Giant mutant spiders cause havoc in a Sheffield hotel, there's lots of running around and lots to shout and yell. A cautionary tale that teaches us not to contaminate animal experiments with waste, debris, rubbish and other useless remnants. Just imagine if instead of spiders they'd used elephants, the size of the beasts created would be immense, and probably very intense. Alas, the episode would still make little sense, especially if they just locked them in a room and forgot about them, including any casualties.
159 Reviews
A complete mess
ewaf5828 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I really miss the past creative teams of Dr Who now. This episode started promisingly with a mysterious premise but then descended into a message about dumping rubbish (far better done in 'The Green death' despite its special effects limitations) and the dangers of megalomaniacs.
The acting was uniformly poor and the writing stagnant. Chris Chibnall does not have the ability to write decent science fiction stories and structure them properly. His quest to take Dr Who back to simpler family orientated show isn't working with 'in your face' messages' and one dimensional dialogues.
He must be replaced or Dr Who will be replaced by the BBC.
The acting was uniformly poor and the writing stagnant. Chris Chibnall does not have the ability to write decent science fiction stories and structure them properly. His quest to take Dr Who back to simpler family orientated show isn't working with 'in your face' messages' and one dimensional dialogues.
He must be replaced or Dr Who will be replaced by the BBC.
Issues Rather Than Action - Again
TondaCoolwal28 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I was really looking forward to this one. Two sci-fi staples; escaped bio-engineered spiders and illegal toxic waste dumping. Lovely grub! What could go wrong? The story that's what!
Chibs, you're not doing Jodie any favours with this banality. At this rate she'll be remembered not only as the first female doctor, but the one who got the programme cancelled. The basic plot was o.k. but then suddenly we go all eco-concious. The spiders are only a problem due to man's meddling so we shouldn't kill them directly. Simply heard them into an enclosed space where they can die naturally. And big momma spider is dying anyway so let her go in peace. But then the episode's most unbelievably ridiculous character steps in and finishes her off with his gun. Honestly Chris, whatever possessed you to bring in a Donald Trump caricature! The bad jokes were just thudding into the ground like dismissed White House aides. "Just get a gun and shoot 'em like any normal person!" "I'm a businessman and I know how to run things!" "Time for my scheduled bathroom break" Subtle it aint!
And, for advice on how to get rid of spiders, just review The Runaway Bride in which the Empress (an arachnid) is flushed away down a giant plughole. Now that's a satisfying conclusion and an amusing one. Learn from it Chris or the 'Who' will start to have a ironic sound to it due to lack of viewers.
Um.... what?
micahratchet29 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Was there a chunk of this episode missing or are there still spiders out there? They were all aroubd town.. that hiphop music would not just bting them in. like, also why were spiders the only things affected by the toxicity? We should have giant bugs of different variations. The whole plot didn't make sense and felt like scenes were missing. Also why is starving the spiders and slowly killing them nicer than just shooting them? Is the doctor not willing to take them to a planet they can survive in??? Wtf. I won't even get into the characters. This was just bad, like I honestly believe this was the worst episode of doctor who I have ever seen. 100% believe that. A 1 star rating is perfectly fair.
Laughable!
dirk_gently_holistic_reviews2 November 2018
Bad CGI, bad writing, a cringe-worthy attempt at political satire aimed at Donald Trump and the title pun from the episode was stolen from British B-horror movie Spidarlings: Arachny in the U.K.
One of the worst Dr Who episodes ever.
Ok not great but not bad
stuartpbottomley28 October 2018
It's clear no matter how great or merely good this run of episodes are some people are hating the episodes and writing reviews before they are even finished airing.
This episode while not as good as the previous three is still above average. My main issue is it doesn't seem to have a proper ending and the story seemed incomplete. Also some of the guest characters came across as underwritten, underdeveloped, underused and forgotten. It could have been so much better.
Bring on episode 5
This episode while not as good as the previous three is still above average. My main issue is it doesn't seem to have a proper ending and the story seemed incomplete. Also some of the guest characters came across as underwritten, underdeveloped, underused and forgotten. It could have been so much better.
Bring on episode 5
Worst Doctor Who Ep I have EVER Seen
jacobhall-0969129 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Wow, I have genuinly never seen an episode so poorly written, with such poor characters and a god awful ending, also with questionable ethics from the doctor. I don't know where to begin.
The trump-like character was way over the top and just more ideology pushing from another NPC in Chris Chibnall. The story was boring and the spiders just weren't scary to me at all.
