Bishop Twankey, Yaz and Professor Yaffle go on an extended vacation, I mean holiday, looking for something unknown to stimulate their imagination, passing through a number of nations, with plenty a frustration, irritation, futility and aberration, especially for the viewer of a certain persuasion (you know who you are), but generally a pointless piece of timewasting. The Angels deliver the Doctor to wherever it is they're meant to deliver her, like stone chauffeurs, doing a transfer, a bit of a blur, did she leave a tip? Don't treat your audience like kids perhaps, this is a show for grown up men. There's some chit chat with mam and, for those with middle age and male characteristics, more hyperventilating and high blood pressure - stress, can't cope with change, why can't we go back to the good old days, alas they were awful that's why, those days not Doctor Who. The engaged couple provide more un-thrilling padding out to make it to an hour, bravo, and the most irrelevant serpent that ever slithered wastes even more time. All we need now is a turtle head with a chocolate fetish!
Doctor Who (TV Series)
Flux: Chapter Five - Survivors of the Flux (2021)
User Reviews
Review this title33 Reviews
Imploding universe. Imploding plot. Imploding patience.
W011y4m528 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Oh, tonight's episode is MESSY. I'm almost impressed it manages to be this much of an absolute mess without the assistance of high percentage alcohol. Honestly, I'll have whatever this is having. Sign me up.
Though in all seriousness, if I'm to give an honest review, I find myself conflicted because I feel as though I should be somewhat impressed by the audaciousness of the storytelling (& I do genuinely admire Chris Chibnall's bravery as a writer - for having the conviction to follow through with the unpopular arc he set out in S12's finale "The Timeless Children", carving out his original intention, despite the tepid response it received from fans at the time) - so kudos to him for that - but as Jodie Whittaker's final season becomes increasingly contrived & arduously incoherent (for a fifth, mind numbing week in a row), the novelty's seemingly worn off due to the fact that this time, I caught myself realising half way through that I'd rather have a well executed, simplistic narrative than a badly constructed, bold & complex one. Additionally, by the penultimate installment in this over-stuffed serial event (bursting at the seams), I feel as though there are still far too many questions left unanswered for a meagre 1 hour outing ("The Vanquishers") to resolve satisfyingly in 7 days. Thus, my enjoyment is beginning to falter now & the initial intrigue experienced has shifted to growing concern. Perhaps new, original ideas can't sustain themselves if their potential's wasted by debatably incompetent / sub-par execution? Probably being harsh.
What's more, although I'm fascinated by the limitless concept of "The Division" - an omnipotent, inter-dimensional organisation founded upon one version of Gallifrey that exists beyond the realms of our comprehension, recruiting citizens from various multiverses to strictly uphold order / the linear, chronological flow of time in each variation of their world (providing an explanation as to why creatures of pure, unrestrained time - Swarm & Azure - would rebel against physical, spacial beings attempting to assert authority over their autonomy, rescinding their freedoms which are perceived as disorder) etc. I'm left contemplating what these lore amendments actually amount to, practically - not just in theory? On paper, it's interesting but since Chris Chibnall is leaving immediately after introducing these changes to the "Whoniverse", what do they add & how exactly do they enhance the mythology of "Doctor Who"? I imagine "very little" will be the answer to those questions, since the next showrunner Russell T. Davies is hardly likely to continue delving deeper in to the past once he regains control in 2022 & plots a course for the future. Seems like a short sighted approach when you don't stick around long enough to ensure the legacy persists.
Like I said, a mess.
I guess this is simply an acquired taste & not to my personal preferences but in my opinion, convoluted-ness can only be dragged out for so long until it becomes slightly irksome & predicable. Indeed, I'm aware the "flux" has unleashed chaos (which is bound to have - you guessed it - equally chaotic consequences) so I was willing to justify the disconnected craziness at first, passing it off as an "exploration of the ensuing madness" but frankly, that's no excuse for unintelligible plot structures (ironically collapsing in on themselves under their own weight).
Moreover, I'm fatigued by the deliberately vague sequences of dialogue, shallow & indiscernible characterisations, random time jumps & inexplicable location changes, tonal inconsistencies & misplaced jokes; issues which continuously plague the current era.
Plus, is anyone else wondering why on earth (pardon the pun) Tecteun would apparently release Swarm & Azure from their captivity when they play absolutely no part in aiding her plans for "The Division"? Found the revelation rather jarring, considering it doesn't make any logical sense... Because their unshackling serves no beneficial purpose to them / their development? Both of them just conveniently appear (for no real apparent reason - other than technobabble sci-fi mumbo jumbo / blood sacrifice blah blah blah) during the final few moments in order to prevent the expositional character from revealing any further information before the finale... So I'm assuming that was what they were designed for - from the very beginning? To help flesh out the forgotten backstory, tie up all the loose threads, reveal the Doctor's history & cause a twist death for the sake of creating an artificially manufactured cliffhanger? If so, the antagonists are reduced to blatantly assigned roles - devoid of depth or motivation or authenticity - merely existing at the behest of the screenplay's requirements. A duo of brazen designations. Not characters.
