Doctor Who The Eaters of Light (2005– ) Online

I have to admit the first time I saw this episode I didn't like it. I found it slow and uninteresting. After watching it again, I really loved it. The monster is underdeveloped, but this episode has some truly great performances from the main cast and Rebecca Benson did a fantastic job as well. The visuals were stunning, the episode was really atmospheric, and the writing was really poetic. I'd definitely give this episode a second chance and appreciate it for what it is.

9 out of 10.

By far, this episode proved itself to be my favourite of Season 10, which so far has achieved only middling success. None of the episodes have been terrible, but neither have any stood out. Finally, with The Eaters of Light, I managed to completely enjoy a Season 10 Doctor Who episode.

To begin with, I've become quite enraptured with Bill. She's proving to be one of my favourite companions in NuWho, after Clara and Amy/Rory (and further confusing me as to why Moffat is constantly criticised for not being able to write women). Her repartee with the Doctor is endlessly entertaining and she doesn't hesitate to challenge him, as all good companions do. Nardole, the companion-who-isn't, also functions really well in that dynamic, and it would appear that bringing back a character clearly only meant to appear once (see: decapitation) was a smart play, especially when said character is brought to life by the unmistakable genius that is Matt Lucas.

And on to the story! Right out of the gate, I was hooked on the mystery of the music under the hill. To be fair, this mystery in no way drives the story, but it was enough in the opening minutes to get me settled while the frankly bonkers Roman's vs. Highlanders vs. interdimensional-light-eaters plot got rolling. Another great mini-anti-war monologue from Capaldi and bang, the cairn was collapsed and I was left thoroughly satisfied as the little bow was wrapped around the characters.

There were negatives, however. The monster felt incredibly underdeveloped and frankly underused. I never got a sense of what "eating light" was, or how it was a threat. Hell, even if the torches it walked past blew out I would have been satisfied. I only perceived it as a threat when the characters on screen told me to, whereas a great villain like the Weeping Angels manage to make me feel fear independent of my investment in the story. Coupled with some moments of awkward CGI, this will not be a monster that will be remembered or, likely, ever revisited.

And finally, how could I write this review and not mention Missy? I really, really love Michelle Gomez as Missy in this run of the character, and that was before they started playing with her as a reformed villain learning how to be a Doctor. As an overarching plot thread, I think it has stood out to me as exemplary. As with Nardole, the producers of this show clearly understand when a character is too good to underuse and my god did they strike gold with Missy. Whatever the future may hold for the Master in all of her forms, I am thrilled we get to spend so much time with this one.

So overall, this episode wasn't perfect, but it was damn enjoyable, a simple Doctor Who story that kept me hooked and entertained from start to finish, despite an underdeveloped monster. The jokes land, the performances were top notch from all and the writing never fell flat at all. It did teeter on the edge for a moment with the unexpected insight into crow language at the end, but I think I've decided I loved it.

Definitely the best this season has had to offer - although next week is looking to be an explosive finale, hopefully the send off that Moffat and Capaldi deserve.

The current season of Doctor Who is coming to its inevitable end. Before we arrive at the two-part finale story, viewers have been treated to a couple of single episode tales. Following on Mark Gatiss' Empress Of Mars, this past Saturday saw the TARDIS crew head to Roman Britain with an episode written by a writer whose presence marks something of a first for New Who. For the first time, the 21st century incarnation of the series was being written by someone who wrote for its original run with noted playwright Rona Munro (who penned the Sylvester McCoy era story Survival that ended the original series back in 1989). So how was Munro's foray into New Who?

Unlike Survival, which was set in what was then contemporary times, The Eaters Of Light fits snugly into the series sub-genre known as the pseudo-historical. In this case, Munro uses the TARDIS crew to explore the fate of the Roman Ninth Legion, a real-life historical mystery with no really suitable answer. That makes it perfect territory for Doctor given the series has done similar things with the Mary Celeste and the 1926 disappearance of Agatha Christie which makes it all the more surprising that the series somehow hadn't touched on it before (especially with its various spin-offs). What Munro does is take that historical conundrum, mix it with the science fiction nature of the series, and combines it together into an often entertaining forty odd minutes. In that regard, Munro's latest Who script falls squarely into line with many of the tropes that one would expect from the series.