The Doctor had a go at Robertson (Trump) for shooting the giant spider which was suffocating in order to put it out of its misery. She somehow thought it was more humane to lead the other spiders into a panic room so they could starve/suffocate to death slowly instead. The Doctor I know would do neither of these things and would instead think of a clever way to save the spiders without harming them or any more people. But alas, we are yet to see a clever idea yet from this Doctor, which is completely down to a lack of good ideas from Chibnall. He doesn't know how to resolve things with a stroke of genius from the Doctor the same way RTD and Steven Moffatt did.
This episode was honestly appalling. I keep waiting for the series to get better but it just seems to get worse and worse each episode. I won't be tuning in next week, and I have been a Who fan for a very long time.
The trump-like character was way over the top and just more ideology pushing from another NPC in Chris Chibnall. The story was boring and the spiders just weren't scary to me at all.
The Doctor had a go at Robertson (Trump) for shooting the giant spider which was suffocating in order to put it out of its misery. She somehow thought it was more humane to lead the other spiders into a panic room so they could starve/suffocate to death slowly instead. The Doctor I know would do neither of these things and would instead think of a clever way to save the spiders without harming them or any more people. But alas, we are yet to see a clever idea yet from this Doctor, which is completely down to a lack of good ideas from Chibnall. He doesn't know how to resolve things with a stroke of genius from the Doctor the same way RTD and Steven Moffatt did.
This episode was honestly appalling. I keep waiting for the series to get better but it just seems to get worse and worse each episode. I won't be tuning in next week, and I have been a Who fan for a very long time.
What's to hate?
RamonKeane30 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I've been an IMDb member for years, but this is my first review. I feel like there's something I need to say regarding this series of Doctor Who: I just don't understand why it's been receiving so much hate.
Usually I'm the first person to notice flaws - even in films, shows, and books that I love - but for the life of me, I really cannot understand the criticisms levelled at Jodie Whittaker or series 11 in general, and I genuinely can't see how some of these bizarre conclusions have been reached. I believe I'm generally a good empathiser, and I'd like to think I'm a fair judge when it comes to things like this, but every time I see someone calling the writing and acting of these episodes "forced", all I can think is how completely natural it all feels to me, more than Doctor Who has felt in years. For everyone saying it doesn't feel like the same show, I just can't understand how?
Yes, there are moments where plot devices don't work as well as they could, but hasn't this always been an issue with Doctor Who? It's not like it happens any more or less often than it always has. There have always been amazing Who episodes, and some less than amazing ones.
The resolution of "Arachnids in the UK" may have been a bit of a cop-out, but it didn't feel any more egregious than Doctor Who's regular cop-outs. Have we forgotten Moffat's tendency to press his big "reset" button, his fear of consequences, and his tendency to forget to provide lasting closure? In comparison to some of his crippling writing issues, this season (so far) hasn't been nearly as bad.
It's just strange to me how the fan base for this show can be so polarised. For me, this season has felt like a breath of fresh air, almost a return to former glory. This episode four felt particularly like a classic Who adventure. There was something about episode three, "Rosa", that sat slightly uncomfortably and never really gelled the way it should have, but otherwise the rest of this season has so far felt like prime Who. The companions are engaging to watch, and make for interesting, relatable characters; they feel more like real people than any companion since Donna Noble. I care about them. I feel for Graham and I sympathise with his loss. I empathise with Ryan's dismissal of Graham as a grandfatherly figure. They're well-written, well-rounded, three-dimensional (and actually helpful!) characters, unlike the flawless, cookie-cutter companions of recent years who often seemed to exist just to worship the Doctor and make him look clever by comparison.
And Jodie is an absolute delight. She, particularly, is a complete joy to watch. She has the excitability of Tennant and Smith, with this wonderful new feminine energy that I just adore. There hasn't been a single moment where she hasn't felt just like The Doctor should, and I actually took a more immediate liking to her than almost any Doctor ever. I don't understand how people refuse to warm to her. I've seen some genuinely horrific comments.
The writing is nuanced and clever, the humour more genuine and natural (the jokes land better and pack more of a punch than they have since Russell T. Davies's era), the production values have shot up, the music is appropriately atmospheric (if a little nondescript at times), the new intro is fantastic, and - best of all - the new cast is genuinely fun to watch. And it almost feels more English than it has in years. I just don't understand what's not to like.
I can easily imagine that many who are taking issue with this series are simply annoyed or made uncomfortable by the emphasis on politics in the last two episodes. Fair enough; to each their own. But surely, this can't be enough to suddenly turn legions of devoted fans into haters.
