Story: Flux - Chapter Two: War of the Sontarans
Written By: Chris Chibnall
Length: 50 Minutes
Year: 2021
I honestly wonder how any Doctor Who fan out there could not be enjoying this new season so far. I have seen some negativity (not too much, as I stopped engaging with most Who fans online for some time, but I have seen a few negative comments regarding the opening episode), but man this story is so far fun as hell. Engulfed by the Flux at the end of the previous episode - the Doctor, Yaz, and Dan wake up on a battlefield of the Crimean War in the 1850s (with Mary Seacole, another historical figure that I knew nothing about but was glad to learn of...something the Chibnall era should get more praise for, highlighting more obscure historical figures, often minorities). Unfortunately for the Doctor, both Yaz and Dan fade away and she is left on her own. She soon discovers that this is not the Crimean War as it should be, as the Russians have been replaced by Sontarans! Dan was whisked back to his own time and place (modern Liverpool) and finds that Sontarans have since invaded the place there as well. Yaz ended up in some strange temple along with the guy from the future outpost base (Vinder) as seen in the previous episode. They don't face off against Sontarans, but the big mystery villains that appear to be hidden from the Doctor's memory (though they make a comment about the linear nature of Yaz so it is possible that there meeting is yet to come?)
The bulk of the episode's time is split between the Doctor trying to help get rid of the Sontarans in the past and Dan in Liverpool sneaking into the Sontaran base of operations where he is able to communicate through the Sontaran ship with the Doctor. It turns out that Liverpool is the command center for the Sontaran Temporal War effort, with Crimea being their test subject for invading all of Earth histroy to take over the planet, something they have felt belongs to them since Linx in their debut story. Yaz gets the smaller plot for the episode, but it is clearly the bigger piece of the larger puzzle going forward, as this week's cliffhanger has the Sontaran's taken out (with the help of the Dog-man who comes to Dan's aid), and the Doctor and Dan reuniting and being hijacked to the same temple. Yaz (and Vinder) have been put into the place of some space time nuns or whatever they are, and all of time may be soaring through them at the snap of the villain's fingers! These cliffhangers make this story feel like a classic serial, in the best ways!
I enjoyed the hell out of this if I am honest. What's not to love? Sontaran's using a major universe ending event to try and sneak into a takeover of Earth? I mean that is exactly the kind of myopic plan I expect from them. War! We will win at some war! The universe is ending around us! We shall have one last glorious win before we go! It is hilarious, inept, and exactly in character for the Sontarans. Plus they get to ride a horse. Also Jodie is in top form here as the Doctor, and Dan is a really fun addition, he reminds me very much of Jamie...just a bit out of his depth and not the smartest guy in the world, but he adapts to the situation he is stuck in very well and proves to be brave and worthwhile. That is all Jamie through and through.
I'd also just like to take a moment to talk about the show visually here. From the opening shot I am reminded of just how great the show has looked in the Chibnall era. He has had a few dodgy scripts or plotting issues, but this show has never looked as good as it has since he took over. I remember feeling the same thing in Whitaker's debut episode, the cinematography has been so damn good in this era. The look of the Sontaran's is also really great. The look of the face make-up is pretty gppd. Visually, I think it looks like a high-res version of the best classic series masks. I really love the look overall, but I will admit that it feels like maybe a bit of the mouth movement that worked well under the make-up introduced in the RTD era has been diminished slightly. Still I think it looks pretty damn good overall. But the rest of the costume is top notch. I love the RTD era, but one thing about his Sontarans that I didn't think was as attractive was the suits the Sontaran's wore...all blue-ish and kind of plastic looking. This suit looks great...it takes the original dark grey and black look, with the helmet just looking perfect...yet it is still adds some extra armor to look more modern and hold up to HD a bit better. Honestly, in general I would say this is best those monsters have ever looked.
But beyond the look of the show, I was just enjoying myself from beginning to end again.
NEXT TIME: Time Running Wild
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