I can't even savour the stylistically inventive filmmaking anymore (which usually compensates a little for the shortcomings of Chris' writing) because although Azhur Saleem is a very, very capable director, he lacks the finesse & the strong eye for a great shot that his predecessor & lead, Jamie Magnus Stone possesses. That's not to say that he's bad because he's good... But in comparison to "The Halloween Apocalypse", "War of The Sontarans" & "Village of The Angels", there's a perceptible confidence (a presence) which was missing from "Survivors of The Flux" behind the camera. Definitely feeling his absence.
Though in all seriousness, if I'm to give an honest review, I find myself conflicted because I feel as though I should be somewhat impressed by the audaciousness of the storytelling (& I do genuinely admire Chris Chibnall's bravery as a writer - for having the conviction to follow through with the unpopular arc he set out in S12's finale "The Timeless Children", carving out his original intention, despite the tepid response it received from fans at the time) - so kudos to him for that - but as Jodie Whittaker's final season becomes increasingly contrived & arduously incoherent (for a fifth, mind numbing week in a row), the novelty's seemingly worn off due to the fact that this time, I caught myself realising half way through that I'd rather have a well executed, simplistic narrative than a badly constructed, bold & complex one. Additionally, by the penultimate installment in this over-stuffed serial event (bursting at the seams), I feel as though there are still far too many questions left unanswered for a meagre 1 hour outing ("The Vanquishers") to resolve satisfyingly in 7 days. Thus, my enjoyment is beginning to falter now & the initial intrigue experienced has shifted to growing concern. Perhaps new, original ideas can't sustain themselves if their potential's wasted by debatably incompetent / sub-par execution? Probably being harsh.
What's more, although I'm fascinated by the limitless concept of "The Division" - an omnipotent, inter-dimensional organisation founded upon one version of Gallifrey that exists beyond the realms of our comprehension, recruiting citizens from various multiverses to strictly uphold order / the linear, chronological flow of time in each variation of their world (providing an explanation as to why creatures of pure, unrestrained time - Swarm & Azure - would rebel against physical, spacial beings attempting to assert authority over their autonomy, rescinding their freedoms which are perceived as disorder) etc. I'm left contemplating what these lore amendments actually amount to, practically - not just in theory? On paper, it's interesting but since Chris Chibnall is leaving immediately after introducing these changes to the "Whoniverse", what do they add & how exactly do they enhance the mythology of "Doctor Who"? I imagine "very little" will be the answer to those questions, since the next showrunner Russell T. Davies is hardly likely to continue delving deeper in to the past once he regains control in 2022 & plots a course for the future. Seems like a short sighted approach when you don't stick around long enough to ensure the legacy persists.
Like I said, a mess.
I guess this is simply an acquired taste & not to my personal preferences but in my opinion, convoluted-ness can only be dragged out for so long until it becomes slightly irksome & predicable. Indeed, I'm aware the "flux" has unleashed chaos (which is bound to have - you guessed it - equally chaotic consequences) so I was willing to justify the disconnected craziness at first, passing it off as an "exploration of the ensuing madness" but frankly, that's no excuse for unintelligible plot structures (ironically collapsing in on themselves under their own weight).
Moreover, I'm fatigued by the deliberately vague sequences of dialogue, shallow & indiscernible characterisations, random time jumps & inexplicable location changes, tonal inconsistencies & misplaced jokes; issues which continuously plague the current era.
Plus, is anyone else wondering why on earth (pardon the pun) Tecteun would apparently release Swarm & Azure from their captivity when they play absolutely no part in aiding her plans for "The Division"? Found the revelation rather jarring, considering it doesn't make any logical sense... Because their unshackling serves no beneficial purpose to them / their development? Both of them just conveniently appear (for no real apparent reason - other than technobabble sci-fi mumbo jumbo / blood sacrifice blah blah blah) during the final few moments in order to prevent the expositional character from revealing any further information before the finale... So I'm assuming that was what they were designed for - from the very beginning? To help flesh out the forgotten backstory, tie up all the loose threads, reveal the Doctor's history & cause a twist death for the sake of creating an artificially manufactured cliffhanger? If so, the antagonists are reduced to blatantly assigned roles - devoid of depth or motivation or authenticity - merely existing at the behest of the screenplay's requirements. A duo of brazen designations. Not characters.
I can't even savour the stylistically inventive filmmaking anymore (which usually compensates a little for the shortcomings of Chris' writing) because although Azhur Saleem is a very, very capable director, he lacks the finesse & the strong eye for a great shot that his predecessor & lead, Jamie Magnus Stone possesses. That's not to say that he's bad because he's good... But in comparison to "The Halloween Apocalypse", "War of The Sontarans" & "Village of The Angels", there's a perceptible confidence (a presence) which was missing from "Survivors of The Flux" behind the camera. Definitely feeling his absence.
An average DW Episode.
rohanumpleby30 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
So the doctor turns into the Wheeping angel on the last episode as we know, then do you think Chibnall used that well? Absolutely not. She turns straight back to herself in like 2 seconds of this episode. What was the point in that you may ask? You'll have to ask Chibnall. The characters do have there usual charm and some form of comedy and to be honest with you some of them worked and some of them didn't. I like the return of U. N. I. T as well, shame it was short but you know give credit where it's due. It's still a mess but I don't mind that because for me DW is a puzzle and you'd be lucky to complete it.
Rating Stands at: 5.7/10 Not Bad but not that good either.
Rating Stands at: 5.7/10 Not Bad but not that good either.
