DanSora 10

If the goal of the writers was not for me to hope that Lefiya falls into a pit and gets devoured by monsters, they have failed. As expected, we’re up to Bell’s minotaur fight, but they didn’t let it consume the entire episode. So, if it’s going to be 13 episodes, I figure we have “getting to level 59”, “discovering the secret of level 59”, and “finding Bell on level 18” left.

Eromanga-sensei 11

After two episodes with minimal Sagiri, the animators (or as they’re better known, “still-panners”) have resumed their lusty exploration of her under-developed body, and have upped the ante in flashbacks of her at age 7. At least the expository lumps finally introduced Mr. and Mrs. Brady, answering several questions and raising a few new ones. The worst thing about revealing The Secret History, though, is that an episode without Elf is like a week without sunshine.

Doctor Who 10.10

I get the impression that they suddenly realized they’ve never actually shown Bill’s character development, and decided to just present it as an accomplished fact. And is it just me, or was the Doctor’s “plan” the most pointlessly melodramatic phony dilemma of the entire Capaldi era?

Update: No apologies…

🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶
Doctor, Bill, and Nardole,
on a Tardis expedition,
met the lostest Romans ever known.

Light-eating dog-thing,
hand-waved as major threat,
led cowards to noble self-sacrifice.

In the Moffat Puppet Show.
I can’t wait to see him go.
Can Chibnall save this frickin’ showwwww?
🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶

R.I.P. Stephen Furst.

After struggling to describe my reaction to the latest episode, the only word I can come up with is “perfunctory”.

DanSora 8

Talkiest. Boss Fight. Ever. (okay, “recently”)

Also, “As you know, Bob, this famous event that’s never been mentioned before not only explains the odd behavior of the character who was introduced last week, but will be crucial to the plot this week.”

This is not quite an actual conversation from the episode:

“Bete’s a dick”.

“Oh, that’s just his funny little way.”

Eromanga-sensei 9

Note to Our Hero: just because you’re too shy to enjoy the view at the beach doesn’t mean you can deprive us of the opportunity. Next time, hold off a little before offering her the shirt off your back.

Doctor Who 10.8

Well, that was… better than last week without actually being good. I preferred the 2007 version.

As usual, Honest Trailers is dead on in this one, but the single most painful revelation is The Barry Bobblehead.

DanSora 7

“No time for annoying character quirks, we’ve got a plot to advance, and the rest of the characters from the OP to introduce!”

Eromanga-sensei 8

Fierce Rival in a completely different way now Muramasa provides amusement for editor-san. Literal Fifth Wheel Guy overcomes the creepy sensation of visiting Our Hero’s home. We get to see what Sagiri’s like when she’s got the place to herself. Animation budget not quite as tight as in some previous episodes, but still some obvious skimping. New end credits to reflect a mood swing; hopefully they’ll switch back.

Doctor Who 10.7

Can we get the Monks to kill off everyone responsible for this episode? Their consent was impure. And really, really contrived.

So far, this season of Doctor Who has been… “unimpressive”. The set design mostly lacks imagination and scope. The stories feel like they were cribbed from better, or at least more ambitious, episodes in previous seasons. The Doctor’s monologs are being written by Captain Obvious and The Campus Socialist. The new companion got a decent intro, but has done little of note since. And as for the monster of the week, well, so far we’ve had:

The ideas and characters in each episode are undeveloped. There’s no supporting cast to speak of, just the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole, and Nardole spends most of his time delivering ominous foreshadowing with the delicate grace of a firehose.

Now that I’m caught up to episode 10.5, I have only one question:

Will the entire season be written by interns copying scenes from their favorite episodes?