“Resolution” is the only new Doctor Who episode to be aired by BBC in 2019. Jodie Whittaker returns to the role as the Doctor alongside Bradley Walsh, Tosin Cole, and Mandip Gill. Head writer, Chris Chibnall, penned this episode and still has not gotten much better. This episode irritated me a little less than his previous installments in the painfully mediocre eleventh series of the revived version that started in 2005.
The Thirteenth Doctor faces a Dalek. That’s right…one bloody Dalek that has apparently been trapped on our fair planet since the ninth century. The Dalek managed to escape a destroyed casing after being revived and took over a poor woman forcing her to gather materials to build a new casing. I was pleased to see that Nicholas Briggs returned to voice the Dalek. I guess he still has a gig whenever the Daleks return.
There’s a couple of personal storylines in that the audience meets Ryan Sinclair’s estranged father, so some issues there get some resolution.
I have thought over recent years that Daleks could be overused, however their inclusion this time has become a necessity since the Doctor’s reaction to their presence should be familiar each time. Whittaker still hasn’t gotten me on board with any sort of enthusiasm with her version of the Doctor, however her having to face the Dalek helped a little. Chris Chibnall spent so much time trying to come up with new adversaries this past series and failing to come up with anything too engaging or memorable, it was a relief to see that he kept some familiarity with the Doctor’s most enduring enemies.
There were two other characters in this episode served as temporary companions making the TARDOS even more crowded. Walsh still services as the heart of the new crew as Graham O’Brien. He is surprisingly the best addition to this cast.
Chibnall still fails to impress me with his direction for the series, however this episode was a bit better than recent episodes. Whittaker had a couple of amusing moments, but she just needs better scripts for her Doctor.
I do enjoy the visual effects of the TARDIS traveling through the space/time vortex. The special effects overall were fine.
It appears that the next series is not due to be aired until early 2020. Hopefully, Chibnall starts to respect the long-time fans such as yours truly and look into putting some more elements that are more familiar to that segment of fandom.
“Resolution” isn’t great but not as obnoxious as some of the recent preceding episodes.
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