Doctor Who: Flux Chapter 5: Survivors of the Flux Review
theredsky29 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Yeah this wasn't it. A massive downgrade for this series and it leaves me concerned for the finale next week. There a lot of new plot threads that are introduced here like the tunnels, the Sontarans returning, UNIT, and more of the Grand Serpent along with everything else which leaves Ep. 6 having to resolve so much. The pacing and dialogue is atrocious here. We get a time skip that is shown with a beard on John Bishop and Kevin McNally. I appreciated that the story focused on them more but it also feels bland and boring. We get more of The Timeless Child arc and I'm not a big fan of that arc so none of that worked for me. I like the idea of a multiverse in Doctor Who but that's about it for that plot line. While it's nice to see UNIT back, it opens a lot of holes in the Troughton/Pertwee era. So there was a Tardis at UNIT the whole time Pertwee was exiled and he didn't once think about using it? How come the Brigadier nor the Doctor never caught on to the Grand Serpent? It's questions like these that immediately take me out of the episode. Also, Vinder, Bel, and Karvanista have absolutely nothing to do here. All of this leads me to be less than optimistic about the finale to Flux.
Lots happening here, and I mean lots.
Sleepin_Dragon28 November 2021
I haven't looked forward to an episode so much after last week's, that standard is what I'd hoped the Chibnall/Jodie era was going to be like......
...I enjoyed it, but let's be clear, this is going to be divisive, it's a very complex episode, it jumps all over the place, and the narrative is.....everywhere, if you've enjoyed Flux so far, you're probably going to enjoy it, if you haven't, you will find this an agonising watch. Personally, I did really enjoy it, it was exciting, and there was a real sense of intrigue.
Craig Parkinson was much, much better in this episode than the previous episode he appeared in. He really did provide some great horror moments here, I'm hoping for more from him.
There is a degree of fan servicing here, the ood for example, great to see one its presence however was hollow. I personally think Chibnall is having a bit of fun, he wiped out UNIT, he even changed The Doctor's past, I wonder if he will undo things.
Evidence that Chibnall has been planting seeds throughout his time, the UNIT phone call back at Christmas for example.
Better special effects here, they seemed a bit sharper this week.
There have been some fascinating fan theories, is it The Great intelligence, are events happening inside The Matrix, is it a parallel world? I'm keen to see what's going on.
Definitely muddled, but exciting, 7/10.
...I enjoyed it, but let's be clear, this is going to be divisive, it's a very complex episode, it jumps all over the place, and the narrative is.....everywhere, if you've enjoyed Flux so far, you're probably going to enjoy it, if you haven't, you will find this an agonising watch. Personally, I did really enjoy it, it was exciting, and there was a real sense of intrigue.
Craig Parkinson was much, much better in this episode than the previous episode he appeared in. He really did provide some great horror moments here, I'm hoping for more from him.
There is a degree of fan servicing here, the ood for example, great to see one its presence however was hollow. I personally think Chibnall is having a bit of fun, he wiped out UNIT, he even changed The Doctor's past, I wonder if he will undo things.
Evidence that Chibnall has been planting seeds throughout his time, the UNIT phone call back at Christmas for example.
Better special effects here, they seemed a bit sharper this week.
There have been some fascinating fan theories, is it The Great intelligence, are events happening inside The Matrix, is it a parallel world? I'm keen to see what's going on.
Definitely muddled, but exciting, 7/10.
Chapter Five: Survivors of the Flux
Prismark1028 November 2021
The penultimate episode of the Flux serial format. It answered some questions and left a few more dangling.
With the Doctor turned into a Weeping Angel. There were some revelations about The Division, the Flux and the Multiverse.
Chris Chibnall even teased some more about the Doctor's origins.
As for Yaz, Dan and Professor Jericho. They became a globetrotting Indiana Jones tribute act.
Then there was the reason why the Grand Serpent was so named and how he has been manipulating UNIT.
This was a very busy episode with a lot of threads. Some about UNIT being abolished had been teased some time ago in a New Year's Day special.
This Doctor Who is very different from the storytelling and its overall look. That is a big positive about the Flux serial format.
This episode both far and wide has set things up nicely for the finale.
With the Doctor turned into a Weeping Angel. There were some revelations about The Division, the Flux and the Multiverse.
Chris Chibnall even teased some more about the Doctor's origins.
As for Yaz, Dan and Professor Jericho. They became a globetrotting Indiana Jones tribute act.
Then there was the reason why the Grand Serpent was so named and how he has been manipulating UNIT.
This was a very busy episode with a lot of threads. Some about UNIT being abolished had been teased some time ago in a New Year's Day special.
This Doctor Who is very different from the storytelling and its overall look. That is a big positive about the Flux serial format.
This episode both far and wide has set things up nicely for the finale.
Too much exposition, but very lackluster in terms of excitement
nabilemara29 November 2021
This could've been an episode where I am on the edge of my seat throughout all of it, but it felt like reading a novel.
A lot of exposition, so little meaningful action, follows a very very boring journey for most of it, w some supbar humour sprinkled in.
A lot of exposition, so little meaningful action, follows a very very boring journey for most of it, w some supbar humour sprinkled in.
Just a mess
Baaron9529 November 2021
You can just tell next week is going to be a massive exposition dump because Chibnall has just put way too many plots into this last episode to explain without it.
So many issues with this episode though.
