Worth noting that the "Lone Cyberman" design is Chibnall revisiting an earlier concept. The design here is very much how the "Cyberwoman" in Torchwood was supposed to look and sound, but he was over-ruled at the time by another Producer who went for the 'sexy' design.

I really enjoy how Yaz's back story and history has been slowly built up in the background. We've seen a lot of her insecurity, and in "the Witchfinders" she talks about how she was bullied at school and it made her life hell and she had to work past it, but it's only now we fully comprehend just how bad that was. Yaz is by far my favourite character, from performance, to the chemistry she has with The Doctor and I relate so much with her sense of loneliness and need to have a connection with someone but not being sure how to go about it.

Oh no! Been so hectic with Covid, sorting work and home schooling and I missed the start of this! After being anxiously waiting for it too!

This episode was so spot on and I loved so much of this... but going to catch up the reviews first!

Is there any way anyone might have downloads of Mark's videos left at all?

I get sad here because there's no more 13. This season has been a breath of fresh air. The casual misogyny of Steven Moffat and his messy writing is a thing of the post, and the Doctor is once again a scientist and explorer rather than a showboating superhero. It perhaps played things a little safe at times, in terms of stripping things back, but it was really needed. I really hope they build on this in all the right ways unlike, say, Season 6, which expanded all the weakest elements of Moff's debut and ended in a mess of narrative holes and distraction techniques.

Doctor Who is once more relevant, exciting, passionate and celebratory of life, with genuine characters and emotional journies. Long may it continue.

Spoilers for rest of the show:

V guvax F8 fhssrerq n ybg sebz orvat nabgure WZF svir-lrne-cyna gung tbg pnapryyrq. Gurl qvq jryy jvgu gur svanyr, ohg gurl ernyyl chg va yvxr gjb frnfbaf jbegu bs fgbevrf. V vzntvar na nyg-jbeyq jurer jr tbg gur shyy svir lrnef, naq V guvax gur cbyl eryngvbafuvc jbhyq unir pbzr bhg ornhgvshyyl, naq fur jbhyq unir unq fgebatre fgbelyvarf tbvat sbejneq. Ba gung fhowrpg, V guvax Juvfcref nf gurve cevfbare jbhyq unir gnxra hc n ybg bs frnfba guerr naq nz irel fnq jr arire tbg gung gbb.

znex fcbggrq gur fbyhgvba gb gur Jbystnat/Xnyn/Enwna jnl orsber V qvq. Boivbhfyl vg unccrarq cerggl snfg orpnhfr bs gur pnapryyngvba, ohg vg whfg ubg zr bhg bs abjrurer naq jnf cresrpg. BS PBHEFR Frafr 8 jbhyq frg hc n ybir gevnatyr naq unir n cbyl eryngvbafuvc nf gur fbyhgvba. V bayl erterg jr arire tbg gb frr vg cynl bhg anghenyyl npebff gur bevtvanyyl-cynaarq svir lrnef.

Now in retrospect I'd like to point out just How much Whispers and his lot are archetypal JMS, cut from the same mold of Psi-Corp and especially Bester. One of the first things I noted when first watching "Sense 8"!

I'd quickly point out, whilst the Doctor does say they exist on three planets, she does not say they are spacefaring and rather i think they are NOT. How they came to exist this way, we dom't know, but the episodepartly hinges on a bit of information not properly conveyed - that they have never met another living enitty outside their world.

For the record in response to Noybusiness, above, but keeping their wishes not to directly reply.

I don't think it's fair to actively engage in what I thought was a friendly debate, and in a final post refute points made but then say the other person should not respond. For my own peace of mind, I am taking the opportunity to post my thoughts here so they are on record.

Personally, I don't think nay new showrunner is beholden to what others have done. Doctor Who has run for over 50 years with 14 incarnations including the War Doctor. In that time, only really the past several years, under Moffat have made a big thing of psychic transference. Vensusian Aikido was used by the Third Doctor endlessly, yet not much after - though 13 has brought it back a bit. No one questioned that when the Doctor got attacked. This to me feels the same. I do not feel Hime, and I think it is disingenuous to him to suggest otherwise, was 'ignoring a fundamental part of the show and character - because it isn't, really. At most the 7th, 11th, and 12th have probably shown the most 'use'.

I did not feel it was a "plot turnaround" either, so much as The Doctor very quickly realising the Solitract was just too unstable, and was continuing to de-stabalise. It's a beautiful metaphor for loss, and the scene was perfect as it was. The whole thing was a metaphor for grief and loss, afterall. Of course, your mileage may vary, and may nt agree, which is why I said that. Free to disagree.

Anyway, I just wished to say my side and thoughts on the ending and the Doctor's 'abilities'.

The Donna aspect was more physic that transferring tons of memories. The headbutt of Craig was under Moffat. I didn't say RTD didn;'t do it at all, but a mental block is very different to transferring knowledge. And even then, there's still nothing to even say this could be possible with a chaotic Universe being.

As I say, just because Moffat used it so much, does not mean the new team are. it's prominence is a Moffat-ism. YMMY, of course. Still, i did not sit watching a beautiful scene and wonder why the Doctor didn't headbutt a frog.