Mad Mole Man's Tunnels

Story: Flux - Chapter Six: The Vanquishers
Written By: Chris Chibnall
Length: 60 Minutes
Year: 2021

The Doctor attempts to escape Division and head back to the universe, but the process doesn't quite work and she is tri-sected across the universe.  Part of her remains stuck in Division with the Vanquishers, another ends up with Karvinista and Bel, and the last part ends up in the Liverpool Tunnels with Yaz, Dan, Jericho, Joseph Williamson, and Kate Stewart (who were able to at least stop the Sontarans before they could get them by opening one of the tunnel doors and unleashing death upon them). Unfortunately, the Sontarans have begun occupying Earth, and are attempting to set up a truce with other races like the Daleks and Cybermen, in what is really a scheme to destroy them in the hopes of being hte last survivors and ruling over what remains of the universe.  

The Doctor and Jericho go back to 1967 and retrieve the psychic girl who had been attached to an angel, in a plan to take down the Sontarans, they are also contacted by Vinder who was trapped with Diane (the girl Dan was thwarted in meeting for a date in the opening episode), and rescue him, finally reuniting he and Bel, and she is able to tell him they are going to have a baby...if the universe survives.

They are able to stop the Sontarans and destroy their ships via the Flux (just as the Sontarans had tricked Cybermen and Dalek ships), and then suck the whole of the Flux into one of these walking prison people that the Vanquishers use. Their plan mostly succeeds though Jericho doesn't make it sadly.  I liked him! But anyhow, the universe is saved!  The Vanquishers are then destroyed by Time itself for failing, and Time lets the Doctor go, and puts all three versions back together.  Also Time seems to hint that her time is ending and she will need to face off with some sort of Master (whatever could this mean?). 

With the universe saved, the Doctor begins to clean up loose ends: the team then get to the Grand Serpent and exile him on an asteroid somewhere, Kate and the psychic girl are dropped off in their own time, Karvinista, Vinder, and Bel are headed off together (but despite Karvinista protests that he will drop them at the first sign, I can smell the seeds of a Big Finish spin-off from a mile away!

Dan tries to resume life as normal and finally make that date with Diane, but she is no longer interested and turns him down...a bit dejected, when the Doctor and Yaz invite him to stick around he goes for it.  The Doctor promises Yaz she will finally start opening up to her as well...we shall see in the 3 episodes that remain in her tenure! The Doctor also has the fob watch full of her lost memories now, but she hides it in the TARDIS console and asks the TARDIS to hide it from her unless she really asks for it back.  Not ready for what is hiding inside just yet it seems. 

I think despite my continued reservations about the Doctor's hidden past and the idea that she is the FIRST TIME LORD and some kind of Jesus figure...this was an entertaining and enjoyable end to the series.  This series feels like rwatches would come in handy to truly get my head around it all and enjoy all the little details, but on the whole I would say this was fun.  I was fearing the ending being as bad as Series 12's had been, because up until the final episode I thought Series 12 was a lot of fun, and I was worried it would happen again...but despite leaning into elements of Series 12's ending, this never truly lost me, even though I feared it would.  

The Thirteenth Doctor only has three episodes left!  Luckily the first special, another New Year's adventure, is only a few weeks away!  I think I will save my usual series recap until after her exit next year though, because it just feels naturally right to me. 

NEXT TIME: New Year's Time Loop