Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is a pretty great episode of Doctor Who. I can't think of any other show that can take a concept as ridiculous as having dinosaurs on a spaceship policed by comedy robots and turn it into an hour of television that's as easy to enjoy as this one. What I really like about Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is how adventurous it feels: this episode really benefits from not taking itself too seriously and having a tone that allows for jokes, silliness, and adventure with some nice character development along the way. The past few series have gotten really serious and at times confusing, so it's nice to have an episode that you can just sit down to watch and have loads of fun without having to pay too much attention to all the tiny details. I'm not saying that Doctor Who shouldn't get serious or complex ( Family of Blood, Forest of the Dead, etc.), but what makes Doctor Who as great as it is is the show's ability to take an absurd premise and to turn it into something that's just really fun to watch, and I think that Dinosaurs on a Spaceship did that really well.
David Bradley was great as Solomon, who was a surprisingly good antagonist for this story, and I liked the developments with the Silurians that give you an idea of what happened to the ship and contrast the silliness of the rest of the episode well. Having Amy, Rory, and the Doctor back together in an adventure that's just an adventure and nothing else is great, and the inclusion of Brian was a great idea. I also liked the idea of a "gang" of companions in this episode, and I found the resolution clever and pretty action packed.
I would also like to comment that Chris Chibnall included some great character interactions in this episode. Queen Nefertiti and Riddell were fun one-off characters, and even while the primary purpose of the episode was to be wacky and exciting, there was no lack of good character development. The conversations between Amy and the Doctor were bittersweet and well written, and Rory and Brian had their own arc in this episode that was resolved nicely.
Overall, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is a great episode of Doctor Who that benefits from being lighthearted and simple. The sets looked great, the special effects were good, the directing and writing were strong, and the acting and music were all just as strong.
8.5/10
David Bradley was great as Solomon, who was a surprisingly good antagonist for this story, and I liked the developments with the Silurians that give you an idea of what happened to the ship and contrast the silliness of the rest of the episode well. Having Amy, Rory, and the Doctor back together in an adventure that's just an adventure and nothing else is great, and the inclusion of Brian was a great idea. I also liked the idea of a "gang" of companions in this episode, and I found the resolution clever and pretty action packed.
I would also like to comment that Chris Chibnall included some great character interactions in this episode. Queen Nefertiti and Riddell were fun one-off characters, and even while the primary purpose of the episode was to be wacky and exciting, there was no lack of good character development. The conversations between Amy and the Doctor were bittersweet and well written, and Rory and Brian had their own arc in this episode that was resolved nicely.
Overall, Dinosaurs on a Spaceship is a great episode of Doctor Who that benefits from being lighthearted and simple. The sets looked great, the special effects were good, the directing and writing were strong, and the acting and music were all just as strong.
8.5/10