Would You Be My New Best Friends? (Doctor Who redux)

[Eldan]

I enjoy straight historicals, the few times they happen. Which is, from what I've seen (i've missed a lot of Old Who), mostly in Big Finish. I remember distinctly liking Son of the Dragon (about Vlad Tepes) and The Council of Nicaea (which obviously is about the Battle of Hastings.) Son of the Dragon has a nice build up where it starts with Turkish soldiers telling horror stories about Wallachia and its ruler, which makes you expect there might actually be vampires in the episode and then, nope, they don't go there. Also fun because the Doctor's one companion at that time is a royal from Dynastic Egypt, and she argues that perhaps a lot of Vlad's bloodier actions might be justified for a ruler in his position.

[Ebon_Drake]

So... Kerblam! was way, way better than I expected it to be. From the previews I was expecting a full-on Russell T Davies-style campy run-around episode. While it definitely had shades of that, it managed to deliver it with enough panache and enough other elements of mystery, threat and character work that it mostly worked for me. I feel it could very much be a case of YMMV though.

Spoiler: Kerblam!

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I felt the end message got kind of twisted up and the reveal that the janitor was to blame didn't quite come off for me. I'd have preferred if they'd kept it as a straighter allegory for Amazon's shady staff practices, but I suppose a message that "the system isn't the problem, it's the people who use it" still works reasonably well. Eh, I really enjoyed about 95% of what the episode was doing but it didn't quite stick the landing.

One part of the ending I did like was Yaz actually getting the chance to do something by sticking the janitor in a restraining hold. I'd have loved if she'd properly kept him down, but I'll settle for Karmic death. I also would have preferred if the Karmic death had played a bit differently, since it came across like the janitor guy was confused about what was going on - I'd have preferred if the Doctor had made what was happening clearer to him and he'd chosen to die. I feel that might be more an acting/direction problem though.

I cannot stand Lee Mack and was dreading whatever episode he'd turn up in. Thankfully he was a small element here, was used fairly well and I enjoyed the self-deprecating joke of him liking Yaz because she actually found his jokes funny. Plus he got liquidised.

Conversely, I really liked Keira and her dying was harsh. Still, the set-up for it was good and I was impressed that they actually went through with killing her in the way they did. I was expecting a near-miss rescue, so was genuinely surprised with how it played out.

I enjoyed the little callbacks to previous Doctors. They managed to be amusing rather than eye-rolling. I was never that keen on the running fez jokes in Matt Smith's run, but I must admit Jodie looked good in it.

The little obsolete delivery robot was like something out of Red Dwarf. This is not a complaint.

All-in-all, a very pleasant surprise of an episode. I'd predicted it to be the series' first outright stinker, but now I'd probably put it in the top 3 of the episodes aired so far.

[Darth Ultron]

And, the next episode

Spoiler: Kerblam!

Show

Well, in keeping with the theme this season, this was another an hour of sci-fi sociopolitics that was anti-capitalist and anti-big company episode.

“[W]e’ve only got ourselves to blame. Once, we were busy staring at our phones, [and] technology went and nicked our jobs.” (sigh)


Things that don't make Sense

*The episode never says where or when it is....other then ''the future"

*Er, so Doc 11 ordered a fez from Space Amazon in the future why exactly? Considering he spent plenty of time on Earth in the 21st century...why did he not just go get one?

*So with the TARDIS flying through time and space..how does the delivery bot even find the TARDIS?

*Kerblam sure has an easy hire process, with no things like back ground checks, drug tests, and so on. Or did the Doctor add all that stuff in fake in one second with the sonic?

*Bubble wrap in the future? So AI robots and teleports, but still boxes with bubble wrap?

*So.....how did the Kerblam ''system" AI know about the Doctor? Or was every box meant to have a 'help me' in it?

*So...why did the ''system'' only write help me? It's not like Charlie saw every packing slip, right? So why not send a full help message?

*So Charlie is an expert on robots and teleports and software too? That is a lot to be an expert on....

*Kerblam has no access to the lower levels? No stairs? And why does everyone forget about teleporting until just the right time?

*Why is there nobody in the company to go to for help? Is all the upper corporate people automated? Does the company not have a ''organic" president?