Usually I'm the first person to notice flaws - even in films, shows, and books that I love - but for the life of me, I really cannot understand the criticisms levelled at Jodie Whittaker or series 11 in general, and I genuinely can't see how some of these bizarre conclusions have been reached. I believe I'm generally a good empathiser, and I'd like to think I'm a fair judge when it comes to things like this, but every time I see someone calling the writing and acting of these episodes "forced", all I can think is how completely natural it all feels to me, more than Doctor Who has felt in years. For everyone saying it doesn't feel like the same show, I just can't understand how?
Yes, there are moments where plot devices don't work as well as they could, but hasn't this always been an issue with Doctor Who? It's not like it happens any more or less often than it always has. There have always been amazing Who episodes, and some less than amazing ones.
The resolution of "Arachnids in the UK" may have been a bit of a cop-out, but it didn't feel any more egregious than Doctor Who's regular cop-outs. Have we forgotten Moffat's tendency to press his big "reset" button, his fear of consequences, and his tendency to forget to provide lasting closure? In comparison to some of his crippling writing issues, this season (so far) hasn't been nearly as bad.
It's just strange to me how the fan base for this show can be so polarised. For me, this season has felt like a breath of fresh air, almost a return to former glory. This episode four felt particularly like a classic Who adventure. There was something about episode three, "Rosa", that sat slightly uncomfortably and never really gelled the way it should have, but otherwise the rest of this season has so far felt like prime Who. The companions are engaging to watch, and make for interesting, relatable characters; they feel more like real people than any companion since Donna Noble. I care about them. I feel for Graham and I sympathise with his loss. I empathise with Ryan's dismissal of Graham as a grandfatherly figure. They're well-written, well-rounded, three-dimensional (and actually helpful!) characters, unlike the flawless, cookie-cutter companions of recent years who often seemed to exist just to worship the Doctor and make him look clever by comparison.
And Jodie is an absolute delight. She, particularly, is a complete joy to watch. She has the excitability of Tennant and Smith, with this wonderful new feminine energy that I just adore. There hasn't been a single moment where she hasn't felt just like The Doctor should, and I actually took a more immediate liking to her than almost any Doctor ever. I don't understand how people refuse to warm to her. I've seen some genuinely horrific comments.
The writing is nuanced and clever, the humour more genuine and natural (the jokes land better and pack more of a punch than they have since Russell T. Davies's era), the production values have shot up, the music is appropriately atmospheric (if a little nondescript at times), the new intro is fantastic, and - best of all - the new cast is genuinely fun to watch. And it almost feels more English than it has in years. I just don't understand what's not to like.
I can easily imagine that many who are taking issue with this series are simply annoyed or made uncomfortable by the emphasis on politics in the last two episodes. Fair enough; to each their own. But surely, this can't be enough to suddenly turn legions of devoted fans into haters.
Disappointing after last week's episode
lukerose0228 October 2018
I'm not going to be one of those idiots who give the episode a 1, that's just ridiculous. But I really didn't like this week's episode. It felt too dull and the CGI really wasn't good. The show feels more like a generic drama than Doctor Who.
I have never turned off Doctor Who. Until TONIGHT
ohinkssleep28 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
As we all say, the one thing we want in Doctor Who after a shaky start with Jodie Whittaker, is an episode so political that Mock the Week would get annoyed. The problem with some Doctor Who episodes are whether they would be timeless. And most David Tennant or Matt Smith episodes would follow this. This episode, is not going to be timeless. Were the spiders even the focus or was it just Trump? I could not enjoy this. No matter how hard I try.
It's not as bad as everyone's saying
Hermione150730 October 2018
I don't understand why people are so freaking against these episodes. Yes, we no longer have Moffat's writing and things are different, but the story wasn't that bad.
This show has always, ALWAYS had it's cheesy moments and villains and lines. And I think this was a way to introduce us to Robertson because I don't think we're done with him.
This show has always, ALWAYS had it's cheesy moments and villains and lines. And I think this was a way to introduce us to Robertson because I don't think we're done with him.
A Pertwee Era Throwback
timdalton00729 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Having established the new look, feel, and tone of the series and a noteworthy trip back to 1955 Alabama, showrunner Chris Chibnall takes his TARDIS crew back home to Sheffield. This trip back home for the Time Lord's human companions isn't anything new. After all, Russell T Davies did so with Rose Tyler and Martha Jones in the earliest years of New Who. It's a way of grounding the program, and its lead characters, in something akin to the real world. Albeit one with, as the title might suggest, giant spiders!
