DOCTOR WHO: Arachnids in the UK {Roundtable}

Spiders are everyone’s worst nightmares, but how can Doctor Who change the narrative on these creatures. Turns out there are new ways to make spiders even worse for everyone. We can’t wait to discuss Arachnids in the UK with you, so here we go!

First of all, I’d like to get an overall impression from everyone. How did you feel about the episode?

Karen: I really loved it, even though I’m incredibly arachnophobic. This season is pulling me in even more than the show has in the past because it feels like it’s harkening back to the way Doctor Who started in the 1960s. They’re self-contained and have educational content, without actually making you feel like you’re learning something. (I love sneaky learning.) Jodie is steadily becoming one of my favorite Doctors.

Cara: I love a good self-contained episode, and I like how right now it feels like they are building a team that is out exploring the universe together. The Doctor is still clearly in charge, but I really enjoy the more family-like dynamic. It was a good episode, letting us meet Yaz’s family and showing us a little more of Graham’s grief and the developing relationship between Graham and Ryan.

Roz: Spiders are a tough sell in any show, especially one that has taken them to some really bizarre levels (remember when the Tenth Doctor regenerated and had to handle a half-spider, half-woman?) But the larger issues about ethics in business are really timely, apt and worth a discussion with small kids who watch the show.

Robertson is a stand-in for so many big bad businessmen today. How do you feel about him?

Picture Shows: Robertson (CHRIS NOTH)

Karen: Oh man, he was great in this role, although I’ll say that I usually like him wherever he appears. Noth played “The Man” with authenticity and smarm. I did love the topicality of his character as well.

Cara: Chris Noth plays such a great jerk. I mean, I hated him, but I was supposed to. He was a perfect picture of self-interest, greed, and corruption. Barf.

Roz: Can we punch him in the face? No, well, I hope we don’t have to see an America that he leads in 2020 because that’s wrong on so many levels, especially because he lacks the ability to bear responsibility when things his company does don’t go as planned.

Spiders, how do you feel about them after this episode?

Karen: Same as before, I despise them. Okay, I hate them when they’re on or near me, but I also know how important they are to the ecosystem. They eliminate other pests, so I can’t hate them empirically.

Cara: Spiders don’t bother me too much, but these were pretty unsettling. However, only the Doctor could make me feel sad when a spider gets shot.

Roz: I normally don’t care for spiders one way or the other, but these giant ones were gross!

Yaz’s family is a tough pill. What do you make of all of them and their meddling in her life when meeting Ryan?

Karen: Pretty much about as dysfunctional as any other family, right?

Cara: For me, the moment before Yaz left at the end when she looks back on her family with affection was everything. Sure, they are annoying, but isn’t that what family is, a little love and a little annoyance. It’s clear they love each other and her, and she loves them. I like them.

Roz: They mean well, but the nagging was awful. Clearly everyone has expectations for her and they’re not being met.

Picture Shows: Sonya (BHAVNISHA PARMAR), Ryan (TOSIN COLE)

Picture Shows: The Doctor (JODIE WHITTAKER), Sonya (BHAVNISHA PARMAR), Ryan (TOSIN COLE), Hakim (RAVIN J GANATRA), Yaz (MANDIP GILL)

Picture Shows: Sonya (BHAVNISHA PARMAR), Yaz (MANDIP GILL), Najia (SHOBNA GULATI), Hakim (RAVIN J GANATRA)

Favorite Lines or Scenes?

Karen: “I’ve never had a flat. I should get one, I’d be good in a flat, I could get a sofa. Imagine me with a sofa, like my own sofa, I could get a purple one and sit on it!” -The Doctor

Cara: “Dude, I have all the authorization I need…I say “dude” now.”

Roz:

Doctor Who airs on Sundays at 8PM on BBC America. Check out any of our other Doctor Who coverage here.