The Incomparable

83 “Empire of Death” (S1E9)

We wrap up this first Disney+/BBC season by accentuating the positive where we can find it, before finally giving in and explaining all the ways this episode failed. Perhaps things will be better at Christmas. We’ll see you then!

82 “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” (S1E8)

It’s part one of a two-part finale, which leaves Jason and Chip struggling with how to judge it. But somehow we find a way—and it mostly leaves us feeling frustrated.

81 “Rogue” (S1E7)

The roguish Jonathan Groff appears amid an extended riff on “Bridgerton.” Jason recommends a different Netflix series. Erika gives this episode a very high rating. Chip wonders about the metatextuality of it all. Was this episode for the cosplaying birds? Or could we not get it out of our heads?

80 “Dot and Bubble” (S1E6)

Did you enjoy the work? Afterward, did you spend time thinking about what it meant? When you start to analyze it, does it offer several interesting interpretations? Does the intent of the author inform, or is it irrelevant? We’re talking about art in general, and this week’s episode of “Doctor Who” in particular.

79 “73 Yards” (S1E5)

A spooky story told around a campfire, involving the adventures of Ruby Sunday and the mystery of the woman standing 66.66666667 meters away from her at all times. Vibes! We’re here for the vibes.

78 “Boom” (S1E4)

Former showrunner Steven Moffat joins the new-new-series party with an episode set almost entirely in a bomb crater. The Doctor can’t move, and can’t emote too much, but he can still attempt to control the world around him. We talk about Moffat’s return, the importance of getting Ruby up to speed as a companion, and much more!

77 “The Devil’s Chord” (S1E3)

Jinkx Monsoon stars in an episode where an otherworldly force beyond the Doctor’s abilities manages to steal all music and potentially set off a human apocalypse. Oh, also the Beatles are there—but they don’t really matter. And there’s a musical number at the end—but it doesn’t really matter, either. These are the problems.

76 “Space Babies” (S1E2)

“Doctor Who” regnerates for a whole new first season on Disney+. Russell T Davies has a plan to welcome new audiences, but do his showrunner machinations balance out with the narrative elements of this episode? Chip and Jason consider what RTD’s up to, why he’s doing it, what works, and what doesn’t.

75 “The Church on Ruby Road” (S1E1)

Merry Christmas! The Ncuti Gatwa era begins! We judge this episode as a Christmas special, as a Doctor introduction, as a jumping-on point for new viewers, and as the last new “Doctor Who” we’ll see until May.

74 “The Giggle”

What Russell wants, Russell gets! We say goodbye to David Tennant and hello to Ncuti Gatwa and also hi-how-are-you to Neil Patrick Harris! Is the Toymaker living in an original Star Trek episode? It’s the end of the 60th anniversary celebration, but the moment has been prepared for. Special guest Annette Wierstra joins Jason and Chip to break it all down.

See you in two weeks for the Christmas special with a lightly-used new Doctor!

73 “Wild Blue Yonder”

Off we go for a discussion of rusty robots, long spaceships, creepy doubles, the merits of a U-shaped season, the two kinds of Russell T. Davies scripts, and our love of Bernard Cribbins!

72 “The Star Beast”

“Doctor Who” is back and your Doctor Who Flashcast returns too, regenerated and rejuvenated. Jason, Erika and Chip discuss Russell T. Davies return to the series, the tricky balance of creating a 60th anniversary reunion show that plays the hits, while also starting production on a whole new era of “Doctor Who.” We’re so excited that it’s back that we talked for a long time!

71 “The Power of the Doctor”

It’s the end! We break down the end of the Jodie Whittaker/Mandip Gill/Chris Chibnall era. The plot left us mostly cold, but the emotional beats and fan service kept us very warm indeed. And who’s this new Doctor, anyway?

70 “Legend of the Sea Devils” (2022 Easter Episode)

If it feels like a regular episode, can it be called a special? In any event, the 2022 Easter Special of Doctor Who has arrived. Pirates! Sea Devils! Plot machinations! Interpersonal relationship… developments? It’s the last stop before the final episode of the Chibnall/Whitaker era, and we’ll spend a lot of time wondering (again) how today’s Doctor Who might not be like tomorrow’s Doctor Who.

69 “Eve of the Daleks” (2022 New Year’s Special)

It’s a time loop with killer robots with stupid names! We give our quick reactions to this year’s festive “Doctor Who” special, which features time loops and Daleks and comic relief and a little bit of set-up for the remainder of the Chibnall era. Happy New Year, everyone!

68 “The Vanquishers” (S13E6)

The “Flux” season reaches its end. Erika Ensign enjoyed the ride, Annette Wierstra is in the middle, and Jason’s frustrated by all the loose ends. We try to break down an episode jam-packed with plot points, lore, spaceships, and cinematic wipes.

67 “Survivors of the Flux” (S13E5)

Verity! podcaster and Big Finish writer Lizbeth Myles joins Jason to discuss “Survivors of the Flux,” the penultimate episode of this short, interlinked season. This is an episode that has to do a lot of work setting up for the grand finale, and one-third of the story has to do all that heavy lifting—but with an intriguing emotional aspect to things. What worked? Did we spot all the references? What’s in store for next week? And more broadly, how are we feeling about the Chibnall Masterplan?

66 “Village of the Angels” (S13E4)

A lot of stuff happens in this episode. Angels in basements! Angels in tunnels! Angels in a fireplace! Angels in graveyards! If you want Weeping Angels, where else to go but the village of the angels? More broadly, Houman Sadri and Antony Johnston join Jason to discuss how the season is shaping up, where the show may be going from here, and at the end, some particularly wild fan theories—and Jason even invents one of his own.

65 “Once, Upon Time” (S13E3)

Just as time has always dreamed of destroying its age-old enemy, space, we have always wanted to podcast weekly about “Doctor Who,” so we did! This week’s episode features flashbacks! Secrets! Surprise appearances! And Tamagotchi baby? We try to break it all down and decide there is too much—so we sum up what we can.

64 “War of the Sontarans” (S13E2)

Popular “Lazy Doctor Who” podcasters Erika Ensign and Steven Schapansky join Jason to discuss part two of “Flux,” which features both fictional aliens the Sontarans and actual historical figure Mary Seacole! Also, Yaz meets Vinder at a temple populated by floating triangles, and Dan takes a wok on the wild side. (No?) We also offer some theories about where “Flux” may be going, some of which may be somewhat too reliant on our ridiculously detailed knowledge of “Doctor Who” history.

63 “The Halloween Apocalypse” (S13E1)

“Doctor Who” is back and so are we, for part one of this season’s six-episode-long epic story. As is so often true for multi-part Doctor Who adventures, it’s actually hard to judge how it went from a single episode! But we try our best to identify all the dangling threads in episode one, from men in hats to a surprisingly un-chilly Arctic Circle to a tiny house that puts one in the mind of The Master even if he’s not anywhere to be found! Also, we discuss if this sort of storytelling is what “Doctor Who” in a modern context should look like.