Doctor Who: Season 8

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 8 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 344 Ratings

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7.1	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 344 Ratings

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Season Details & Credits

BBC-1 | BBC | BBC America | BBC One | Season Premiere Date: August 23, 2014

Starring: Jenna-Louise Coleman, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Peter Capaldi

Summary: The Thick of It's Peter Capaldi takes over as the 12th Doctor as he continues his adventures with Clara (Jenna Coleman).

Creator: Sydney Newman

Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

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Season 8 Episodes

tbd
S8:E12. Death in Heaven
Air Date: November 8, 2014
tbd
S8:E11. Dark Water
Air Date: November 1, 2014
tbd
S8:E10. In the Forest of the Night
Air Date: October 25, 2014

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

David Wiegand

Aug 21, 2014

The episode is about making Clara, and the audience, feel at home with the new Doctor. She does, and we do. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Aug 22, 2014

There is a welcome weighty quality to this week's adventure tale, but its sense of substance comes from embracing the rich potential of the character's depth, not from overstuffing the hour with an excess of "clever" meta-commentary. Read full review

Geoff Berkshire

Aug 22, 2014

What Capaldi lacks in youthful energy, he more than makes up for in gravitas and wry eccentricity.... Everyone involved can take particular pride in the centerpiece restaurant tiff between Clara and the Doctor, which cements their new relationship and showcases the instant chemistry between Coleman and Capaldi. Read full review

Mary McNamara

Aug 25, 2014

For a program known for its harum-scarum pace and keep-up-or-shut-up iconography, the Season 8 Saturday premiere of BBC America's Doctor Who opens slowly--even with the T. rex--and radiates a newly modern self-consciousness, albeit dressed in Victorian garb. Read full review

Curt Wagner

Aug 22, 2014

Coleman's rich performance matches Capaldi's as Clara struggles with the regeneration of her Doctor.... The Doctor may be different, but he's as entertaining as ever. Read full review

Mike Hale

Aug 22, 2014

Capaldi's Doctor is not just older but looks to be drier in his humor, more reticent, more coldblooded and dangerous. From a critic’s point of view, that’s interesting and potentially an improvement.... In other ways, the season premiere is a bit of a space holder, a middling story that’s concerned mainly with introducing Mr. Capaldi and establishing the relationship between the new Doctor and his sidekick, Clara. Read full review

Cody Ray Shafer

Aug 26, 2014

The story serves as little more than set pieces to the real conflict here, which is Clara's relationship with The Doctor. Read full review

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7.1

User Reviews

thetvreviewman

Nov 4, 2014

Its always tough to get used to a new doctor, but Peter Capaldi does a good job of showing us how he is ready to take on the role. This season of Doctor Who continues to give the audience great science fiction action and just the right amount of weirdness that we are used to seeing in Doctor who.

15 of 20 users found this helpful155

Ryan13cla

Oct 11, 2015

Undeniably the most divisive season this show has aired yet. Season 8 is focused more on the characters of the Doctor and Clara than the monsters and action sequences. Some feel this subtracts from what this show is about, others feel it strengthens the stories. I agree firmly with theUndeniably the most divisive season this show has aired yet. Season 8 is focused more on the characters of the Doctor and Clara than the monsters and action sequences. Some feel this subtracts from what this show is about, others feel it strengthens the stories. I agree firmly with the latter. Into the Dalek, Listen, Time Heist, The Caretaker, Kill the Moon, Mummy on the Orient Express, Flatline and Dark Water are all exceptional episodes of a superb season.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Airaindust

Sep 2, 2014

I'm liking Peter Capaldi and find him a nice fit for the roll. I love the 10th and 11th doctors for their own reasons and I'm certain I'll come to love 12 just as much in time. As for the episodes so far and the tone of series 8 I'm enjoying the darker feel and find it a good change of pace.