Which is also something which doesn't do the episode any favors. The revelation of what decimated the Romans and is the creature behind the title feels almost cliché in many ways despite the effective final confrontation and the situation it puts the Doctor into (a moment where Peter Capaldi's Doctor once again shines). In some respects, it seems like it would have been nice for this episode (or really many of the pseudo-historical episodes of New Who) to be a one-off experiment in doing something that the series did in its early days: the pure historical. That is, where the episode would seen the TARDIS crew having to wander the lines between two very different but definitely human foes, trying to make peace between them and get out alive. Not that the decision for the episode to go off into definite SF territory makes the episode bad by any means but it does make it feel like something we have experienced before. Viewers, especially those who are long-time fans of the series, might be left feeling like someone who has had good leftover but really wanted something new and fresher instead.

Where the episode on the whole shines to a large extent is in its execution. The TARDIS crew of the Doctor, Bill, and Nardole continues to shine brightly as they have for virtually all of this season. Capaldi plays the Doctor note perfect, always finding the right balance between the varying and often contradictory facets of the character. Pearl Mackie's Bill has some nice moments in her interactions with various Roman soldiers while Matt Lucas' Nardole is for once not being completely shoved off to the sidelines but instead gets some nice moments of his own. The supporting cast is solid given how young most of them are with Rebecca Benson's Pict leader Kar being the definite highlight among them. Charles Palmer's direction is similarly solid as well bringing a strong sense of atmosphere to proceedings in conjunction with cinematographer Mark Watersand composer Murray Gold. They help elevate the episode as a result.

The Eaters Of Light makes for interesting viewing. Despite its perhaps all too familiar plotting, Munro's script has plenty of interesting things in it including some strong characterizations. It is those characterizations, combined with the efforts of cast and crew alike, which help make what might potentially have been a fairly by the numbers monster tale into something downright atmospheric at times. Is it a classic? No. Is it the weakest episode of the season thus far? Potentially. Given how strong this season has been though, that still makes it better than quite a few tales that have come out of this series over the years.

So watch it, enjoy it, and get ready for the next episode.

While I have been enjoying this series, there hasn't been that one episode that you can call an instant classic, like Listen or Heaven Sent. To add to that, there haven't been many episodes that you can say are really great either. Aside from The Pilot, Oxygen, and Extremis, every episode has been about a 6 or 7 out of 10, which is disappointing, especially when Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie are so great and when talents like Matt Lucas and Michelle Gomez have prominent roles in the series. Unfortunately, The Eaters of Light doesn't change that.

The Eaters of Light isn't a bad episode, but it's not very good either. There was tension and no mystery, and the monster wasn't impressive. Charles Palmer did an okay job directing the episode, but it falls short compared to his other episodes like The Family of Blood and Oxygen, which was just a few episodes ago. I also can't say much about the cinematography. With a location as nice as this one, you'd expect an episode that was more impressive visually. I can't fault his direction that much though because the writing really didn't allow for much tension or creativity.

I feel like this episode could have been much better had Rona Monroe and Charles Palmer capitalized on the more hopeful, optimistic aspect of this episode, because it did have some nice character development and some good ideas in it. I liked how this episode gave us a reason for why crows caw, because they're remembering Kar and her stand against the "eaters of light," and I think the episode could have been more successful had it embraced its poetic nature a bit more.

I support the push for diversity on Doctor Who, but the conversation about sexuality in this episode was unnecessary. Thin Ice did a fantastic job tackling social and racial issues, the Pilot and Extremis handled Bill's sexuality perfectly, to the point that you don't even notice it, and that's how it should be. It's great to have a wide range of characters and actors on Doctor Who, but it's not great to remind the viewers every episode that we have a diverse cast and make it into a big thing when it really shouldn't be. The whole conversation about sexuality in this episode felt shoehorned in to be honest.