Where is claire? How did they escape the village displaced in time? How did they know where to go? How did it take 3 years to get from England to south America but then they managed to go to 3 other places in the span of a year? Why the hell did Karvanista's ship detect that message from 100 years ago? How did vinder and bel find that place? Vinder especially. He now just owns a bloody teleporting device? What is the point of this grand serpent character? Kate knew what he was doing but instead of stopping him all those years, she waits and then has a stern word with him? Why isn't this season called Division or Origin? The flux is basically nothing to the story.
This episode was terrible, just constant jumping around and exposition.
So many issues, but those are the ones off the top of my head.
So many issues with this episode though.
Where is claire? How did they escape the village displaced in time? How did they know where to go? How did it take 3 years to get from England to south America but then they managed to go to 3 other places in the span of a year? Why the hell did Karvanista's ship detect that message from 100 years ago? How did vinder and bel find that place? Vinder especially. He now just owns a bloody teleporting device? What is the point of this grand serpent character? Kate knew what he was doing but instead of stopping him all those years, she waits and then has a stern word with him? Why isn't this season called Division or Origin? The flux is basically nothing to the story.
This episode was terrible, just constant jumping around and exposition.
So many issues, but those are the ones off the top of my head.
All Over The Place
EthelredBusybody29 November 2021
This was all over the place for me. One story arc seemed to devolve into a ditzy "Raiders of the Lost Ark" movie. It was an enjoyable bit of nonsense, with some funny lines, but it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the episode.
Bel talking to herself is still annoying to me and Karvanista's story is still ridiculous. Swarm and Azure made a bit more sense, but still not my favourite characters.
I don't completely buy the whole Division story, but the UNIT story made up for it.
Bel talking to herself is still annoying to me and Karvanista's story is still ridiculous. Swarm and Azure made a bit more sense, but still not my favourite characters.
I don't completely buy the whole Division story, but the UNIT story made up for it.
A Disgrace
blueavenger1 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Wow, I wouldn't normally post a whine as I know a lot of people here still enjoy the show but, I'm sorry, that was comfortably the worst Doctor Who episode I have ever seen.
I actually said out loud to my family about the Doctor being a weeping angel: 'bet it's over in 5 seconds'. Sure enough, the stone crumbles away and she is back; an cliffhanger that was actually reasonably good completely undone in the first scene.
This is my issue with the show. Nothing is earned, nothing is shown. Everything is explained to us in intricate detail. If it was a book, it would be a series on bullet points, rather than an actual story. I mean, Yaz, scouse, and the professor have been SEARCHING THE WORLD for three years or something (can't remember what for) but rather than maybe have an entire episode showing the slog, the travel problems, visas, language, cultural issues, etc, we are just shown 3 scenes (a Mexican tomb, a Constantinople shop, and a Himalayan sanctuary) and the first lines out of the characters mouths are 'Wow, we've come half way around the world to find this' or 'three years we've been looking for this' or 'and here we are in the Himalayas with our last chance for finding the secret McGuffin thing'!!! The dialogue is execrable. The writers have NO INTEREST in showing us any personal ordeals, character developments, thoughtful expressions, panful silences, nuance, NOTHING. Characters exist solely to explain what is going on to the audience and move as quickly as possible to the next scene.
As for the whole arc about timeless children division, flux, etc.... So, Division poisoned the universe with the flux to stop the doctor because they were worried about the doctor exposing division???? Why not just capture the doctor in some kind of time trap or shot her / him repeatedly?!?!?! They just had her surrounded by weeping angels and they decided to bring her back to HQ (where I am sure the epically convenient Ood has been placed to help her save the day at the last minute) and talk to her about it. Just kill her. Just take the Tardis. No? No, okay, then let's just destroy one universe. But it's okay, it's not serious: we have a multiverse now, so we can just go anywhere, anytime, redo this, rewrite that...
This show bears ZERO comparison to one that brought us Listen / Heaven Sent / Blink / Father's Day, etc; far simpler stories with actual writing, subtly, character development, SHOWING the story, rather than telling it.
I'm sorry, but the end to this era can't come soon enough. Poor Jodie (great actress, terrible script and direction) is going to be unfairly burdened with the blame for this phase of the show by a lot of people when really it is 100% down to Chris Chibnall.
I actually said out loud to my family about the Doctor being a weeping angel: 'bet it's over in 5 seconds'. Sure enough, the stone crumbles away and she is back; an cliffhanger that was actually reasonably good completely undone in the first scene.
This is my issue with the show. Nothing is earned, nothing is shown. Everything is explained to us in intricate detail. If it was a book, it would be a series on bullet points, rather than an actual story. I mean, Yaz, scouse, and the professor have been SEARCHING THE WORLD for three years or something (can't remember what for) but rather than maybe have an entire episode showing the slog, the travel problems, visas, language, cultural issues, etc, we are just shown 3 scenes (a Mexican tomb, a Constantinople shop, and a Himalayan sanctuary) and the first lines out of the characters mouths are 'Wow, we've come half way around the world to find this' or 'three years we've been looking for this' or 'and here we are in the Himalayas with our last chance for finding the secret McGuffin thing'!!! The dialogue is execrable. The writers have NO INTEREST in showing us any personal ordeals, character developments, thoughtful expressions, panful silences, nuance, NOTHING. Characters exist solely to explain what is going on to the audience and move as quickly as possible to the next scene.