*So...why did the system wait until there was a HUGE army of death delivery bots to call for help?

*And Charlies plan of deadly bubble wrap was not so great. Sure blow up a million people and they will say ''no robots!" What? Weaponized bubble wrap is not exactly a ''mistake" or something you can pass off as bad robots.

*I guess there was a manufacturing moon that made all the stuff to ship, right?

*Sure it's ''karma"...but does not the Doctor just murder Charlie at the end?

*So the Doctor save the system...and the horrible life of people in the future goes on?

Final-B, it was not that bad. The space store bits were funny enough, and a bit too ''real". But it was still directionless. with the Doctor still feeling like a guest star. And even when they save a billion customers...it just feels hollow, like they did not really do anything.

:

[Rodin]

Spoiler: thoughts

Show

I think this might actually be my favorite episode of the season so far. It was the sort of light-hearted while still being serious show that I find to be the best kind of Who.

I really liked that they didn't try to go with a soulless evil robo-corporation angle. It would have been an easy target like not!Trump of a few episodes back, and I think the episode was stronger for it. Ryan having worked in such a factory before shows that it's the sort of job that has been about down the ages, and other than the metrics being strict it doesn't even seem like a bad place to work. The HR manager you expect to be evil in the same corrupt corporate executive way that all such types are in TV...wrong! She's just a lady doing her job to the best of her ability, and someone who really cares about getting the jobs to people who need them most. The main manager is a jerk, and thus we all assume he's evil. Nope! He's just a jerk who could use management lessons, but he's still a decent guy at heart who is deeply concerned about the missing staff. The next usual culprit (and generally top of the list for Doctor Who) is the robots themselves. They look creepy and creepy evil robots are kind of a thing in this show. Wrong again! The robots are exactly as evil as the one who programmed them, and the only act of violence they willingly perform is one performed in an attempt to prevent untold thousands of deaths. I don't like the method, but I can understand the AI getting desperate and trying anything it can.

The only weakness was already mentioned, and I think it came down to the acting more than anything. Charlie the janitor just didn't have the acting chops to portray both a goofy lovesick youth and an embittered terrorist. This left the ending feeling a bit weak, but I don't think it's the writing that's to blame.

Did anyone else catch the subtle joke that went unremarked in the show? When the jobs are doled out, Graham gets the job of janitor, much to his dismay. However, a few minutes before, the Doctor switched jobs with him - meaning that she was meant to get that role! I was sure that we were going to get a joke about that, but we didn't. Or was it a hint that Charlie is more than he seems?

I've also kind of noticed a pattern with this season - they're mixing up three types of episodes, almost rotating through them. We get an episode set on modern-day Earth, followed by a Sci-Fi one, followed by a historical, then repeat. The next episode looks to be more historical, so I'd bet dollars to donuts we'll be back in Sheffield after that.

[Avaris]

Spoiler

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Did anyone else catch the subtle joke that went unremarked in the show? When the jobs are doled out, Graham gets the job of janitor, much to his dismay. However, a few minutes before, the Doctor switched jobs with him - meaning that she was meant to get that role! I was sure that we were going to get a joke about that, but we didn't. Or was it a hint that Charlie is more than he seems?

I think it’s exactly that. It’s actually very clever in hindsight; we were told that the system puts people where they are best placed to be, then the system tries to send the Doctor to where the problem is immediately. It’s obviously deliberate once we know where the distress message came from. Similarly, I wonder if the robots commenting on the Doctor’s name (lovely name by the way) was supposed to be a ‘hi, I’m here, help!’ Thing. I wouldn’t be surprised if, looking back through the episode, there were other clues to it being the system.

I enjoyed the episode far more than expected from the premise. However I have huge problems with the use and fate of Kira. She is the classic trope of a woman who exists soley to cause pain for a man, down to having no family or friends around her so no-one else will miss her. The way she was being talked about just after her death in sight of a load of people was as if she was a plot device rather than an actual person. And notice that she was never asked how she felt about Charlie, only the other way around. She could and should have been saved without any changes to the plot, and maybe even make it stronger for that: Charlie saves her, Team Tardis is suspicious other how he knew the bubble wrap was a problem, then Kira tries to talk him down.

