I love how well this episode ties into the opener and the remaining episodes, while telling a self-contained story. Dropping Sotnarans as enemies in the middle of the Crimean War is a creative use of a great alien species and an interesting historical setting, and while all of that is going on, we also delve deeper into the time and space bending phenomenon that is the Flux.
While this is very much meant to be another historical adventure, it has a very unique aspect to it in the form of a secondary narrative told in the present on Earth and in space. It also remains faithful to the Sontarans, while using them in new and interesting ways.
The music is a huge step-up from the previous series. It’s majestic and builds up the mood perfectly, and it blends wonderfully with the polished visuals, lavish sets, and flawless costume and make-up work (look at those war-torn Sontarans, straight from the Classic series!).
Jodie Whittaker is on fire here, and I like how Chibnall allows her to show her darker and more manipulative side. She is a mix of Ten and Seven here, and it’s interesting to watch.
A 60-minute runtime means the three main characters can be dropped into three separate settings and be developed properly. There’s time to get to know Dan’s parents, there’s time to form some good old Sontaran banter, and there’s time for Yaz to do her best to be a Doctor when there’s no Doctor around.
The Sontarans are finally more than just bumbling buffoons - they are brutal, menacing, and effective, which is a nice change of pace from the Moffat era.
The Swarm is so creepy and here we get more clues as to who he (it?) is. There’s a history here that we don’t know anything about yet.
THE BAD:
The Dan and Yaz parts of the plot don’t get very much attention and don’t develop much throughout this episode, but I suspect we will see them developed further in the coming episodes. Still, these scenes feel somewhat detached from the overall experience and aren’t all that interesting.
The Sontaran part of the plot is wrapped up fairly hastily, to give room for the final scene and cliffhanger.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParentSpoilers2021-11-09T09:14:31Z
THE GOOD: ‘DOCTOR WHO: FLUX - WAR OF THE SONTARANS’
Story & Characters: :slight_smile:/:slight_smile:
Look & Sound: :heart_eyes:/:heart_eyes:
Feel & Emotions: :slight_smile:/:slight_smile:
Novelty & Memorability: :slight_smile:/:slight_smile:
Expectations & Replay value: :slight_smile:/:heart_eyes:
OVERALL FEEL: :slight_smile:
THE GOOD:
I love how well this episode ties into the opener and the remaining episodes, while telling a self-contained story. Dropping Sotnarans as enemies in the middle of the Crimean War is a creative use of a great alien species and an interesting historical setting, and while all of that is going on, we also delve deeper into the time and space bending phenomenon that is the Flux.
While this is very much meant to be another historical adventure, it has a very unique aspect to it in the form of a secondary narrative told in the present on Earth and in space. It also remains faithful to the Sontarans, while using them in new and interesting ways.
The music is a huge step-up from the previous series. It’s majestic and builds up the mood perfectly, and it blends wonderfully with the polished visuals, lavish sets, and flawless costume and make-up work (look at those war-torn Sontarans, straight from the Classic series!).
Jodie Whittaker is on fire here, and I like how Chibnall allows her to show her darker and more manipulative side. She is a mix of Ten and Seven here, and it’s interesting to watch.
A 60-minute runtime means the three main characters can be dropped into three separate settings and be developed properly. There’s time to get to know Dan’s parents, there’s time to form some good old Sontaran banter, and there’s time for Yaz to do her best to be a Doctor when there’s no Doctor around.
The Sontarans are finally more than just bumbling buffoons - they are brutal, menacing, and effective, which is a nice change of pace from the Moffat era.
The Swarm is so creepy and here we get more clues as to who he (it?) is. There’s a history here that we don’t know anything about yet.
THE BAD:
The Dan and Yaz parts of the plot don’t get very much attention and don’t develop much throughout this episode, but I suspect we will see them developed further in the coming episodes. Still, these scenes feel somewhat detached from the overall experience and aren’t all that interesting.
The Sontaran part of the plot is wrapped up fairly hastily, to give room for the final scene and cliffhanger.
FAVORITE MOMENT:
The biggest battle this series has ever done.
43/50 = GOOD = RECOMMENDED!