The Vanquishers - A Doctor Who Flux Review

[@CouncilofGeeks]

My video on the issue of the BBC's support of Transphobia: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l3-XppZmfb-ljac Shaun's 1st video, which includes some additional confirmed information: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGXFpn2Dgs6qmck Shaun’s 2nd video, which follows how the BBC is trying to dodge accountability for all of this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5fNhXpsiLudo7M

[@johnking5174]

Hi, I can help you here with the season episodes. Originally the BBC commissioned a season of eight episodes. However half way through production, in order to save cost and time, the BBC chose to air six episodes as part of the main season, and then told Chris to make two specials for 2022, as there was a planned year off from a regular season. These two specials were simply episodes seven and eight of the season, but increased slightly to special status, and were planned to air New Year's Day 2022 and New Year's Day 2023. However when Jodie told the BBC she was leaving along with Chris, the BBC ordered a change, and instead asked the second special to air at Easter 2022, and then they commissioned a feature length third special, in order to give Jodie a proper farewell, but also to time it to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the BBC in autumn of 2022. Sorry for being long on this, but this was what happened, according to a person I know and trust who works at the BBC Press Office in London.

[@johnking5174]

Also, can I just say, all three specials have already been filmed and are now being edited with special effects. Filming wrapped in October 2021. So there is no going back on what Chris has filmed for those specials. Too late!!

[@itisALWAYSR.A.]

The Flux: destroys whole galaxies and star systems The Doctor: OK let's shield the Earth, easy The Sun: ....am I a joke to you?

[@magus104]

@beef business Well star killer base is only ready to fire once it completely drains the star its orbiting yet the first time they show us it in action its daylight out and it shoots out a beam that blows up what like 5 planets? When the writing and filming/cgi dont look at what each others doing i guess

[@HandofOmega]

@@magus104 As I recall, we DO see sunlight darkening when Starkiller is about to fire...although it's not shown, presumably it (like the Death Star before it) can and does hyperspeed travel to another system afterwards. Aaand now I'm defending the SW sequels, as if I couldn't feel any lower today...

[@cameronheaton9900]

Heck losing the other planets should mess up the earth as well

[@matriculus2]

So the solar system is destroyed, Earth is invaded twice by the Sontarans and the next day everything returns to normal with people acting as if nothing happened whatsoever?

[@EmeralBookwise]

Seriously, the question of just how much of the rest of the universe is left and just how unconcerned about that fact everyone else in the story seems to be is bad enough, but yeah, the entire Earth solar system was also shattered if not entirely destroyed and now there isn't even a Lupari shield to keep the planet on life support. If ever there was a season that needed some kind of big ol' reset button at the end this would be it, and yet all were left with is the biggest question of how the hell anything could possibly go back to normal. Maybe there's a plan to explain the new status quo in the upcoming specials, but given how nonchalantly this episode ends, I sure as hell won't be holding my breath.

[@neilmcdonald9164]

The grand serpent could've been totally omitted from the season (though I quite liked the actor's performance)🎩

[@doctor1206]

Also Bell and Vinder.... Or Diana...

[@Sarah-og3mp]

Maybe his story will get continued in a special? He is tied to Vin

[@WhiteWolf496]

I saw someone saying how the grand serpent's name is prentis and that chibnall could've been going for an anagram but the spelling didn't work but went with it anyway. P r e n t i s S e r p 'i' n t

[@vildiac]

I didn't see the point of him, past the episodes where each of the other characters were reliving portions of their timeline. Past that episode, The Grand Serpent was just...there. He was great as a villain, but he was an un-needed villain.

[@lucywillis4535]

I'd have kept the serpent. But have him replace swan and azure.

[@cy4943]

“Why why why?” Is a very good response to the whole season. Why cook up a convoluted narrative/plot/storyline when it is so glaringly obvious that character development from the doctor and her companions as well as story DEPTH has been so lacking? Why double down on the doctor’s origins/Timeless Child stuff if you’re not even ready to commit to resolving it properly yourself? How far can you kick the can down the road till the mess you’ve created is someone else’s problem to deal with? Lupari species wiped out, and Jericho dead (who Yaz and Dan explored the world with for three whole years) - both treated with an “oh well!” Some of the most advanced alien races we have ever seen, reduced to desperately fleeing the flux and yet the assembled Lupari ships can somehow withstand the full might of this anti matter hurricane which has decimated the rest of the known universe?! There are too many “whys” and not enough space to list them. My only assumption is that Chibs wanted to leave a lasting legacy on Who lore and embed it like a pernicious splinter whilst trying to outdo Moffat twisty turny plots and also microwaving up tepid versions of some RTD ideas.

[@kosh9639]

They should of cut some of those Useless Side stories...

[@clymbr]

accuraaaaaate

[@klop4228]

You'd think a person who has lived through the genocide of their own species (even if it was undone a few centuries later) would have more to say about someone else going through it than "I'm so sorry". Doesn't even do anything to help Karvanista afterwards other than saddle him with a couple, and soon, a baby. As for the destruction by the Flux... at the very least, I hope RTD is happy to do something with it. Doesn't make it ok now, but maybe he'll be happy to use some of the Chibnall plot points?

[@HandofOmega]

Undone and then REdone, you mean! having gone through that TWICE should make the Doctor a little empathetic, but this IS the "socially awkward" one who couldn't be bothered to comfort her "Fam" about his cancer concerns, sooo... The less RTD has to with any of this (save actively retconning Timeless Child) the better.

[@klop4228]

@@HandofOmega Oh yeah, I forgot that the Master re-genocided the Time Lords. Mostly cos it happened with almost no fanfare. Also, she did just stand by and let the Daleks, Cybermen, and Sontarons get genocided by the Flux. I suppose we could probably sort of justify it with "they're evil" (the Daleks and Cybermen especially), but still, the fact that we had four genocides in this one episode and there's almost no acknowledgement of it is pretty dire.

[@parrot998]

@@klop4228 They aren't completely gone though. Gallifrey was destroyed, but it is 100% guaranteed a bunch survived since with access to TARDIS' and nothing like a timelock to keep them trapped evaccuations were more than possible.. The division officers we see in the first episode guarding Swarm are HEAVILY implied to be Timelords. Especially since we know how the older one had been watching over them for millenia. So it seems safe to say they are still around. Only the planet and many unfortunate victims are gone.

[@irrevenant8724]

I think she probably put Bel and Vinder with Karvanista because as the last of a species herself she knew Karvanista was going to need the company, no matter how much he complained about it.

[@klop4228]

@@irrevenant8724 Makes some sense, but without the story saying anything about it, it looks like a random 'put characters together to tie up loose ends' decision. RTD or Moffat would have had a minute or so for the Doctor to say "I've been there, and believe me, no matter how frustrating these people get, never travel alone." Chibnall just kind of threw it in.

[@Sailor_Enchantix]

Jericho, especially this episode, reminded me quite a bit of Professor Yana. If Yana wasn’t The Master, and just his own character, I think he would’ve been very like Jericho. Also, Jericho had pretty much the same relationship with Claire as Yana had with Chantho.

[@jamesstewart7736]

I got more Dr. Judsen vibes from the Curse of Fenric. One of the best Dr Who stories from its final classic season.

[@Sailor_Enchantix]

@@jamesstewart7736 I’m purely going off New Who because I’ve seen very little Classic Who, and it’s been years. The only Classic Who story I remember seeing in full is Pyramid of Mars.

[@janechoy2073]

I really do love how the writers have adapted Joseph Williamson and his tunnels into the storyline, seeing as how even to this day, historians don't know why he built those tunnels.

[@HandofOmega]

He was one of the brightest spots in this thing, and really deserved his own episode. Did they actually explain just what caused those tunnels rifts in the first place?

[@YoungCodger]

@@HandofOmega Apparently the echoes of the Flux in the future caused them in the past. 🤷‍♂️

[@foxesofautumn]

I agree. This worked and was really interesting. I don't like how it was lead up to but I did think it was cool that this guy just noticed what was happening and catalogued it and it actually helped our heroes out. I feel like somewhere in Flux there was a really good story but then Becky and her friends just invited themselves to the party and everything got watered down.

[@danielbroome5690]

Too bad he did literally nothing but give them a convenient escape tunnel.

[@captbuckyohare5585]

It actually annoyed me because I thought he could have been such an interesting character and idea (the tunnels leading to different places in time and space or even other dimensions... and something is knocking... deserved its own stand-alone story rather than being a tacked-on plot convenience for a larger story.

[@GingerWithEnvy]

Also, the absolute horror of the species bond when it's just played for gags about "man's best friend". We see from the fact all the lupari were killed that it's not a two way link, so the Lupari live in perpetual fear that their human counterpart will die at any moment and there's not one moment in the writing that anyone thought "eh, that's a bit effed up isn't it?". Oh no, of course not, because the entirety of these 6 episodes seems to try their darndest to hammer home the idea that any other species lives are functionally and practically worthless compared to humans, an altogether fine concept that has no parallel to anything atrocities in the really world at all 🙃

[@MichelleK.B.]

Really good take on this part of the story

[@Akazury]

The Lupari don't 'live in perpetual fear that their human counterpart will die at any moment', the species bond only got triggered by the initial Flux Event. Their Species & Crafts are basically the last line of defense against the flux, most likely set up by The Doctor themselves. While the species bond probably isn't two-way we don't have a way of knowing since it was the Sontarens that wiped out the Lupari.

