Doctor Who Flux: Village of the Angels - REVIEW

[@MrTARDIS]

"We are patient. We have time. We are all around you. We are everywhere..." I hope you enjoyed this video! These in-depth reviews are the lifeblood of this channel so if you wanted to help support them, then please hit the "like" button and leave any comment down below!

[@JimThePerson]

What is you opinion on the concept of Big Finish Animations?

[@nocturne8333]

Definitely the best Chibnall era episode besides The Haunting of Villa Diodati. I really hope RTD keeps Maxine Alderton around, she’s the standout writer of the era at the moment. Also it was great to see the angels again. I personally think Moffat will always be their best writer but it’s clear Alderton really gets what makes them scary. Great episode in a very up and down series.

[@NankitaBR]

She has a gift to write very tense episodes for DW, so I hope he keeps her on so we can get more episodes with this quality. This was the first time I was this scared about the Weeping Angels since Blink, and it was great!

[@NankitaBR]

My head-canon about being touched twice and what happened to Rory is that if you are touched twice *by the same angel* you die, and if you are touched by different angels you get zapped again and again. And since angels have this control over people's time streams, they are able to sense what angel touched a person, and if they want to kill that person the same angel touches the person again, while if they *don't* want to kill that person, they have another angel touch the person (or simply just leave the person alone)

[@joeduffy4547]

If Claire's first appearance was her asking "You're the Doctor, aren't you?" that might flow better into this episode. We still wonder why she knows the Doctor, but it's clear Claire isn't sure why she knows either. As though the image of the Doctor and her name is all the Angel has given her.

[@tTaseric]

10:29 My take on this fascism thing was: If you take your eyes away from the Angels, you'll regress back to an earlier world. If you take your eyes away from fascism, you'll find that the world regresses around you.

[@chaserseven2886]

that part about the angels being fascism creeping on you was something i didn't notice

[@NankitaBR]

I didn't noticed that either, but now that it was pointed out it makes perfect sense for this story Edit: specially since the division for me seems to feel like some sort of fascistic structure

[@sbi168]

This episode was stunningly good. Absolutely loved it. While yaz and Dan side quest doesn't do allot I think it gets the job done and ensures the doc is on her own. The end was superb too. The division part I love to. My grandad was in the first team inside. It didn't do him any good mentally, I've seen my grandads personal photos from belson and it's horrific.

[@cybrus1645]

Honestly, I feel that the mid-credit scene should have been a post-credit scene, as I feel the cliffhanger with the angel is too strong that going from that to the credits, should bot have been interupted

[@krissybaglin9206]

My favourite image is the angel with the crack is actually inverted in the psychic vision, with it being a reflection of the angel with in her eye which is how an angel enters you, not the physical manifestation.

[@defrostedrobot77]

Jericho and Karvanista are the chad MVPs of this season! And yeah Peggy was like a psychopath, I thought it was gonna turn out she was working for the Angels or something. And yeah, hottake maybe but Clara in Bells of Saint John had more character than Claire did in this. They definitely could have done more to flesh her out a little.

[@Silvertardis]

It's stated that Claire has some psychic ability, in other words she's a "clairvoyant" so she had a vision of meeting The Doctor and The Angels. Fair enough. What I don't think works about this is that having an image of an angel in your mind, a basic recollection of what they look like, is enough for one to take form inside your mind? When you look at it that way, then surely anyone who has met a Weeping Angel and lived can have one appear in their head!? Other than that though, there was very little that bothered me about this episode.

[@defrostedrobot77]

I feel dumb that I didn't put together Claire=clairvoyant before now.

[@tTaseric]

She didn't just think of an Angel, she had a vision of one. That vision would actually be an Angel, rather than just how this person perceives the Angel in their mind.

[@westbromdude]

I love the Bel subplot in this episode - it does a lot in very little time. First, it provides a lot of context about the state of the universe - explaining the lack of planets and the decay of those that remain, while showing the desperation of the survivors of the Flux. Second, it gives Azure a moment to shine and sets up the Ravager's plan of capturing the survivors, which is obviously very important in episode 5. And finally, it's just a wonderful showcase for Bel, who is a delightful character. All while being both brief and quite entertaining!

[@nevem5010]

Is it common for people to not know what Belsen was? I assumed that line would hit home for everyone. Great review, thank you ❤️. I loved this episode, but yeah, the mid-credits sequence was something I'd have really liked *if* there'd been some way an interruption tied into the narrative more clearly. Because there's a thing with the Flux causing things to intrude into places they shouldn't be, right enough, but if it was meant as an incidence of that, I don't think it was obvious. If it was that, then it was more fourth-wall than, say, the wrong people showing up in flashbacks.

[@SavageBroadcast]

I never knew the name of the camp where Anne Frank finally died - I knew of Auschwitz, but not Belsen.

[@nevem5010]

@@SavageBroadcast Interesting, thank you. I didn't mean to sound like I was having a go at anyone, I was more surprised than anything; one of those moments where you realise you've been taking something for granted without knowing it, and start wondering where else you've been doing so. Though I guess whoever included the line made the same assumption, so at least I'm not the only one!

[@ireallydidntwanttomakeanac575]

Honestly, that final Vinder scene could have worked as the pre-titles for Survivors of the Flux.

[@pundahandz7403]

Yoo I didn't even realise that video yesterday was the December marathon xD can't wait to binge once I'm done with uni.

[@darkhumour741]

That subtext of the Angels and evil needing to be *watched* is super interesting Even if it's just to service them and Jericho's character for this one episode; you still wouldn't expect that kind of writing for the ANGELS 👏 Love your DW vids always shining a light on stuff that gets easily overlooked. I'd never have made that connection

[@lbricks7631]

Yeah that cliffhanger is one of the greats.

