Series 13 Flux Chapter 3 Once, Upon Time Review

In a recent online interview, Chris Chibnall said “My vision for the series was (to create) a massive story – bigger than we’ve ever told with Jodie’s Doctor. And to start with an episode that feels like a finale and carry on from there and play out the rest of the story “Chapter 3 of the Flux feels like finally, Chris Chibnall is playing out his personal vision who this Doctor is having seeded the mystery from “Fugitive of the Judoon” and “The Timeless Child”.

We delved into the Doctor’s past in an episode where memories played a big part in exploring our characters but were it good, or did I wonder what the flux was going on? Let’s get into it.

Another character to care about

Chris Chibnall played a trick of Steven Moffats that I’m not particularly fond of in diverting away from the cliff-hanger in the pre-credits sequence but it’s all part of “the plan” of this massive story from Chris Chibnall. In the pre-credits Bel appears from out of nowhere into Chapter 3 with a relatively chirpy voiceover monologue which does come at the expense of the moment of an exciting cliffhanger. Pulling immediately away from the series most interesting set of characters in Swarm and Azure diverted my attention and I felt aggrieved. Is that unreasonable of me? As lovely and talented as the young actress who plays Bel probably is, I just thought oh no not another new character, when it’s not been explained who all the ones we met in Chapter 1 are yet. Did her introduction feel organic?

On reflection possibly, because we saw Vinder in the first chapter and his backstory was being explored. But Bel’s way of talking at the Cyberman about her mission felt really cheesy. She doesn’t seem like a real person as there’s just something too wholesome about her in her mission to get to “her love” and I don’t really care. How did a platoon of Cybermen not kill her in the Lupari ship? Bel comes across almost as a comic book hero figure killing them as fast as she did. Bringing back old monsters such as the Cybermen (or Daleks) should be more than just fan-pleasing (ooohhh look classic monsters!) or being portrayed as lumbering machines. I know it’s been done before in Who so many times so it’s not just a fault of Chris Chibnall but have these Cybermen been taking lessons from the Liverpool Sontarans?

I’m really hoping that, in contradiction of the Twitter speculation I saw, Bel’s baby isn’t someone important… just saying. If “Love is the mission” proves the answer to the Flux where the 13^th Doctor in the final episode proclaims (to mama Bel) “Let’s all hold hands and sing Kumbayah, everyone!” I’m gone. But I’m joking here of course as it turns out Bel is looking for Vinder. Vinder has been a rather low key figure so far (I think the Doctor calls him that young lad she hasn’t met yet) but Jacob Anderson does have some presence and I rather enjoyed finding out a bit more about Vinder’s past. Craig Parkinson was suitably snarky and unpleasant as the Grand Serpent. I like that Vinder’s principled and he becomes really the 4^th musketeer in the time streams. Chris Chibnall can’t help himself creating a large crew around his Doctor. Vinder’s reaction to the Tardis “whaaaaaaat” was fun and joyful. It seemed Jacob loved it too.

Worlds out there where the tea is disappearing

On a positive note, there is an opportunity for Chris Chibnall to expand his universe showing the effect of the Flux away from the Tardis crew. This worldbuilding we are seeing of other worlds, planets ruled by the Cybermen, deep space etc I didn’t mind. If you’ve been watching “Universe” with Brian Cox then you’ll understand my interest in what’s out there beyond Earth. It’s something Doctor Who doesn’t do very often as it normally concentrates on the Tardis crew and their location. Does it feel like traditional Doctor Who? Not exactly and all the Bel and even Vinder scenes felt almost like a test pilot for a different type of spin-off series with them both.

After the pre-credits there was an internal monologue from the 13^th Doctor before she pushed Dan, Yaz, Vinder and herself into the time storm event. Whilst I liked the slow-motion visuals of that scene I don’t know if we needed the voiceover. I’m in two minds with it as in one respect its good to understand more of the Doctor’s inner monologue “Option blocked. Time to recalibrate “When Chris Chibnall writes he does use so many characters for an exposition of the plot badly, especially the 13^th Doctor instead of showing. As she entered Yaz, Dan’s and Vinder’s timestreams the 13^th Doctor kept saying what she was doing to each one of them in that fast one hundred miles way that she does. It became really irritating and time-wasting when there were other more interesting things happening with Swarm and Azure or having the fantastic Fugitive Doctor back.

