Doctor Who: Empress of Mars review

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This is a post-UK broadcast review of Doctor Who: Empress of Mars. River Song always warned the Doctor against spoilers, so be sure to watch the episode first. Doctor Who, season 10, airs on Saturdays at 7:15pm UK time on BBC One, and 9pm EDT on BBC America.

Is Nardole's bumpy ride on the TARDIS a metaphor for season 10 of Doctor Who? After a strong start, this series is really starting to flag now. Even the performances from the three stars are at best middling in Empress of Mars-though the return of the Ice Warriors and some pleasing nods to classic episodes are welcome.

We're back to a loud (monsters) and quiet (negotiation) episode after the disappointing Monks trilogy with a contained story-penned by Doctor Who superfan, Mark Gatiss-that's a little too heavy-handed with the flour, giving us a dense slice of British Empire-building... on Mars. We're on invasive, aggressive, downright rude territory here.

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