But I can’t be the only person who felt sad for Dan that Di’s reaction to her ordeal was to push him away for being late for their date-not-a-date at Halloween. The scene where Yaz and the Doctor spoke together alone in the Tardis felt like the closest we’ll get to the Thirteen-Yasmin “Thasmin” relationship so many in fandom have invested in.
I saw someone make the point that Dan (John Bishop) has hardly even spent hours with the Doctor, but he has spent years off screen with Yaz as the leader, and his tribute to her when the Doctor arrived in the Williamson tunnels felt apt. I take my hat off to Mandip Gill’s Yaz, who has finally been allowed to be a strong, organised, effective companion in this series. Let Yorkshire show you the way!” was probably the line of the night. Time kills the Doctor’s enemies while she saves her friends and what is left of the universe then she puts aside her quest for her hidden memories and mysterious past lives – or does she? Life on board the Tardis But it was, for me, a decent episode that ended what was the best, most consistent season of the Whittaker era. The lengthy melancholy coda to this episode of everybody – except Prof Jericho – getting back to their correct space and time (but all seem to have lost something) also took the wind out of chapter six’s sails. If they don’t, and the end of the divisive Timeless Child arc is “The Doctor hides a fob watch inside the Tardis and we never mention it again,” that is rather more “OK, so what was the point of all that?” If the following three specials pick up the loose threads as we head towards this Doctor’s regeneration, it may have worked as a springboard for those stories. Whether this episode is a storytelling success depends on what comes next. Having put the Doctor through a lot, the threat of Swarm (left, Sam Spruell) and Azure (Rochenda Sandall) was swiftly eliminated in the end. Before that, I thought Rochenda Sandall’s Azure was the pick of the bunch this week – she delighted in taunting the Doctor. However, the climax of the Big Bad arc was essentially that an even Bigger Bad rocked up, said they were displeased with failure, and bumped off Swarm (Sam Spruell) and Azure with very little fanfare. What didn’t work so well? They had earned victory in the end, because the Doctor had convinced the Ood stationed at Division to weaken the Flux, she herself had distracted the Ravagers and sabotaged the Sontarans’ plan, and Di (Nadia Albina) had inspired the idea of hoovering the rest of the Flux up with Passenger. It also made her vocalised exposition much more bearable when it was being delivered as a chat with herself over the Tardis console. That allowed Jodie Whittaker to drive the plot forward in every location. I hope we see them together again, too.Ĭhibnall delivered a multi-Doctor story a la The Three Doctors – even to the point of having two Doctors work together while one was stranded elsewhere – but with all three Doctors being the 13th Doctor.
She said she hoped she would see this Doctor again. And Jemma Redgrave was imperious as Kate Stewart. Steve Oram’s Joseph Williamson got back to his time, like Vincent van Gogh before him, knowing that his work was valued. The portrayal of the Sontarans trod the line well from enjoyable buffoonery to grimness.