[@lindamarx1256]

Yeah, interrupting the ending credits after such a poignant cliffhanger and music really took me out of it. Then again, with Flux, it sometimes seems Chibnall doesn't remember who his main protagonist(s) is/ are... Also, re: Peggy - I get her nuncle was mean, but her aunt was not - and still her death didn't bother her! Still, a very entertaining episode.

[@NankitaBR]

I get the thing with Peggy not feeling sorry for her aunt because very often victims of abusive parent figures (be it physical or mental abuse) tend to also blame the people around them for not stopping the abuse, even when realistically there was nothing this person could do. It is a way of trying to cope with the abuse. You can see that very clearly with Nebula and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy. I know that that is not in the text of the episode, and is probably just my head-canon and it was not the intention of the writers, but that is what made sense to me.

[@lindamarx1256]

@@NankitaBR That reminds me... Yaz et al just abandoned her and we didn't even learn with whom or how...

[@adamntcaponewholikesbigcoo1749]

Not gonna lie Rory straight up dying in Manhattan might have be arkward for the doc to see

[@pluviosity]

Claire will show up again for the finale. I don't know what to feel about it. Hopefully it will explain/show, at least a teensiet bit, the three years time skip we have to suffer in Survivors of the Flux.

[@chaserseven2886]

the one thing i love about the angels is their cruelty

[@ItsMeHarry]

Didn't really consider the fascism perspective of the angels, but I do think it really suits their powerset (must be observed, can't realistically be completely beaten but can be overcome, sends you back in time if you let it touch you). Interesting take on the Angels for sure

[@professordreadwin7959]

This might be the best 13th Doctor episode

[@drow_Lilith9940]

i really do love just how much they show the sadiscit side ot the angels in this ep alot of the shit htey do is beacuse it is fun to them

[@chaserseven2886]

yep that's the one thing adore of the angels

[@drow_Lilith9940]

@@chaserseven2886 i really do enjoy sadisct villians who will do shit just to make someone suffer

[@SavageBroadcast]

9:00 This entire segment may be some of the most potent analysis ever in one of your reviews.

[@JimKenobi]

Can Maxine Alderton become showrunner post-RTD2? There’d be so much potential I think

[@DarthAzabrush]

I'd much rather RTD just resigns in favour of her now tbh.

[@jackhustwayte4567]

Great video Mr. Tardis

[@samuelbarber6177]

I liked it. Admittedly, I am a bit of a sucker for things from and set in the Sixties. I also thought the direction and cinematography were okay, and I did like the writing/acting. The plot was a bit too convoluted, though and there were some truly baffling moments. I thought it was creepy, and it looked absolutely gorgeous. 6/10

[@chaserseven2886]

i loved this more the previous episode but not as good as the Sontaran one

[@CulturePhilter]

That comparison to creeping fascism is really interesting. It’s not something I’d picked up on myself.

[@dxctr_master]

NOW I’M GUNNA… WOK RIGHT OUT OF ‘ERE!

[@leothelion19]

woop

[@keirjarvie6998]

The episode wasn’t as great as I thought it would be, but still one of the better episodes of Series 13. The Weeping Angels really were on top form here (although I’m not a fan at all of them roaring). I’m sorry MrTardisreviews, I’m going to have to disagree with you on the cliffhanger. The cliffhanger itself, really good and mostly effective. Key word here. MOSTLY. The visual of the Doctor turning into a Weeping Angel didn’t have the intended effect on me and to be honest, I chuckled when Weeping Angel wings sprouted from behind the Doctor. I think maybe if the lighting kept on going from dark to light and we only caught fleeting glimpses of the Doctor’s transformation before we saw the end result of the Doctor as a Weeping Angel would have been a lot more effective as it leaves it to the imagination and more in line with the Weeping Angels. As remember in Blink, when Sally Sparrow blocked an Angel from the audience’s view, it moved when it was shown again to the audience? That was such a cool detail. As for the scene with Vinder mid way through the credits? I could have done with that either before the cliffhanger or after the credits. Like in the Marvel shows on Disney+ like Loki and Falcon and Winter Solider.

[@DuelaDent52]

I thought they disintegrated here because there was nowhere to actually send them to? Since they were trapped in the time bubble, they can’t be sent back any farther than they already are so it just kills them instead.

[@dancingman1983]

I liked it for the most part. Although it may have been slightly better as a two parter and if Belle and Vinders scenes didn’t have to be forced so close to the end.

[@friday6448]

coming back to comment to spite the bbc's copyright claim

[@SoundsSarcastic234]

While this episode is certainly the strongest of Flux so far for me, I still think it owes too much from past Angel stories for me to rank above them, which wouldn’t matter if I thought the ep did those concepts better, but I don’t think it did. Human-Angel possession was done better in Time of Angels by virtue of it being first and this ep flagrantly just copying the scares (dust, turning stone, something in the eye). The angels obtaining a voice by ripping out someone’s throat is much scarier than just listening on a T.V. speaker. The shot of that one angel smiling in TATM is so much more eerie and speaks to the creeping intelligence than any deep-voiced monologue, interesting political undertones aside. Overall, it’s a standout, but considering the competition this year being mostly entertaining in the moment, but in hindsight very messy and mediocre, this one didn’t have to try very hard.

[@defrostedrobot77]

That smiling Angel in Manhattan doesn't get talked about enough! I do like Jericho's voice as the Angels tho. It sounds real cool.

[@pjgs4933]

This is an iconic episode imo. Amazing. Not sure how I feel about the "fascism" analogy.

[@scix8794]

Weeping angels were nerfed too heavily, the b plot was dull and stupid at points. This was decent.

[@kevinjekyll1521]

Weak writing and acting, I hope RTD brings this back to something we can love, not this.