[Jeivar]

I liked Kerblam. It was an interesting idea decently executed and a few actual surprises.

Graham is still my favourite character and I still can't understand what Ryan is saying. I think I'll have to create a headcanon where he's a Chewbacca-esque alien who just communicates with "Oo ooo oo o oo ooo oo o" which the other characters understand.

[Fyraltari]

Kerblam! was much better than what I expected it to be.

[Darth Ultron]

Spoiler: Kira

Show

A lot of the Kira problems are the format.

*Four Stars: With the Doctor and three friends you have to give each a bit of screen time.
*Five Guest Stars: Boss, HR Lady, Charlie, Dan and Kira, and each must get some screen time.

The Episode is only 45 minutes long...so even giving each character five minutes would be 45 minutes.

Sure you can combine some people, and for the regulars say ''oh your character will say five more words next episode" but it's still a juggle. And this is why most of the time the Doctor only had one Companion.

It's likely Kira had a family too....but we don't get a bit where she mentions them to a main cast member like Dan does.

This is also the format problem with a single 45 minute episode: it's not enough time to tell every story. Kerblam might have made a great like 75 minute episode, and might have been written that way. And then was chopped down to 45 minutes.

And it just gets odd at the end when it's like ''lets go tell Dan's daughter".....and no one says "oh, hey lets pop in and tell Kira's family too."


Finally, the story format for this season is a LOT of death...so the show needs to kill a couple characters every episode, and they can't be main cast characters....so

[Avaris]

Spoiler: Kira

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It's likely Kira had a family too....but we don't get a bit where she mentions them to a main cast member like Dan does.

Spoiler

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Nope, when she was first introduced to us she told the Doctor that she never knew her parents, and had only ever had one present via Kerblam. That was part of her character that they managed to fit into the episode.

The format had nothing to do with her fate. It would have taken no more time for her to survive and play a part in the finale than it did for her to die. The decision for her to die was, IMO, simply falling back on a misogynistic trope.

[jwhouk]

Okay, watched and ready to spoilerific your delivery!

Spoiler: You have a Delivery!

Show

Such a great hook - something's wrong at the largest delivery service in the galaxy, and they've asked the Doctor to help!

Fezzes... might be cool, but it doesn't suit you, Jodie.

I kinda got suspicious that the main computer was the one behind everything right away, but the little twist of having the janitor (of all people - and to Graham's chagrin) be the antagonist was a nice twist.

The Doctor's speech was obviously an Aesop Drop, in that it's not technology that's bad, but how people use it/abuse it.

Overall, this episode felt like... a Doctor Who episode. You could see Peter, Matt, David, Christopher, any of the others doing it - and it wouldn't seem wrong.

I actually like this one.

[SuperPanda]

Spoiler: Kira

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It's likely Kira had a family too....but we don't get a bit where she mentions them to a main cast member like Dan does.

Spoiler

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Except the complaint about the story was that they did take the time to explicitly set up that she had no family. It was part of the set up for her only having ever received one gift in her entire life - Ryan asks about her parents and she says she never knew them. She's also shown as socially awkward in her run in with Charlie. It is theoretically likely that she had friends, possibly even relationships with people in the moon-warehouse, but that is never implied in the episode (and the opposite is implied through the way the "co-workers" monitor non-productive work-time behaviors).

Spoiler

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And notice that she [Kira] was never asked how she felt about Charlie, only the other way around.

Spoiler

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This could be where Ultron's point comes in - she has the same "cute flustered" reaction around Charlie that he does around her which is typically cinema short hand for romantic interest. It is never expressly brought up but the subtext of the non-verbal scene in the grassy area is that there was certainly some mutual tension in that scene. If the plot had only used 1 red herring corporate boss figure it might have had time to better establish that plot line as well as set up Charlie little better for the reveal.

