All of my thoughts have been summed up here by everyone else, but both my mother and I loved “The Story and the Engine” and cheered when the Fugitive Doctor appeared on screen (I didn’t see those leaks).
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Hmm…I’m not sure if is in my top favorites or not. Right now I’m leaning towards being around the same as the Robot Revolution but a bit better. TRR is my least favorite episode while still liking it.
I love the fact that’s it’s an Africa story. The Fugitive Doctor cameo got leaked for me on YouTube which I couldn’t avoid. Going into it I thought she would play a bigger role but once I learned that it was a cameo I wasn’t as bothered but I do wish I went in blind. That was still great, btw.
The plot is interesting and I liked the way the stories came to life. The intro was awesome. The Barber is great and so is Abby. I’m glad that the spider was a mech otherwise I would’ve hated that.
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As others have said. It felt like he had been summoned purely to replace Omo. & I think the Doctor sees the barber shop as a place of safety rather than a place where he has any adventures or adversaries to face. That safe space had been turned into something else.
But ultimately this is a story about forgiveness. The barber is forgiven at the end & Omo & the Doctor say sorry to each other.
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I wonder if this will make a good story to introduce someone to Doctor Who 
I doubt it because of all the callbacks and references!!
But I told my friend to watch it, as he is a barber and a PoC and I think he will appreciate it, just hope he isn’t too confused as he hasn’t seen any Doctor Who since the Tennant years 
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My casual viewer mate and his partner thought it was “really bad” so now I’m going to have to trap them in a barber shop forever /j
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I’m maybe just thinking that if this place is that important to the Doctor he would stumble in at some point anyway and would probably wonder why Omo hadn’t tried to get the Doctor there somehow. But that is not the story being told, and I get what you are saying about Omo being selfish here.
I just don’t think the Doctor’s reaction fits with the image of Gatwa’s Doctor I have gotten over the last couple of years. But I’ll keep you and @shauny 's point of view in mind when I rewatch this Friday 
Still don’t get what the Barber cutting off his own hair was for/meant to symbolise…
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Was it because it’s the cutting of the hair while telling a story that powers the engine? So when he was speaking his story, he cut his own hair?
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That could be it. But didn’t they said it was linked to the clippers somehow? But then Gatwa getting his hair braided shouldn’t have an effect either… Maybe I shouldn’t wait all the way until Friday to rewatch, I have questions 
The visuals and atmosphere of this story is absolutely gorgeous I don’t want to sound like I didn’t enjoy the story here. It’s 5 for 5 for me this season - it’s so good 
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The hair cutting. I dunno. Tbh I was just caught up in the story & it was a cool visual. Somehow to me it felt like quite a defiant act. The one who normally cuts other people’s hair cutting their own.
With any episode of Doctor Who or TV show/film in general if I’m caught up in the story I rarely have a lot of questions or see inconsistencies, plot holes etc.
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This. EXACTLY this! The ‘truth’ of any televised story lies in the intersection between authorial intent, actor performance and cinematographic presentation, with a hefty helping hand from how it lands with the viewer. Key to my interpretation is the way Ariyon Bakare sells that scene. Such intensity. Pure defiance. Moreover, the direction absolutely leans into this portrayal.
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Story and The Engine overnights are 1.60m
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I enjoyed this one a lot. It didn’t quite have the tension of the stories that immediately preceded it, but it looked gorgeous and we got a wonderful acting masterclass from Ncuti and the guest cast. I liked the compulsion to tell stories conceit. It was almost Doctor Who does Arabian Nights, but it was so beautifully done. I found myself really caught up in it and I loved the cameos from previous doctors. Lovely. 8/10.
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I watched this late last night and still haven’t gone through this thread, so excuse me if I bring up any points already discussed above.
I really enjoyed it, but I feel this is a difficult episode to pin down. What I enjoyed the most was that Inua Ellams’ voice clearly shone through. This one looks and feels quite unlike any story we’ve had before. It’s bold, atmospheric, and deeply original.
I can’t say I fully understood the entire plot upon first viewing, so a rewatch is definitely in order. But I enjoyed the way storytelling and mythology were woven into the plot. Oh, and the way the prelude tied into this. And the Doctor is talking about being Black and how the barbershop is his new safe haven.
Belinda was a bit sidelined, but the stuff she got was really good. Loved Omo and the Barber. The latter especially was a superb performance.
So I had seen the leaks suggesting the return of Fugitive and so wasn’t surprised to see her. But I was delighted! Also, the talk of all those gods the Doctor had met previously was interesting. I quite like the route they took, that the Barber wasn’t part of the Pantheon, rather serving them. The big mechanical spider felt a bit like an afterthought, though; there wasn’t a lot of point to it.
I also don’t quite know if we’re supposed to read something into the Doctor having met Anansi and her daughter featured here previously. It feels like an untold story that waits to be told.
I loved the visual of the stories being projected in the shop window.
And Gatwa was magical, especially when he was furious with Omo for seemingly betraying his trust.
A really different, refreshing episode! I’m excited for next week and my most anticipated episode of the season, but I’m also slightly nervous because every single leak I’ve come across has come true so far, and I wish I hadn’t seen the ones for the remaining episodes…
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Sure! I’m just wondering if we’re meant to believe he noticed Mrs Flood or not. The text suggests not, since he doesn’t comment on it, but we don’t see any reaction.
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Personally I didn’t see the gods here as part of RTDs pantheon idea. Apart from Sutekh from what I can recall all the pantheon gods are original creations, maybe inspired by mythological dieties but not them directly - The Toymaker, Maestro for example are more broad representations of god-like beings rather than direct representations of specific gods from mythology.
Also if they were part of the pantheon I would have expected a more dramatic reaction/discussion of them from 15.
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I interpret this as ‘not’. He wasn’t there and is recounting what Belinda has told him. Mrs Flood is never seen directly by him but peripheral to so much stuff that has happened around him since The Chuch on Ruby Road onwards, but I believe seeded back in the 60th specials. He might recognise her if he met her face-to-face (guess we’ll see in the finale) but not via her physical form.
Oh, but it’s all coming to a head!
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I adore this episode so much but freely admit it makes few to no concessions for casual viewers. I’m so glad this exists, but it could never be a season starter or finale episode for precisely this reason.
I cannot express how happy I am that we are getting episodes as creative and downright strange and unconventional as The Story & the Engine and Lux, whilst also delivering glossy Sci Fi fun like The Robot Revolution, very classic feeling Sci Fi horror in The Well and contemporary thriller/fun monsters in Lucky Day. This is a quintessential DW season for me. There’s truly something in this season for most and… the highlights are sublime (they will just be different for different people).
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I haven’t seen much in the way of leaks and I tend to avoid them, but that’s a very ominous thing to read. Also, going by a lot of what has been said lately I’m getting quite sad that we might be watching the last three episodes of Doctor Who from now on. Everything ends and everything has its day I guess.
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Please don’t discuss leaks here kthnxbye
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