Of course, if you're a fan of Who, there's a chance you'll know the show has a bit of a history with giant insects. Indeed, starting with Planet of Giants way back in 1964, you could even say that it's had a crack at doing them every so often. The Third Doctor era of the 1970s saw giant maggots in The Green Death and large psychic spiders appearing in his epic swansong Planet of the Spiders. 21st Century Who too has had a go at it from the 2006 Christmas special with the Racnoss to Kill the Moon in 2014. As special effects and budgets have improved, it seems to be something that those making the show return to, perhaps drawn by a primal fascination and fear of these multi-legged creatures. So reasonably it isn't too surprising that a new showrunner would want to have a go at the idea.
If there are any of those past examples that Arachnids in the UK draws upon, it's the Pertwee era ones. This episode is the sort of story that might have been made back in its era with its present-day setting and focus on strange goings on in otherwise normal surroundings. Indeed, there are definite shades of The Green Death to be found in the episode as both that 1973 story and this episode made in 2018 deal with some strikingly similar themes. But unlike when Chibnall effectively wrote an inferior remake of a story from this era for Matt Smith's Doctor, this one feels less like a rip-off and more as paying tribute to the program's past, updating it a bit for a modern audience.
Somewhere else the episode invokes the Pertwee legacy is in a bit of satire. American actor Chris Noth (likely best known to audiences for his roles in shows Law & Order and Sex And The City) is the big guest star this week as the American hotel magnate John Robertson, a man with political aspirations back home whose having problems with his latest venture in the UK. If you're sitting there thinking "This sounds familiar," you'll probably know exactly who both character and actor seem to satirize if not outright parody. Noth, to his credit, seems to relish the chance to play a villain on his iconic British show and plays the role to the hilt without crossing the line over into parody mode. His performance is just one of the highlights of the episode even if it ends in a very odd place for this particular character.
Another one of which is, of course, the spiders themselves. As stated above, Who has something of a history with doing this sort of concept with a mixed history of success. Arachnids in the UK may well be the best realization of the idea yet thanks to some excellent CGI work combined with Chibnall's script and the production values. The episode is essentially Doctor Who doing a pastiche of horror films and with the entire production working to those strengths. Whether it's Sallie Aprahamian's direction or the photography and Segun Akinola's score, everything seems to be working towards making this episode as unsettling as it can be. Here at least, the episode succeeds nicely.
Which only serves to highlight the areas where the episode doesn't quite work as well. That's especially true of its supporting characters. None of them, with the sole exception of Robertson, feel particularly well drawn out even Tanya Fear as the spider specialist who becomes the fourth companion for much of the episode. That's all the more unexpected given that Yaz's family appears, particularly mum Najia (played by the enjoyable Shobna Gulati) who evokes memories of Rose's mum Jackie. None of the family appear enough to establish who they are, except that they're on Yaz's case frequently enough to get her to seek out the TARDIS by episode's end.
On the other hand, the episode is a neat little showcase for Team TARDIS. Whittaker continues to settle into the role rather nicely, finding just the right mix of humor, authoritativeness, and eccentricity that the part of the Time Lord requires. Bradley Walsh continues to surprise in the role of Graham, offering in this episode an often moving portrait of a man dealing with grief as he comes back home. Tosin Cole's Ryan continues to shine as his relationship with Graham further progresses, as well as him getting thrown into the action. Mandip Gill's Yaz feels oddly sidelined under the circumstances given the episode's apparent focus on her home life and mum but, when given something to do, she shines. The final scene, where the three of them come back to the Doctor and tempt her to go out on adventures, is a genuine highlight of Series 11 as it's the reverse of what we've seen in New Who: usually, it's the Doctor being the one to tempt others. This time, it's different and in a good way.
Though it lets its character down somewhat, to the detriment of the episode, Arachnids in the UK is a fun outing for the new Doctor. It's an episode that feels very much like a throwback to Doctor Who in earlier times, one done with an eye towards making what's old new again with modern production values. While it may not be the home run that last week's episode was, it's still an engaging romp worthy of fifty minutes before your screen of choice.
Of course, if you're a fan of Who, there's a chance you'll know the show has a bit of a history with giant insects. Indeed, starting with Planet of Giants way back in 1964, you could even say that it's had a crack at doing them every so often. The Third Doctor era of the 1970s saw giant maggots in The Green Death and large psychic spiders appearing in his epic swansong Planet of the Spiders. 21st Century Who too has had a go at it from the 2006 Christmas special with the Racnoss to Kill the Moon in 2014. As special effects and budgets have improved, it seems to be something that those making the show return to, perhaps drawn by a primal fascination and fear of these multi-legged creatures. So reasonably it isn't too surprising that a new showrunner would want to have a go at the idea.