I certainly got the impression that we were suppose to recognize that they both sort-a-kinda liked one another but she was waiting for him to say something and he was too shy. I personally felt like the buried the Charlie angle too deeply behind red-herrings with the only real clue about his identify being in the Doctor's work assignment. If Kira's gift had come from an (organic) co-worker who she'd thought was kind of nice, and then that co-worker had vanished (being the clue which got Ryan and the Doc looking into that while Yaz's clue happened separately) - this would have been a nice clue and wouldn't have really changed Charlie's characterization very much. It would add some depth to the awkward park scene as well since Kira would still be the shy and awkward person but this time with extra emotional baggage and Charlie's shyness would be partially from guilt. This likely leans on other "problematic" tropes but I think would have characterized the central characters better for the story they were going for.

[Fyraltari]

I'm mostly glad we had a good vilain this time around, with a characterization and a decent plan.

Spoiler: More detailed assesment

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I find that the episode was very good but the climax felt a bit weak.

The humor was rightly dosed and timed (why did that passive_aggressive robot make me laugh so much?), everybody got something to do and Team Tardis got to act on their own rather than just doing what the Doctors tells them to.

I also liked the continuity nods from the obvious (fez and Agatha Christie), to the more obscure ("Some of my best friend are robots!" and "robophobia"). And the killer bubble wrap was just the right kind of meta humor that is discreet enough to not make those who don't get it feel left out.

I've got to find more stuff with Kira's actress in it, she stole the show, even though she had very little to work with.
As others have pointed out her role in the story is satellite to Charlie's and her death is basically a fridging. Honestly when it was revealed the System did her in, I kept expecting it to have pulled a Missy on her and teleport her to the room alive. Oh, well...

Charlie's death scene was meh. It looks like he left himself die more because of plot than anything else. And we only get a vague promise that Kerblam! is going to slow down on the 1984-esque Amazon workplace policies. Probably start with getting a non-murderous AI, please.

I really like that the episode ended with Yaz wanting to go to Dan's daughter and tell her how much her father loved her. It's good to see our heroes be truly compassionate. Speaking of which, Thirteen dropping the cover when she learns people are actually dying sets her apart from other Doctors like Twelve who I think would have kept going at that point. Nice bit of character.

EDIT
Next time: witches!

Now that we have a good hang of just Who the Doctor is, I guess it's time to for her to confront the downside of her new body when it comes to travelling to the past. This should be good. Who's the writer for this one?

[Darth Ultron]

EDIT
Next time: witches!

Yea...saw that one coming. Wonder if we will get to see the Doctor burned at the stake for witchcraft? Or maybe do that Trial of "we will tie you to a 500 stone and drop you in the lake. If you sink and die your innocent(but still dead), and if you float, you are evil and we will kill you!"

Wonder if they will do the easy ''go to Salem" story....or make it more fun and be like in Europe?

[Fyraltari]

Yea...saw that one coming. Wonder if we will get to see the Doctor burned at the stake for witchcraft? Or maybe do that Trial of "we will tie you to a 500 stone and drop you in the lake. If you sink and die your innocent(but still dead), and if you float, you are evil and we will kill you!"

Wonder if they will do the easy ''go to Salem" story....or make it more fun and be like in Europe?

We literally can see people putting a woman "to the test" by throwing her in a pond in the trailer. ALso I doubt any King James ever went to Salem.

Why would the show use Salem, anyway? It's a British show and the British Witchfinders killed many more than the American Puritans.

EDIT:

Spoiler: Kerblam!

Show

And, the next episode



Well, in keeping with the theme this season, this was another an hour of sci-fi sociopolitics that was anti-capitalist and anti-big company episode.

“[W]e’ve only got ourselves to blame. Once, we were busy staring at our phones, [and] technology went and nicked our jobs.” (sigh)

Did you miss the part where the Corporate executives weren't the vilains but the worker's-rights-"activist" luddite was? Or that the Doctor clearly spelled out the message of "technology isn't evil, it depends who uses it"?

Things that don't make Sense

*The episode never says where or when it is....other then ''the future"

Yes it does. It on the moon of planet Kandoka, they say it several time. What's the problem with it being set in "the future"? Do you really need the exact date?

*Er, so Doc 11 ordered a fez from Space Amazon in the future why exactly? Considering he spent plenty of time on Earth in the 21st century...why did he not just go get one?

Because the Doctor likes the Kerblam! man? Also why would you expect Eleven to go with the sensible route?

*So with the TARDIS flying through time and space..how does the delivery bot even find the TARDIS?

