C+Q - The Pyramid at the End of the World (2017)

0 out of 10; Missy isn't in it.

Some episode reviews are far harder to write than others. It's not necessarily because the episodes themselves are more complex to write about, it's just that I don't have as much to say about them as I do for others. I love The Pyramid at the End of the World. It's a solid episode that's thoughtful without being overly complicated or pretentious. This isn't the sort of episode with excesses of cool fan service for me to gush over and it isn't the sort of episode that's bad in a way that's fun to nitpick (see my review of The Lie of the Land for that). This is just an expertly written, directed, and acted episode of my favourite TV show. It's an amazing display of talent from a cast and crew who are exceptional at their jobs coming together to create a solid 45 minutes of television. As a result, this is going to be more like a short list of things I found noteworthy rather than a review I can really get my teeth sunk into. If anything, that should be a reflection of my lack of enthusiasm for having to reinforce that a good thing is good in 1000 words rather than a reason to doubt the goodness of the good thing itself.

Being a middle chapter gives this episode much more time to do interesting things and go to interesting places without having to dedicate much time to set-up or conclusion. Time can instead be given to exploring the premise properly, like when the various world leaders are killed off because their consent is impure, making the pay-off of Bill's consent more tense and meaningful. We get to spend more time with small talk between Erica and Douglas, which was absolutely needed to sell the mundanity of Douglas' world-ending mistake. Despite working in a cool-looking science lab that exists in an episode of a sci-fi TV show, neither of the characters act like there's anything particularly remarkable about this day more than any other, which sets us at ease before the reveal of the killer bacteria. The idea of a lab that vents air into the outside world automatically during a quarantine is a pretty weak plot point that could have been explained better, but it generally works as a non-supernatural way to end all life on a planet. Erica incidentally is by far the most memorable supporting character Series 10 has had so far. She feels like she was created to be filler for future 'Top 10 Characters Who Should Become Companions' lists.

Now that Nardole is a more present part of the main cast and isn't constantly whining about the Doctor's insistence on have fun adventures in this TV show about fun adventures, the trio actually make for a solid TARDIS team. On the whole, I think I'm glad Nardole became a companion. Not only does he serve a plot function, as a friendlier and easier-to-get-exposition-out-of version of the Doctor, but Matt Lucas is also quite an endearing presence. I just wish the writers would give him something more meaty than 'comic relief'. Bill continues to be incredible although it's going to take a lot to dethrone Clara as my favourite companion. I just hope to god she's stays on into the Chibnall era. If nothing else it'd create some nice continuity between the Twelfth and Thirteenth Doctors, but more importantly 12 episodes is nowhere near enough for this character. I want to see what a new team of writers could do with her after being able to watch Pearl Mackie's Series 10 performance and use it as a foundation to build from.

This episode looks great but what really stands out to me is the pyramid itself, or as I like to call it, The Best Special Effect I've Seen All Year 2017. Why? Because I didn't realise it was a special effect. It's not that I thought the pyramid was real, it's just that I never stopped to question whether it was or not. I watched this episode twice and it wasn't until much later that I thought about it and realised that, logically, that pyramid must have been fake. Sure enough, it isn't there in the raw location footage taken behind the scenes. I then watched it a third time and even then I couldn't see the strings. This episode had me utterly convinced that there was actually a pyramid in that desert, and ultimately that's what special effects should do. It's not about looking good, it's about looking convincing.

So...yeah. All in all, this episode is affa good.