Flux: Once, Upon Time

"Time is playing games with you all."

Writer: Chris Chibnall

Format: Audio

Broadcast: 14 November 2021

Series: 13.03

Featuring: Thirteenth Doctor, Yaz, Dan

Synopsis

'Time is beginning to run wild.' On a planet that shouldn't exist, in the aftermath of apocalypse, the Doctor, Dan, Yaz and Vinder face a battle to survive.

Verdict

Once, Upon Time was a great episode to continue the Flux thirteenth series of Doctor Who! After another almighty cliffhanger at the end of War of the Sontarans, I thought the resolution was quite weak here with the Doctor conveniently calling upon a time storm to save her companions and hide them in their own time stream during the memories of their past, present or future. But once I got over that, I thought the episode was excellent and provided so many questions and giving us enough of a glimpse into the past we all want to know about: the Doctor's. The moment where the Thirteenth Doctor looks in the mirror and sees the Fugitive Doctor reflecting back was terrific and resulted in an audible gasp from Gemma next to me! It was a fantastic moment and whilst it was clear that she was always coming back, I loved that we got her as a surprise here. Shifting between memories of the past, memories that the Doctor had lost and didn't know she had, was brilliant and I just love the idea of getting glimpses. There's so much I want to know and I can't wait to find out. Using the modern characters to present the past and the actions of the Division was magnificent and learning that the Doctor was leading a squadron against the Ravagers was a bit of a surprise, but I guess when it comes to the Fugitive Doctor there's a lot of room for a departure from the character we know. I think things are moving at such a pace now which is exciting and it does seem like Dan has settled so quickly as the companion that it's actually quite strange. I thought he had another strong episode but it does feel like he's settled a bit too quickly. Vinder was great in this story and I liked that we got to learn a lot about his origins and how he ended up in the outpost where we first met him. His connection with Bel was a revelation I was not expecting though and she was a fascinating character. I enjoyed how she was our eyes into a universe post-Flux and having her encounter the Daleks and Cybermen was fun, although it didn't seem entirely necessary. I liked finding out that she was pregnant and I just get a feeling she's going to have a big role to play in the overall series arc. The Ravagers taunting the Doctor for knowing about the past that she does not was good and them knowing that she'd conjure the time storm was fantastic and a great twist. The idea of a battle between space and time really excites me because that's on such a big scale and the Doctor's actions resulting in the blue time particles that we saw causing such destruction was a fantastic shock. Getting an insight into the origin of the Flux and its connection with the Doctor was marvellous and the look on her face said it all. After seemingly bringing the Mouri back to the front by using the same method as her forgotten past and having the upper hand, that all changed in an instant and that scared the Doctor. She was taking no prisoners and was desperate for answers, putting Yaz and Dan firmly in their place. The use of the Weeping Angels in the episode was magnificent and the image of an Angel becoming one from a video game was very nicely done. The cliffhanger is right up there from the modern era with the directing sublime as an Angel took control of the TARDIS! Overall, an episode that provided answers while presenting more questions but one that worked well.

Rating: 8/10