5 of 10 users found this helpful55

Volupian

Nov 18, 2014

Probably the worst season since the modern reboot. Sorry, as much as I love Capaldi in other things - he is not a great Doctor. All the Doctors (modern) have had, underneath, that crucial layer of sadness and pathos. The weariness of all that he has seen and done. And Capaldi does notProbably the worst season since the modern reboot. Sorry, as much as I love Capaldi in other things - he is not a great Doctor. All the Doctors (modern) have had, underneath, that crucial layer of sadness and pathos. The weariness of all that he has seen and done. And Capaldi does not capture that. The moment that Clara 'betrays' him and then asks him why he isn't mad - why he is helping her exemplifies this. He doesn't respond with anything like the sort of layered emotional response that we are used to from previous Docs. And for all the talk about him being a darker, more menacing Doctor... I didn't see it. All the potential darkness promised by a set of stern eyes covered by severe brows dwindled with their most obvious grooming as the series went on. By the last episode, Mr Capaldi's brows were really quite ordinary - plucked and trimmed into docile submission.
Beyond Capaldi, you then have to address the bad writing of this series as well. It was all so.... boring, so filled with Clara Clara Clara. I honestly did think they had to be going in the direction of making Clara the next Doctor somehow - because it was the only way I could explain this obsession with focusing on her. Everything seemed to be leading it to it as well .. all the moments when Clara had to be or act like the Doctor. Perhaps it's all still going there... who knows? But there was no real meat underneath any of the stories this time. They attempted to inject some with the last episode and the question of whether the Doctor was a good man - was he a man that required and desired an army; is he very similar to the Master after all? But they totally bottled out of that question and didn't even bother to answer.
I did enjoy the potential hand-wringer reaction to those last episodes though. Injecting the idea of knowing you get burned up in a crematorium after you die was perfectly villainous in what is largely considered still to be kiddie-fare. Now THAT was dark.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

NewWhovian

Mar 22, 2015

I found three things wrong with season 8.

1. The relationship between Danny Pink and Claire. Where did it come from? There was no chemistry. It just seemed that during one episode she turned to him and said "I love you". It came from nowhere. And even after that, their relationshipI found three things wrong with season 8.

1. The relationship between Danny Pink and Claire. Where did it come from? There was no chemistry. It just seemed that during one episode she turned to him and said "I love you". It came from nowhere. And even after that, their relationship was always a struggle and got in the way of the stories.

2. The stories were lame. I guess I am comparing too much with the previous 7 seasons. The stories and the arcs seem to get bigger and better each season, until the 50th anniversary episode, and then fell flat. Frankly, if I made a list of the top 30 episodes, none fro season 8 would be included.

3. I am O.K with the new doctor. But he is hard to understand at times.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

themacman33

Jan 15, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I had high expectations. I was excited to see Capaldi as a doctor, but the writing is horrendous, and the Doctor has died inside. Ecleston was serious, with plenty of wit an sarcasm. Tenant was emotional, humorous, and a perfect dash of energy and excitement. Smith was quirky, funny, witty, child-like, with moments of emotional rawness. For example, a Town Called Christmas. Capaldi's Doctor is rarely funny, seems unattached to any characters, is dark, grumpy, and occasionally emotionally appealing. Honesty, I grew more attatched to the War Doctor than Capaldi. I could live with Capaldi as an okay doctor, if it weren't for the terrible writing.

What happened to the writers? The plot in season 8 had very little overarching conflict, unconvincing story, and seems to have been shoddily taped together, like a dinner party of Mad Libs for screenwriters. The plot is simply boring, trying too hard, and alienates viewers by being dark with influences of horror movies, with no humour. Sure, previous seasons had the occasional episode, such as Silence in the Library, but many season 8 episodes are dark, with no humour, and simply shambled together.

I really hope season 9 is better.… Expand

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

DarknutMike

Jul 20, 2015

Season 8 was SO bad! The show is zero fun now & the writing is embarrassingly bad. Clara is the worst companion, she is SO flat & boring & has brought the show to a all time low.
Capaldi is a great actor but his doctor is written so poorly it is hard to like him. So far he is the worst inSeason 8 was SO bad! The show is zero fun now & the writing is embarrassingly bad. Clara is the worst companion, she is SO flat & boring & has brought the show to a all time low.
Capaldi is a great actor but his doctor is written so poorly it is hard to like him. So far he is the worst in the modern era by far. If S9 is more of the same I'm done with Doctor Who!… Expand

2 of 7 users found this helpful25

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77

Series Overview
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  Air Date: April 15, 2017
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  Air Date: September 19, 2015
Season 8

80
- Season 8 Overview
  Air Date: August 23, 2014
- tbd
  S8:E12. Death in Heaven
  Air Date: November 8, 2014
- tbd
  S8:E11. Dark Water
  Air Date: November 1, 2014
- tbd
  S8:E10. In the Forest of the Night
  Air Date: October 25, 2014
- tbd
  S8:E9. Flatline
  Air Date: October 18, 2014
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  S8:E8. Mummy on the Orient Express
  Air Date: October 11, 2014
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  S8:E7. Kill the Moon
  Air Date: October 4, 2014
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  S8:E6. The Caretaker
  Air Date: September 27, 2014
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  S8:E5. Time Heist
  Air Date: September 20, 2014
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  S8:E4. Listen
  Air Date: September 13, 2014
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  S8:E3. Robot of Sherwood
  Air Date: September 6, 2014
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  S8:E2. Into the Dalek
  Air Date: August 30, 2014
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  S8:E1. Deep Breath
  Air Date: August 23, 2014
Season 7

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tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: April 5, 2008
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: March 31, 2007
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: April 15, 2006
Season 1

70
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: March 26, 2005