[@GingerWithEnvy]

@@Akazury So we're saying the species bond was created, not naturally occurring, specifically for the flux. That doesn't change that an entire species was forced upon threat of extinction to save humanity, and arguably makes it worse because it suggests that someone, possibly the Doctor, is responsible for this coersion, keep in mind that if it were something all the Lupari agreed on they wouldn't need a death warrant to force them. My point being, the very idea of a species bond is a hideously dark idea and it literally only exists to make a joke about "man's best friend" (also a flux only triggered species bond wouldn't make sense because then the Lupari wouldn't be motivated to protect humanity, they'd be motivated to kill humans themselves before the flux does)

[@gunlovingliberal1706]

Not only did Chibnall not stick the landing, he broke both legs on impact. There are billions if not a trillion galaxies in the Universe and I only saw a few dozen in the display in the Division's station. I am also tired of huge consequences that are ignored in Chinall's era. Billions of species were destroyed by the Flux. The first Doctor was not the first Doctor. The watch did not function to make a Timelord appear human as they always have in the past. How did the mine with the doors to different worlds get created by a normal human? Planet Time should not exist, but why and what does it mean? I hope RTD can patch up all these scars on the canon. Finally, as a physicist I have to point out that the Flux is not how antimatter behaves. When antimatter interacts with ordinary matter the total mass is converted into energy (mostly in the form of photons) that makes a thermonuclear bomb look like a firecracker.

[@justmanbunisfine]

It think it would be possible to have the watch only contain memories and just skip the chameleon arch stuff but everything else I agree with

[@jsnow7919]

I love the idea of Mofatt ending Series 5 without the whole "Big Bang 2" resolution and just sweeping the end of the reality under the carpet and carrying on like nothing happened.

[@greghawkins59]

I loved how utterly pointless the grand DRAGON was, his only purpose was to explain why unit wasn't in the previous few seasons

[@timpont54]

There is a rumour that the actor is going to play the next doctor.

[@magus104]

I mean is he though? As unit already got axed by Chibnal due to "budget cuts" Essentially I think its like "well Kare Stewart wouldnt sit idle while all this was going on so we have to give her a cameo" By that logic neither would Jack........ But cancel culture is strong then BS writing i guess.

[@greghawkins59]

@@magus104 well they clearly wanted to make it look like he was the reason unit wasn't around before

[@foxesofautumn]

@@timpont54 There are rumours about almost every actor over 18 playing the Doctor, so, though that doesn't mean much.

[@itisALWAYSR.A.]

It did rather drag on, didn't it

[@k-majik]

That was rather exhausting to watch. I have to admit, I really found myself lost amidst all this excess baggage, I watched it 10 minutes ago and I couldn't tell you what happened - listening to you recap it I kept saying 'oh yeah, I forgot that!'

[@HandofOmega]

Since you're commenting here, I assume you're at least a Who fan...I honestly can't begin to imagine what a confusing mess this all seems like to a casual viewer!

[@geekdetritus5503]

I feel Jodie Whitaker will go down as the "Colin Baker" of the new series. The actor who was great as the Doctor and had moments of absolute brilliance as the character, but whose writing team just dropped the ball so many times.

[@ianresc3615]

I have never seen her in anything else, but in three seasons so far she hasn't had any screen presence. There is no chemistry with anybody. She is constantly ouplayed and outshone by every other actor, except Ryan and Yaz. Heck, even Yaz has had more of a commanding presence than Jodie. So, while I do blame the writing for most of the mess, I seriously question whether Jodie was the worst possible choice to go with. Jodie and Chibnall is like a marriage from hell.

[@ziejackson6236]

Yes I've been think the same for a long while hopefully she will get a big finish redemption and we can see what type of Dr she actually can be when there people who can write for her properly

[@aloysiuswhiteboat2934]

@@ianresc3615 And whatever you think of him, if Colin has anything, it's screen presence.

[@emperorboss5557]

The good thing bout her leaving tho is I can’t wait for Jodie to go to big finish

[@c17sam90]

I don’t even think she’s that good of an actress to carry a show.

[@JosephFish3r]

One thing that doesn’t sit right with me is how Diane- who we see very little of, just comes out with 'Why don't we put the flux inside of passenger?' The doctor then simply agrees and they do that. WHAT! Chibnall has an impulse to keep adding ideas to 'up the stakes' But that only makes it harder for him to end his own stories.

[@Skeezer66]

Thanks! I missed how/why that ending happened! But this is another time Chibnall has another character figure out something the Doctor should.

[@irrevenant8724]

Thst made perfect sense to me. Diane has been trapped inside Passenger for days and seen how truly vast it is in there. She's the perfect character to come up with that idea, IMO.

[@captbuckyohare5585]

But it's not even a new idea. It was literally the same "resolution" to Revolution of the Daleks. Put the bad thing, inside a little thing, that's really a big thing on the inside. Even the concept of the Passenger itself is recycled from the Timelord prison tech from series 2... and its resolution. We're Dr Who fans, Chibs. We remember stuff.

[@Skeezer66]

@@irrevenant8724 But why was she taken? That was never explained, and she nor Dan ever knew what happened to each other until the end.

[@irrevenant8724]

@@Skeezer66 She was taken so Swarm and Azure could use her as leverage against Dan and the Doctor. With everything that happened they never really got an opportunity to apply that pressure beyond the initial reveal, but that was the plan.

[@Gxbbzee]

God this video is so satisfying. You have no idea how much praise this episode is getting, and I just don't see how the good outweighs the bad on this one. If people like the episode fair enough, but you'd really have to have your brain fully switched off in order to not find a million bizarre writing choices.

[@Elwaves2925]

I think people having fallen for Chibnall's tactic of covering the holes and inconsistencies in his work by chucking all those fan favourites in to the mix. Most of them being completely pointless to the plot, especially the Daleks, Cybermen and the Ood. Even Division, which was the Doctor's main purpose at the start was quickly dispatched to nothing.

[@HandofOmega]

I'm having flashbacks to how I felt when walking out of The Last Jedi and the last Transformers movie: "How is it possible for so-called professionals to produce such BAD material? How did no one catch any of this, from beginning of production to end??"

[@magus104]

if youre seeing it get praise youre looking at the wrong channels i guess. though there doesnt seem to be much middle ground the extremely delusional positive or delusional negative. Channels like Nerdrotic have been crapping all over who since jodie took over. While I can agree on some points they define the term toxic the way the pick apart every single line of the show to twist it into some kinda of agenda.

[@WiloPolis03]

Is this episode getting much praise? I'm seeing a lot of rants in the comments sections of what I've been recommended on this site

[@Gxbbzee]

@@WiloPolis03 Yeah, mainly on Twitter.

[@B-MC]

At the point where the doctor said "its my turn? My reckoning" and the answer was "no." And even the doctor was like "oh. ....really?" AND THIS IS FROM A NEW CHARACTER LAST MINUTE. I liked jerico's death scene, but it felt obligatory. I liked the three doctors, but it came at the expense of EVERY plotline being resolved by 'the doctor shows up and saves them' (it didnt matter what any of them did, no matter where they ended up the doctor would just go there and rescue them) I liked whitakers banter, just wished she'd been characterised that way. But I feel trolled. Between "beware their master" and "i like this regeneration, i hope i see it again" and "who are you?" and "don't let me find this, unless i really ask for it" I still feel like this season was just there to bait next season. Which is what s12 already did. And when you really think about it, we already knew about tecteun existing / whitaker being the timeless child so what did we actually find out we didnt know last season? THE ONLY THING WE SEE IN HER MEMORIES ARE A HOUSE, WE'VE ALREADY SEEN, WHICH SHE SHOULDNT HAVE REMEMBERED. And the villains had to FORCE her to see it. More time wouldn't save this when the problem has been 'develop this more' for three seasons now. Im just convinced chibnall wanted something on the grand scale and never had the character development chops to pull it off. This could have been like, two episodes if you cut the fluff. In fact given all four villains just die or achieve nothing, having 20 characters or 2, lack of developing ANYTHING is the real problem. Down to whitaker finally getting the watch and then just ... ditching it. Did she ever really want it? DIANE HAD LIKE ONE SCENE AND *SHE'S* THE ONE WHO SOLVES THE SERIES'S PLOT? THE 'VANQUISHERS' ARE JUST THE MOOKS? I was looking forward to this only because after predicting this for 6 episodes (as we said at the start, first episode set precedent) and seeing you do the same, it's all catharsis to see you call all of this out.

[@doovstoover9703]

There was one shot when the Sontaran captain screeches "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!!" and I was just like I KNOW RIGHT

[@charlesgwynn7530]

I never knew it might have had more episodes, it definitely makes sense having watched the whole series. 10 Episodes would have been really good for this and would have stopped everything else feeling crowded. Would also explain the constant time and scene skipping, which I felt really hurt this series.

[@Elwaves2925]

@@benjamindavis4974 That may be but it doesn't excuse the mess of pointless things we ended up with.

[@YoungCodger]

Only thing I question is if we'd end up with it being just like this, but over a longer period.

[@matriculus2]

To be honest they could have cut a whole load of elements out, concentrated on just a couple of main aspects and told a satisfying story in less episodes.

[@danielbroome5690]

@@YoungCodger Of course the ending would be exactly the same, Chibnall very clearly didn't change anything to account for his cuts. It would have made MORE sense if the characters actually got an episode for each of them and get more room for development so it wasn't super rushed, but it would be just as disappointing.

[@ZatoichiBattousai]

What was the point of introducing Tectaun and then killing her so unceremoniously?

[@diccchocolate416]

The plot demanded it

[@Elwaves2925]

It's Chibnall's way of dealing with something he introduced but without have to actually deal with it in a substantive way.

[@voltijuice8576]

So you know that it was she, Chibnall's own pet mythical creation, who set these meaningless events in motion!

[@AndrewHalliwell]

The correct question should be "what was the point of anything after Capaldi regenerated?" Chibs has proven time and time again how Crap be is. I'm amazed Broadchurch is seen as watchable. how can he be so good with that and Torchwood and get so terrible at Doctor Who? Unless he's fulfilling a brief from higher up to destroy the franchise, that is.

[@HandofOmega]

Because our tears taste like candy to Chibnall.

