I finished the first Stranded set the other day, so have my thoughts!
Spoilers in all reviews
Lost Property - 7/10
Lost Property is very much just setup for the rest of the arc, but it does a great job of it.
Even as someone who’s barely listened to barely any 8th Doctor stories, this does a great job of bringing you into the world and the characters. Liv and Helen are immediately likable and all the context you need for their characters is here in this story, and is communicated to the audience in a way that doesn’t feel expositionary, Liv namedropping Kalador and Helen mentioning about how much everything’s changed could have ruined the pacing or feel forced, but they really don’t with the way that they’re done.
I also like how little we get of Eight here, this isn’t a situation he’s used to at all and more than anything it just frustrates him, drawing on the characterisation of Eleven in The Power of Three or Three in most of his era, and unlike those two he doesn’t even have alien threats to figure out. He sort of isolates himself in a way that makes a lot of sense until he’s drawn out at the end by Liv and Helen. In perfect contrast to this we also see The Curator, this future doctor who doesn’t want to meddle in his own timeline but knows he has to do something, he’s so charming and personable, and it’s a great reminder that The Doctor can be that, he just needs to try, so when Eight does at the end of the story, it works really nicely.
The will-they-won’t-they dynamic that the new character of Tania introduces for Liv is great as well, and especially knowing a little more about her character, I can’t wait to see more of Tania going forward.
The actual alien threat in the story feels a little underdeveloped unfortunately, but it’s not trying to be a big part of the story and I think it works for what it is.
Wild Animals - 8/10
A brilliant story that proves you don’t need alien threats to make Doctor Who interesting, even in the modern day!
After him being largely absent and secluding himself for the events of the first story in the set, Wild Animals gives us a chance to see more of Eight’s character and how he feels about the situation they find themselves in. the comparison he makes to the caged animals in the zoo is great, giving us a view into his mind, and a great explanation for why he acts the way he does in this story, seeking ‘enrichment’ of some kind.
And then everything else in this story is also great, The struggle that London jobhunting is (as someone currently doing exactly that) is depicted really well, I love Liv and Tania’s flourishing relationship, how nonplussed Liv is by Tania being trans, and how much Tania cares for her when she’s hospitalised. I love Helen going out of her way to go to the shop Liv’s working at to tease her, and the killing of a side character is incredibly effective for how little time we had with them, especially with the effect it has on the rest of the cast (Eight especially).
Lastly, I really appreciate the ending. Eight trying to catch the killer (another wild animal) doesn’t really help at all, but hey, at least he still caught someone, and then finding out that he let free the birds from the zoo that’d be able to live in london’s environment is just a really sweet way to end.
Must-See TV - 7/10
Finally bringing in the Torchwood connections that made me start this set!
Once again the dynamic between Liv and Tania is a brilliant centerpiece to this story, just as they’re starting to figure out their relationship, Andy drops in to check up on Tania’s Torchwood business, throwing a wrench into their dynamic. Andy is brilliant as always, and his dynamic here with Liv and especially with Tania is great. I also love Eight’s interactions with Tania here, especially him making her promise not to hurt Liv, how protective he is of his companions is great.
The main plot here is a little weaker unfortunately, I can see that it’s going somewhere, but it doesn’t exactly get the biggest hook on you. Stranded is at its best when the plot is mostly driven by the characters, and here while you do get some lovely moments of the characters because of what’s going on, especially nice getting a bit more of the other tenants, it doesn’t seem to affect the main characters as much to pull you into it.
That all said, the character stuff here continues to be done so well that the ‘main’ plot honestly barely matters for me at the moment.
Divine Intervention - 8/10
A lovely finale to the first stranded set.
Again the character work is on full display, we get all of the house at one point or another (even the dad shows up!). I like the threads that they’re starting up with Divine Intervention, especially with it linking back to the sci-fi plot here. The plots all converge quite nicely here too, with Eight showing up late to dinner and bringing danger when he does, the sci-fi side of things starting to be exposed to the ‘mundane’ side of the cast.
Andy and Eight’s interactions are also great, Andy being scared but not surprised confusing Eight is quite fun, and him trying to hide his knowledge is also great. Liv and Tania also continue to be a lively couple, their lounging around together, the date being ruined by Eight, Liv letting the rest of the flat know that they’re together is fun.
The opening with Eight on a quiz show is also nice, and his complete lack of understanding how money works, presumably because he’s always just gotten by using Time Travel is great (which also leads to a lovely pair of scenes with him and Tania then Liv).
