I thought there was going to be more of a payoff to the surname Zufall (“coincidence”), which seems to contradict the wish granting thing we got.

Oh, interesting - I didn’t realize that was the translation. I guess that ties in to “The Church on Ruby Road” and how luck and coincidences can affect reality, in this case leading to Desidirum. A bit of a deep cut that I barely remembered.

The bone beasts were an impressive visual, but I’m not sure what purpose they served other than spectacle?

That’s sort of my issue with episodes of this nature in general - we know it’s not real, it will (probably) be undone by the end of the season, so a lot of it is just there to be weird.

I was not sold on Rogue’s love letter from hell

Me neither, though I was not as high on “Rogue” as many people were last year. Hopefully it’s leading to a more significant return soon, and doesn’t fizzle out like the Captain Jack cameo during the Chibnall run, though I’m sure that one imploded for very different reasons.

Fuck off Conrad, have another pink fat sandwich for the road.

I really did enjoy the ways in which Conrad’s shitty worldview infested this world. I’m sure the Rani was all too happy to let that happen, fostering doubts in those whose lives were less than ideal.

The undercurrent that questioning dominant narratives can crack their grasp on reality is more powerful and relevant than it felt at a first viewing.

Agreed - this is one of those episodes that throws some really compelling ideas out there, without really slowing down to examine them.

And it’s of course very RTD to place one of the perspectives through cracks in (normative) reality with the marginalised dispossessed

The line about Ruby walking past their encampment every day and ignoring it was…not subtle (and that’s a good thing - I’m over subtlety).

Omega

Another classic thing that I’m aware of, but will have to do some homework on.

On the whole, I’m with you. It was a decent episode, I was entertained, but by its nature it’s mostly an exercise in table-setting for the big finale.