Loved this season and 73 yards is probably my favorite episode despite how strange it is. Definitely agree with all your gripes on Empire of Death - I've been struggling to put into words why it bugs me, and your description of RTD retconning evidence instead of subverting expectations is spot-on. Something I found is starting to disappoint me and that I dislike about recent episodes is how the Doctor seems to be so easily defeated. Our hero of the story seems to fall into a pit of "this is the end", "there's nothing I can do", "I can't fight this" super easily considering everything in the universe that they've had to face off against. His extreme emotions are being overused. The Doctor's attitude used to be "no weapons, no tools, no plan - this is when I'm scariest" and now he kind of just crumbles or freezes if something intimidates him. It feels disheartening and I think that it (combined with the weird, more supernatural elements of the show lately?) may be a warning sign of Disney meddling. Ruby's "arc" (I really hope it's not actually finished, the snow thing bugs me) had a kind of fairy tale ending, after all... but Doctor Who isn't a fairy tale.
Your disappointments are something I completely agree with, but hadn't thought of/hadn't been able to put into words as well. For all the confidence this iteration of the doctor has in their personality, they don't seem to have much of it against threats any more.
Loved this season and 73 yards is probably my favorite episode despite how strange it is. Definitely agree with all your gripes on Empire of Death - I've been struggling to put into words why it bugs me, and your description of RTD retconning evidence instead of subverting expectations is spot-on.
Something I found is starting to disappoint me and that I dislike about recent episodes is how the Doctor seems to be so easily defeated. Our hero of the story seems to fall into a pit of "this is the end", "there's nothing I can do", "I can't fight this" super easily considering everything in the universe that they've had to face off against. His extreme emotions are being overused.
The Doctor's attitude used to be "no weapons, no tools, no plan - this is when I'm scariest" and now he kind of just crumbles or freezes if something intimidates him. It feels disheartening and I think that it (combined with the weird, more supernatural elements of the show lately?) may be a warning sign of Disney meddling. Ruby's "arc" (I really hope it's not actually finished, the snow thing bugs me) had a kind of fairy tale ending, after all... but Doctor Who isn't a fairy tale.
Your disappointments are something I completely agree with, but hadn't thought of/hadn't been able to put into words as well. For all the confidence this iteration of the doctor has in their personality, they don't seem to have much of it against threats any more.