Broken World: A Julie River Review of “Orphan 55”

Episode Rating: 2/13

Every now and then an episode comes along that’s so god awful that you pretty much have to pretend it never happened. The last time this happened was three seasons ago with the Gatiss-penned disaster that was “Sleep No More,” an episode so bad it comes with a warning at the beginning not to watch it. “Orphan 55” might be irredeemably bad, but it’s at least a half step above “Sleep No More.” In “Orphan 55,” not only does the main plot fail, every single subplot of the episode fails to work as well. First of all the Dregs, who look like the Ood on steroids, are not scary. The twist that the planet is actually Earth both fails to be interesting but it also contradicts established continuity. The episode can’t seem to decide if it’s about global warning or nuclear winter, so it kinda does both and hopes you won’t notice.  Then the heavy handed message at the end, which I wholeheartedly agree with by the way, is lacking in any remote semblance of subtlety. The whole episode hits you over the head with a message that it didn’t really think out.

Then there’s the terrible subplots. First there’s the aborted romance between Ryan and Bella which, after every single scene shows Ryan striking out with her, ends with probably the most unearned kiss in the history of Doctor Who.Vilma and Benni’s story could have been really sweet if the episode hadn’t killed them off in such a callous fashion. Nevi and Sylas, two characters that barely have a plot line, seem to fight and make up based on what the script needs, not based on any particular motivations. Similarly, Bella’s plot line about her estranged mother seems completely chaotic with characters’ emotion changes coming from seemingly nowhere.

There was very little that this episode got right. Graham’s giddiness at being on vacation is earnest, endearing, and amusing. Jodie Whittaker does a good job or keeping a cloud over the Doctor’s mood, showing none of her typical joy and light following her discovery about Gallifrey. Other than that, there’s nothing redeemable about this episode, which is surprising considering how good Ed Hime’s last episode, “It Takes You Away,” was. Here’s hoping that “Orphan 55” is the low point of the season and not par for the course, because this was easily the worst episode since “Sleep No More.”