[@M-E_123]

So is the universe destroyed now? I guess not because the Daleks are back in the New Year special (so the Daleks, Cybermen & Sontarans didn't all die) - but the Doctor only managed to stop the last Flux wave, so I dunno. Not sure why they felt the need to kill all the dog aliens, they'd be good to bring back - Vinder & his wife would be nice to bring back too, not sure what the point of them was. I don't know who the Grand Serpent is or what they were trying to do or why he didn't know who Vinder was. I don't know why Dan's girlfriend knew so much - she was like another Doctor by the end of the episode. I don't know the point of the other universes they introduced. The Division feels like a huge dead end of a plot point. The Swarm & Azure could have been left dead / defeated a couple of episodes ago. I don't like Time being a person rather than a sheer force of nature. Still not clear what introducing secret Doctor's adds to the series going forward. Who made the Traveller / Passanger / whatever they were. The Williamson Tunnels were just there for convenience of fixing a needles cliffhanger rather than being a potentially interesting story - just a waste of a genuine real world mystery. Just a mess. Imagine if instead of this we got 6 standalone stories along the lines of the Sontaran & Weeping Angels stories - maybe a UNIT story with Kate working against the Grand Serpent would have been nice, a single episode with Swarm & Azure would have been enough, maybe an episode set in the Division (if you insist on furthering that plot point) & round out with an episode on a post apocalypse world with Vinder & girlfriend looking for each other - or something with the Dog Aliens. What a disappointment - had potential & had some nice idea's - even had some good episodes - but Chibnal has list me completely with this, up until now it's been "good idea's on paper but poor execution" - this was just poor - not clear what he was even trying to do here.

[@kosh9639]

I don't think Chibnall knows How the Watch works... It doesn't Whisper when it's Empty.. 🤦🤷

[@irrevenant8724]

@@kosh9639 What makes you think it's empty? Doesn't it still have all (or most after Swarm) of her Timeless Child memories in there?

[@jvblhc]

One of Chibs many bad habits is creating or reintroducing a character (The Professer, Tecteun(?) so they can spout some things we are supposed to care about, and then when the character is finished, Chips just thinks "Well, they've served their purpose - I guess I should kill them now.". Or, like with the Lone Cyberman, who was having a nice, intriguing arc, Chibs needed to get to the whole Timeless Child thing before the show was over, so he just kills one of the most interesting villains he ever created.

[@irrevenant8724]

@@jvblhc Yeah, I don't think Chibnall anticipated that fans were going to be as interested in Ashad as we were. Or as uninvested in/opposed to the Master/Timeless Child reveal as we were.

[@kosh9639]

@@irrevenant8724 watch when she's in the Tardis; after, opening the watch... ⏱

[@scroogledoogle3028]

My biggest gripe with this episode is the constant teasing of the Doctor's missing memories. She finally obtains the watch at the end, is literally holding it in her hand in a perfect position to use it and just... throws it away. Unless I missed something, there was no buildup to this; she faced no repercussions due to her obsession over her memories, had no reason to double back on wanting to find out about her past besides an extension of the incessant teasing with the watch. I could see an attempt at character development here but with no substance whatsoever. I don't even care what the memories are since I have no faith in the writing behind it, I just want the question answered so we can move on from this thing being dangled in front of our faces in a lazy attempt to give us expectations of the moment's significance. I find it nothing more than infuriating, and hope to god the many poor writing habits such as this cease once Chibnall is no longer at the helm.

[@alicebethell8069]

Was I was the only one who thought they were going to do some kind of reveal concerning Dan? Karvanista made sure to get to Earth before the rest of his species to collect his human, the Ravagers sought out Diane to kidnap and left her alive within Passenger... why did these things happen if he wasn't going to be important in some way? Instead poor John Bishop fades into the background after Episode 2 honestly

[@ianresc3615]

Not only that. Dan's only purpose was to illustrate how stupid he was whereas Yaz was in command and a big, though woman. Dan was just the comic relief and it is fuel for those critics who claim that this era of Who was driven by an agenda.

[@HandofOmega]

@@ianresc3615 Well, at least they don't grist to complain about how "Straight White Males" are all villains now. Esp after S12, which literally didn' thave ANY villains of that persuasion! And Prof Jericho got killed, but at least it was heroic (tho pointless)...

[@ianresc3615]

@@HandofOmega Yeah, a lot of them took the criticism too far. It has merit to some degree, but it is what it is. The internet is a toxic wasteland.

[@AceOThorns]

This was EXACTLY the video I'd expected. Your frustration was anticipated, and is shared.

[@BlueSparxLPs]

That scene between Jodie and the Grand Serpent was exactly the kind of thing I wanted out of their meeting and didn't expect to get. I wish we saw so much more of that side of her in her run. It feels like such a missed opportunity that we didn't.

[@tehBIGivan]

The story contradicted itself. It said that the flux was compressing all matter, and that it could be reversed and uncompressed. However, then it wasn't being compressed, but actually it was obliterated by antimatter

[@HandofOmega]

I think it was Space that was meant to be compressed, through the process of eliminating matter. Ravagers seemed to think that getting rid of Space would "free" Time, or something? But they did say something about replaying the destruction of the universe over and over, just to torment it and the Doctor...Really should rewatch it, but just too depressed to do so right now...

[@irrevenant8724]

When did it say anything about the Flux compressing all matter? EDIT: Found it now. Yeah, that's confusing.

[@syntychiahintsin-tee-shaks2256]

You are asking all the same questions I had! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 the Dr’s reaction to Jericho’s death got to me, she was like, “so sad, ok now let’s blah, blah.” This Dr is a cold one.

[@TheGeorgeD13]

There's no time to waste. Have to get the job done. Don't see how that's cold. It's the only option.

[@HandofOmega]

Ok, just rewatched it! More questions and a few comments: I get the Doctor taking off her quantum badge as the Ood tries to send her back to her TARDIS, which splits her across Space (rather like Scaroth!)...But why did another of her wind up on the Lupari ship, specifically? For that matter, why don't the Ravagers kill the Ood, who is clearly working with the Doctor? What does the Ood mean in his last scene, what's he done? Is Division's station still stuck between universes? How does Williamson know that Dec 5 is the Final Flux event? All that can be seen from Earth is that the Sontarans left. And is he *really* that important to history, esp after he's already dug his holes? Not much wrong with Claire, just, if the angels are as cruel as everyone says they are now, then why did they just cut her loose? Why does the Prof go with her, as he has no psychic ability at all? Where did they get their transmat rings from? If from the Doctor, then that means she and her comps should have the ability to just teleport around (or at least back to the TARDIS) at will...if not, then why not? If holding Vinder and Diane in Passenger was important, why leave it on that planet instead of taking it with them to Division? If Vinder has actually taken *classes* on how to escape from Passengers at the Academy, then why is he taking direction from Diane? And would it sound ablest of me to question just how she dug so much with one arm? When they escaped Passenger, why did it recapture them after a while? And when they decide to use it against the Flux, exactly HOW to they just *summon* it into space?? Karvasta can't talk about his past with the Doctor and Division. If only someone had the ability to just mentally walk around through someone else's memories... What exactly was going on with the Moriae from earlier? They were keeping Time prisoner? It's still held, even tho they're gone? Does the Doctor maybe wanna have a look around the Temple, find out what's going on there? Azure's dialog with the Doctor reminded me a bit of Sutekh ("Your evil is my good"...); and I want the Grand Serpent's jacket and cane! (love his theme music, too) Nothing's really explained about Kate, but I don't have trouble believing she's resourceful enough to get the TARDIS from wherever we last saw it (UNIT offices since 1967??) knowing the Doctor's female now (prolly learned it from MI6) or putting together an underground resistance...But why bring it to the tunnels? Why does Grand Serpent scanning for artron energy, looking for the Doctor, suddenly make him obsessed with finding Kate? But he was utterly unprepared for humans...with GUNS?! Who was the young man he killed looking for her, had we seen him before? For that matter, had we heard of the "Dark Energy Camera" before?? I guess the Doctor having a crush on herself (and she talks about Swarm's ego!) is better than when he hated himself...eh, I ship it.

[@GoblinSing]

Absolutely right, "You have to wait and see where the story goes next series, it's got potential!" or "It's a 6 part story so you can't judge it until episode 6 is out!!" have been the easy criticism escape card for anyone in denial about this era's flaws. I couldn't be more happy that Eve of the Daleks appears *so stand-alone,* it separates it from the Flux which basically just gives it *a chance* to be any good, and it very clearly shows that there's gonna be zero follow-up to any flux plot-points in it whatsoever aside from maybe the tardis breaking down (leaking oil and all that). "Wait until the next special in Easter!" is not a valid argument at this point, so *finally!* xD

[@magus104]

this storys only in beta wait till its fully release.

[@dhi_holo]

Eve of the Daleks is being called by some "the third part of the trilogy" because of Resolution and Revolution of the Daleks

[@irrevenant8724]

@@dhi_holo Maybe. AFAIK the reconnaissance Daleks are all dead so it's hard to see it being the third part of a trilogy.

[@ElizabethMidfordHatesCops]

I really don't want another dalek thing right now, only because they were teased on the commercials before Flux came out, and then only had five seconds in the last episode. But, I had the same feeling when watching it. Just "Oh it's finally over! Please don't be a flop."

[@landlighterfirestar5550]

Doesn’t matter what it ends up being, people will find a reason to hate it Mark. My. Words.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

( insert rant about how NuWho as a whole has been entirely too Earth-centric and how only Earth being confirmed as saved in this finale is another instance of that)

[@Elwaves2925]

Atropos/Time was also saved but that doesn't change your point which I agree with. Then again, the whole universe was back with no explanation, so you have to wonder if it matters for Chibnall's era. Off-topic: If you can see, or are notified of my reply, would you kindly let me know, even if you have nothing else to say. I might be having YT issues and need confirmation. Cheers.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

@@Elwaves2925 Didn't get a notification, but saw your reply when I re-watched this. Strange, because I *did* get notifications for replies I got to other comments on other channels...Weird!

