Doctor Who Reactions: "The Church on Ruby Road" (SPOILERS)

[The Baron]

1. I gather that Davina McCall is a big deal in the U.K., even if she's not widely-known over here.
2. Likewise, Anita Dobson is a well-known soap opera actress over there, as well.
3. Ruby Sunday - another blonde from RTD. Hopefully she won't just be Rose Tyler 2.0.
4. "Intelligent gloves". OK.
5. Still going with the  "mavity" joke, I see.
6. "Coincidence is what makes the baby tasty. I'm not wild about the "magical thinking" that Big Russ has brought into the show.
7. The Goblin Song was amusing and catchy.
8. "I'm adopted." So they're keeping the "Timeless Child" stuff, I see. So far, at least.
9. "Maybe I'm the bad luck."
10. "When was Houdini?" (1874-1926)
11. "Never seen a TARDIS before I'ce already seen spoilers for who Mrs. Flood really is (I would've had to stay off-line for a year to avoid them), but I would discuss them nolw.

Overall:  This was an OK - but not great - episode. Gatwa is fine as the Doctor and Gibson is neither overwhelming nor terrible as Ruby.  The Goblinns were reasonably well-presented as heels.  In the end, this was niether the best nor the worst "first episode" for a Doctor.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Why "season one" and not the "fourteenth series"? I guess they learned the lesson of comic books that a "new number one" is likely to sell more. Also, it took seven discs for nine episodes? (Actually, the nine episodes were on the first five discs, but they could have easily fit on three.) 

Hopefully she won't just be Rose Tyler 2.0.

Oh, I don't think she is.

"Intelligent gloves". OK.

I think that's a neat idea, but his new screwdriver looks more like "sonic birth control pills."

This was an OK - but not great - episode.

Yeah, I've got to agree with you there. We watched it first run, then there was a months-long gap before the series proper started so we watched it a second time just to refresh it in our minds. This is our third time through and I, for one, am still not really all that imnpressed. (I don't know about Tracy.) If you're familiar with RTD (and I know you are), then you already know that things established in this episode will play out all the way through the end of season two. Things get better.

[The Baron]

Why "season one" and not the "fourteenth series"? 

For that matter, why not Series Forty?

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Well, yes, I was going to say something along the lines of, "I understand why RTD christened his first series 'one'," but this one is so obviously a continuation of what RTD started, and Steven Moffat and Chris Chibnall continued it's not even funny.