By flying through time and space. This seems really obvious. A lot of people can time-travel in this universe. The Daleks did it back in the 60's, including the finding-the T.A.R.D.I.S. while in flight bit.

*Kerblam sure has an easy hire process, with no things like back ground checks, drug tests, and so on. Or did the Doctor add all that stuff in fake in one second with the sonic?

She probably did yes. Or most likely the psychic paper making them friends of the First Lady was check enough.

*Bubble wrap in the future? So AI robots and teleports, but still boxes with bubble wrap?

Why not? Bubble wrap is pretty efficient. What would they repalce it with? The plot works with bubble wrap and besides, it's a meta joke.

*So.....how did the Kerblam ''system" AI know about the Doctor? Or was every box meant to have a 'help me' in it?

The Doctor is famous. Not everywher or everywhen, but I see no problem with the idea that Kerblam! has heard of them.

*So...why did the ''system'' only write help me? It's not like Charlie saw every packing slip, right? So why not send a full help message?

Because Charlie hacked the system. If it could send a clear message it would have had one of the TeamMate walk to Slade and Judy and told them everything. This was the one loophole it faound in Charlie's malware.

*So Charlie is an expert on robots and teleports and software too? That is a lot to be an expert on...

You act like there have never been experts in multiple fields. Many people have held several doctorates in someteimes completely unrelated fields throughout history and nowadays.

*Kerblam has no access to the lower levels? No stairs?

How weird is that? It's like the only guy who ever has to get there is bad guy. One could even think he deliberately omitted that from the plan he gave Graham. As if he didn't want people to stumble on his army or something.

And why does everyone forget about teleporting until just the right time?

Plot, mostly. But teleporting is not an instinctive way to travel and has the Doctor herself states (whiel berating herself for forgetting the 'ports) she had a lot on her mind. Also the Kerblam! men were not designed to teleport people, so it wouldn't come to mind.

*Why is there nobody in the company to go to for help? Is all the upper corporate people automated? Does the company not have a ''organic" president?

Looks like that's Slade. He probably only answer to shareholders whow wouldn't have a clue how to help.

*So...why did the system wait until there was a HUGE army of death delivery bots to call for help?

The doctor is not exactly an easy person to find.

*And Charlies plan of deadly bubble wrap was not so great. Sure blow up a million people and they will say ''no robots!" What? Weaponized bubble wrap is not exactly a ''mistake" or something you can pass off as bad robots.

The plan was to frame it as bug in the system. That would make people wary of A.I., robots and automation in general. Scared mobs don't think rationnally. I mean, there was a "great satanic scare" in the U.S. in the 1980's of all things.

*I guess there was a manufacturing moon that made all the stuff to ship, right?

It's a retail operation, like Amazon. They dod not produce stuff, they buy in bulk and sell in particular.

*Sure it's ''karma"...but does not the Doctor just murder Charlie at the end?

No. She tried to stop the deliveries but she couldn't. All she could do was to send them in a place where they wouldn't hurt any innocent. They told Charlie that and he had ample time to get up to them and leave. They took considerable risk staying there waiting for him as long as they did. She cannot be blamed for his death when he refused to get out of the blast radius of a bomb he himself created and set off. Seriously.

*So the Doctor save the system...and the horrible life of people in the future goes on?

Judy and Slade do promise to better Kerblam! going forward, they are not tyrants and are genuinely trying to help their employees, even Slade whose only crime is being overly strict and deameeaning. What more do you want the Doctor to do? Force the Kandokian to do things her way? That's more the style of the Master or the Meddling Monk.

[LeSwordfish]

Yea...saw that one coming. Wonder if we will get to see the Doctor burned at the stake for witchcraft? Or maybe do that Trial of "we will tie you to a 500 stone and drop you in the lake. If you sink and die your innocent(but still dead), and if you float, you are evil and we will kill you!"

Wonder if they will do the easy ''go to Salem" story....or make it more fun and be like in Europe?

If they set it in Salem, then King James is a long way from home. He appears to have never visited the Americas. And also he died sixty years early.

Apparently when he was king of scotland, he was personally involved in a bunch of witch trials and torturing, so I'm guessing that.

