So I’ve been hanging on Disney+ a lot the past couple of weeks and decided on two mini-reviews for tonight’s OT. First and foremost, Let It Be, the film, restored and released for the first time in a video format since the Eighties or so. As far as that goes, it looks and sounds awesome. The excerpts of it in The Beatles Anthology from the Nineties had visible hair in the cameras. Ugh. This is hair-free, colorful, and with boosted McCartney bass.

Should you see it? Well, assuming you’re not a Beatles fan, and you saw Get Back: No, you don’t have to. It’s a much, much shorter version of the same sessions. I like the description one reviewer gave saying that it’s the short story compared to Peter Jackson’s novel.1More like a trilogy, really. But if you’re a fan at all, don’t miss it, because it’s got stuff that Get Back doesn’t. Like Suzy Parker. I love that tune.

Seeing that whetted my appetite for the new Doctor Who episode featuring the Beatles, The Devil’s Chord. I have to tread carefully here to avoid spoilers since I don’t know how to do a spoiler tag in WordPress. I also have to be careful because as an old person, it’s hard for me to judge this new Doctor. He’s very different from the ones I grew up with, and of course I don’t mean because of his skin color. The show seems to take itself much less seriously, is what I’m trying to say. That’s not all bad.

Anyway, I like Doctor Fourteen or Fifteen or whatever-he-is; he’s cool. I like Ruby, too. And the Maestro is quite a villain. Lots of chewed scenery here. The premise (established quickly) is that the Maestro has stolen all the Earth’s music, which means that the Beatles are writing rotten songs. Although I liked the dog song. It was cute. I need to learn it.2It’s much too catchy, and too short, to be a bad song, though. I have to figure they were recording an edit piece. (I overthink this way too much, I know.)

The middle section, with the Beatles offstage and the Doctor battling Maestro, was the best. That was the most serious the episode got, and it helped. I wasn’t too upset with how horrible the Beatles looked and sounded because at this point, they’re like Mozart in Amadeus: a historical artifact which can be played with like Silly Putty. Which is itself an artifact.3George Martin actually looked pretty good.

I liked the ending, although I would’ve used a different song.4Surely they could have afforded Twist And Shout? Just cut back on the visual effects a little. And if Disney is paying the bills…. The entire thing intrigued me enough to put the rest of Disney Doctor Who into my Watchlist. So give it a try. And keep singing!