Lost in time

At first viewing, I honestly got a bit lost in the deliberately disjointed experience once the Doctor goes into the time storm and experiences memories in her time stream of being the Fugitive Doctor. The second viewing was a better experience because I knew what was coming but a part of me says why should it take additional viewings to understand what’s going on? I want to appreciate the intricacies of an episode I honestly do but not feel flummoxed by it. The audience appreciation index was 75 for this episode. I’m interested in the casual viewer understood it and if not would they be bothered to watch this episode more than once to comprehend it?

The reappearance of Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor was so welcome but all too brief. Her presence is amazing. The Fugitive Doctor just commands respect and it’s interesting to see the distinct differences between the 13^th Doctor and her. The line “On my command, blow the doors in” was Ruth’s Doctor and I enjoyed Jodie channelling the Fugitive Doctor before they hit the temple and the past confrontation with Swarm and Azure. Ironically Jodie’s strong interpretation as Ruth working for the Division were her best moments. A reviewer on Youtube made the point that the device of having the Doctor revisit her timestream through the chaos of the time storm is a neat idea from Chris Chibnall. I agree as I know this Doctor is all about who she was in her past but I think just having these little hints of who she was in the division is enough for me.

When the 13^th Doctor was pleading not to leave the timestreams I’m glad it was left where it was (by the Mouri using their powers).

The Timeless child shouldn’t ever be fully discovered in my opinion. There should always be gaps in our knowledge because the Doctor isn’t human and has lived for such a long time. Oh, and I loved the sense of power coming from the Mouri in the time storm with them so large and the Doctor so small. I did wonder why Swarm and Azure didn’t just destroy the Mouri again as they had living beings like Diane imprisoned in the Passenger to step onto the platform to make the Mouri visible. I suppose the restored Mouri may have been too powerful again although the Flux is still going through the universe, isn’t it? So much to make sense of.

I did enjoy seeing the timestreams of Dan and Yaz. Dan’s memories were probably more rewarding as we found out more about his dating past. His story always feels genuine, he’s a normal guy. I liked locating his date scenes with Diane first in the day then suddenly at night which added to the unsettling atmosphere. The appearance of Passenger within his memories was a spooky presence and didn’t make sense initially but later I understood the device held Diane.

Yaz’s scenes with her sister didn’t reveal anything new about her which was a little disappointing but the scenes were eerily quiet, just the two of them in the house that wasn’t theirs. It was okay to see the angel pop out. but their scare value seems a bit diminishing the more I see them. I did wonder why the angel is stalking Yaz but maybe it’s because she’s the longest traveller with the Doctor out of the companions.

A temporal contagion

So we are coming into the halfway stage of this goliath of a story and answers are coming in bits and pieces. Swarm and Azure are ravagers, “ a temporal contagion” and seem deliriously happy that time was disrupted. I’m still enjoying their appearance so much although as with Jo Martin I wanted more. I love the change of expressions between Swarm and Azure in their scenes, especially when they reveal Diane is inside the Passenger. Swarm is so gleeful and knowing. He wants to reign in hell so I’m sure they will be back later.

We found out the Flux was deliberately made (by whom ?) to destroy space because of the Doctor from an enigmatic woman called Awsok (she has the coolness and logic of a Timelord or an earlier Gallifreyian of the Division)? I got a sense that Swarm and Azure were controlled by her or she knew who controlled them.

When Awsok said “this universe is ending“ is that a big clue to a gigantic universe reset before Russell T Davies returns? The planet Time was created to regulate the time and this Doctor becomes the timeless child in a moment when time has been damaged. Thus this universe cant continue? One of the downsides of this serialised form of storytelling is only when the whole story is told will we know how it pays off with all the loose ends and if as an audience we feel emotionally satisfied. Some reviewers are saying this chapter is the best thing Chibnall has created in his tenure. Waiting to see how it all plays out but I’m still enjoying the rollercoaster that is Doctor Who Flux.

Next week the Weeping Angels are terrorising a village. Sounds like I shouldn’t blink.

7.0 /10 For the Fugitive Doctor and bad memories

What did you enjoy most about Once, Upon Time? Post your comments on here, The Big Blue Box Discord Server or on Twitter. Let’s talk!