[@Elwaves2925]

@@gozerthegozarian9500 Thank you kindly for doing that. I usually get quite a few replies to my replies, but they'd drastically dropped off recently. I was unsure if it was just how it was and nobody replied, or something else. Then at the weekend I was on YT on a mate's account and my replies weren't visible, even though I could see them on my account. Notifications of comments/replies have been buggy for me for quite some time. YT must be ran by Chibnall's cousin. Let's see if you get this one. Thanks again, I appreciate it and have a good one. :-)

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

@@Elwaves2925 This one I did get a notification for! YT is being all buggy. Well, hopefully this will sort itself out in time, you have a good one, too! :-)

[@cruzstock]

First off, I love your videos and your analysis of Doctor Who especially, I always find it very enjoyable to hear your voice on the matter. I disagree however, I really liked this episode. It feels like for three seasons we've been seeing Jodie's doctor be distant from their companions, not fully letting them in (the doctor doesn't even tell the companions they're a time lord until spy fall part two). At the same time, in their three seasons, we've seen this timeless child plot go from being a simple throwaway line into being tied in with the flux event. The doctor's search for more information on the division further separated their bond from their companions, especially Yaz in the Fluz series. With this episode, we finally get Jodie's Doctor realizing that their search for information on the division has unearthed and enhanced this incarnations problem with connecting to their companions and for them to acknowledge and promise Yaz to never not let her in anymore (like how the doctor didn't tell Yaz why they were going after Carvinista) felt so triumphant. Giving up the memories, the very thing that drove the doctor to disconnect from their companions feels really rewarding to me. The plot wholes and lack of explanation you speak of are all valid but I urge you to think of this season in terms of what it does for thirteen's character arc. Personally, I'm able to overlook and use headcanon to get through some of the issues. For example, I think the fact that transitions from episode to episode are random is a result of the flux sending shock waves through the universe (like how the doctor was not able to explain how they could be in three places at once). Also, a lot of the characters have abilities that aren't explained like the village of the angels lady, and I think that's because the scale of the flux event was so impactful that people who should have never met, were forced together with the common goal of wanting to save the universe. You may completely disagree with me entirely, but I honestly don't think this was that bad and I actually enjoyed this series quite a bit.

[@oatymilkshake]

"Hey Mr bad man can you just step through that door please"

[@CouncilofGeeks]

Yeah, WHY did he just stroll through?

[@ianresc3615]

@@CouncilofGeeks Because. Because is every explanation you will find in any of this. Nothing makes any sense. It's like having an argument with a 6y/o. Because is all you'll ever get and most six year olds can come up with some reason. There isn't even a reason for any of the characters to be in this series. Not just the Serpent or Swarm & Azure. Even Dan does nothing to further the story. Just have three Doctors from the get-go in episode one and that's it. There is no need for any of this.

[@hiygamer]

@@CouncilofGeeks When Vinder initially had a gun pointed at him, I was waiting for him to teleport a snake into his lungs like he's done with everybody else in his way.

[@justsomeone8310]

Either I missed it or maybe Im just thinking too hard about it but when the dog guy (can never remember his name) tells the doctor how much he meant to her and how much it hurt him that she abandoned him all she did was say oh i dont have those memories. No apology, to me thats like saying well if i dont remember it Im not responsible for my actions.

[@jvblhc]

It's the same kind of thing when Graham was talking to her about his fear of cancer. She just made an excuse and started fiddling with things on the TARDIS hoping that Graham would just go away.

[@GingerWithEnvy]

The thing that disgusted me the most in this episode was the ease with which the Doctor committed genocide, and it wasn't even framed as a dark moment like the doctor made a callous decision because of the Sontarans wiping out the Lupari, the story treated it as though we the audience shouldn't only be fine with it, but actually be onboard with it. The Doctor had control of the Lupari ships long before the final flux event started, she chose to kill the Daleks Cyberman and Sontarans, even accidentally killing Jericho in the process and the show doesn't even attempt to question it?? The show seems to have the position "these are the bad aliens who are always evil so it's okay to mass murder them". The Doctor has, time and time again shown a preferential bias towards humans, even with jokes in this series about Earth being her pet planet, and any writer worth anything would explore morally what that means. They literally destroy most of the universe, countless deaths of alien lives and the reaction from the Doctor is "oh that's so sad, anyway". It made the conversation between Azure and the Doctor about the Doctor having an obsession with "life" ring so hollow, because this Doctor seems to only deeply care about the lives of humans. It's so baked into especially this series that the fact they don't question it is telling on the view of the writing. The reason why it's not question is because it's the position of the writing room, the implied supremacy of human life over any other species. The deaths of other species are sad, sure, maybe even tragic, but a human life is, of course, worth more. The show adopts that perspective so fully that it just expects that the audience will agree, it doesn't attempt to justify it's position because it doesn't even recognise A) that that is the position it's working from and B) that it's position would ever be questioned. And when compared with how the British media consistently treats the deaths of anyone not from the UK, take the media not only villifying the people who died in the attempt to cross the channel into the UK, but using their deaths to argue for even more racist border control, this shows attitude has chilling parallels. This saga has been the most terrifying Doctor Who series to date, and for entirely different reasons than Chibnall intended.

[@GingerWithEnvy]

I feel like this series was two seconds away from recreating the Terran empire from Star Trek but this time we're meant to sympathise with the Terrans

[@HandofOmega]

Contrasting 13's warning that all the homeless aliens will want to conquer Earth with 9's willingness to help displaced aliens find a home here in the Charles Dickens episode, I see what you mean...

[@AndrewHalliwell]

@@HandofOmega not to mention nines refusal to trigger the wave that'd destroy the Daleks and half of earth and tens speech during the doctor's daughter. "I never would!" Whittaker isn't the doctor. She's the bloody Valeyard!

[@valentinus7776]

I still don't understand why the Timeless Child thing needed to be introduced for this plot. You could of had the War Doctor been once part of the division and had his memories erased.

[@RobertLeaverton]

As the Earth was protected, yet the rest of the solar system was not, wouldn't the Earth be a cold lifeless rock?

[@stevetayler9518]

The Flux was defeated because “it’s antimatter and causing it to absorb matter neutralises it” So, a fleet of Dalek spaceships will stop it but not absorbing the ENTIRE UNIVERSE, which is made, last I heard, out of matter!

[@dancingman1983]

I need to re-watch another couple of times to keep track of what happened. I get confused about how long Bel's pregnancy lasts for as she doesn't look pregnant beyond showing that tamagotchi thing occassionally yet Vinda was spending over 2000 rotations on Watchtower Rose (thank god that name was just coincidence). Kate just seemed to show up to help boost ratings like Vinda and Dan were stunt casted. The UK Newspaper The Mirror said last year that 3 episodes were lost due to COVID and it was reduced to 8 episodes. Not sure how accurate it was though.

[@dersuchmann]

I somewhere found that this was meant to reference the 6 normal episodes and the first two specials. This is 8 episodes plus a final, feature-length special. Or 6 episodes and 3 specials, depending on how you frame it.

[@tidalblue2739]

Who knew Sontarans had a sweet tooth. This is like when Strax loved Jenny's lemon sherbets in the Crimson Horror and had a trigger happy sugar rush

[@TheSleepiestPlurals]

A feeling I did get with this series is that the finale was written to include three doctors in it, and they meant for there to be two other doctors showing up from previous series, but they couldn't secure the actors and it was too late to restructure everything so they just made three whittakers through some bullshit unexplored technobabble explanation. If anything shows how disconnected the whittaker seasons have been from previous doctors, I think that's it. Three doctors, but they're all Whittaker, *somehow*

[@elliotstedman1591]

In regards no one else being in Passenger, it's because in the previous episode Swarm used the hostages to convert them from spacial matter to temporal matter to create the spacial temporal bridge between himself and the Doctor so he could locate Division. They captured Diane as a way to taunt Dan as he's a friend of the Doctor and presumably left her as a way to continue taunting him if needs be in the future.

[@Jedi_Spartan]

The quote "I can't stand the confusion in my mind!" has come up while trying to think about this episode after watching it.

[@kenadams8385]

As an aspiring writer, watching Flux has been fantastic research... as an example of what NOT to do with a story

[@irrevenant8724]

There's some really interesting ideas in Flux. It genuinely might be interesting to take some of them and rewrite them into a more coherent and rewarding story.

[@kenadams8385]

@@irrevenant8724 i think you're right, this series should've been 10 or at least 8 episodes to flesh out the ideas

[@irrevenant8724]

@@kenadams8385 That, or streamlined significantly.

[@kenadams8385]

@@irrevenant8724 Yeh, some parts seemed like they could be cut. Not sure what the purpose of the Grand Serpent was and tbh don't want him to come back if that's Chibnalls plan. Not 100% sure what the purpose of Diane's inclusion was, especially since she happily reunites with Dan, then turns him down at the end? And Vinda and Bells story only seemed like a method to include story points that could've been cut so we could focus more on Yaz, Dan and other characters like Jericho, RIP.

[@irrevenant8724]

@@kenadams8385 Diane *did* single-handedly come up with the idea that saved the universe as a result of her experiences inside Passenger. I thought it was understandable that after everything she'd just been through that she didn't feel like jumping into dating at this point. Consciously she knows that Dan didn't abandon her to be captured, but she's got a lot to work through and come to terms with right now. Vinder and Bell are weird. They seem to have been included because of their ties to the Grand Serpent, who seems to have been included because of his ties to Vinder. It really does feel like they're being set up for a later appearance in the specials, sorry.

[@Andyapp]

Yes to everything you have said as well as Bell's pregnancy. It was so focussed on and in the end there was absolutely no reason for it. Even her announcement to Vinder was just a case of "oh we're having a baby, better save the universe then." 🤦🏻‍♂️🤷🏻‍♂️

[@HandofOmega]

Considering where fans were thinking that was going, I think we dodged a bullet, so maybe we should count our blessings! Also, just gonna throw this out there, that the concept of an unborn fetus not only being sentient, but able to communicate with her mum, who isn't even showing yet, COULD be seen as an argument for Pro Life. Not saying that's what Chibs was thinking, he may have just felt it was a cool idea and didn't think beyond that. But some could use it that way...

