Well, I was hoping that the Doctor being turned into a Weeping Angel would be something that would have some weight to it, something that wouldn't just be resolved within the first few moments of the next episode; but it looks as if that was perhaps hoping for too much. The dramatic conclusion of the previous episode seems to be just a slight inconvenience more than anything else, a momentary distraction for the Doctor as her transformation is simply used as a way of transporting her to the Division. Luckily, the rest of the episode moves with such a pace, and has so many entertaining moments, that this didn't even really bother me until after the episode was done and I was looking back at it all.
'Survivors of the Flux' covers a lot of things, and we follow several stories during this episode. With the Doctor having been taken away, and being separated from them by more than sixty years, Yaz, Dan, and Professor Jericho has spent the last three years travelling the Earth searching for answers, for a way back to the Doctor, and for information that can help them against the disaster awaiting them in the present day.
Whilst the companion stories can sometimes feel a bit flat, like the minor side plot that keeps them busy so that the Doctor can do whatever she needs to do to save the day, this is the first episode this series where their story actually felt like it meant something, and it was all the better for that. The trio begin in Mexico, searching for an artefact that could contain an important date, a date that could be the end of the world. From there they travel to India to get it translated, to Nepal to seek out a wise man (best single scene appearance in years), visit the Great Wall of China to leave an important message, before finally travelling to Liverpool to investigate the Williamson tunnels.
It's very globetrotting, and the use of maps with dotted lines to show their routes, along with the historical setting and having to fight off mysterious attackers, gives it a very Indiana Jones kind of feel. It's also feels that Yaz and Dan have really grown into close friends over this time, and means that even if the Doctor doesn't know Dan very well it's entirely believable that he would want to continue on with the adventures after this series due to him and Yaz having spent years surviving in the past together. I also loved the fact that Professor Jericho has stuck around, as he fits in with the others well and brings a nice energy to the mix.
It's through these three that we finally get something of an explanation for the sudden appearances of Joseph Williamson across the series; though there are still some things left to be explained with him in the final episode. It seems that whilst constructing his underground tunnels he's found portals, doorways to different times and places that allow him access to the times we've seen him in the previous episodes. This might very well end up being an important piece of the puzzle in the final episode, some way to help resolve things, as well as providing Dan, Yaz, and Jericho with a way of getting back to the Doctor.
Speaking of the Doctor, her story definitely packs a lot into a relatively little amount of time this week, as we get to learn a lot about Division and its goals. The Doctor awakens inside some kind of station or ship, filled with strange technology, an Ood, and the mysterious woman she met whilst stuck in the time stream a few weeks ago. It turns out this place is Division itself, the place from which they operate, and the woman is none-other than its leader, the Doctors adoptive mother, Tecteun.
Tecteun reveals that the Division began on Galifrey, as a secret society that began shaping events across time and space. As its influence and its goals grew it recruited operatives from all races, in all dimensions, in order to shape reality to whatever form they wanted. Unfortunatley, thanks to the Doctor being the kind of person who would always fight against them and their goals they've given up on this reality, have unleashed the Flux as a way of destroying everything, and giving them the power to travel across the void into a parallel universe. Lofty goals to say the least.
The revelations here feels like we're getting a lot, like we're learning all about Division and their goals, whilst still leaving a lot of the details vague enough that nothing is contradicted by what we already know, and that we're not worrying about the details. Division could have had its hand in any of the events from across the history of the franchise, it could have operatives in any of the stories we've seen, and it could have any goals. But, because we don't know all of these tiny details yet it means that despite learning a huge amount this episode there's still a swathe of stories that can be told across all of the Doctor Who media range.
Outside of these two groups we also catch up with Bel and Vinder a little. Bel has tracked down Swarm and Azure, who are collecting up the various survivors of the Flux, and bringing them to some kind of construct in space. However, Bel has no sooner arrived when her craft is recalled to Earth by the Lupari, meaning that not only does she not get to continue in her investigation, but misses Vinder by mere moments. Vinder himself stumbles across Swarm and Azure disintegrating dozens of their captives in order to power themselves towards whatever goal they have in mind. Unfortunately, his arrival isn't a secret, and he's captured by the siblings, who trap him inside the same Passenger as Di.
We also get the surprise return of the Grand Serpent this episode, who seems to be using time travel to get himself a position of power on Earth. We follow him across a handful of decades across the years as he helps to establish UNIT, as well as getting himself placed as its head. These segments are a wonderful insight into the origins of the organisation, even if it does borrow the idea of an evil force being inside our hero organisation a little from Hydra and the MCU. These scenes also gives us a chance to check in with one of the more beloved families in the Doctor Who universe.
Thanks to the use of some cleverly sourced and used dialogue we hear a young corporal Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the background of a scene from a time before he'd have met the Doctor; as well as the return of his daughter Kate. A lot of fans were upset a few years ago when it seemed like Chibnall was doing away with UNIT, but now it seems like perhaps this was part of a plan, and now we're seeing that Kate had 'gone dark' in order to deal with a threat within the organisation. It's clear that this will be playing a large part in the final episode, and it's a relief that UNIT isn't gone; as well as a treat that the Lethbridge-Stewart family keeps getting to come back. Also, it's incredibly humorous to think that UNIT have been looking after this Doctor's Tardis for decades, especially as the third Doctor spent years alongside UNIT, trapped on Earth, when they had a spare Tardis sitting around.
The episode ends with the Grand Serpent helping to launch a Sontaran attack on Earth, and attack that bleeds through time and brings the aliens to Yaz, Dan, and Jericho in the early 1900's, and sees Bel and Karvanista having to team up to stay alive. Meanwhile, Swarm and Azure have used the power that they've been building to use their connection with the Doctor to reach Division. The Doctor is forced to watch as they kill her mother, the only person who can give her answers.
Going into the final part of this series it feels like the stakes have never been higher. The universe itself is on the brink of destruction, Earth is under siege with its heroes compromised from within, the companions are lost and don't know where the Doctor is, and the Doctor is in the clutches of the villains, with her lost memories just out of reach. It feels like the final episode is going to be a non-stop affair, even if just to wrap everything up in a satisfying way.
It kind of feels like a shame that the series has only been six episodes long, as even though things have been done at a great, break-neck pace, it doesn't feel like we've had enough time with the characters and the story. And whilst I'd have loved to have seen this story be given more time and taken longer I've loved the journey we've had, and am genuinely excited for the finale; something that I've not felt in the Chibnall era until now. Perhaps things won't all be wrapped up, maybe some mysteries will be left, maybe some things will continue on over the course of next years specials, but whatever happens, I think the next episode is going to be a memorable one.
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