[Fyraltari]

If they set it in Salem, then King James is a long way from home. He appears to have never visited the Americas. And also he died sixty years early.

Apparently when he was king of scotland, he was personally involved in a bunch of witch trials and torturing, so I'm guessing that.

He's the one who ordered the bible translation that among other things has "suffer not the witch to live", yes?

[LeSwordfish]

According to Wikipedia, he wrote a witch-hunting book which partially inspired Macbeth.

[Fyraltari]

Sounds like a very rationnal man.

[Androgeus]

If they set it in Salem, then King James is a long way from home. He appears to have never visited the Americas. And also he died sixty years early.

Apparently when he was king of scotland, he was personally involved in a bunch of witch trials and torturing, so I'm guessing that.

I’m vagully recall mention of the Pendle Witch Trials, which James VI and I was involved in.

Edit: synopsis says Lancashire in the 17th century, so yhea it’s The Pendle Witches


Also just have to mention DWM magazine has confirmed that it’s a New Year day special this year (Should that be next year?). So my doubting The Mirror was wrong. Also if anyone wants more juicy baseless rumours, apparently Chibnall and Whittaker are leaving after series 12. I’ll try to throw a source up when I’m not at work.

[Darth Ultron]

Why would the show use Salem, anyway? It's a British show and the British Witchfinders killed many more than the American Puritans.

Yea...why would British sci fi show set an episode for ''reasons"...again.

If they set it in Salem, then King James

I avoid watching the preview...I only saw ''witches" before I clicked it off. But...King James? The James? Like....oh...maybe the Doctor will help write the Good Book? Like ''no,no write this, I know I was there".

and Whittaker are leaving

Sure...I almost start to think she is Ok and she just ups and goes.

[Fyraltari]

Yea...why would British sci fi show set an episode for ''reasons"...again.

What does that even mean?

I avoid watching the preview...I only saw ''witches" before I clicked it off. But...King James? The James? Like....oh...maybe the Doctor will help write the Good Book? Like ''no,no write this, I know I was there".

You do realize James did not write the bible, right?

[Kitten Champion]

What does that even mean?

You're seriously setting yourself and this thread up for a headache, I'm afraid.

I liked Kerblam! Though I would agree that they didn't do quite enough in the mystery plotting to where the reveal feels like something the audience could guess from the clues without going full meta and guessing the writer's intentions. Still, it was nice to see them playing with the common Doctor Who tropes for this kind of plot, but keeping the elements that make it kind of fun when done well.

Other than that, Kerblam! has the same kind of character moments and dialogue which I've been enjoying from this season, and while not a comedy - what with the mass murder and all - it was of a lighter and cornier tone to contrast with the heavier previous episode.

[Fyraltari]

You're seriously setting yourself and this thread up for a headache, I'm afraid.

Yeah, good call.

[Darth Ultron]

You do realize James did not write the bible, right?

It does not matter what is written....the power is with The Editor.

[Androgeus]

It does not matter what is written....the power is with The Editor.

Still it’s a bit hard to edit things that were published a year before the episode is set.

[Psyren]

Kerblam profoundly disappointed me.

Not because of the characters (who were all brilliant, other than the Straw Villain - I especially loved the performances by the two middle managers) or the monsters (which were appropriately creepy), and the setting was great too.

No, it was the ending:

Spoiler

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Using the Doctor as a pro-corporation shill/mouthpiece at the end was bad enough. But the episode raised legitimate issues with Kerblam (the company) within the episode that were summarily swept under the rug and forgotten about once the true bad guy was revealed:

• Abusive and woefully tone-deaf/under-equipped middle-management;
• Employees rampantly dehumanized ("organics") and forced to wear ankle monitors that track their every waking moment in the factory;
• Robotic overseers that chide them over "inefficiency" just for stopping to exchange a few words during a grueling workday;
• Horrendously unsafe working conditions (was the Dispatch Chute even protected?)
• Dead-end assignments for starvation wages and little hope for advancement or even variation in their day-to-day.