If there are any of those past examples that Arachnids in the UK draws upon, it's the Pertwee era ones. This episode is the sort of story that might have been made back in its era with its present-day setting and focus on strange goings on in otherwise normal surroundings. Indeed, there are definite shades of The Green Death to be found in the episode as both that 1973 story and this episode made in 2018 deal with some strikingly similar themes. But unlike when Chibnall effectively wrote an inferior remake of a story from this era for Matt Smith's Doctor, this one feels less like a rip-off and more as paying tribute to the program's past, updating it a bit for a modern audience.
Somewhere else the episode invokes the Pertwee legacy is in a bit of satire. American actor Chris Noth (likely best known to audiences for his roles in shows Law & Order and Sex And The City) is the big guest star this week as the American hotel magnate John Robertson, a man with political aspirations back home whose having problems with his latest venture in the UK. If you're sitting there thinking "This sounds familiar," you'll probably know exactly who both character and actor seem to satirize if not outright parody. Noth, to his credit, seems to relish the chance to play a villain on his iconic British show and plays the role to the hilt without crossing the line over into parody mode. His performance is just one of the highlights of the episode even if it ends in a very odd place for this particular character.
Another one of which is, of course, the spiders themselves. As stated above, Who has something of a history with doing this sort of concept with a mixed history of success. Arachnids in the UK may well be the best realization of the idea yet thanks to some excellent CGI work combined with Chibnall's script and the production values. The episode is essentially Doctor Who doing a pastiche of horror films and with the entire production working to those strengths. Whether it's Sallie Aprahamian's direction or the photography and Segun Akinola's score, everything seems to be working towards making this episode as unsettling as it can be. Here at least, the episode succeeds nicely.
Which only serves to highlight the areas where the episode doesn't quite work as well. That's especially true of its supporting characters. None of them, with the sole exception of Robertson, feel particularly well drawn out even Tanya Fear as the spider specialist who becomes the fourth companion for much of the episode. That's all the more unexpected given that Yaz's family appears, particularly mum Najia (played by the enjoyable Shobna Gulati) who evokes memories of Rose's mum Jackie. None of the family appear enough to establish who they are, except that they're on Yaz's case frequently enough to get her to seek out the TARDIS by episode's end.
On the other hand, the episode is a neat little showcase for Team TARDIS. Whittaker continues to settle into the role rather nicely, finding just the right mix of humor, authoritativeness, and eccentricity that the part of the Time Lord requires. Bradley Walsh continues to surprise in the role of Graham, offering in this episode an often moving portrait of a man dealing with grief as he comes back home. Tosin Cole's Ryan continues to shine as his relationship with Graham further progresses, as well as him getting thrown into the action. Mandip Gill's Yaz feels oddly sidelined under the circumstances given the episode's apparent focus on her home life and mum but, when given something to do, she shines. The final scene, where the three of them come back to the Doctor and tempt her to go out on adventures, is a genuine highlight of Series 11 as it's the reverse of what we've seen in New Who: usually, it's the Doctor being the one to tempt others. This time, it's different and in a good way.
Though it lets its character down somewhat, to the detriment of the episode, Arachnids in the UK is a fun outing for the new Doctor. It's an episode that feels very much like a throwback to Doctor Who in earlier times, one done with an eye towards making what's old new again with modern production values. While it may not be the home run that last week's episode was, it's still an engaging romp worthy of fifty minutes before your screen of choice.
What was that?
mattoid-4560531 October 2018
Make it stop... Please
gcpdcaptain28 October 2018
This isn't Doctor Who. I feel the deepest sense of loss. Doctor Who made me feel a childlike senese of wonder which is very rare as an adult. This show, whatever you'd call it (because it isn't Doctor Who) is so forced, badly acted and crammed with identity politics. A genuinely sad addition to the franchise. The 1995 TV movie which wasn't very good is practically Oscar worthy in comparison.
Absolute rubbish
RedWitch66628 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I feel very bad for saying so, but this has to be undoubtedly the worst episode of the Doctor Who in a long while. The episode begins with a very promising and potentially monstrous premise of giant spiders invading Sheffield, but sadly it descends into juvenile and downright frustrating garbage. The dialogue is immature and corny, there is very little action, the spiders themselves are underdeveloped and are not even properly defeated and simply fails to go anywhere and is very dissatisfying. The worst aspect of this episode, is the character of the villainous American businessman "Jack Robertson", who is an obvious, unoriginal and annoying parody of Donald Trump, should in my opinion not been featured at all, and what is worse, he does not even get eaten by the spiders at the end.