[@TheDeepfriedturkey]

The only reason I can think for Kate to be there is the BBC winding up for a new spinoff especially as they did an announcement of her "new team" who we really didn't see... It does seem like her vs the great serpent was meant to be an episode, which would have worked earlier in the season (before I forgot who he was supposed to be...)

[@jvblhc]

I saw a video about Kate and her new team. It included Harry Sullivan. The actor who played Harry Sullivan with The 4th Doctor and Sarah Jane is long dead, so I have to assume this "new team" in on Big Finish, with an actor mimicing Harry Sullivan. P.S. Harry Sullivan was one of my favorites long ago as was Ian Marter, the actor who played him.

[@Kschreck]

So many TV shows these days are designed with the hope that the audience cannot process simple thoughts. Mushy mushy mush! I really hope that RTD can save the show and turn it back into something that actually makes the audience think again. Give me something to chew on, something that will leave me thinking long after the credits roll.

[@wajidmannan2618]

Positives: Brilliant characters e.g. Vinder, Jericho, Swarm, Azure, Williamson, Dan, Serpent, Yaz, Seacole. Good male representation - which was an issue for some in S11. Jericho's death was truly dignified, and befitting someone involved in freeing concentration camps. As well as the Doctor's reverse interrogation of Serpent, I really enjoyed it when she appeared to have a genuine heart to heart with Azure, and her interactions with herself. The story got me really invested in Karvanista and his loss, as well as Vinder's exile and story with Bel. A lot of this only possible because it was a 6-parter. As a result ,the defeats of the Sontarans and Serpent were very cathartic, and I am so glad the Doctor did not show mercy. I may be starting to appreciate Jodie's portrayal of a secretive and ruthless Doctor, who masks it with rainbow's and over-friendliness. Also I enjoyed the visuals: the Flux, Division between two universes, the impossible house (Lungbarrow?), the battlefield in Ep2 and the village in Ep4. The overarching themes of Division and the timeless child (which I hate) were not really embedded in the plot, in the sense that it could just as well have been e.g. Omega causing the Flux, but they did add depth and a sense of backstory and history to the villains and Karvanista. The whole story felt on a grand scale, cutting across time and space from scene to scene. I also liked Yaz and co. globetrotting in the 1900's. By the end, the internal plot felt tidily wrapped up. Negatives: There is so much that we are just supposed not to think about: e.g. are we supposed to believe, with no explanation, that unit had a 2nd Tardis through Pertwee's whole run and beyond, and it never came up? There are also a lot of threads that never went anywhere - e.g. Diane, Tecteun, the personification of time, Kate Stewart and the human resistance, Yaz's sidequest in the 1900's. Chekhov's fob watch is the biggest example. We never got a proper explanation of the villains motives. Why bring the daleks and cybermen back for a few seconds, just to wipe them out, and then show daleks on the next time trailer? Was that a self-referential joke about the trope in Dr Who? It felt like it was supposed to be taken seriously. Are we meant to just forget that most of the universe, other than Earth and Atropos have been wiped out, with just a few fractions of planets left, as we were told in one episode. There were also a couple of lines with gender references artificially inserted, which will really antagonise some and go unnoticed by others, so what was the point?: In Ep2 "Sometimes MEN like you make me wonder why I bother " , in Ep4 "Never have I been more grateful for another MAN's deceit". Overall: I enjoyed watching Flux, but it does not really bear thinking about retrospectively. As Chibnall's run is coming to an end we should not have to.

[@Smouv]

what do you mean when you say that unit had a 2nd tardis? I thought that was just the 3rd Doctor's own Tardis

[@wajidmannan2618]

@@Smouv Prior to the 3rd doctor's arrival at UNIT (before Alistair Gordon became a Brigadier), Farquhar says of the Tardis "Oh, this is an object we found in a deserted village in Devon. The few residents disappeared overnight and this box was the only anomaly", suggesting this is 13's Tardis left after Village of the angels. Then Kate shows up with it in Liverpool, in 2021, saying "I presume some of you were with it and the Doctor in 1967? Was it true about the Weeping Angels?"

[@irrevenant8724]

@@wajidmannan2618 Did Thirteen reclaim that during the shenanigans of _The Vanquishers?_ I honestly lost track.

[@wajidmannan2618]

@@irrevenant8724 Yes. Kate shows up with it, then 13 uses it to go back to the 60's to fetch Clare.

[@irrevenant8724]

Swarm and Azure had control of the pocket watch and controlled the Doctor's mental journey into it (and piggybacked on that). Normally it would've just all swept over her if they weren't interfering.

[@captbuckyohare5585]

Look, if you enjoyed it, that's great. I'm happy for you. You are allowed to like it and aren't wrong for liking it. But for me, after seeing the series as a whole? Oh no. Like, what was that? So... SPOILERS. Flux has been amongst some of the worst plotting and world-building (destroying) Chibnall's ever done. Division created the Flux, to destroy the universe, and the Doctor... because. So they activate the flux which destroys the universe. Sometimes. And sometimes it's a moving constant wave, while later it's an "event" that comes and goes. Sometimes it wipes out everything it touches (like planets, ships, and matter) while in other instances it doesn't wipe out certain planets, ships, or matter. Because. They also captured the Ravagers, and put one in a prison, and hid another (checks notes) inside the body of an artic housewife... and Division decides to release both to make sure the Doctor is distracted so the flux can destroy the universe... and her. Keep that in mind. All of this is a plot from Division set in motion to destroy the universe and the Doctor. Division uses the Weeping Angels to extract a whole 1967 town out of time and track down a rogue angel (while Division is also actively destroying the universe, so, why bother?), a mission which later becomes a mission to extract the Doctor. Division extract the Doctor and... remove her from the universe that Division is actively destroying for the primary purpose of destroying the Doctor, but they then actively take her out of that imminent danger so that the Doctor doesn't figure out how to stop the flux and save the universe. What. The angels vanish (into a watch... that's not how the watch works), release the town, and release Claire, and possibly her rogue angel for... reasons. And the Doctor escapes Division. Division dies at the hands of the Ravagers they released. Ravagers who can freely move to and from our universe with enough (checks notes) space energy from dead people they dust. The Ravagers do this all in the service of revenge, and later, as an offering to the embodiment of Time (?). What. The Sontarans try to invade Earth three times. Three times they sneak past the impenetrable Lupari shield. But on one of those occasions, they needed an inside man. Because. Kate Stewart turns up and does absolutely nothing. She doesn't even question the fact that the Doctor (a being she and her family have operated with over the course of the last 50 years) is now a woman and in three places at once. Doctor "works out" what the flux is made of, and comes up with a way to stop it (after a bit of TRIPLE GENOCIDE), even though Kavanista's race knew exactly what the flux was made of all along because a) he's in Division and b) they built a bloody shield the size of a planet to counteract WHAT THE FLUX IS. The Doctor puts the bad thing inside a small thing that's really a big thing on the inside. Which is not only a rip-off of the Doomsday resolution but also Chibnall's own previous new year's special. Where the Doctor also murdered all the Daleks AND a TARDIS. By the end of this series, we've potentially FOUR separate genocides (Lupari included) that The Doctor seems oddly at peace with. What. WHAT. The universe is basically gone, Sontarans gone, Daleks and Cybermen mostly gone, the Ravagers are gone (which the Doctor had absolutely nothing to do with) but they have still devastated the surviving worlds of their remaining peoples of the universe. The place is a fucking ruin, as shown by Bel's segments. The flux has all but destroyed the universe. This doesn't seem to phase the Doctor at all and she, Yaz and Dan are ready for their next adventure. "Where to next?" Asked Dan. "Probably nowhere." Says the audience. Cuz it's all gone. All of it. NOW GET READY FOR THE NEXT EXCITING EDITION OF DOCTOR WHO(?) What... what have we just watched? This is beyond shoddy. It's Michael Bay levels of nonsense with special effects and shiny things thrown at the screen to try and hide the sheer levels of nonsense. But at least, on some levels, Michael Bay stuff is entertaining. This? This is just depressing. Never mind the issues with, I don't know, why is Vinder necessary to this story? Why is Bel necessary? Why is Diane necessary to the story? Why, after travelling with him as a friend and companion for YEARS did Jericho's death have zero emotional impact on Dan or Yaz? If Kavanista was the Doctor's companion why is he so casual about killing her in episode 1? Why does Division release the Ravagers when it only seems to cost them their own people? Why was Azure hidden in the Artic Housewife? Where was the Master during this whole debacle (y'know, the guy who destroyed the Timelords, knows about Division, knows the Doctor's secrets, and possibly knows about the Flux)? But Kate Stewart's there! She calls Osgood! Hey, so where are all the Zygons? Where's Bonny? If we cut all the Vinder, Diane, Bel, and repeating Sontaran nonsense you could make a lot of room for a fan favourite like Bonny. Get Bonny back. Hell, get Jenna Coleman back because this was her best performance on the whole show. Would you watch Kate Stewart and Bonny (the other two people in that room with 12 during that speech) going toe to toe with the Ravagers on Earth? Bonny vs Grand Serpant? Bonny in a story with the Weeping Angels? Fuck, Bonny interacting with 13 and probably wondering what happened to that force of nature of a Doctor who turned her war (and her own soul) away from catastrophe? Give me that, please. There's so much potential left on the table for this fling things at the wall, plate-spinning, key-jangling series. It's just mind-bogglingly bad... in my opinion. And that's all this is. My opinion. I could be in the minority and my opinion can be different from your opinion and we can still be friends. Discourse away.