As for the whole arc about timeless children division, flux, etc.... So, Division poisoned the universe with the flux to stop the doctor because they were worried about the doctor exposing division???? Why not just capture the doctor in some kind of time trap or shot her / him repeatedly?!?!?! They just had her surrounded by weeping angels and they decided to bring her back to HQ (where I am sure the epically convenient Ood has been placed to help her save the day at the last minute) and talk to her about it. Just kill her. Just take the Tardis. No? No, okay, then let's just destroy one universe. But it's okay, it's not serious: we have a multiverse now, so we can just go anywhere, anytime, redo this, rewrite that...
This show bears ZERO comparison to one that brought us Listen / Heaven Sent / Blink / Father's Day, etc; far simpler stories with actual writing, subtly, character development, SHOWING the story, rather than telling it.
I'm sorry, but the end to this era can't come soon enough. Poor Jodie (great actress, terrible script and direction) is going to be unfairly burdened with the blame for this phase of the show by a lot of people when really it is 100% down to Chris Chibnall.
Doctor Who at its best
drwhowizard28 November 2021
The art of Doctor Who is making a confusing plot accessible. Survivors of the Flux may be the most complex plot ever made, but very easy to follow. And the callbacks to past characters and plot made it fun for fans but not alienating (pardon the pun) for others.
Setting things up for the finale
Tweekums4 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
As the previous episode ended we were left with the sight of The Doctor turning into a Weeping Angel; it turns out this was a means to transfer her to Division. Here she meets her adoptive mother and her Ood assistant and learns why the universe is being destroyed by the Flux. She is informed that it can't be stopped or reversed but that won't stop her trying. Meanwhile back on Earth in 1904 Yaz, Dan, and Professor Jericho are traveling the world looking for clues as to when the world will end. We also see how The Grand Serpent inveigles his way into UNIT and over a number of decades gets into a position where he can ensure Earth is defenceless when the attack comes.
The previous episode was a real corker so would be hard to beat... this didn't come close. That isn't to say it was terrible; I enjoyed it but not as much as I'd hoped. A lot is going on as we move between the key characters. The Doctor's plot line was mostly exposition with a little action thrown in at the end. Yaz, Dan, and Jericho's story was all a bit sub-Indiana Jones. The scenes featuring The Grand Serpent were the most fun; Craig Parkinson does a solid job in the role. Overall I felt this was more about setting things up for the finale than anything else... I just hope when it comes it is worth the wait... it's not long till we find out.
The previous episode was a real corker so would be hard to beat... this didn't come close. That isn't to say it was terrible; I enjoyed it but not as much as I'd hoped. A lot is going on as we move between the key characters. The Doctor's plot line was mostly exposition with a little action thrown in at the end. Yaz, Dan, and Jericho's story was all a bit sub-Indiana Jones. The scenes featuring The Grand Serpent were the most fun; Craig Parkinson does a solid job in the role. Overall I felt this was more about setting things up for the finale than anything else... I just hope when it comes it is worth the wait... it's not long till we find out.
So tiring
lynette-gilbert29 November 2021
It's gotten to the point where when my husband asks if I'm ready to see this week's episode, I respond, "do we have to?" I have no idea what's going on, and it's gotten very tiresome. The weeping angels episode is the only one I've enjoyed so far this season, but even that had a lackluster and immediate resolution. I miss when Doctor Who was fun and diverse and not so damn dramatic and not all about the Doctor's mysterious past every single week. Moffat really set that standard, and it's so repetitive. RTD cannot return fast enough.
Setting things up for the finale
Tweekums30 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
As the previous episode ended we were left with the sight of The Doctor turning into a Weeping Angel; it turns out this was a means to transfer her to Division. Here she meets her adoptive mother and her Ood assistant and learns why the universe is being destroyed by the Flux. She is informed that it can't be stopped or reversed but that won't stop her trying. Meanwhile back on Earth in 1904 Yaz, Dan, and Professor Jericho are traveling the world looking for clues as to when the world will end. We also see how The Grand Serpent inveigles his way into UNIT and over a number of decades gets into a position where he can ensure Earth is defenceless when the attack comes.
The previous episode was a real corker so would be hard to beat... this didn't come close. That isn't to say it was terrible; I enjoyed it but not as much as I'd hoped. A lot is going on as we move between the key characters. The Doctor's plot line was mostly exposition with a little action thrown in at the end. Yaz, Dan, and Jericho's story was all a bit sub-Indiana Jones. The scenes featuring The Grand Serpent were the most fun; Craig Parkinson does a solid job in the role. Overall I felt this was more about setting things up for the finale than anything else... I just hope when it comes it is worth the wait.
The previous episode was a real corker so would be hard to beat... this didn't come close. That isn't to say it was terrible; I enjoyed it but not as much as I'd hoped. A lot is going on as we move between the key characters. The Doctor's plot line was mostly exposition with a little action thrown in at the end. Yaz, Dan, and Jericho's story was all a bit sub-Indiana Jones. The scenes featuring The Grand Serpent were the most fun; Craig Parkinson does a solid job in the role. Overall I felt this was more about setting things up for the finale than anything else... I just hope when it comes it is worth the wait.
All over the place like every episode of DW
blueorannge29 November 2021
Love the reviews that say that this is all over the place because this should be all over the place. You have the doctor in one place, Yaz and the gang somewhere else and Vinder in a thirds place. It needs to be like that to set up the finale and some of the episodes from 2010 and before do the same thing but people only notice because it's Chibbs.