While "The Eaters of Light" isn't a particularly strong installment, I'll give it a 6 out of 10 for being an okay, if forgettable, 45 minutes. The writing had some nice moments, but the direction fell short and the episode wasn't entertaining or intriguing enough to make it memorable.

EDIT: I just watched this episode again and have to say that it really improved upon re-watch. Some if it feels limited by the budget, but I really liked the themes this episode explored. Michelle Gomez is electric, as always.

Now this is what I'm talking about.

After a few weeks of episodes that weren't eventful enough and abandoned the characters we thought we knew and refused to properly dive into the thematic material they were offering, Doctor Who is back on track, and it's all courtesy of one woman: Rona Munro. Munro is the first writer to serve up episodes in both the classic and revived era of the show, and, if "The Eaters of Light" is anything to go by, she certainly knows her stuff.

We begin with a fairly standard opening. The Doctor and Bill have gone back to 2nd Century Scotland to track down the Ninth Legion of the Roman Army - the Doctor believes the army was wiped out while Bill is adamant it wasn't. They split up to find their answers, but after Bill stumbles across one survivor of the Ninth Legion and the Doctor finds a whole different kind of tribe, it becomes increasingly possible that neither of them will be right about what happened all those years ago.

Splitting the Doctor and Bill up seems like a frustrating choice given how underused Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie have been for a high percentage of this series, but Munro balances her episode perfectly. It's without question the sharpest script of the series in how it divides the episode into two halves but doesn't let any key cast member fall beneath the surface. For the first time all series, I feel like I watched Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie at the top of their games.

We'll look at Mackie first. Separated from the Doctor, Bill is forced into trusting other people - something she's learned to do across Series 10. Bill as a character still feels frustratingly underdeveloped but that isn't too big of an issue if she's still likable, and Mackie simply oozes likability. She makes Bill fun and giddy - listen to the excitement in her voice when she asks the soldier if he's from the Ninth Legion - but she carries a heavy weight on her shoulders when the table turns. Mackie struggled with the more hard hitting scenes earlier in the series, but she's come a long way - there's real, honest heartbreak on her face when Bill has to tell the other soldiers that Simon has died. It's a remarkable performance, unquestionably Mackie's strongest work on the show to date.

On the other end of the episode is Capaldi, who has felt so far separated from the calibre of acting he gave us last year that it's frequently been tough to identify him as the same Doctor we saw in Series 9. This year's scripts just haven't given him the material to work with, but Munro does - albeit subtly. There's no giant speech here, but Munro adds significant depth to the Doctor's words - the wise, thoughtful man we once knew makes a comeback here. The Doctor rousing the two opposing armies to come together is a notably powerful moment, and his potential sacrifice of guarding the gate for all eternity would feel empty in the hands of a lesser actor. It's thrilling to see him on top form again.

As well as being terrifically performed, Munro's episode is benefited by a real willingness to tackle the themes it offers. When Bill first begins to understand the TARDIS translation trick it feels like a fun little throwaway, but Munro soon transforms it into something infinitely more powerful. "The Eaters of Light" tackles the futility of war in a quiet way, looking at something as simple as understanding your enemy's language and how that can change your whole perceptive.

The notion that when you can understand the whole Universe everyone sounds like children is a moving sentiment, and one that fits the Doctor Who brand perfectly. Munro even plays it through to the endgame, as two rival tribes come together to defend a force more powerful than them both. After last week's under baked look at war, Munro hits the nail on the head. It's exactly what's been missing from Series 10, an episode of strong performances and nuanced ideas that understands show to shine a spotlight on them both.

"The Eaters of Light" isn't the strongest episode of the series - supporting performances are questionable and there's a few too many moments that don't quite add up - but it brings the show back to reliable ground before it heads into what promises to be a delightfully weird and over the top finale. Doctor Who hasn't been operating on the same level this year as its past two seasons, but "The Eaters of Light" is an episode that stands high in the Capaldi era if only for how it lets the man be himself again. It's about damn time.

