Doctor Who Flux — Series 13 — Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse — A Review

31st October, 2021.

Right … it HAD to be said, my cunning plan for the evening … ?

Involved watching tonight’s episode of Doctor Who — The Apocalypse of Halloween — then doing a set of notes, then writing a review, and recording the associated video version, tomorrow night.

Hence the introduction video telling you about it!

But … ?

I’ve finished my notes on the episode earlier than I thought I would.

So, with that in mind … ?

~≈§≈~

Chapter 1 — The Halloween Apocalypse — with opens with Yaz (Mandip Gill) and the Doctor (Jodie Whitaker) hanging upside down from a gravity bar: after being captured by a Lupari called Karvanista.

Hanging over an acid ocean on a planet that’s about to be destroyed by an exploding star.

The pair escape, after a struggle with the handcuffs: into a TARDIS that seems to be oozing, and whose doors are moving.

With Yaz’s help, the Doctor plots a course for Earth, which Karvanista has told them only has hours left.

Meanwhile, in 1820 Liverpool, we see two men arguing over tunnels being built in what’s then a brown field area of the city.

When confronted by his superior, head builder, Mr Williamson, admits he’s preparing for something cataclysmic.

Two hundred and one years later, we see Dan (John Bishop) is giving a tour of Liverpool Museum.

Much to the (mild) annoyance of Diane: who actually works there, and has to escort him off the premises

Dan heads home: after promising Halloween drinks with Diane, later.

Back in the TARDIS?

The Doctor and Yaz, meanwhile, are trying to head to Earth: when the Doctor receives a vision of a mysterious imprisoned being — called the Swarm — that successfully escapes from a long imprisonment, killing its captors in the process.

We move to Dan, heading home after helping at a Food Bank: and dealing with two trick or treaters.

However, when the third turns up?

It takes Dan a while to realise that Karvanista of the Lupari isn’t a man in an especially convincing suit … 

~≈§≈~

Now … what did I make of this episode … ?

The first thing I know?   Is that — unlike earlier series of New Dr Who — Doctor Who: Flux is going to be much like most of the classic era’s stories: it’s one overarching story, spread over six episodes.

Rather than a season’s worth of individual episodes.

Something akin to Time and the Rani, or The Evil of The Daleks, with longer individual episodes, rather than — say— season one or two of the new series: so many discrete episodes with an occasional mention of Bad Wolf or Torchwood.

In the new series context, though?

I’m guessing that would put this series on a par with The Key To Time, or Trial of a Timelord.

One thing I did notice?

Is that The Halloween Apocalypse seems to be a little more cohesive that the episodes in Chibnall’s first series.

It’s well plotted, has sparky dialogue, and seemingly introduces us to elements that are going to be going to be developed over the course of the Flux series.

I’m assuming that having Nikki Wilson as co-executive producer on this episode let Chibnall delegate some of the show runner role, to concentrate on writing the episode.

The episode itself?

Is something I found exciting, and intriguing.

John Bishop’s Dan Lewis is a capable everyman and seems to get on well with both the Doctor, and with Mandip Gill’s Yaz.

Given there’s one less companion … ?   Means Yaz has something to do: she seems to have picked some of the basics in how to pilot the TARDIS, for example.

There’s intrigue: how IS the Swarm, who was he imprisoned by, and what’s his connection to the Doctor: I’m assuming the Division are mentioned for a reason.

We have no idea who the mysterious Claire (Annabel Scholey) is: only that she knows the Doctor from somewhere.

Quite what the Sontarans involvement is?   We don’t know.   Although it was nice to see Dan Starkey playing one of the cloned warriors.

And the episode’s climax? Sees the crew facing the complete destruction of the Universe in a way that not even the Doctor can fight.

Not bad for a first episode.

I’ll be back for next weeks!

Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse*.

★★★★

*        For those who don’t know?   I’ve recently started using my movie rating system for my TV reviews.   It goes from zero stars — ☆☆☆☆ — which tells you to go nowhere near it.   All the way to ★★★★ — four stars — which means see the episode, now.