her for it. Any other Doctor would have told her to leave. To leave and never come back. To just flat out go. But he didn't even seem remotely upset over it and that just ruined the tension I felt over the whole thing when she was tossing the Tardis keys into the lava... End of this long winded bla... I don't know how to feel over this season. It seemed so... out of place... Just a sore thumb sticking out compared to the previous 7 seasons of the New Who. I sincerely hope season 9 will make an attempt to return to the awe inspiring magical feeling you get from Doctor Who. That playfulness, the timey wimey bits. This season felt... like a really bad let down. There were parts I loved it.. parts where I wondered what had happened to the show. But maybe it's because Capaldi is the new Doctor and we're still getting used to him.. I don't know. I didn't know how to feel about Matt Smith in my Netflix binge to watch all of the New Who at first but ended up loving him in the end. So maybe it'll be the same for Capaldi's take on the Doctor.… Expand
  15. jsakman
    Sep 18, 2015
    4
    Here we are almost time for the new season. I have to say I hope it is much better than last season. I gave Capaldi the best try I could but he just is not doing it for me. Maybe it is the scripts but he just an unlikable character that you really have a hard time caring about. Not to mention a hard time understanding. Contrary to many I think Clara is a great companion and adds the onlyHere we are almost time for the new season. I have to say I hope it is much better than last season. I gave Capaldi the best try I could but he just is not doing it for me. Maybe it is the scripts but he just an unlikable character that you really have a hard time caring about. Not to mention a hard time understanding. Contrary to many I think Clara is a great companion and adds the only highlight to the show there is. She is witty and feisty and provides some human character to the show. I do think the Danny Pink story line was a really bad addition.
    So here is hoping we have a better season that we can care about and enjoy. Maybe the writers cn work some magic.    … Expand
  16. TimW001
    Dec 24, 2015
    4
    This is certainly the weakest season of NoWho. The writers seemed to be unsure what they were trying to do with Capaldi, they were still figuring out what kind of Doctor he is. The season felt very aimless, like we were heading no where. Missy was a great villain but with a lame story and a lamer solution. The entire love story of Pink and Clara was utter trash. I wasn not convinced eitherThis is certainly the weakest season of NoWho. The writers seemed to be unsure what they were trying to do with Capaldi, they were still figuring out what kind of Doctor he is. The season felt very aimless, like we were heading no where. Missy was a great villain but with a lame story and a lamer solution. The entire love story of Pink and Clara was utter trash. I wasn not convinced either character could be loved, least of all by viewers.
    Many episodes felt bland with no interesting solutions or characters. Just a very average season.    … Expand
  17. xxxboilozxxx
    May 21, 2017
    6
    not bad the series was okay the doctor was brilliant Clara's character was executed poorly she was done decently being a mystery in this season it was like they couldn't bother with character development on her and he acting like a moaning 6 year old to the newly regenerated doctor.
  18. AllanBarbosa
    Aug 22, 2017
    5
    After the wonderful trilogy of Doctor Matt Smith (5th - 6th - 7th season), Peter Capaldi replaces him, being his first show as Doctor, in a tedious and not fun 8th season - that neither (in the 1st EPISODE) Steven Moffat as writer - presented an unbalanced debut episode. A very disappointing direction and script from the 1st episode to the 10th, and an end-of-plot solution argued for loveAfter the wonderful trilogy of Doctor Matt Smith (5th - 6th - 7th season), Peter Capaldi replaces him, being his first show as Doctor, in a tedious and not fun 8th season - that neither (in the 1st EPISODE) Steven Moffat as writer - presented an unbalanced debut episode. A very disappointing direction and script from the 1st episode to the 10th, and an end-of-plot solution argued for love made in such a way that it looks like you're watching a children's series. However, she saves herself from not having a negative rating because of the perfomance of Jenna Coleman (as Clara) and Steven Moffat's script and the Rachel Talalay's direction in episodes 11-12 and the final plot-twist of the last episode that really are the best things of this boring season. But that does not even come close to the brightness of last season.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best TV Season of 2014
15
#15 Most Discussed TV Season of 2014
72
#72 Most Shared TV Season of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Under The Radar
    Reviewed by: Cody Ray Shafer
    Aug 26, 2014
    70
    The story serves as little more than set pieces to the real conflict here, which is Clara's relationship with The Doctor.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Aug 25, 2014
    80
    For a program known for its harum-scarum pace and keep-up-or-shut-up iconography, the Season 8 Saturday premiere of BBC America's Doctor Who opens slowly--even with the T. rex--and radiates a newly modern self-consciousness, albeit dressed in Victorian garb.
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  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    Aug 22, 2014
    70
    Capaldi's Doctor is not just older but looks to be drier in his humor, more reticent, more coldblooded and dangerous. From a critic’s point of view, that’s interesting and potentially an improvement.... In other ways, the season premiere is a bit of a space holder, a middling story that’s concerned mainly with introducing Mr. Capaldi and establishing the relationship between the new Doctor and his sidekick, Clara.
    Read full review
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