Doctor Who - Season 11, Episode 09: It Takes You Away
Trailer
The further adventures in time and space of the alien adventurer known as the Doctor, a Time Lord/Lady who can change appearance and gender, and his/her companions.
"It Takes You Away" is the best story of season 11. It's about a genuinely intriguing science fiction concept with some fascinating worldbuilding, but it's trapped by the failings of this season as a whole.
This episode has been heralded as 'trying new ideas' but, to me, the incompetence in the writing of dialogue and character and the inaccessibility of these surreal and sometimes embarrassingly convoluted plot threads made the episode almost unbearable.
Part of me wants to compare "It Takes You Away" to a crazy sci-fantasy art film, which is apt. But another, far more fannish side of me is totally reminded of some comic strip.
A lot of unique, surreal elements that I haven't really seen since some of the more out-there Fourth Doctor stuff. Top marks for me, might be the story of the series...
That one performance, that one scene, that one moment that keeps you coming back for more, even when everything else feels a little half-cocked. I'm delighted to report that the Whittaker/Chibnall Who finally has that.
The episode takes us to another foreign land, where the story is at times weak, but the script is always punchy and progressive, with the show's writers providing unexpected twists, moths, and frogs throughout.
On many levels, "It Takes You Away" is an episode that viewers can get lost in. It has an adventure, heartbreak, and wonder, and in the end, it makes us feel sorry for a universe that cannot coexist with our own.
Say what you like about that frog, but It Takes You Away had the courage of its convictions and looked caution in the eye without blinking, and for that it deserves the benefit of any doubt.
It Takes You Away boasts this year's first truly grand sci-fi concept. Along with an artfully executed backdrop, clever twists, convincingly scary monsters and devastating emotional journeys.