Not one of which were the fault of the real villain, and not one of which the Doctor bothered to even bring up again once said villain had been sorted out. On the contrary, she endorsed it all ("the system works!") and didn't even bat an eye at the laughable "two weeks paid vacation" that the surviving employees were awarded with for not being liquefied. I thought I was watching a parody at that point. And don't even get me started on their not-Alexa super AI growing a conscience that allowed it to signal a Timelord for aid but not to deal with one idiot planting bombs in all the packages, nor even try to do anything about all the issues listed above.

And of course the Straw Villain went after the customers for all this, not anyone who actually made any of those decisions - because if he had been sending those bombs to the CEO and Board of Directors instead, some of us might actually be on his side. Great sidestep, show!

The message was very much "look how awful this bad guy is, our crapp(ital)y company looks great by comparison!"

Now I see why Amazon is carrying the new season; I wouldn't be surprised to learn they helped bankroll it.

[LeSwordfish]

You've been far more articulate than I could be about this, but it did strike me as odd that the eventual conclusion was-

Spoiler

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-automating our jobs without a replacement is fine, because the computer is nice.

[Fyraltari]

Kerblam profoundly disappointed me.

Not because of the characters (who were all brilliant, other than the Straw Villain - I especially loved the performances by the two middle managers) or the monsters (which were appropriately creepy), and the setting was great too.

No, it was the ending:

Spoiler

Show

Using the Doctor as a pro-corporation shill/mouthpiece at the end was bad enough. But the episode raised legitimate issues with Kerblam (the company) within the episode that were summarily swept under the rug and forgotten about once the true bad guy was revealed:

• Abusive and woefully tone-deaf/under-equipped middle-management;
• Employees rampantly dehumanized ("organics") and forced to wear ankle monitors that track their every waking moment in the factory;
• Robotic overseers that chide them over "inefficiency" just for stopping to exchange a few words during a grueling workday;
• Horrendously unsafe working conditions (was the Dispatch Chute even protected?)
• Dead-end assignments for starvation wages and little hope for advancement or even variation in their day-to-day.

Not one of which were the fault of the real villain, and not one of which the Doctor bothered to even bring up again once said villain had been sorted out. On the contrary, she endorsed it all ("the system works!") and didn't even bat an eye at the laughable "two weeks paid vacation" that the surviving employees were awarded with for not being liquefied. I thought I was watching a parody at that point. And don't even get me started on their not-Alexa super AI growing a conscience that allowed it to signal a Timelord for aid but not to deal with one idiot planting bombs in all the packages, nor even try to do anything about all the issues listed above.

And of course the Straw Villain went after the customers for all this, not anyone who actually made any of those decisions - because if he had been sending those bombs to the CEO and Board of Directors instead, some of us might actually be on his side. Great sidestep, show!

The message was very much "look how awful this bad guy is, our crapp(ital)y company looks great by comparison!"
Now I see why Amazon is carrying the new season; I wouldn't be surprised to learn they helped bankroll it.

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The Doctor didn't say "the system works" she said "the System works" as in, the System, the A.I., is not malfuctionning and somebody else is disappearing the workers. The System didn't grow a conscience, it's an A.I. it was designed that way and it can't stop the "one idiot" because that "idiot" hacked it, that's why he said he was an expert in robotics.

The Doctor doesn't shill the company, nor does she ver say they are right, it just happens that Slade and Judy weren't the one doing the killing despite being the obvious suspects. That's hardly the first time this happened in DW.

Charlie targeted the consumers because he's a terrorist, targeting random people is how you do terror. Besides killing, say, Slade would not have advanced his goal one iota, Kerblam! would have replaced him and tightened security (probably lowering the human/robot rate doing so), making the Sytem look faulty to turn the public opinion against robotics makes far more sense as a plan.

You call Charlie a strawman (I guess because his motives weren't explained beyond a generic Luddite/Worker's right defenders) but, in my opinion, having Slade, Judy or the System be the vilain would have been much more strawmanning ("Not only corporate executive will basically enslave you but they are murderers as well", "even when they look like they are nice and acting in your interests, they are actually two-faced monsters and will murder you without remorse" or "AUTOMATION IS EVIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL" respectively.
I find the messages of "fighting a terrible system with worse methods is wrong" (note how the doctors point out Charlie can't call himself an activist), "the people who are part of that system are not necessarily doing it out of malice" and "technology is not evil even though it can be used to evil ends" more interesting than yet another "the upper class is (literally) inhuman and out to get you" message, not that it would necessarily be terrible but DW has done a lot of those so, variety, you know?

