So following the events of the Flux and the destruction of the entire Universe, we are given the answers we all needed in this.
Only kidding.
The TARDIS team land in a warehouse with the annoyingest Irish girl of all time and the outright creepiest stalker-man who has keepsakes from every relationship he’s ever had stores them in said warehouse, visiting only because he fancies said Irish girl. If anyone mentioned a match made in heaven, then i am 100% certain they didn’t mean this. I don’t think any member of intelligent life would think this a good idea for a romantic subplot. Anyway, here we are.
A Dalek turns up with the best thing in Dr Who ever – a fuckoff minigun – and kills everyone. including our heroes. cue music.
But its cool. Because we’re actually trapped in a time loop, so no one actually dies forever. But they all remember the previous iterations of the (shortening) loop, so its possible, perhaps, to come up with a plan to stop the loop before midnight. Why before midnight, i ask you… well, theres some guff about a decreasing increment and and all but the real reason it creates a fast paced, threatening narrative.
The Doctor is exceptional for the most part, and even Dan gets to be quite gutsy. But Yas has by now become that annoying, wingey character much like Martha threatened to be, with her poorly disguised love of the Doctor coming through as ‘character development moments’, where half the audience goes “oooo thats amazing” and the other goes “ooooohhhhh no don’t go there!” Such as Dr Who fandom.
Chibnall’s most major fault in this is his secondary / tertiary character of can’tremembernotimportantenough, (quick internet-check: Nick) who is a stalker and creepycollector of things that remind him of his (extensive) history of romantic partners. A creep. You heard me. And yet we’re supposed to rout for this guy, this weirdo. Now, don’t get me wrong, i’m weird. I have weird habits (saying thanks to Alexa after she turns my lights out), but i do not have a collection of titbits reminding me of my failed past romances. Except that earring. With the peacock on it. Hmmm.
HOWEVER.
It was great; thoroughly refreshingly arc-lite, meaning i can forget that Chibnall has liberally shat on top of everything i have loved since a small child and turned the dr who canon into a cannonball clusterf**K and the fandom into a bunch of horrible, nasty people wishing actual harm on us that just want to talk about TV and not get dragged into a quagmire of PC-ness. The Dalek “executioner” variant is the best one since the Special Weapons monstrosity and the close combat meant it did have rather a power-keg feel to the plot.
But now we are left in no doubt that its entirely possible they’re going down the route of a doc-companion romance. And i hated, yes, HATED when they did this with Dave and Billie. Thasmin, they say. Reminds me of cyanide. Equally palatable.
but.
A dalek, with a mini-gun. Best jodie-ep yet.
EPILOGUE
Super. Sea Devils are next on the list for obliteration of all that is holy. No doubt they’ll all be piscisexual except one thats fallen in love with a human and that’ll be the plot.
the FANGG of HORROR ROCK 