We all know Doctor Who have done some excellent social and political commentaries about humanity many times before, such with the last episode "Rosa", but I expected much better than such cheap political posturing portrayed in this episode. It is a shame because I am very fond of Jodie Whittacker's very likeable and eccentric portrayal of the Doctor, and her companions are also good characters with potential, but unfortunately I am very disappointed with such childish rubbish. Hopefully, the next episode will be much better than this.
We all know Doctor Who have done some excellent social and political commentaries about humanity many times before, such with the last episode "Rosa", but I expected much better than such cheap political posturing portrayed in this episode. It is a shame because I am very fond of Jodie Whittacker's very likeable and eccentric portrayal of the Doctor, and her companions are also good characters with potential, but unfortunately I am very disappointed with such childish rubbish. Hopefully, the next episode will be much better than this.
ok for what it was
quasar-0890929 October 2018
Arachnids in the UK
Prismark1029 October 2018
Team Tardis land in Sheffield where oversized spiders are out of control.
The Doctor's investigations takes her to a prestigious hotel complex built on reclaimed land. A former coal mine that was used as landfill for toxic waste.
Chris Noth plays a megalomaniac business tycoon who has presidential ambitions but who hates Trump.
This episode has eeky spiders realised by some wonderful CGI.
We get to see more of Yasmin's family including her mother who gets fired by the tycoon before the hotel even opens.
Graham gets some character moments as he still grieves over his wife.
We are seeing a more problem solving Doctor here, going back to its educational roots and having more of a MacGyver element to it. Building things from what is available which was last properly utilised in the Christopher Eccleston era.
The story might be hokum but it is an unpretentious and fun episode.
The Doctor's investigations takes her to a prestigious hotel complex built on reclaimed land. A former coal mine that was used as landfill for toxic waste.
Chris Noth plays a megalomaniac business tycoon who has presidential ambitions but who hates Trump.
This episode has eeky spiders realised by some wonderful CGI.
We get to see more of Yasmin's family including her mother who gets fired by the tycoon before the hotel even opens.
Graham gets some character moments as he still grieves over his wife.
We are seeing a more problem solving Doctor here, going back to its educational roots and having more of a MacGyver element to it. Building things from what is available which was last properly utilised in the Christopher Eccleston era.
The story might be hokum but it is an unpretentious and fun episode.
Just very flat.
joe-751-81960829 October 2018
A jolly good romp
celeste-cooper-163-38362528 October 2018
Weekly Who review time!
Arachnids in the UK is the most Doctor Who that series 11 has been so far. It's not particularly deep or anything; it's just a good bit of cheesy fun.
The premise, while pretty cliché; feels much like a premise to an episode of Classic Who, the monster of the week (spiders... what a surprise; no spoilers there) is pretty generic; however the monster really isn't the focus here.
The character development in this episode is excellent; Yaz, whose character was woefully underdeveloped in the previous three stories, finally gets some well deserved development. Graham is heavily hit by the events of episode 1. And Ryan's relationship to his father and Graham is further explored.
The Doctor is also good (as usual); Jodie Whitaker's performance is even better, and her iteration of the Doctor has more unique traits exposed. Her incarnation slips further into the role with every episode.
I rate Arachnids in the UK....: 7.5/10.
Not bad
traceyward-7960028 October 2018
Decent episode. Last week's was better but it's just getting going as a series and a new cast. Seen a few people say writings gone down hill but to be fair I actually stopped watching alot of Matt Smith episodes and even a few Peter capaldi episodes because they were insanely bad (vampires in Venice comes to mind as one example). Doctor who has always been a bit hit and miss with me as they try to do serious eps and family fun eps at the same time. But all in all I mostly enjoyed it and will continue watching and let it find it's feet. I would say it's an average doctor who episode.
First time just waiting for show to end
author-4956829 October 2018
Huh? I'm a loyal Doctor Who fan who faithfully watched every show ever since it premiered in 2005 as New Who. (I only started watching in 2016, but believe me, through the magic of livestreaming, I've seen every New Who show and many of them twice and the best ones three times.)
This was... bad.
The hotel owner made me cringe. Some American shows have really poorly developed characters, but I never thought... this would happen on Doctor Who. Wow. Seriously.