[@lonewolf6884]

Goes to show Chibnall had no idea what the hell was doing in his time as showrunner. Im glad RTD because I can't stand another season with him

[@ianresc3615]

I agree. I don't even know where to begin with. I enjoyed the series, to be fair, but we knew that this episode was going to be a dumpster fire, because either Chibnall would adress nothing or everything at once. He did both. There were so many plotholes that it is mindboggling how this man can make a living as a writer. I mean, every 12 year old could spot the logical mistakes within this series. This is just bad writing. I am not one who demands 100% accuracy all the time, but this is so bad on so many levels that it is just bad. Chibnall can't even stick to his own plot or frame of things within a 6-part series. How is that even possible? And at the end of the day, none of this meant anything. All these characters that have been introduced served no purpose. They were just there. I never had a reason to care about this stuff, because it had never been established before and even in this final episode things haven't been explained. And in the end most of them died without rhyme or reason, so I was right not to care about them. Does nobody check this stuff, before the BBC greenlights it? Or did they know what was coming and this was the reason why they only gave Chibnall 6 episodes? I am still in shock.

[@MichelleK.B.]

Thanks for doing such a great summary of so many of the confounding things in this set of episodes. I actually liked some of the characters like Dan, Vinder, Belle, Claire and Jericho. I loved the interactions between Dan and “his dog” (I can’t keep track of all the names. I thought I saw something at the end of one of the episodes promoting a new U.N.I.T. show for Kate Stewart but since no one else mentioned it I figured I must have dreamt it. That stayed in the back of my mind as reason for the return of Kate Stewart and perhaps where she and Claire go after this. The only thing you didn’t mention that really frustrated me was mentioned in the video... the use of the Passenger concept. Having all the people in passenger disappear without mention or concern then using Passenger to “Hoover up” the Flux just seemed so lazy.

[@billyballew7884]

Slow clap You nailed it

[@cy4943]

This is a great summary of the last six weeks. This was made in challenging circumstances but doctor who has proven time and time again some of its best episodes have been those with most limitations around it. It’s no excuse. Chibnall could’ve given Whittaker a dignified, well thought through, well-paced, steadier (albeit shorter) swan song series. Chibnall has something to prove and I think that took precedence over good storytelling. I’m glad enjoyment could be gleaned from it by some but this looks like recklessness to me - not adequate showrunning.

[@shenanigans8353]

Can we acknowledge that chibnell's best attempt to resolve all the crap going on is to use Sci-fi nonsense to make the doctor be in three different places in space-time at once. Also it gives me the vibe that he noticed the complaint of the doctor being stuck in the one spot being exposited to about her unknown past in the previous series finale so he came up with a way to do it again but also have her doing more active stuff too.

[@HandofOmega]

To be fair, we have seen the same incarnation of the Doc interact with themselves thru various SF means before (both 10 and 11, at least). This was an interesting way of handling it, and was about the most actual fun thing in the show! Still, imagine if the other two had been two actual incarnations, whether Ruth or 10 or even a brand new one...

[@SomeRandomGuy908]

This isn’t a direct source but it’s absolutely fact that village of the angels was episode 5 originally when filmed. All the shooting images of that episode prove that. Episode 2 was also a Torchwood centric episode (as there was a novel set to release alongside it with Captain Jack), I believe it was cut. There’s definitely evidence of the series being pushed around significantly, whether it was 10 episodes or he thought he had all 8 in the 10 months shoot is unclear. Hope this helps

[@MrApolkov]

Chris Chibnall writes like a guy whose ass has never had to cash the cheques he's written. That's all I have.

[@Macapta]

For a universal ending wave of death, the Flux always looked kinda small and thin. Like it’s reach looked pretty small. If the universe was a ball, they portrayed the flux like a rubber band wrapped round it. It looked like it would have missed 90% of the universe on its way to earth.

[@davidabercrombie5427]

I hadnt considered that it might have been a 10 part story cut to 6 parts....but it kinda makes sense. A lot of the story points could have been trimmed or totally removed and the series would have benefitted a great deal. The whole storyline with The Grand Serpent being exposed by Kate/UNIT could have been a 6 part story in itself. And I totally agree about the watch, I was stunned when The Doctor put it into the TARDIS for storage. It better get dealt with before Jodie leaves the role

[@samuelbarber6177]

I think Chibnall’s biggest stumbling point as a writer is that he has too many ideas and instead of considering the best ones and dropping some, he just insists on throwing them all in at once. Just one, two or three of these things could make a whole Six part story, a possibly really good one at that: The Flux itself, Swarm and Azure (and whatever they were supposed to be doing), the Sontaran invasion, the Weeping Angels’ attack on the TARDIS, the Grand Serpent (and whatever he was supposed to be doing), the Division, the Doctor learning more about her past, Bel and Vinder trying to find each other in the wake of an apocalypse, the genocide of the Lupari, the war between Time And Space, and probably a whole lot of other things I’ve forgotten about since Sunday.

[@stevetayler9518]

Why did Swarm and Azure personally go out of their way to kidnap Diane? Apparently they didn’t know she was Dan’s girlfriend, in fact considered her so unimportant they accidentally left her behind when they killed everyone else in Passenger. Huh? Why was she even there then?

[@Donnagata1409]

And why is she refusing Dan at the end??? It really was not his fault that he stood her!

[@michaelsafol]

I keep getting reminded of the running joke in The Curse of the Fatal Death "I'll explain later". We certainly haven't got anywhere near enough of a payoff to make the timeless child retcon worthwhile.

[@Baileyske]

"Being all over the place" is a nice English expression which sums this season very well up for me.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

"I don't know why...like...this...at all!" Me, neither, actually. I find myself alltogether befuddled.

[@Rik77]

I agree it does feel like characters like grand serpent could have had their own episode, likewise Williamson. Then we get the nice surprise in the finale of them coming back.

[@jaimzag]

GOD EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT TIME NOT ROLLING BACK I was sat there 100% expecting something like that, because - from what the show implied about the extent of the flux - if there was ever a situation to call for a trope like that, it's this! And then it got to the end and the doctor's all "Off we go then :D" and I'm staring at the screen like... go where? What's left for you to go to after that?? EDIT: And I just realised that... even if I don't really like the things they keep adding to make the Doctor special and powerful and night godlike... I'd be less mad if they USED THAT! If you're going to insist on putting those in, DO SOMETHING WITH IT! Let the Doctor USE all that crap to put right shit like most of the universe being devoured by antimatter 🤦‍♂️

[@Hercules_Flexing]

Not really my thing, I’m afraid..I felt pretty hollow at the end. I am left wondering what the point of this whole season was. They didn’t answer anything about the Timeless Child stuff, nor did I actually expect them too after the talk 13 had with Ruth in the last season. It just kinda felt like a waste of time?

[@TheShadowofDragons]

For the people in passenger, they were massacred in episode 5 on the place Vinder was captured. The Ravagers were killing people to empower time so they could go to Division. All those people were killed for that. Why Di was left? No reason besides her relation to Dan. Why do the Glitter Gang care about Dan? No reason.

[@MichelleK.B.]

The “Glitter Gang”... I love it 😂

[@voltijuice8576]

They don't truly care about Dan, they are just using him for his soup.

[@LightLMN]

The entire story is framed around the Doctor finding and learning about Division. It's her drive. Her goal. Her motivation. AND SHE THROWS IT ALL AWAY WHEN SHE GETS IT AT THE END She was still asking Karvanista for details fifteen to twenty minutes ago!

[@klop4228]

Sounds exactly like the Timeless Child reveal. The whole episode after she works it out was "how can this be? I'm not who I thought I was!" and the resolution was "who the hell cares, you're the Doctor either way".

[@SarcyBoi41]

Yep. I feel like the reason Chibnall did that was so RTD wouldn't be saddled with the fallout of the Doctor having a whole new set of memories to deal with, leaving Chibnall's story to overshadow a different showrunner's run. That said, Chibnall claimed he always planned to stay for only three series, so what gives?

[@Philmaster07]

sounds exactly like what moffat did with the gallifrey arc :D he could have done so much more with it....

[@GoblinSing]

Yeah she kept asking Karvanista those questions for a while even after he told her that telling any information would kill him instantly. And she actually got him to start telling her information too, lmao

[@HandofOmega]

@@GoblinSing Honestly, I wanted him to stick around more than Dan (or lose Yaz and keep DAn and Karv)...you'd think the Doc would emphasize with being the last of their kind, and at least she could try to get the capsule out of his head! But nope, no effort was made...

[@andrewbowman4611]

The appeal of characters such as the Grand Serpent, Eustacious Jericho, Tecteun etc. are the people playing them; for a general audience, at least. That's why the Series 11 guest stars were so prominently announced at the end of The Woman Who Fell to Earth; so viewers would say, "Ooh, I like them. I might give it a watch if they're in it." The casting of Craig Parkinson, Kevin McNally and Barbara Flynn served much the same purpose, and the demises of the last two would have been, and indeed were, more impactful because of who was playing them; for people of my generation, in any case. It's also why John Bishop is playing Dan; he's a popular personality on British television, and his casting was intended to bring in viewers who like him. Much like Bradley Walsh, in fact. Most audiences are drawn to performance rather than plot, and Chibnall is very aware of that. Also, it was obvious that the Timeless Child arc wasn't going to be resolved in Flux, although I was expecting a bit more about the Fugitive Doctor. I don't think Eve of the Daleks, as the New Year's special is called, will focus too heavily on the arc so much, but the finale in or around the 18th of October next year certainly will. I know you're frustrated with a lack of resolution for the moment, but I do think the plan was always going to be an ongoing thread throughout this era. One last thing: I'm not sure where 8 or 10 episode "original intention" theory came from, but in print interviews Chibnall has stated he always knew, since the pandemic, that he was working with six episodes. Doctor Who: Flux was presented as intended, it seems.

[@stevetayler9518]

Stunt casting then. That’s a terrible way to make a program. Perhaps it’d work if the performances were brilliant showcases, but every single ‘big name’ cameo since the series began, with the possible exception of McNally, have been dull as dishwater due entirely to Chibnall’s poor writing.

