Doctor Who Series 10, Episode 6 Review - Extremis

What did you think of this episode?

• Sonic!
• Good!
• Bumpy-wumpy!
• Exterminate!

I was starting to thing I might have over hyped series 10 in my head, until I rewatched this and Oxygen that is. Two absolute bangers, one after the other. I should have more faith.

I am not saying I haven't liked the other episodes, they just felt more standard Doctor Who fare when compared to series 9, which has massively shot up in my estimation.

"There is an ancient text, buried deep in the most secret of the Vatican libraries. Text older than the church itself. The language of this text is lost to us. But thanks to the work of an early Christian sect, the title has survived."

Extremis is such a good episode of Doctor Who. It is bold, experimental, it felt completely different to what we have had before. I bloody love it! From the opening moments of the Doctor receiving an email marked only 'Extremis' I knew this was going to be some good shit. Throw in the Pope, the chilling Vatican setting, and the creepy AF Monks and it is an episode that feels different, and that is before we even get to the GTA and Super Mario stuff.

The Vatican scenes are superb. They are dark, atmospheric, and full of mystery. There is something about an Italian accent that makes you sit up and listen as well. That might just be me! There’s something unsettling about the Doctor being summoned to investigate a book that drives everyone who reads it to suicide, and the way the episode plays it, you’re never quite sure what’s going on. The Pope showing up in Bill’s house is one of those perfectly absurd moments of Doctor Who camp that makes you grin (even more so when you realise the actor was last seen in Doctor Who being carted off to a concentration camp), but it doesn’t undercut the tension, if anything, it highlights how bizarre and unpredictable this episode feels.

Concentration camps and suicide! Why do I watch this show again?!

"Nothing secret about it, baby doll."

And then there’s Missy. Get in! Having her back is always a thrill, and those scenes at the execution site are so fun! Michelle Gomez is as bonkers as always, effortlessly balancing comedy, menace, and vulnerability. I enjoyed this story playing out through the episode, cutting in from scenes in the Vatican.

@BBC

The Monks make their first proper appearance here, and they’re creepy in the best way. Their design is unsettling, their stillness terrifying, and they have a few moments that really made me jump! I don't think it pans out all that well in the end, but the Monks are a villain that could be fun to have back again at some point.

"I know it doesn’t. I know I’m going to die. I have to say it. The truth. Without hope. Without witness. Without reward. I am your friend."

But what really sells Extremis is the concept: the Doctor, Bill and Nardole gradually discovering that everything around them is just a computer game simulation designed by the Monks to practice their invasion of Earth. It’s such a left-field idea, and the way it unfolds is genius. When I watched this first time around I remember the excitement I felt at something so completely different playing out. The test with the numbers on the screen, the way people realise they aren’t real and the only way out is death - it’s so good. And yet it all builds to something so clever. The Doctor in the simulation sending the real Doctor an email, passing the knowledge forward. It’s one of the most inventive twists of the whole Capaldi era.

Nardole deserves a shout here too. He’s brilliant in this episode, he isn't just comic relief anymore!

Extremis is clever, creepy, experimental, and is Steven Moffat full of confidence. It takes risks, plays with format, and still manages to give us plenty of Doctor Who charm and camp in the process. For me, it’s one of the highlights of Series 10 and a perfect example of the kind of bold, intelligent storytelling the show can pull off at its best.

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The Pyramid at the End of the World Review

What did you think of Extremis? Let me know in the comments below.

RATING: Sonic!

BEST LINE: Something’s coming, Bill. Something very big and possibly very bad. and I have the feeling that we’re going to be very busy.

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