The spiders were boring. Where's the outer space? Time travel? Science fiction? This could have easily been a poorly developed one-time show if you took out the familiar characters and presented it as an adventure show. This reminded me NOTHING of what Doctor Who is all about. Where's the exploration? The journey through the stars? No magic here.
I agree with several reviewers that Jodie uses the sonic screwdriver too dramatically. I wouldn't be surprised if newly filmed episodes after this date drastically cut back on these scenes. On top of that, Jodie doesn't FEEL like Doctor Who. Doctor Who is supposed to be over 1,000 years old. Jodie feels too fresh, too wondrous. Yes nice to see but not fitting the character. Even though Matt Smith looked very young, and often acted immature, he still managed to convey a tired wisdom at times and regret of his millennia of small defeats and losses.
I just felt... no Doctor Who magic here.
Don't get me wrong. The first episode for Jodie was okay, very contrived (climbing a crane? whoopee). The second episode was pretty good actually, more of the far out flavour of Doctor Who. The third episode really missed a lot of time travel / space themes and became a history lesson (like Timeless, which does it far better) but at least it was nice and warm in its own way.
Until this... atrocity. I really hope it improves. I'm starting to wonder if they cast the right woman. Would have loved Missy actress to be Doctor Who if she had never appeared in Doctor Who. Now there's a woman who can make a villain drop dead with a bat of her lashes!
This was... bad.
The hotel owner made me cringe. Some American shows have really poorly developed characters, but I never thought... this would happen on Doctor Who. Wow. Seriously.
The spiders were boring. Where's the outer space? Time travel? Science fiction? This could have easily been a poorly developed one-time show if you took out the familiar characters and presented it as an adventure show. This reminded me NOTHING of what Doctor Who is all about. Where's the exploration? The journey through the stars? No magic here.
I agree with several reviewers that Jodie uses the sonic screwdriver too dramatically. I wouldn't be surprised if newly filmed episodes after this date drastically cut back on these scenes. On top of that, Jodie doesn't FEEL like Doctor Who. Doctor Who is supposed to be over 1,000 years old. Jodie feels too fresh, too wondrous. Yes nice to see but not fitting the character. Even though Matt Smith looked very young, and often acted immature, he still managed to convey a tired wisdom at times and regret of his millennia of small defeats and losses.
I just felt... no Doctor Who magic here.
Don't get me wrong. The first episode for Jodie was okay, very contrived (climbing a crane? whoopee). The second episode was pretty good actually, more of the far out flavour of Doctor Who. The third episode really missed a lot of time travel / space themes and became a history lesson (like Timeless, which does it far better) but at least it was nice and warm in its own way.
Until this... atrocity. I really hope it improves. I'm starting to wonder if they cast the right woman. Would have loved Missy actress to be Doctor Who if she had never appeared in Doctor Who. Now there's a woman who can make a villain drop dead with a bat of her lashes!
Clever spooky excellent
joshhill-3504928 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Yet again chibnall has come up with both a clever and terrifying way of keeping us on our seats. But yet again dealong with the constant grief and sadness that graham is going through....I have to admit a tear came to my eye at the sight of grace....but overall it gets better with each episode!!!
Giant spiders threaten Sheffield
Tweekums29 October 2018
This episode sees The Doctor return her new-found friends home to Sheffield; a mere thirty minutes after they left. Before departing she accepts Yasmin's invitation to have tea with her family. Events then take her to the neighbour's flat... something is very wrong; there are spider webs everywhere and the woman is encased in a cocoon. There is also a giant spider there. While this is going on Yaz is called to collect her mother, she has been fired from her job at a new hotel. An examination of a map of spider related incidents suggests the hotel is at the centre of the outbreak. The Doctor and her friends, along with spider expert Dr Jade McIntyre, head there and are soon trapped. Before the problem is solved they will have to discover the hotel owner's unpleasant secret.
While I don't think this was as good as last week's story I still enjoyed it. The idea of giant spiders was effective, and definitely rather creepy. I liked how the spiders were just giant spiders not intelligent beings bent on conquest or the deliberate creation of a villainous mind. The closest thing the episode had to a real villain was Jack Robertson, an American tycoon with presidential ambitions. There are a few irritating flaws; Yaz is a police officer yet never even commented about Robertson's bodyguard having a sidearm, something that has been illegal to possess in the UK for many years. It was nice to see some of the characters' home lives, especially how Graham was dealing with the loss of his wife. Overall though the episode provided enough scary moments, a few laughs and some nice character development for the central cast.