[@andrewbowman4611]

@@stevetayler9518 Well, it's not stunt casting, is it? All the actors I've mentioned are successful in their own right, with the possible exception of John Bishop, who is a stand-up comedian. I would say it's more aspirational casting; the casting director, Andy Pryor, would still have to check availability and audition the roles accordingly. As such, all the actors in this era of Doctor Who had to go through the selection process; even Jodie Whittaker herself! Frankly, they won their roles on merit, nothing else.

[@ben-tendo]

- The universe is supposedly still decimated and pointless. - The Grand Serpent was utterly pointless. - Bel and Vinder were utterly pointless. - The use of Daleks and Cybermen was pointless. - The Fob Watch tease was utterly pointless. - Kate Stewart was utterly pointless. - Swarm and Azure were utterly pointless. - Tecteun and Division were utterly pointless. ...you see a theme here?

[@smugandfriendlyface8025]

Tbf, "sorry about the rest of your species" is more consolation than Nyssa ever got about Traken 😂

[@kevinpeterson6468]

Was it the worst story ever? No. Was it the best story ever? No. That being said I had fun with this.

[@CulturePhilter]

Cutting either the Sontaran episode or the weeping Angel ep though would mean cutting the best episodes of the season I can see why he wouldn’t want to do that.

[@MichelleK.B.]

It almost felt like Chibnall was doing a crash and burn. “You are taking away my fancy toy so I am going to ruin it for whoever takes over after me by destroying most of the universe (wasn’t it implied that only Earth left?) and the entirety of three classic villain races (Sontarans, Daleka & Cybermen).” It seemed like his final F.U. to the BBC and the fans who didn’t “properly appreciate” what he contributed to the show.

[@alientranslink6764]

i think that's going a bit overboard, i don't think hed want to destroy a show he's clearly passionate about, although the fact the flux wasnt resolved does put a sour taste in my mouth

[@nomnomnom55555]

Unlikely, considering we know for a fact that the daleks aren't gone, and also Chibnall still has three special episodes left before his run is up, so why would he do this now of all times?

[@ziejackson6236]

@Tom Meehan the bbc/usa Dr tv movie despite it's faults is far better than what chibnall has produced, it the flux entertaining yes but the more think about the worse it gets, Russel t Davis or even Moffat would have done it differently, we would have got more streamlining and resolution we didn't here maybe chibnal just can't write well for this show or this genre, broadchurch is great, but his run as Dr who show runner leaves a lot to be desired

[@MichelleK.B.]

@@alientranslink6764 Yes... maybe it was a bit of a hot take and I should have put more thought into it before I hit send. I did like parts of this series and some of the characters introduced but it was too much and an unsatisfying resolution. Yes. I was impressed he brought so many of the threads back in the final episode but it was frustratingly over complicated. Using three versions of The Doctor to save everyone and having a throw-away character like Diana be the one who came up with idea to stop the Flux just seemed like very poor writing. You can tell me he is a fan but It didn’t feel like he respected the shows legacy or the fans’ intelligence.

[@alientranslink6764]

@@MichelleK.B. yea they're all fair points i agree with your complaints

[@natsmith303]

Even speaking as someone who (to one degree or another) enjoyed each episode, this was trying to do FAR too much at once, and Eps. 1, 5, and 6 suffered the most for that. I don't fault anyone for feeling disappointed, because this was not an outstanding conclusion. I thought it handled things way better than expected, but my expectations for a wrap-up were quite low. EDIT: Having sat with it for a couple of days, yeah, I'm also disappointed in the overall experience. Exceeding my low expectations wasn't that impressive.

[@Jaeden_Phoenix]

Honestly, this is the first episode of the show, perhaps ever, that I have no idea how I feel about it. I cannot put a definitive number out of 10 to what I'd rank it, I don't know which parts I liked and which parts I didn't. This episode just kind of happened, and I don't have any response to it at all. When the episode ended I found myself looking at the credits and thinking absolutely nothing.

[@irrevenant8724]

On a scale of 1 to 10 personally I'd rate _Flux_ an Orange.

[@tirex3673]

my rating is (0.5+i)*sqrt(50) out of 10

[@Adeodatus100]

I just _knew_ your face would look like that on the thumbnail! 🤣

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

That is the face of frustrated fandom. Mine looked rather similar, only not as pretty as Vera's.

[@literaltruth]

Your face at the start of this review was my exact face at the end the episode.

[@anouun]

You don't have to worry about the Grand Serpent any more... he's on a rock now. That was so annoyingly anticlimactic! He got dumped, just like his plot thread.

[@Venemofthe888]

I feel like that leaves him to come back in future

[@SuperFunkmachine]

Him, Kate and the Sontarans are a good set up for pair of episodes.

[@HandofOmega]

And does he not need to breathe, or was there some way of holding an atmosphere there that I missed? To say nothing of food... And why didn't he just "snake" Vinder, like he has everyone else? They defeated him by...pulling guns on him. When he chased them down, did he really not think they might do that??

[@anouun]

@@HandofOmega I think it has become a pattern, where the Doctor and companions condemn their enemies to worse fates than a quick death. Maybe the initial plan was to do more with him but because they didn't have enough time, the writers searched for a way to quickly get rid of him.

[@SuperFunkmachine]

@@anouun But he's the ideal villain for a return, if any one was going to escape he would be the one i'd of picked.

[@thevacuumofcomments2946]

I'll look for a source to see if they intended to get more episodes. But if that's the case it would make sense. Broadchurch was conceived as a serial and worked because it was as long as it was planned to be.

[@saintarkweather]

Totally agree on the interrogation scene. That is the best and most doctory moment for 13 so far imo

[@TemporalEnd]

The Grand Serpent is definitely a call for a writer's 'kill your darlings' - Brilliant villain with a lot of potential, I loved him - but he doesn't really service the plot in this case and could have easily been cut to give the other villains more screen time. Chibnall needed to kill his darling. He should have been cut.

[@HandofOmega]

Esp as his recurring presence really misled fans into speculating all sorts of things about him, including his being another Master. Even this ep has the Doctor point out his double pulse! But no...he was just what he was introduced as, an evil politician/dictator who lost his empire to the Flux and was working for the Sontarans. No wonder he feels so empty...

[@voltijuice8576]

Oh Boy Howdy - this was Kill Your Darlings: The Series

[@theragnarokchronicles3074]

The point of all the other people captured within Passenger and what happened to them was so that (so far as I gauged) they could be used to generate the necessary time force in the previous episode which allowed Swarm and Azure to follow The Doctor to wherever she’d gone. It indeed doesn’t make sense though that Diane was left behind; what would it matter to them how ‘significant’ any of the abductees were?

[@AllyCraig]

I agree with so many of your points. I was cautiously optimistic at the start of the season, it felt like interesting stuff was being set up... but this episode completely dropped the ball. It was just a mess of expository dialogue that explained stuff I didn't care about, while the stuff I DID care about was completely ignored. What was the purpose of the Grand Serpent if he isn't revealed to be in any way significant to the Doctor's forgotten past? What was the point of Swarm and Azure if they get killed off before their significance is fully explored? (Same with Tecteun, for that matter. If we find out more about any of them later, it's irrelevant now that they can't affect the Doctor's future!) What was the point of the Doctor getting the fob watch if she doesn't restore her memories yet? (What was her motivation for deferring the restoration? Have her do it NOW, or else make it so that she doesn't even get the watch, or at least not yet!) What was the point of the Lupari being wiped out if Karvanista barely gets to react to it?! Instead of dealing with any of that potentially interesting stuff, they frantically tied up the Flux plot with the Doctor committing weird, unjustifiable genocide, then dumped a load of characters with unfulfilled potential, and withheld the contents of the watch for no in-universe reason. The consequences of each plot thread / character arc were either non-existent, underplayed, ignored, or botched. A deeply frustrating episode, making the rest of an intriguing miniseries frustrating in hindsight. The ideal climax for me would've been the Doctor being forced to choose between getting the watch or stopping the Flux, and tragically sacrificing her lost memories in order to save the Universe. Imagine the emotional reprecussions of that! But instead she stops the Flux AND gets the watch... and then decides not to open it for some undefined reason? Thanks, I hate it!

[@richardcoleman3425]

Re: your point regarding the story feeling like it had been re-written to accommodate less episodes. I can't speak on the episode count, but if you're wanting to trim down then the whole Vinder/Bel stuff could have gone straight away - they were nobodies, who did nothing, and added nothing of import; Dan was only ever just along for the ride, and likewise could have gone; and I agree that the Serpent was just another such piece of nonsense, as was the appearance of Kate Stewart. Cutting all that out would have given more room for Yaz, Swarm and Azure, Jericho and Clare to become much, much more than they were. Also, the whole "bury the pocket watch in the heart of the Tardis" thing makes me wonder if Chibnall was told to bury his Timeless Child storyline, so that the series would be reset for RTD's return... It'll be interesting to see if the watch re-surfaces in the specials...

[@jvblhc]

Chibnall kept showing us Vinder and Bel as if they were going to be revealed as something really amazing. In the end, I was still waiting. It's like he hates his own companions that HE created, so he keeps bringing in new characters.

[@kirstie798]

How is the Earth coping with the five-week Lupari eclipse? And HOW was there sunlight on Earth when the Sontarans had invaded?! Also, the Sun? The Moon? Wouldn't half the stars in the sky have gone out at this point? Also, good luck finding any human alive who doesn't believe in aliens now

[@hiygamer]

Honestly, I'm not sure how there were people who didn't believe in them before this. Within the last decade, there have been numerous attacks on earth, including one where Cybermen appeared all over the planet. How is it not commonly accepted that aliens are real at this point?

