Mission Creep (Silencing "The Impossible Astronaut" and "Day of the Moon")
Memory, manipulation, and moon landings collide in one of the most audacious season openers in Doctor Who history. In The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon, Steven Moffat unleashes the Silence — a monster so terrifying, you forget them the moment you look away — and dares viewers to keep up with a non-linear plot packed with space-suited children, timey-wimey double Doctors, and a shockingly competent Nixon. But does all the complexity serve the story, or is it storytelling gymnastics for its own sake? The team digs into Moffat’s high-wire act of serialization, the emotional weight behind Amy's and River's connections with the Doctor, and how forgetting may be the most frightening concept of all.Give your own rating for The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon on Spotify!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else!Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon.Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon.Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts.Timeline:Intro 00:00:00Previously… 00:01:52Whomoji Challente 00:08:00Poll to Open 00:13:51TL;DW 00:21:14Commentary: The Impossible Astronaut | Day of the Moon 00:24:07History Corner 00:43:04Four Questions to Doomsday 01:06:16What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:11:05Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:16:23Final Judgment 01:19:37Randomizer! 01:26:16Follow us on:TikTok: @pulltoopenInstagram: @pulltoopen63Facebook: @pulltoopen63X: @pulltoopen63Threads: @pulltoopen63Bluesky: @pulltoopenPlay Pull To Open BingoStory EssentialsSeries 6, Episodes 1 & 2Story number: 217, per the The Pull To Open CodexWriters: Steven MoffatDirector: Toby HaynesShowrunner: Steven MoffatAired 23–30 April 2011Pull To Open: The Impossible Astronaut | Day of the MoonSeason 6Episode 22Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris TaylorMusic: Martin West/Thinking Fish©️AnyWho Media LLC 2025Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
The Fifteenth Element (Look Back: The Ncuti Gatwa Era)
We park the Randomizer for a moment of reflection on the Ncuti Gatwa era — an time of goblins, gods, wish worlds, and controversies that may have rewritten more than canon. From reshoots and reality wars to Billie Piper’s surprise return and Disney’s uncertain handshake, we dive deep into what worked (hello, 73 Yards), what didn’t (Robot Revolution, anyone?), and whether Doctor Who got too much sugar in its tea this time around. Grab your sonic and settle in for a lukewarm take that might still burn your tongue.Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else!Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on our random episodes.Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon.Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts.Follow us on:TikTok: @pulltoopenInstagram: @pulltoopen63Facebook: @pulltoopen63X: @pulltoopen63Threads: @pulltoopen63Bluesky: @pulltoopenPlay Pull To Open BingoPull To Open: Ncuti Gatwa Era LookbackSeason 6Episode 21Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris TaylorMusic: Martin West/Thinking Fish©️AnyWho Media LLC 2025Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Playing It School (Sweeping “The Caretaker”)
When the Twelfth Doctor trades the TARDIS for a mop at Coal Hill School, awkwardness is bound to follow. Join us as we revisit The Caretaker, an episode packed with high-stakes parent-teacher nights, questionable robot threats, and a love triangle that quickly goes off the rails. Can Clara balance dating Danny Pink and running down corridors with the Doctor? And is Peter Capaldi’s cantankerous caretaker disguise fooling anyone? Even Courtney? Ring the school bell—class with Pull To Open is officially in session.Give your own rating for The Caretaker on Spotify!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else!Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Caretaker.Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon.Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts.Timeline:Intro 00:00:00Previously… 00:02:14Whomoji Challenge 00:05:02Poll to Open 00:11:19TL;DW 00:17:31Commentary: The Caretaker 00:18:57Four Questions to Doomsday 00:53:25What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 00:56:22Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:02:55Final Judgment 01:07:18Randomizer! 