While I don't think this was as good as last week's story I still enjoyed it. The idea of giant spiders was effective, and definitely rather creepy. I liked how the spiders were just giant spiders not intelligent beings bent on conquest or the deliberate creation of a villainous mind. The closest thing the episode had to a real villain was Jack Robertson, an American tycoon with presidential ambitions. There are a few irritating flaws; Yaz is a police officer yet never even commented about Robertson's bodyguard having a sidearm, something that has been illegal to possess in the UK for many years. It was nice to see some of the characters' home lives, especially how Graham was dealing with the loss of his wife. Overall though the episode provided enough scary moments, a few laughs and some nice character development for the central cast.
Love and Monsters, Fear Her, ITFOTN and Sleep No More have a new friend
Martinex21329 October 2018
Without any doubt, the worst episode of the season so far, a really dumb conflict where people's reaction is just "Wait a moment... Spiders don't do that!, there is something weird around here", cringeworthy dialog like the whole kitchen scene, really bad acting from the ones that are not part of the main crew, not an actual resolution (the plot just kinda stops) and oddly enough, the episode chose to bring back one of the most annoying tropes of the RTD era, the annoying "I don't like this 'Doctor' person" mom. Also, one of the creepiest?, have we been watching the same show?
If i have to give the episode some credit, is the only episode so far into the season where Yaz doesn't feel like a 0 to the left, and Ryan and Graham share a bit more, something always nice to see, but at this point it feels like they are just repeating what they have said before and not going anywhere, that is not development, that is getting stuck, cute but, they can do better, it would eyes rolling if they keep doing this over and over until the finale where Ryan finally calls Graham grandpa.
What am i doing, i can only talk good things about one semi decent scene, it's really sad honestly, i really want to see Jodie and her companions take off, for her to finally have a cool moment where she can shine, where she can say "I am the Doctor!" and people would yell back at the screen saying "Yes!, You are The Doctor!", but Chibnall is just holding her back in lackluster stories.
While the first three episodes were between decent to good, an average of 7/10, not bad, not the best but at least they contributed a bit to Jodie's Doctor personality, and had people engaged in the serial in one way or another (The first episode thanks to being Jodie's first ride, the second one the numerous misteries, and the third one the historical value), this one just falls into cringeworthy and boring territory, a line that Doctor Who has crossed a couple of times before, and it felt right in home compared with those cases. At least the next episode has a more entertaining premise, it seems.
If i have to give the episode some credit, is the only episode so far into the season where Yaz doesn't feel like a 0 to the left, and Ryan and Graham share a bit more, something always nice to see, but at this point it feels like they are just repeating what they have said before and not going anywhere, that is not development, that is getting stuck, cute but, they can do better, it would eyes rolling if they keep doing this over and over until the finale where Ryan finally calls Graham grandpa.
What am i doing, i can only talk good things about one semi decent scene, it's really sad honestly, i really want to see Jodie and her companions take off, for her to finally have a cool moment where she can shine, where she can say "I am the Doctor!" and people would yell back at the screen saying "Yes!, You are The Doctor!", but Chibnall is just holding her back in lackluster stories.
While the first three episodes were between decent to good, an average of 7/10, not bad, not the best but at least they contributed a bit to Jodie's Doctor personality, and had people engaged in the serial in one way or another (The first episode thanks to being Jodie's first ride, the second one the numerous misteries, and the third one the historical value), this one just falls into cringeworthy and boring territory, a line that Doctor Who has crossed a couple of times before, and it felt right in home compared with those cases. At least the next episode has a more entertaining premise, it seems.
Missing an ending
cameron-brewis-907-65607729 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The episode started with lots of promise, it could have easily been one of the best given the strong start. Sadly, they seemed to be unsure what to do with the main plot element - giant genetically engineered spiders - after the reveal.
This culminated in an episode which just fizzled out rather than ended properly. I'm guessing the script writers just didn't know what to do with the spiders without offending some group of people, which is given some credence by them having the doctor chew out a guy for killing a spider that was dying a slow and painful death anyway.
I've got no problem with these social commentary episodes, but they really do need the comprehensive storyline to carry the message across.
This culminated in an episode which just fizzled out rather than ended properly. I'm guessing the script writers just didn't know what to do with the spiders without offending some group of people, which is given some credence by them having the doctor chew out a guy for killing a spider that was dying a slow and painful death anyway.
I've got no problem with these social commentary episodes, but they really do need the comprehensive storyline to carry the message across.
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