Spoilers

The Doctor faces peril on three separate fronts…

Looking at the internet reaction to this closing episode of the six-part Flux you’d believe it was either the best thing that’s happened to Doctor Who in years, or by some considerable distance, the worst ever episode. Those charting a more balanced approach are less vocal.

It wasn’t what it could have been. It wasn’t what it should have been. There’s a very good Twitter thread here that goes through the whole serial piecing the plotline all together – and there’s rather more method in the madness than might initially appear. But so much potential wasn’t realised: it was terrific to see Jemma Redgrave back as Kate, but she didn’t really have a lot to do. Yaz and Dan spend years with Jericho – far, far longer in Dan’s case than he’s spent with the Doctor – yet his death doesn’t really seem to register that much (and yes, OK, both are back with the person they fancy – and the tease between Yaz and the Doctor at the end couldn’t have made that clearer). We still didn’t get resolution on The Timeless Children arc – quite literally, hidden out of sight until the Doctor wants it (and please let that be in either the Easter or October specials so this is resolved within this incarnation).

Visually, it was terrific, and while the odd creative decision clearly reflected the COVID protocols, it’s credit to all involved that something this ambitious was attempted and pretty much pulled off. Segun Akinola’s score was one of his best yet, and the Sontaran thread returned them to the menace that they were when Robert Holmes first devised them. (And no, the Doctor didn’t kill off every member of the Daleks, Cybermen and Sontarans, contrary to some of the wilder comments online – you don’t send your entire species to what you expect to be peace negotiations!)

But what is left of the universe? Time restored the Doctor to herself (and the three separate shards did feel more like a desperate way to get everything done in one final hour even if it gave Jodie Whittaker plenty to do!) but what about the universe? What was the Ood doing at Division – was it restoring things in the way that the Ravagers said they could? Has everyone on Earth forgotten that the Sontarans were there – Liverpool certainly seems to have got back to normal?

Flux has had a couple of very strong episodes but the rest really felt like it could have done with someone sitting down prior to filming starting and checking that everything tracked through. I suspect that if it’s binged, the lacunae are going to be even more obvious.

Verdict: There should have been another way. 6/10

Paul Simpson

 

 

 

 

 

(https://twitter.com/AMadmanNotABox/status/1467600158590386180)