01:12:58Follow us on:TikTok: @pulltoopenInstagram: @pulltoopen63Facebook: @pulltoopen63X: @pulltoopen63Threads: @pulltoopen63Bluesky: @pulltoopenPlay Pull To Open BingoStory EssentialsSeries 8, Episode 6Story number: 250, per the The Pull To Open CodexWriters: Gareth Roberts, Steven MoffatDirector: Paul MurphyShowrunner: Steven MoffatAired 27 September 2014Pull To Open: The CaretakerSeason 6Episode 20Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris TaylorMusic: Martin West/Thinking Fish©️AnyWho Media LLC 2025Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Nothing but Double (Replicating “The Android Invasion”)
Terry Nation returns! But not with Daleks — this time it’s androids, clones, and possibly the most ill-advised eyepatch in Who history. The Randomizer has pulled us into The Android Invasion, a UNIT-adjacent tale with a suspiciously quiet pub, some surprisingly trigger-happy fingers, and a plan so convoluted, it makes a Moffat finale look grounded. Join us as we unravel a story where the twist is that the twist is obvious, Tom Baker takes a dive, and Liz Sladen’s face falls off — literally. If you’ve ever dreamed of a Doctor Who/Stepford Wives crossover filmed in a quaint British village, this one’s for you.Give your own rating for The Android Invasion on Spotify!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else!Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Android Invasion.Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon.Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts.Timeline:IIntro 00:00:00Previously… 00:02:24Whomoji Challenge 00:07:25Poll to Open 00:15:59TL;DW 00:21:46Commentary: The Android Invasion 00:24:36Four Questions to Doomsday 01:07:52What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:13:03Where Is the Clara Splinter 01:18:08Final Judgment 01:21:50Randomizer! 01:27:30Follow us on:TikTok: @pulltoopenInstagram: @pulltoopen63Facebook: @pulltoopen63X: @pulltoopen63Threads: @pulltoopen63Bluesky: @pulltoopenPlay Pull To Open BingoStory EssentialsSeason 9, Serial 2Story number: 82, per the The Pull To Open CodexWriter: Terry NationDirector: Barry LettsScript editor: Robert HolmesProducer: Philip HinchcliffeAired 22 November–13 December 1975Pull To Open: The Android InvasionSeason 6Episode 19Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris TaylorMusic: Martin West/Thinking Fish©️AnyWho Media LLC 2025Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963
Diplomatic Disunity (Negotiating “The Curse of Peladon”)
Is it a medieval space opera or a green-skinned fever dream? The Curse of Peladon has it both ways, complete with a courtly Pertwee, a princess-posing Jo, and the most phallic alien ever approved for Saturday tea time. Join us as we decode this gothic interstellar allegory about joining galactic federations (or maybe the European Economic Community), uncover who’s behind the spooky beast attacks, and decide if the Ice Warriors are still chill. Also: shoutouts to Alpha Centauri, the most anxious diplomatic appendage in Who history, and a brief mention of the Time Lords… remember them?Give your own rating for The Curse of Peladon on Spotify!Subscribe to our YouTube Channel and become a True Companion of the podcast to get new episodes before everyone else!Subscribe to our newsletter at pulltoopen.net for extended notes on The Curse of Peladon.Support the podcast by becoming a patron of Pull To Open on Patreon.Please review Pull To Open on Apple Podcasts.Timeline:Intro 00:00:00Previously… 00:03:29Whomoji Challenge 00:09:17POLL To Open 00:14:36TL;DW 00:23:07Commentary: The Curse of Peladon 00:25:55Four Questions to Doomsday 01:06:06What If the Evil Plot Had Succeeded? 01:11:20Where Is the Clara Splinter? 01:17:14Final Judgment 01:22:32Randomizer! 01:28:26Follow us on:TikTok: @pulltoopenInstagram: @pulltoopen63Facebook: @pulltoopen63X: @pulltoopen63Threads: @pulltoopen63Bluesky: @pulltoopenPlay Pull To Open BingoStory EssentialsSeason 9, Serial 2Story number: 60, per the The Pull To Open CodexWriter: Brian HaylesDirector: Lennie MayneScript editor: Terrance DicksShowrunner: Barry LettsAired 29 January–19 February 1972Pull To Open: The Curse of PeladonSeason 6Episode 18Hosts: Pete Pachal and Chris TaylorMusic: Martin West/Thinking Fish©️AnyWho Media LLC 2025Doctor Who ©️BBC 1963