This review is not meant to be racist, I just want accuracy! This episode was already quite weak, but there's been something that has been agitating in especially this season; Doctor Who is trying to be way too "politically correct". In the previous episode, we already had a black Victorian, which in my opinion makes no sense and in this episode we got a gay black Roman. I'm no history expert and if I'm right there were black people in Rome, a place which was very ethnically diverse, but a gay man. It makes no sense that he was executed, nobody would be able to accept the fact that he is gay. The only time we actually got historically correct racism, was in the episode "Deep Breath". In the episode Oxygen, racism towards blue people was even mentioned. And then to the rest of the episode, it wasn't that interesting and the plot was quite weak, not one of the best, but not one of the worst.

With a new show runner, Chris Chibnall, coming, I really hope they get rid of this historical inaccuracy.

I have only been moved to write this review because of the misinformed ideas that suggest that gay Romans did not exist and that the conversation between bill and some legionaries was totally anachronistic (which it was but not in ways suggested). As a story, this lacked the interest and even sophistication of 'Survival' own Munro's first story for Doctor Who and the last in the classic TV series.

Survivor was a fascinating exploration of masculinity and femininity , particularly the idea of conceptualising and admitting a famine, a primal anger. This was juxtaposed with male aggression in the form a youth group. I watched Survival being filmed on location and reported on the making of the story so have a person investment in the story in a way I don't have for many Sylvester McCoy outings.

Sadly, it was a time when, for me, Doctor Who was being made far too much on the cheap and location filming with video cameras didn't help anything look convincing. The story editing was also disjointed to the point that even by today's brief episodes looked sketchy and ultimately incoherent.

Returning to the recent adventure, Munro's script was enjoyable in a kind of kids' TV romp. However, critics finding the albeit contrived conversation about sexuality don not seem to have researched homosexuality in ancient Rome.

The fact is that homosexual relations were a norm. However, they were morally regulated - and not in ways we would approve of today. Mainly homosexual acts were between dominant adult males and young slave boys (12 to 20).

The Romans also linked sex with violent conflict. Conquered armies and communities were fair game, and rape was common.

In fact the most unlikely bit of Munro's script was that a soldier was executed. The death sentence was rare for free born Romans.

And welcome back Roma Munro who wrote Survival in 1989.

Started with a mystery, near modern day Aberdeen ,a hill with known music and a rock formation with a TARDIS inscribed on it. Wait, A TARDIS?

The Doctor investigates 2nd Century AD where Aberdeen will be with the disappearance of a Roman Legion.

Nice start but how will this flow?

A bit rough.

Bill is split up from the Doctor and Nardole and is attacked by a Pict only to fall into a pit with a Roman Soldier.

The Doctor and Nardole investigates wondering why a corpse of a Roman Soldier is in advanced decay.

Bill is not aware of the ability of the TARDIS to translate everything telepathically.

Nardole and the Doctor are captured by the Picts only to briefly escape.

The Doctor visits the temple which he discovers is a portal to another dimension where these eaters of lights come from.

Bill's Roman friend is kill only to meet up with the rest of the Legion.

The Doctor stays with the Picts whom he discovers are the gatekeepers.

The eater is getting stronger to the point where it might devour the universe.

Scary, eh?

The Doctor is working with the Picts while the Romans and Bill are trying to escape via a cave network.

The Romans and Bill encountered the eaters of light and escape up a ladder to be reunited with the Doctor and Nardole and the Picts.

Initially, Picts and Romans have a standoff.

The Doctor negotiates a peace so that the bigger enemy can be confronted.

Credit Roma for this one!!

The Doctor and all forces the creature back to the portal. The big argument breaks of on who is suppose to guard the entrance.

The Doctor, I can outlive you all and fight this.

Picts and Romans gather together to fight the eaters.

This is a Pict/Roman battle not a Doctor Battle.

Great resolution.

So back to the TARDIS and surprise Missy is there doing maintenance.

Any nitpicks?

A Black Roman soldier? All right Rome did conquer north Africa.

Homosexuals and Lesbians in the 2nd century? Yes there were some.

Overall I enjoyed his.

Looking forward to the next thrillogy.