Rooting for the Swarm
rogue-5930 November 2021
It has been a long time since I have reviewed anything on IMDb, but I felt compelled to finally write something about Doctor Who as a whole as this current series is just a mess.
For some context I have been a fan of Doctor Who since the Tom Baker era, so I know a bit about the history of the show before it returned to the small screen.
There have been some great stories since it was resurrected, but any fan of Doctor Who would be disingenuous to say that all of them have been great, or even good for that matter.
Personally I am tired of the "uber" companions that seem to know as much as the doctor or who are so integral to the doctor's story that they cannot just "go off into the sunset". Rose, Donna, Clara are examples of this. But it goes beyond that. Clara and Ashilde are now immortal (depending upon one's perspective). Ashilde has her own time machine. Now we have Yaz who seems to have knowledge far beyond any human capacity.
One other thing that really irks me with the companions is that most of them are arrogant. They rarely show fear because they assume the doctor will always save them. I have found that I feel little empathy for any of them because they continually make bad decisions and are saved from most negative consequences from those decisions. Some times it is just "dumb luck" and other times it is the doctor.
Older versions of the doctor were curious, but now we have "know it all" doctors who always have tricks up their sleeve, or should I say a sonic screwdriver, which is used too much. In this latest episode the arrogance of the doctor blows me away. She is not in a position of power yet continues to act as if she is.
The writers have thrown away Gallifrey and the Time Lords as if there are no more stories to tell. Gallifrey was always this mysterious place that we (as fans) wanted to know more about, but they turned the Time Lords into an evil race (more evil than the Daleks) that they eventually turned into Cybermen and then destroyed Gallifrey. The was all done with the pretext of making the doctor more mysterious.
For this current season I have found some of the stories confusing. This "dog race" with its symbiosis (or whatever) with the human race) is one of the stupidest ideas I ever have seen put on the screen. I watch the first half of each episode and have no idea what is going on because each plot is occurring in a different place and a different time. The second half tends to connect the dots, but by then I don't really care anymore. I find myself not caring about any companions or any of the other plots because I feel they have little or no importance to the overall story.
By the end of this story I found myself rooting for the Swarm. I would just as happy with the series ending than with the doctor somehow saving the day.
Unfortunately I expect that the doctor will stop the division and the Swarm (without guns) and undo the damage done by the flux by "decompressing" it, whatever that means. There is so much mumbo-jumbo talk (she did say "reverse the polarity") that it feels that the writer is just putting garbage into the script and expects the fans to eat it up.
My hope is that when RTD returns that they have Matt Smith wake up from a long sleep and realize that the last few seasons were just a dream. :-)
For some context I have been a fan of Doctor Who since the Tom Baker era, so I know a bit about the history of the show before it returned to the small screen.
There have been some great stories since it was resurrected, but any fan of Doctor Who would be disingenuous to say that all of them have been great, or even good for that matter.
Personally I am tired of the "uber" companions that seem to know as much as the doctor or who are so integral to the doctor's story that they cannot just "go off into the sunset". Rose, Donna, Clara are examples of this. But it goes beyond that. Clara and Ashilde are now immortal (depending upon one's perspective). Ashilde has her own time machine. Now we have Yaz who seems to have knowledge far beyond any human capacity.
One other thing that really irks me with the companions is that most of them are arrogant. They rarely show fear because they assume the doctor will always save them. I have found that I feel little empathy for any of them because they continually make bad decisions and are saved from most negative consequences from those decisions. Some times it is just "dumb luck" and other times it is the doctor.
Older versions of the doctor were curious, but now we have "know it all" doctors who always have tricks up their sleeve, or should I say a sonic screwdriver, which is used too much. In this latest episode the arrogance of the doctor blows me away. She is not in a position of power yet continues to act as if she is.
The writers have thrown away Gallifrey and the Time Lords as if there are no more stories to tell. Gallifrey was always this mysterious place that we (as fans) wanted to know more about, but they turned the Time Lords into an evil race (more evil than the Daleks) that they eventually turned into Cybermen and then destroyed Gallifrey. The was all done with the pretext of making the doctor more mysterious.
For this current season I have found some of the stories confusing. This "dog race" with its symbiosis (or whatever) with the human race) is one of the stupidest ideas I ever have seen put on the screen. I watch the first half of each episode and have no idea what is going on because each plot is occurring in a different place and a different time. The second half tends to connect the dots, but by then I don't really care anymore. I find myself not caring about any companions or any of the other plots because I feel they have little or no importance to the overall story.
By the end of this story I found myself rooting for the Swarm. I would just as happy with the series ending than with the doctor somehow saving the day.
Unfortunately I expect that the doctor will stop the division and the Swarm (without guns) and undo the damage done by the flux by "decompressing" it, whatever that means. There is so much mumbo-jumbo talk (she did say "reverse the polarity") that it feels that the writer is just putting garbage into the script and expects the fans to eat it up.
My hope is that when RTD returns that they have Matt Smith wake up from a long sleep and realize that the last few seasons were just a dream. :-)
Welcome back Doctor!
Nadara_G4 December 2021
I have been lately very disapointed with doctor, the script since Jodie took over was not up to the standard. The show has become so bad I even considered dropping it, but this season has really managed to surprise me.
