On my first viewing of this, when it was first broadcast, I enjoyed it quite a lot. Sadly, once I saw the whole of Flux and eventually went back and rewatched it I find it far less satisfying. The flaws become clear to me, particularly in the overarching story elements which end up falling flat once the Flux story pans out.
There are aspects which still stand up as positives:
The Sontarans look good and their leader is excellent. They pose a strong threat for the first time since The Sontaran Strategem/ Poison Earth.
The Crimean War setting is well created and battle scenes are very good.
Mary Seacole is well acted and a good historical inclusion.
A lot of the Crimean War aspect is fun and parts of the 2021 Sontaran invasion are fun.
However, the negatives stand out when rewatching after seeing the Flux story in full:
The characters are all thrown inexplicably into situations to suit where Chibnall wants them to be. Why is Vinder on the planet Time? Why does Yaz get brought there? Why does Dan return to 2021 Earth? Why is the Doctor thrown from the TARDIS into the Crimean War? It is just for plot convenience.
The whole Atropos storyline is nonsensical, confusing and has no internal logic. In fact, to put it bluntly, I think the whole Atropos/Time/Mouri idea is rubbish.
The blundering Sontaran soldier is a bit daft.
The Joseph Williamson scenes are silly, confusing and ultimately not needed.
Chibnall making characters say historical figures full names every time they are referred to over and over has become extremely tiresome. Why does the Doctor need to keep saying "Mary Seacole" every time instead of just Mary or Mrs. Seacole or just saying "thankyou" rather than "thankyou Mary Seacole?! It is SO unnatural and occurs every time a historical figure appears in Chibnall era. Bizarrely treating the audience as if we are so stupid we need the identities of these people hammered home repeatedly.
Also, the idea the Sontarans are attacking in present day Earth and a random part of Earth history doesn't really have a logical explanation in the story or indeed any real clear purpose. It is just done for effect because surely logically they only needed to attack in the time of the Flux.
I will give credit for all the good, fun action, the strong Sontaran design, the good acting, the excellent music, excellent photography and effects and the better bits of dialogue but this is far less enjoyable for me than it seemed on first viewing.
My Rating: 5.5/10.
Series 13 Episode Ranking: 2nd out of 6.
There are aspects which still stand up as positives:
The Sontarans look good and their leader is excellent. They pose a strong threat for the first time since The Sontaran Strategem/ Poison Earth.
The Crimean War setting is well created and battle scenes are very good.
Mary Seacole is well acted and a good historical inclusion.
A lot of the Crimean War aspect is fun and parts of the 2021 Sontaran invasion are fun.
However, the negatives stand out when rewatching after seeing the Flux story in full:
The characters are all thrown inexplicably into situations to suit where Chibnall wants them to be. Why is Vinder on the planet Time? Why does Yaz get brought there? Why does Dan return to 2021 Earth? Why is the Doctor thrown from the TARDIS into the Crimean War? It is just for plot convenience.
The whole Atropos storyline is nonsensical, confusing and has no internal logic. In fact, to put it bluntly, I think the whole Atropos/Time/Mouri idea is rubbish.
The blundering Sontaran soldier is a bit daft.
The Joseph Williamson scenes are silly, confusing and ultimately not needed.
Chibnall making characters say historical figures full names every time they are referred to over and over has become extremely tiresome. Why does the Doctor need to keep saying "Mary Seacole" every time instead of just Mary or Mrs. Seacole or just saying "thankyou" rather than "thankyou Mary Seacole?! It is SO unnatural and occurs every time a historical figure appears in Chibnall era. Bizarrely treating the audience as if we are so stupid we need the identities of these people hammered home repeatedly.
Also, the idea the Sontarans are attacking in present day Earth and a random part of Earth history doesn't really have a logical explanation in the story or indeed any real clear purpose. It is just done for effect because surely logically they only needed to attack in the time of the Flux.
I will give credit for all the good, fun action, the strong Sontaran design, the good acting, the excellent music, excellent photography and effects and the better bits of dialogue but this is far less enjoyable for me than it seemed on first viewing.
My Rating: 5.5/10.
Series 13 Episode Ranking: 2nd out of 6.