The Doctor, Bill and Nardole arrive in ancient Scotland, with one aim, to answer the question, why The Ninth Roman legion vanished. The Doctor and Nardole fall into the hands of the locals, while Bill is given salvation by the Romans. The warring factions have a common enemy, the eaters of light.

I was so excited to see that Rona Munro had been commissioned to write an episode for the new series, having had the dubious honour of writing the last classic serial, Survival.

The location was fantastic, there's something mystical about ancient Scotland, it really did add to the story, creating lots of atmosphere.

The trailers made it appear to be a big action story, I'd say the action is perhaps more limited, we get lots of dialogue, some of it rather good, some parts were a little sentimental. Moffat enjoyed early success under his tenure with the Romans, so it's nice to see them return, Brian Vernel was particularly good as Lucius.

I enjoyed it, had it not been for the appearance of Missy it would have received a six, but again Gomez manages to take it up a notch, is she to be trusted or not she really has been a 'Masterful' addition to the show. I perhaps had expectations set a little too high, but still pretty good, 7/10

Last time Rona Munro wrote for Doctor Who the show went off air for 16 years not that it was her fault. However history was made as Munro becomes the first person to write for Classic Who and Nu Who as well as having written for televised Doctor Who in both the 20th and 21st Century.

Munro delves in Celtic history on a mystical setting of of second century Caledonia as Bill wants to find out what happened to the Roman 9th legion.

What we get are talking crows and a CGI monster, the eater of light with a meditation to lost youth as both the Picts and Romans have lost their elders and it is up to the youth to set aside their differences and unite to defeat the monster as the Doctor prepares to make his own sacrifice.

The Doctor is a little more caustic here and it is remarkable how few stories we have had in Doctor Who that have actually been set in Scotland.

Director Charles Palmer has set a good standard in the visuals as much of the action has a nighttime and interior settings. Munro has written an understated and elegiac episode.

The Doctor , Bill and that bloke from SHOOTING STARS travel to Scotland circa AD 120 and find that the Picts and the 9th Roman Legion are being stalked by an alien monster

Don't come in to this episode if you're your aware of history because unlike the good old days of the William Hartnell era where the themes of history and science were respected but I never go in to a NuWho episode expecting my knowledge of science or history to be expanded and this episode came hyped by the fact that the writer Rona Munro has passed in to legend as being the very last person to have written for DOCTOR WHO 1963-89 with Survival

Ooops. With hindsight the alarm bells should have been ringing because if you're hyping up an upcoming episode due to who wrote it rather than the content and the content is slight to say the very least. A dragon type of monster thingy is roaming the glens of Caledonia eating Picts and Romans alike and instead of developing this angle more the cardboard characters sit around discussing things like sexuality. As I said I'm not expecting accurate history but despite the Roman Empire being very diverse indeed Roman Legions weren't a pick and mix regiment as seen here , it'd be a Spanish regiment in the case of the 9th . The thinking behind this is the Romans would be worried about their Legions joining the other side if rebellions broke out so they'd send a Spanish Legion to Scotland and say send a Hungarian regiment to Spain. Likewise the Picts weren't "An early Celtic race" and what very little is known about them is that they didn't speak an Indo-European language which indicates they're not Celts . Did I say I didn't watch this as a history lesson ? Maybe not but surely it's possible to fuse drama with accurate history ?

As for the drama itself what lets the episode down is that it's pretty obvious the young cast have not long graduated from drama school and you're aware you're watching very inexperienced actors playing parts in a television show . We shouldn't be too hard on them because the material is very light and empty and seems more concerned with The Guardian inspired diversity rather than solid involving drama. It's the scene in the Tardis at the end the episode will be remembered for rather than the scenes in Bonnie Scotland

This episode sees The Doctor, Nardole and Bill travelling to second century Scotland hoping to solve the mystery of what happened to the Roman Ninth Legion. They split up and Bill comes across a young Pictish woman who chases her. She falls into a hole and is surprised to find a Roman soldier there. He explains that he is a member of the Ninth and was one of a group that fled from battle. The escape and he tells Bill where his comrades are; he is killed by a creature but she gets away and joins his comrades. Meanwhile The Doctor and Nardole discover the site of the battle and it is clear that whatever happened to the Ninth wasn't due to any ordinary battle. They are then captured by the Picts; they explain that the creature is an 'Eater of Light'; a being that comes through 'The Gate'. Kar, 'The Guardian of the Gate' should have prevented the creature coming through but instead thought it could be used to defeat the Romans. The Doctor believes that is it isn't defeated life on Earth and possible our whole universe would be threatened.

