Halloween Apocalypse
As Yaz and the Doctor struggle to free themselves, they come across a group of strange-looking creatures who seem to be in league with the bad guys. The Doctor is quick to put a stop to their plans, but it’s not easy. With enemies on all sides, can Yaz and the Doctor make it out alive?
We then jump to 1820 and meet Mr. Williamson, who is excavating tunnels in Liverpool. He’s using back-breaking laborers to do the dirty work, but he’s clear there’s something more at work here. So what could it be? Well, we meet Dan, who is the history of this city and the man who is responsible for its development.
The Doctor has been waiting for this opportunity for a long time and now, he’s ready to put his plan into action. “Trick or treat Doctor,” He says telepathically, as we skip back to the Doctor who realizes this menace is about to begin on Halloween.
Dan is in the company of a warrior known as Karvanista. He tries to use mind control on Dan but it doesn’t work. Instead, this strangely northern creature locks him in a stun cage instead. Yaz and the Doctor are hot on his trail though as it seems like there’s more going on here than we first thought. Seven billion Lupari ships are bound for Earth but why did Karvanista take Dan? And is this an invasion fleet bound for Earth? Before we find out, the house they’re in suddenly implodes, sending Yaz and the Doctor hurtling out to safety as Dan’s house turns into a miniature.
Dan is in space, and the Doctor is with him. Yaz is with them, but she’s not happy. She wants to come back home. The Doctor tells her that he can’t do that, because he has to save the world. Yaz doesn’t believe him, and she starts to cry.
Claire meets the Doctor and he recognizes her. She seems to know him from the future, but their meeting is brief because he has plans to find Karvanista. When she catches up with him, she tries using the “Earth is protected” line that Matt Smith nailed so well and it falls flat.
As Yaz and I explore the Outpost Rose, we find out that the Flux is coming for us. It seems like this strange cloud is following Officer Vinder, who was forced to abandon ship. We also learn that there’s a paired guardian Lupari with the species on high-alert. But what we don’t know is why this guardian is needed and what connection it has to Outpost Rose.
Claire is running into a weeping angel before being thrown back through time. The angel tells her that she is going to die, but she tells the angel that she will find a way to save herself. She then meets the Sontaran captain who tells her about the Flux and how it is chasing her. Claire then races back to Earth as the Flux begins chasing her.
The Doctor sets up a special formation for the Lupin ships to encase the Earth as protection, while the Doctor finds herself faced with the end of the universe. “I always wondered what it would feel like.”
The Episode Review
Dan is a great addition to the Tardis crew and doesn’t feel like Graham 2.0. He’s not another “you’re doing it mate!” meme in Chibnall’s era.
The Flux is a way for the Doctor to bring together old enemies and foes from his past. This is a nice change of pace and allows for a much longer plot to play out.
The writing in this episode is terrible. It’s choppy, uncoordinated and full of errors. The pacing is also off, and it feels like the story is moving too quickly for what’s happening. All of this makes for a very frustrating experience.
The Operation Outpost Rose and Claire scenes could easily have been grouped up to help the pacing of this chapter, instead if reduced to 3 minute bite-size segments split across the whole episode. That’s before mentioning the detour to the Arctic circle, along with the random chase sequence featuring the Doctor right at the start of the chapter.
The dialogue is still a massive problem in this era too, with Claire inexplicably knowing what to do with the Weeping Angels. Hopefully that’s explained in later chapters. Likewise, the fact that the Doctor was confused by Halloween is another eye-rolling moment, while exposition is delivered unnaturally, with jokes that fail to hit most of the time. ..
This season is only six episodes long, so there’s plenty of time for Chibnall to write some good material. However, based on his previous work it’s probably best not to hold your breath. A messy, sporadic, hyperactive episode to start us off; be careful you don’t get whiplash watching this one.