Yes this is a little bit different then what The Doctor used to be and they did a major expansion of the universe but you have to do something when the show has been running for so long.
I love the continues plot instead of the single episodes, love the new storytelling, love that the show has become a lot more secretive and you dont completely understand whats going on.
So overall well done and once again I love watching the show and expect new episodes with thrill. A am also very curious where they will take things now, although they must be very carefull not loose originality of the character and with such major changes to keep the show close to what fans like.
Good job and Good luck!
Yes this is a little bit different then what The Doctor used to be and they did a major expansion of the universe but you have to do something when the show has been running for so long.
I love the continues plot instead of the single episodes, love the new storytelling, love that the show has become a lot more secretive and you dont completely understand whats going on.
So overall well done and once again I love watching the show and expect new episodes with thrill. A am also very curious where they will take things now, although they must be very carefull not loose originality of the character and with such major changes to keep the show close to what fans like.
Good job and Good luck!
Talentless Hack
kalikaliptus-129 November 2021
Chibnall destroyed everything.
He tried to put in everything from his talentless run of once one of the greatest shows in history of television and ideas from Marvel comics.
Everything we watched for so many years doesn't matter anymore, because it was all done by his "mother complex" character.
There is no way RTD can save the show from this.
But, Doctor Who faced much worse enemies than one unimaginative bad show runner.
He tried to put in everything from his talentless run of once one of the greatest shows in history of television and ideas from Marvel comics.
Everything we watched for so many years doesn't matter anymore, because it was all done by his "mother complex" character.
There is no way RTD can save the show from this.
But, Doctor Who faced much worse enemies than one unimaginative bad show runner.
Incredibly well written and acted
eye-only-think-of-you3 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Hi hello! I never write reviews, so bare with me, I'm just tired of people dragging this era through the mud.
Like every episode of Flux, this episode jumps around a lot, so if you're not a fan of episodes that skip from one place to another this series just isn't for you However, now we have four different storylines, in this episode the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall into place, and promise to reveal a beautiful jigsaw by the final.
Story number one consists of The Doctor, now recalled by Division, seeking answers. We find out who the mysterious older lady is, and how she knows so much about both the Doctor and the Flux. Not only did the revelations of this story have me on the edge of my seat, I found myself immediately identifying with how the doctor felt as the older woman, now revealed to be Tecteun, constantly talked down and twisted the truth in an emotionally vampiric way. These scenes are not only written realistically, and respectfully, but acted out perfect as Barbara Flynn and Jodie Whittaker play off each other beautifully as imo, they explore further a fascinating and well thought out arc.
Mental health issues and representation is one of the biggest strengths of Chibnall's writing, certainly no-one can watch this and come out still thinking The Timeless Child arc makes The Doctor anything other than a victim of emotional and physical abuse.
Plotline number two shows us Yaz, Dan and Professor Jericho on a quest to find out the date of which creatures from around the universe plan to invade and take ownership of the earth, all of this we find out via a prerecorded holographic message from The Doctor. This is also a cute and nice way to explore further the complicated relationship between Yaz and the Doctor, as it parallels the adorable Bel and her recorded message from Vinder whilst also showing us The Doctor becoming more comfortable with sharing her fears and emotions with Yaz, albeit far from good communication it's nice to see a more vulnerable Doctor being a little bit more open with Yaz. This feels like something that will be touched on next episode. I'll also add I love how Yaz and Dan especially, but Jericho too, have all grown closer together and have an amazing dynamic in their own right.
Plotline number three shows us The Grand Serpent, a very dislikable alien who's slithered (get it?) their way onto Earth and into Unit. Kate Stewart is back and brilliant for all three minutes of her screentime, standing up proud and strong against this snake dude, although I do fail to believe that only she would notice something wasn't quite right or human with him, I feel like it's more of a nitpick and all of the grand serpent scenes are enjoyable.
Plot number four is once again the struggle for Bel and Vinder to find each other, this time just missing each other as Karvanista recalls Bel's stolen lupori ship. They're both cute and fun and also seem to tie everything together.
How the Revengers fit into all this I'm still not sure on, they seem happy with the opportunities the Flux has given, and have a vengeance for both The Doctor and Division yet know of the conflict between the two, so I'm interested to see where this will go. There's so much more I could say, but I'll end by saying I'm very much invested in this story arc, and look forward to seeing where it goes next, all the cast are on top form and the next episode promises to be brilliant as ever. Hope this convinced you to go into the episode with an open mind and heart. Xx.
Like every episode of Flux, this episode jumps around a lot, so if you're not a fan of episodes that skip from one place to another this series just isn't for you However, now we have four different storylines, in this episode the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to fall into place, and promise to reveal a beautiful jigsaw by the final.
Story number one consists of The Doctor, now recalled by Division, seeking answers. We find out who the mysterious older lady is, and how she knows so much about both the Doctor and the Flux. Not only did the revelations of this story have me on the edge of my seat, I found myself immediately identifying with how the doctor felt as the older woman, now revealed to be Tecteun, constantly talked down and twisted the truth in an emotionally vampiric way. These scenes are not only written realistically, and respectfully, but acted out perfect as Barbara Flynn and Jodie Whittaker play off each other beautifully as imo, they explore further a fascinating and well thought out arc.