This was a fairly mixed episode; the idea of having the missing Ninth Legion in a story was good although the way they were depicted was rather poor. The oldest of them was only eighteen and they referred to each other as Centurions; yet centurions were senior officers in charge of a hundred men and had to be at least thirty years old. The Picts are all similarly young. We also get more heavy handed political correctness which is getting a bit tedious… I'm all for equality but don't want to be constantly lectured about it in what should be an exciting Sci-fi show. On the plus side the creatures were decent enough and the final scenes made us wonder whether Missy has at last become one of the good guy or is just being manipulative. Overall an okay episode but it could easily have been better.

I love Dr Who, and I'm used to having to suspend reality a bit but this episode was a bit off the rails. Too many things were just nonsensical. Or maybe I just didn't find myself engaged enough to go along with it.

Why were Bill and the soldiers only have initial-style conversations when they'd been together for 2 days in a cave? The story just skipped that those two days have happened except for mentioning it. Shouldn't the music drifting out of the wormhole have been really really slow? Why was the creature so easy to defeat when they actually tried?

Every Doctor has had an episode like this. This was Peter Capaldi's.

After a truly terrible new Moffat era we finally get an episode with some real heart.

The Monster is cheap and pretty stupid. I have seen it in a few movies. The Relic for one. And the Historical knowledge the Doctor is imbued with is pretty shaky to say the least. Nor was the acting that good either. This PC nonsense is spoiling Doctor Who a bit as well.

But as with previous episodes that dealt with Historical figures, including one which actually employed Capaldi as an important character, we get some real people from History who are antagonists who finally pull together for a Greater Good. The story was the heart of the episode not the silly looking Monster or the people who looked too clean and well groomed for the 1st Century. Someone must have invented razor blades because the Romans really looked like Catalogue models rather than part of an incredible fighting machines.

That aside it was an enjoyable episode with a good story that went somewhere. The small cameo of Missy stole the show and it looks like she will be prominent next week. Michelle Gomez the best thing about the Moffat era. Hopefully she will continue when the next Who era gets going. I even warmed to Matt Lucas a bit as he has become less annoying. Overall one of the better Capaldi Who episodes.

Hopefully the Cyberman episode can be something to kick start this new series a bit.

Fun and educational! Not usually known for being historically accurate, this week's episode decided to treat viewers to a history lesson and political message- namely, on the inclusivity of ancient cultures. Contrary to people's beliefs, ancient Rome was very open about homosexuality, and very tolerant of people from different races. So good on Doctor Who for not attempting to 'modernize' ancient cultures. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode felt somewhat rushed and lackluster. We were given plenty of time with the Romans, but the Picts felt underdeveloped. Especially Kar, who we're supposed to sympathize with. The bit about why the crows say 'caw' was cute, but would have felt more meaningful if we'd spent less time with the Romans, and more time with her. The part at the end where the Romans all decided to follow Kar was also extremely out of place for two groups who were out to murder each other a day ago. Overall, this episode was a fun little romp into a great historical mystery, however it needed more development and fleshing out. It was like they were following dot points on a page, with little substance to back it up.

The story was cheap, obvious and basically a waste of time. Firstly, Rome had homosexual men but not in the way it was portrayed here. Why are there multiple black guys in the roman legion (only as slaves or eastern mercenaries), last week they had respected black guys in a victorian British army, just happily getting on with white superiors. This isn't racist splur...

I get it isn't a time travel documentary but you need...some immersion. I felt like I was watching a cheap university movie with a load of people in fancy dress.