I agree that the wrongdoings of Kerblam! should have been better adressed by the ending, but besides the Doctor giving a lecture, what could they have done?

You've been far more articulate than I could be about this, but it did strike me as odd that the eventual conclusion was-

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-automating our jobs without a replacement is fine, because the computer is nice.

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Err, the last we see of the Kerblam! people they promise to make it a more "people fueled company", i.e. hiring more humans, so I'm not sure how you got that message.

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Also I disagree with the premise that automation leads to unemployment.

[Psyren]

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The System didn't grow a conscience, it's an A.I. it was designed that way and it can't stop the "one idiot" because that "idiot" hacked it, that's why he said he was an expert in robotics.

You're damned right it was designed that way - to berate employees for stopping for 5 seconds in a hallway to talk to each other, and assign them to soul-crushing menial work in dangerous locations, and all the other crap it was doing BEFORE it got hacked. And the Doctor of all people had no comment on any of it. So thank you, my point exactly.

The Doctor doesn't shill the company, nor does she ver say they are right, it just happens that Slade and Judy weren't the one doing the killing despite being the obvious suspects. That's hardly the first time this happened in DW.

You're talking about the same person who sabotaged a television that was spewing commercials just to try and get people to form connections with each other for a change instead ("Midnight.") "Champion of the Corporations" they are not.

Charlie targeted the consumers because he's a terrorist, targeting random people is how you do terror. Besides killing, say, Slade would not have advanced his goal one iota, Kerblam! would have replaced him and tightened security (probably lowering the human/robot rate doing so), making the Sytem look faulty to turn the public opinion against robotics makes far more sense as a plan.

Of course, that's my point. Slade is middle management at best, the machine would churn on regardless of what happened to him. As io9 put it - "In choosing to focus on the allegorical spectacle of creepy robots and killer bubble wrap at its most crucial moment, “Kerblam!” muddies its ultimately good message. Really, in its hunt for nailing Jeff Bezos and his ilk, maybe “Kerblam!” actually needed to put a Space Jeff Bezos in there to point at."

I'm not saying they needed to have the CEO show up in the episode itself, but a little more acknowledgement that both sides are crappy would have been nice, and especially a little more of that being directed at the bigwigs actually responsible for making things terrible. Obviously, the one doing the murdering is worse, but that doesn't mean the other one gets off with a cheery wave.

And going back to the "Monster-of-the-Week" problem - having the Doctor send a diatribe to a faceless mogul who has the potential to show up again as a villain in the future is exactly the kind of thing that wouldn't have been out of place for 9-12.

I find the messages of "fighting a terrible system with worse methods is wrong" (note how the doctors point out Charlie can't call himself an activist), "the people who are part of that system are not necessarily doing it out of malice" and "technology is not evil even though it can be used to evil ends" more interesting

And yet, you're acknowledging right here that the system is terrible, something the show itself never bothers to do, not even using the voice most likely to shout that fact from the rooftops. That's my point.

I agree that the wrongdoings of Kerblam! should have been better adressed by the ending, but besides the Doctor giving a lecture, what could they have done?

A lecture is exactly what they needed here actually. Something calling out the systemic issues at play very directly, preferably aimed at the actual leadership of the company that created those conditions rather than their proxies. Anything would be better than quiet complicity by the Doctor.

Err, the last we see of the Kerblam! people they promise to make it a more "people fueled company", i.e. hiring more humans, so I'm not sure how you got that message.

She "put in a request" for that actually, which at a middle-management level is about all she could do to begin with. And even if that unlikely event succeeds, that fixes precisely one of the myriad underlying problems - they still have a corporate culture that prizes output over humanity, a place where all those people they plan to hire will still likely have to wear ankle monitors everywhere they go, etc.

Also I disagree with the premise that automation leads to unemployment.

Without derailing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU

[random11]

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It was the janitor, in the warehouse, using bubble-wrap.

That was the weirdest game of Clue I've ever seen