Mental health issues and representation is one of the biggest strengths of Chibnall's writing, certainly no-one can watch this and come out still thinking The Timeless Child arc makes The Doctor anything other than a victim of emotional and physical abuse.
Plotline number two shows us Yaz, Dan and Professor Jericho on a quest to find out the date of which creatures from around the universe plan to invade and take ownership of the earth, all of this we find out via a prerecorded holographic message from The Doctor. This is also a cute and nice way to explore further the complicated relationship between Yaz and the Doctor, as it parallels the adorable Bel and her recorded message from Vinder whilst also showing us The Doctor becoming more comfortable with sharing her fears and emotions with Yaz, albeit far from good communication it's nice to see a more vulnerable Doctor being a little bit more open with Yaz. This feels like something that will be touched on next episode. I'll also add I love how Yaz and Dan especially, but Jericho too, have all grown closer together and have an amazing dynamic in their own right.
Plotline number three shows us The Grand Serpent, a very dislikable alien who's slithered (get it?) their way onto Earth and into Unit. Kate Stewart is back and brilliant for all three minutes of her screentime, standing up proud and strong against this snake dude, although I do fail to believe that only she would notice something wasn't quite right or human with him, I feel like it's more of a nitpick and all of the grand serpent scenes are enjoyable.
Plot number four is once again the struggle for Bel and Vinder to find each other, this time just missing each other as Karvanista recalls Bel's stolen lupori ship. They're both cute and fun and also seem to tie everything together.
How the Revengers fit into all this I'm still not sure on, they seem happy with the opportunities the Flux has given, and have a vengeance for both The Doctor and Division yet know of the conflict between the two, so I'm interested to see where this will go. There's so much more I could say, but I'll end by saying I'm very much invested in this story arc, and look forward to seeing where it goes next, all the cast are on top form and the next episode promises to be brilliant as ever. Hope this convinced you to go into the episode with an open mind and heart. Xx.
qwerty
wetmars29 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Okay, that was rather a bland episode. But, let's talk about UNIT first. It was established in 1967 by the Grand Serpent changing the course of human history rather than the Brigadier establishing it sometime the events of The Invasion in rather Spring 1969 or 1975 (( according to the original RadioTimes article of The Invasion that was published in 1968, when the writers were going to make UNIT stories to take place in the near future. )) OR Summer 1972 stated by the Brigadier when he said to Jamie: "That's right, McCrimmon, in the underground. Must be four years ago now." referring to the events of The Web of Fear or the Grand Serpent was working for the Brig at the time. But, we are not here to speculate about UNIT Dating, ja. It was great seeing Kate Steward return to the screen after six years. The Grand Serpent was the real reason why UNIT had a budget issue. Not going to lie, but. I would dig it if he was Irving Braxiatel because he has similar looks to him and the vibe. From what we saw from the UNIT flashbacks, I am going to assume that Kate is being hunted down by the Grand Serpent for four years.
I however did not enjoy the episode. It was a jumbled mess where I just didn't care, but it was nice seeing the Ood again and the scenes of Karvanista. I was hoping for this episode to be mainly focused on Dan, Yaz & Jericho. But you know how Chibnall loves to easily resolve his cliffhangers. As Yaz has been poorly used throughout his runtime. I got to give her points for beating that random stranger up in the ship, bravo! I wonder if that place where Swarm and Azure are at Gallifrey because it looks familiar to the Citadel. Yeah, there isn't anything to talk more about this episode, and I don't have the time to share my thoughts with the new-founded Division lore since I have no thoughts on it.
EDIT: The Sontarans returning felt anti-climatic. We already had a story on them a few weeks ago! I was hoping for it to mainly focus on Swarm and Azure.
3/10.
I however did not enjoy the episode. It was a jumbled mess where I just didn't care, but it was nice seeing the Ood again and the scenes of Karvanista. I was hoping for this episode to be mainly focused on Dan, Yaz & Jericho. But you know how Chibnall loves to easily resolve his cliffhangers. As Yaz has been poorly used throughout his runtime. I got to give her points for beating that random stranger up in the ship, bravo! I wonder if that place where Swarm and Azure are at Gallifrey because it looks familiar to the Citadel. Yeah, there isn't anything to talk more about this episode, and I don't have the time to share my thoughts with the new-founded Division lore since I have no thoughts on it.
EDIT: The Sontarans returning felt anti-climatic. We already had a story on them a few weeks ago! I was hoping for it to mainly focus on Swarm and Azure.
3/10.
A disjointed mess
pjdickinson-2782229 November 2021
At this point Chibnall is simply burning Doctor Who to the ground out of spite. Nothing in this sorry mess is even remotely good. Yaz, Dan and the Professor are on a quest with no explanation of how or why. Vinder now just turns up in a place solely to make it look like Chibnall had a plan. The whole of UNIT history is trampled on because because and the stupid Timeless Child nonsense rears its ugly head again and scenes change because hey, random scene changes are exciting, right? It's throwaway rubbish in a throwaway universe in a throwaway era written by a writer who should have been thrown away years ago. Terrible. Just terrible.
Horrible
bendovskey30 November 2021
How could it have come to this?
deansalleyman-1674130 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Just an all round terrible episode, the writing.is everywhere, so many plot holes. No character motivation. Why reinforce that story where the Dr isn't even a Timelord? Can see where they're going trying to get to an all female past history. This also implies that the Dr can't work with a male so it's also a bit sexist!
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