Review of Flux: War of the Sontarans
Warning: This review contains episode-specific spoilers and wild speculation about future episodes.

In the past I have often wished for the modern era to return to the Classic era’s serial storytelling style. It seems that this year I’m getting my wish. And although the pace of Flux is quite different than that of a Classic adventure—somewhat dizzying for Doctor Who, in fact—it feels just about right for the story that’s being told.

Again I find my recent experience with longer-running storylines to serve me well here. Despite so much information being thrown at us in quick succession (yes, Doctor, I made that face, too), none of it feels extraneous. Rather, it feels like we’re in that end-of-the-first-act period where most of the pieces have been moved into place, and the real maneuvering can now begin.

Last time I mentioned that I’d noticed at least eight disparate plot threads entwining themselves with the Doctor and Yaz. While some of them had already come together last time (Karvanista and Dan, Swarm and Azure), several others were still waiting to be pulled into the tapestry. This time, we almost immediately get most of the rest woven together.

First, the Doctor, Yaz, and Dan all find themselves in the Crimean War, face-to-face with Sontarans instead of Russians. They have just enough time to meet up with Mary Seacole before both Companions are whisked away to other parts of time and space. (As an aside, given that the Crimean War is not a direct part of my country’s history, and the American education system is pretty shit at introducing students to anything but the most basic aspects of US history (from its own biased perspective, at that), I knew nothing of Mary Seacole before this episode. I am, however, pleased to see the show continue to highlight real historical women.)

Off on her own, dumped into the Temple of Atropos, Yaz serves as part of one plot nexus, where several threads converge. Though he’s gone almost as soon as he arrives, Williamson encounters Yaz just before she meets up with Vinder. Later Swarm and Azure (along with Passenger, a newcomer of their kind) also join the group at the temple.

That leaves only Dan’s friend Di (though he does try to call her straightaway when he finds himself home in Liverpool) and the mysterious Claire (and the Weeping Angels who have presumably zapped her into the past somewhere) to be connected to the larger plot. Sadly, we got no glimpse of either character this week, so I continue to look forward to their eventual return.

Aside from the little knowing nods to the audience, (e.g., the Doctor’s response to Mrs. Seacole’s insistence that “Doctor is a man’s term.” (“It’s fluid.”), or the Lt. General wondering if the Doctor was “expecting a response to [her] musings”), there were other small details that may or may not turn out to be significant. I think we are still trained to look for Moffat-level hints, but I can’t tell yet whether or not Chibnall is writing similarly sneaky minutiae. I can only point out a few I noticed and let this post stand as a record of my folly.

I was struck, for instance, by how convenient Dan’s parents were. They showed up at exactly the right time to rescue him, knew quite a lot about the Sontarans (even the word “probic”), and didn’t really bat an eyelash when their son insisted on rushing into danger on his own. Then there was the way Yaz and Vinder looked at each other. That smacked of foreshadowing in a big way, like the production team is setting up Yaz’s departure (or that someone important to her will die).

And speaking of foreshadowing, how big a role will the TARDIS’s distress play in the overall story arc? It was clearly the TARDIS being represented by the nightmare house the Doctor saw in her dream at the beginning. Will it be the TARDIS’s fate that determines what choice the Doctor makes at some point? Or will it be what’s happening to the TARDIS that clues her in to a key piece of information?

Most obvious to me, though, is the potential importance of the repeated warnings about Time “running wild.” The Flux has so far appeared to be primarily a spatial phenomenon, but this second part of the story strongly suggests that its effect on time (or perhaps on the planet Time?) is even more devastating.

In the aggregate, we’ve been given more questions than answers, which is as it should be at this point in the story. Because we cannot yet see the whole, though, that means it’s still difficult to judge the episode. On its own, it’s neither heavenly good nor hellishly bad; more of a narrative purgatory than anything. But it feels as if we’ve had most of the setup now, and the next installment will bring us to the big Midpoint Reveal. That’s where things change drastically and our protagonist switches from reactive mode to proactive mode, and—amazingly—I can hardly wait.