I really don’t get why this episode is so hated, to me it’s perfectly standard. It’s got a good premise, and the story does speak to me emotionally. I don’t think the child acting is as bad as many make it sound either, Chloe comes off as a lonely, socially awkward child to me. The ending with the Olympics is a bit too dramatic for my taste though, and there are some moments in there that just feel sort of off for the story. In total, while not a bad episode, it’s not particularly good either.
Also I think the bit with the doctor parking the TARDIS wrong may in fact have been the very first clip of doctor who I ever watched, at least I remember seeing it on tumblr and having no idea who the guy was or why he had a disappearing blue box, but finding it very funny.
Not great. The setting is pretty uninteresting. The story didn’t really grab me. All the waffle about how great and unifying the olympics are really doesn’t ring true.
The ‘foreshadowing’ at the end comes out of nowhere and is one degree less blatant than the Doctor looking at the camera and going “it’s the finale next week”
this is one of my favorite episodes of all time, for many reasons. most of the criticisms i either disagree with or just don’t understand–like, the kid’s acting is fine, way better than lots of other child actors. the story itself is a pretty strong story about loneliness and life after abuse. the doctor and rose are silly in all the right ways, and we get to see rose having to figure out what to do when the doctor isn’t there, which is a major point in her character development leading into doomsday. some of it is cheesy, which is great! i love when doctor who is cheesy! 0 complaints about this episode, it’s a total highlight to me, and my go-to episode to rewatch when i don’t want anything plot-heavy.
This is an odd one for me. Fear Her is unquestionably my least favourite of all the TV stories, both classic and modern, but it’s not even because of what’s in the episode itself. A lot of my impression of the episode has been painted by reading writer Matthew Graham talk about his intentions behind it. To quote an interview he did with Den Of Geek: “I had loads of kids write to me and say how much they enjoyed it. And it was only later I realised that the older fans had reacted badly to it. So, I went, “Well, it’s a shame that they have, but it wasn’t meant for them.””
There’s just… something about that attitude that really bothers me. Pinning it down with a variant of “There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s you who has the problem”, which I just think is bad form for anyone in a creative field. I tend to get really tetchy whenever I see “it’s meant for kids” used as an excuse for quality standards as it stands, but Doctor Who hadn’t been a strictly-for-kids show for decades by that point. Hell, the implication of child abuse in the episode proper just makes the ‘we didn’t make this for adults’ idea come across even worse.
I mean, yeah, the episode itself doesn’t work for me (characterisation, drama, jokes, alien that should pose a way bigger threat to the cosmos than is shown; all bad news), but that inherently limiting intent and defence, for an entry in a show designed to go anywhere and do anything, has taken on something emblematically awful for me. I’ve rewatched it since making that initial discovery but… I just can’t get past it for the life of me.
For me this is one of the worst stories in all of Doctor Who.
I have a number of problems with this episode. But, one of the main reasons I dislike this more than almost every other DW story is because it commits the unthinkable crime of being boring. Really, really boring.
There are plenty of examples of Doctor Who being bad. I can’t think of many stories that bore me as much as this one.
I actually love this one and don’t get its negative reputation. I think it’s a fantastic story with a strong premise (kid’s drawings come to life feels like one of those stories that was waiting to be told). The Doctor running with the Olympic Torch at the end is one of the best ever scenes in the new series.
Not a particularly strong episode, I will say. It’s an intriguing concept that gets lost in the story that’s trying to be told, with the Olympic B-plot feeling somewhat misplaced between the bits centering on loneliness and abuse. However, the TARDIS parking gag is great.
This is one of those instances, in any media, where I feel like the audience has an excellent point, but has overdone the criticism. “Fear Her” is boring. On the off chance I rewatch DW for fun, I won’t put it on; I’ve only endured it for myself and, much later, my mom. That doesn’t mean it’s the worst episode ever. I think @deltaandthebannermen is onto something with the vitriol being fuelled by blown hype from the fandom.
If nothing else, it’s got Kel the Council Man, Chloe’s voice when she’s possessed is funny, the Isolus are a great addition to the Whoniverse, the idea that individual Isolus can Mario 64 DS people is unnerving, and I appreciate the effort to highlight an abusive parental relationship. I say all this, and all I can muster for “Legend of the Sea Devils” is that it’s funny when Dan dresses up like a pirate.
I will never understand the hatred for Fear Her. I’ve always loved this episode’s creativity with moments like the scribble monster and Chloe Webber trapping kids inside drawings. There’s so many iconic scenes I can name from this episode: the Doctor running with the Olympic Torch, the abusive Dad drawing in the wardrobe, everybody in the Olympic stadium disappearing on the live broadcast when Chloe draws them… Fear Her deserves a better reputation than it has.
As I said upthread, I think this episode’s main failing was not meeting the expectation fans put on it before broadcast because of it being written by Matthew Graham who was rightfully lauded for his work on Life on Mars.
It also suffers a little from being a bit of a modern-set retread of The Idiot’s Lantern - an ordinary street of people start disappearing in the lead up to a major national event being televised whilst a mother and child deal with the impact of an abusive father.
Although Fear Her does handle the abusive father subplot better. The Idiot’s Lantern has Rose urging the family to forgive the abusive Dad, whereas in Fear Her, the abusive father is represented through a demonic drawing, like an embodiment of evil.
I think Fear Her’s biggest crime is that it’s just a bit flat and dull. The stakes are there but it’s all just so flat. And coming after some great two-parters and other good stuff in Series 2, right before the finale, it’s just unfortunate.
I’d put it on a par with something like New Earth, which I think is also very meh. That one should be noticed more, but it’s overshadowed by Tennant’s proper debut being Christmas, and people tend to forget New Earth even exists. Had Fear Her been an earlier story in the series, I don’t think it’d get the hate it does.
I’ve noticed before that stories that aren’t the best and get put right next to a great episode or, even worse, between them, tend to get more criticism than they probably should…
I am crying /nsrs why dose everyone hates this episode I loved this stupid episode. it was so amazing because it was bad. I quote it regularly and I rewatch it regularly.. and yes I love tenrose and this was the last episode they got together before the army of ghosts/ doomsday urgghh my otp
like guys I know its bad but I am the #1 fear her defender its absolute chaos