[@HandofOmega]

@@hiygamer Somehow, there are still people in the Marvel/DC Universes who don't believe in aliens! I used to think the 7th Doctor's admonition to Ace in Remembrance of the Daleks was a bit unrealistic, but seeing how many people in RL cheerfully disbelieve basic scientific facts, it's scarily plausible now...

[@TheKingMgee]

I actually kind of liked it on first watch, as I had incredibly low expectations. But the more I think about it, the less and less I like it, particularly the gaping plot holes. What about the aftermath of the Flux? Who's still alive in the Universe? I'm sure there's a laundry list of things you ask.

[@strumdynasty3050]

Do you, like me, have a hard time even SUMMARIZING this series? Like, I wouldn’t even BEGIN to know how to explain this story to someone. I would just say, “A bunch of stuff happened all at once and maybe a bunch of the universe got destroyed, and something about maybe the Doctor’s hidden past lives.”

[@patrickmusson4571]

My top fears going into The Vanquishers: * That something bad would happen to either Bel or Vinder (Their story needed a happy ending) * 'Thasmin' fully realized (The Doctor should never have a romantic relationship with a companion) * The Doctor gets memories back confirming that Hartnell isn't the 1st Doctor ruining Classics Phew

[@mrzakyboy3453]

Even if the theory of DW Flux being cut down to 6 episodes whilst it was meant to be 10 is true, who honestly would have had faith in Chris Chibnall not overbloating the series with too many ideas regardless? To say that man is out of his depth as show runner is understatement of the CENTURY!

[@prabhavbhagat292]

would've liked you twice if i could've

[@WatchThisSpace415]

@Tom Meehan I think he’s referring to the flux story being cut down from 10 to 6 theory, instead of 10 standalone-ish stories like series 11 and 12 changing to the 6 part Flux story.

[@jvblhc]

Moffat could be annoying with all the never-ending twists and turns he did his stories, especially in Season 6. But at least a lot of it was fun. I can barely remember a truly funny piece of dialog in Chibnall's entire run. Most of the jokes he does make fall completely flat.

[@mogwaii5669]

The only redemption for this show would be to reveal Jodie was actually "The Dr's Daughter " This would be a major trip for fans, and allow for another Dr. that wants to return...

[@GateOfTheories]

I'm so ready for this review!!

[@scott_an]

Chibnall’s failure with Who, compounded by the absolute gem of a show that Broadchurch turned out to be is nothing short of what it must feel like to be suffering a manic episode. Yes, COVID would have absolutely thrown a wrench in storylines, production, casting etc. - but a good writer will cut what they deem to be precious for the greater good. Time could have been a factor for him, but something tells me he just couldn’t let go of what he perceived to be brilliant ideas. And how we all paid for it… 😫 I feel bad, because he likely set out with good intentions and then life absolutely gave him lemons from 2020 on.

[@mrdoctorgilmore]

I think this story shows that Chibnall should have been allowed Serialisation back sooner. Starting out with the simpler stories of s11 so that he was better prepared for telling a more complex story. I can see episodes like Ghost Monument and It Takes you Away working better over multiple episodes.

[@lizzie8561]

I'm not surprised by the Daleks are still around for the New Year's special. The complete destruction of the Daleks and Cybermen was the Sontaran's PLAN. That doesn't mean it was entirely successful.

[@HandofOmega]

Well, their dialouge does say that their *entire* fleets are gathered, but yeah, if some of them escaped the end of the Time War, then they can escape anything!

[@AmosRambles]

I’ve only seen news articles mentioning the truncated season due to COVID, but nothing about it being announced as a longer season initially. I was excited about the promise of the serialised format when it was initially announced, but after the first episode, it was clear Chibnall was trying to tell a bigger story than could be condensed into 6 episodes, and the finale proved this correct. With so many new characters introduced, we didn’t really have the time to really get to know them. And concepts like the Division and the doctor’s memories in the pocket watch, which would have been an interesting storyline on their own were diminished in their importance and ultimately dismissed to be dealt with later. It kind of feels like Chibnall is trying to replicate what they were doing with the end of Tennant’s run - setting up a story of the Doctor knowing time is running out and dragging the story into the specials. But with everything else going on, and the way the Doctor and companions have been written, it doesn’t have the same emotional core that we had with David Tennant’s departure. I have high hopes but low expectations that we are going to get a decent send off for Jodie in the specials.

[@MrTanokki]

Nothing threw me off more than how Karvanista ended up in this episode. He’s (1) the Doctor’s former companion, (2) has a kill switch in his brain, and (3) just lost his entire race to genocide. What does the Doctor do? Saddles him with Bel and Vinder and saunters off! She doesn’t even OFFER to take out the kill switch! Combined with everything else, what the hell does Chibnall think the Doctor’s character is?!?

[@Donnagata1409]

Yes, that's true. She should have found a way to take it out, right? But Bel and Vinder will be good company for him. A dog's best friends!

[@MyEgoTripped]

So, my decision to stop watching after 'The Timeless Children' appears to have been the right one. Now I'm just waiting for RTD to return and get word that he found a way to fix this gad awful mess. IF he can that is.

[@aleatoriac7356]

Thanks, I was wondering how you'd feel about this one in particular. It felt a lot like a Classic Who 6-parter, a bunch of set-up early on, rushing around for 4 episodes, and a mad rush to tie up all the loose ends in the final half of the final episode. Problem is - they left the Doctor's memories - a massive setup from the whole prior series 11 and 12, and did nothing with it. That's my only real gripe with Flux. Rest of it was pretty good, and Doctor Who has never been more visually pleasing to me. Love the colors, the look, the acting, a lot of the cinematography, the music. I just don't like that one massive bit that was not paid off.

[@AroAceGamer]

It was certainly better than the last two finales. I enjoyed it for what it was and I had fun for what I got this series.

[@jvblhc]

I will agree with you there!

[@Luuuna]

Why is this episode called "The Vanquishers"? Like, who specifically vanquished who? (At least, which one is the title referencing?)

[@Caileanish]

I hesitate to agree with someone who doesn't recognise the inherent brilliance of The Big Bang and Hell Bent, but you definitely have some points. This is still the best series of Chibnall's run in spite of that.

[@thevacuumofcomments2946]

No defending Last of the Timelords?

[@Caileanish]

@@thevacuumofcomments2946 God, no. Both the finales mentioned above are easily better than LOTL.

[@thevacuumofcomments2946]

@@Caileanish ...I dunno...Last of the Timelords doesn't have a completely pointless first 10 minutes ;)

[@richardgale2023]

The Grand Serpent seemed like a stunt-casting insert: Actor appeared in BBC's top-rated drama Line of Duty.

[@scix8794]

Flux did not disappoint. By that I mean it was exactly as I thought it would be. Some interesting ideas and characters setup, with 1 great episode in the middle; but overall a very average season of tv. Normally i would write a massive essay on each of its components, but honestly i dont even have the energy to do that. All i am waiting for is RTD2 so we can be done with this era of the show. Ep1:-I thought this was pretty good. I liked Dan and all the setup was decently done. Also the Lupari are probably the best thing to come out of the chibnall era. 6.5/10 Ep 2:-This was a genuinely good episode. I liked the Sontarans and Mary Seacole. The battle was a amazing thing to see in doctor who. 7.5/10 Ep 3:- Here is my controversial opinion of this season, this is the best who episode since twice upon a time. I love the concept and it was executed really well. Sure there were some negatives(mainly Yaz's sisters dialogue). 8.5/10 Ep 4:-This was a mixed bag. On the first watch i LOVED the siege of thw angels, everything else i found pretty good. But after thinking about it, the angels were very nerfed. Still it definitely has more good than bad 6.5/10 Ep 5:- This was the episode that just left me dry. I was so dissapointed eith pretty much everything. This was a bad episode. 3/10 Ep 6:-A slight improvement over the previous one. The only reason i think of this as an improvement is because I was expecting another timeless children. The doctor killing all the sontarans made me furious. It was nice to see Kate but she didnt do anything. Thw Serpent wasted, the swarm wasted,etc 3.5/10 So 2 words, Wasted Potential. Sidenote am I the only one mad about the fact that the special is call 'Eve of the Daleks'. Couldn't they find a word starting with 'Re' and ending with 'tion'? Well atleast its over now. Hope RTD2 beings us some great doctor who.

[@alaaddinserdar6085]

replay of the daleks

[@sparshjohri1109]

Recreation of the Daleks (exploring the murderous kind of play that Dalek children might engage in) Repatriation of the Daleks (exploring the moral conundrum of sending a peaceful Dalek prisoner back to the Dalek Empire) Relocation of the Daleks (the Doctor helps a Dalek family move away from the rest of the empire so that the family can live peacefully without the genocidal tendencies of the rest of the species) Representation of the Daleks (the Doctor gets stuck in the Land of Fiction again and must battle her mental image of what the Daleks are like in order to escape) Recapitulation of the Daleks (the Doctor's companions get shifted throughout the history of the Daleks and must use their wits to stay alive until they return to the present) Renovation of the Daleks (the Doctor helps the Daleks redecorate their fleet) Regression of the Daleks (some of the Daleks are spontaneously turning back into Kaleds) Rejuvenation of the Daleks (Davros creates a new chemical that gives the Daleks extra energy, which causes devastation across the universe) Restitution of the Daleks (the Daleks sue the Doctor for damages)

[@DneilB007]

If the series was cut from an original 8-10 down to the final 6 episodes, then the first thing to cut is the Sontarans. They ultimately serve no purpose whatsoever. The whole Sontaran plot could be chucked out, and then use the Lupari fleet shield to do the same thing. In fact, that could be a better way to use the Great Serpent-have him try to use the Lupari fleet to slow/stop the Flux, fail, and then have the Doctor figure out to use Passenger(s) just the way that she did here. Cutting the Sontarans gives you back basically two episodes of screen time, and would also move the episodes that he did participate in to centre stage rather than being just some more colour to fill up the time.

[@JohnBainbridge0]

Nice show you got there. Be a shame if somebody came along and Fluxed it all up.