Doctor Who Season 8 Episode 5 Review: Time Heist

at .

Well, there had a to be a disappointing installment sooner or later and this was it.

Yes, there were new characters introduced in Doctor Who Season 8 Episode 5, but the adventure itself fell kind of flat.

The biggest surprise was that The Doctor really couldn't figure it out without having his wiped memories returned to him. Once they were returned it all fell into place, but only because he knew the story. I don't know why I found that so disappointing, but I did.

This is the first time during Doctor Who Season 8 that everything felt just a little off, even more so than when The Doctor first regenerated. There wasn't much of a point to the hour and the romp itself left me feeling blasé.

The Doctor should have really stopped telling people to wipe their thoughts to when they were actively trying to wipe their thoughts. Can there be anything more disturbing than someone trying to talk to you while you're willing your mind to be blank?

Considering the odd usage of portrait photos for this installment, I really expected the characters to be sticking around. Saibra dying so early on was quite surprising. Silly silly me. I should have known it was a ruse! When Psi later bit it I knew something was fishy. 

It's not very often that I find fault with the little things in Doctor Who, but watching Psi try to break into the vault using the keypad wasn't working for me. So many times people don't know how to type or whatever, and it's easy to overlook, but when he was tapping his fingers on, well, nothing, it was hard not to be somewhat annoyed.

The Teller, while frightening in practice, was difficult to dislike because he was in prison orange and chains. That lead me to believe he was being forced to do the job. That was the case. When The Doctor made the appropriate appeal to its senses, The Teller was revealed.

The most unfortunate occurrence about the episode was The Doctor returning to his feelings for Clara and even becoming a bit jealous.

Clara: See ya! Don't rob any banks.
The Doctor: Don't rob any banks what?
Clara: Without me.
The Doctor: Of course not, Boss. Robbin' a bank. Robbin' a whole bank. Beat that for a date.

Anybody who has earlier decided that there weren't residual feelings hasn't been paying attention. The Doctor is trying his best to see Clara in a different -- indifferent -- light by telling her she's unattractive, not recognizing when she's going on a date or wearing heels.

He very clearly sees all of it and it upsets him. From the previews for next week, he's going to go so far as to infiltrate the life she's living with her new pal Danny. They had to meet sooner or later, but under those circumstances? Expect that to be odd.

The Doctor calling Clara "boss" also piqued my interest. I'm still getting a feeling that we're going to witness something very different when whatever happens at Christmas finally takes place. Not the regular out with the old in with the new scenario. Yep -- I've been wrong many times before.

What are you thoughts on "Time Heist"? Was it passable or something more? Am I alone with the vibe that The Doctor still fancies Clara? If you need more clues, watch Doctor Who online via TV Fanatic. Why not?

Time Heist Review

Editor Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
  • 3.0 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 4.3 / 5.0 (93 Votes)

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.

Show Comments
Tags: ,

Doctor Who Season 8 Episode 5 Quotes

Why is your face all colored in?

The Doctor

Danny: Meeting me. You are. Date. Second one.
Clara: Words are not in the right order but, hey, maths teacher.