Doctor Who doesn't reference ancient Egypt often. But when it does, the result is Pyramids of Mars , cited as classic by many for its chilling villain and additions to the show's lore (like the Doctor's age and the coordinates of Gallifrey). With brutish robots disguised as mummies, a powerful evil mastermind, and Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen at the top of their game, there's much to like. But does the story really stand on its own merits, or does it over-rely on its creepy Egyptian motif, som...
Mar 22, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 5
You've been warned. We're still trying to make sense of the discussion that ensued when Chris and Pete revisited Sleep No More , the only episode in Doctor Who history that tosses out the opening credits and relies entirely on "found footage" to tell the story. We searched for rational explanations for how eye boogers could turn into carnivorous monsters or sleep dust could shoot in 4K, but instead found parallels to early '90s sci-fi literature and some of the best (and only) Peter Capaldi turn...
Mar 02, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 4
We didn't want to go dark, but the TARDIS Randomizer forced our hand, bringing us to the two-part finale of Peter Capaldi's first season, Dark Water and Death in Heaven . With the return of the Cybermen and UNIT, the story already sets a high bar for itself, but the ambition keeps ticking up as the episode offers up the show's in-universe explanation for the afterlife(!) as well as the absolute best Master reveal ever. It's all quite epic, but is this really too much for family viewing? Join Pet...
Feb 15, 2021•1 hr 54 min•Season 2Ep. 3
After "Planet of Fire," the show bounces back to Kamelion's first and only other appearance in Doctor Who, "The King's Demons." What is it about this shapchanging robot from Xeriphas that's inspired the TARDIS Randomizer to make us take stock of Kamelion's onscreen life, but in reverse order? Regardless, Chris and Pete pull out their history books (as well as their Ahistory books ) to decode drunk British history and epic hits from the Crusades, not to mention Anthony Ainley's beard. Also: Becau...
Jan 31, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Like a glorious bird on fire (there should really be a word for that), Pull To Open rises from the ashes of 2020 and swoops into 2021 with a new episode and a new mission: to revisit any and all episodes of Doctor Who — in random order. In our first podcast on this journey, the TARDIS Randomizer takes us to " Planet of Fire ," the penultimate story of the Peter Davison era. With companions arriving, leaving, and just plain imploding, the adventure is more notable than most, particularly if you l...
Jan 16, 2021•1 hr 48 min•Season 2Ep. 1
What does Doctor Who have to say about disease? In the classic series, it was with a outbreak from space that overwhelms a base on Titan, infecting even the Doctor himself. In an time where coronavirus has made facemasks and social distancing the new normal, "The Invisible Enemy" might have new relevance. Or maybe it's just a brilliantly fun sci-fi yarn about an intelligent fast-spreading space bug, notabe for putting the hero literally face-to-face with the virus inside him as well as the first...
Apr 26, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Everything about Doctor Who has been changed, but was the three-part Season 12 finale truly epic? We got to experience ghosts, Cybermen, almost-Cybermen, and massively ambitious retcons, and they all added up to... something, anyway. Chris and Pete navigate the misguided character arcs of "The Haunting of Villa Diodati" and the painfully predictable plot of "Ascension of the Cybermen" to arrive at the mysterious door of "The Timeless Children." Now that the show has pulled, opened, and walked th...
Mar 29, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Chris Chibnall's Doctor Who gets even more ambitious, and it... works? Fugitive of the Judoon marks a big turning point for the show and Jodie Whittaker's Doctor — plus we get to see (a noticeably older) Captain Jack again. Is this it? Has the 13th Doctor finally hit her stride? Or is it just more big promises with next to no hope of a satisfying payoff? Beware the lone Cyberman commentary that smashes into this episode at the last minute, but not a moment too... fast. Please leave a review! Fol...
Feb 21, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Doctor Who is back! And so is an old enemy, which happens to smash a certain big reset button. Chris and Pete take apart Spyfall , the two-parter that opens Series 12 of new Who, but is it truly as epic as showrunner Chris Chibnall clearly thinks it is? And what does "epic" even mean when universe-threatening stakes are the norm? Will the ambitious seeds Spyfall has planted grow into something great, or is this all just wasted effort?And what did the episode get exactly right? We should talk abo...
Jan 26, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 2
In the debut episode of the Doctor Who podcast Pull to Open, hosts Pete Pachal and Chris Taylor come home for Christmas. That is, the Doctor Who Christmas specials — all 13 of them. Which were delightful holiday presents, and which were Christmas turkeys? And is it a good thing the show ditched Christmas for New Year's? Grab some eggnog and gingerbread (assuming fish fingers and custard aren't available), cue up your BritBox or Amazon Prime app, and get ready to explore the Whos of Christmas pas...
Dec 30, 2019•1 hr 24 min•Season 1Ep. 1
