Doctor Who: Flux 5, Survivors of the Flux

Tecteun. Remember this name because is important: Tecteun is the Time Lord that found the Timeless Child turned Doctor, the scientist who was called by that child, for some time, mother.

And Tecteum returns in Doctor’s time briefly (only in this episode) and unexpectedly: as Division chief she is the person accountable for the appearance of the Flux and for trying (more or less successfully) to destroy the Universe. The moments the two women spend together are at least interesting (and almost shadow the rest of the action): the Timeless Child could have come from another Universe and Tecteum tries to get there after she smashed her original Universe. She has the Doctors memories and it’s only a problem of time (almost a week, for us) until she is going to get them back.

Yaz (Yasmin Khan), Dan Lewis și the Professor Eutacius Jericho are still captive at the beginning of the XXth century (they have spent 3 years there and they currently live in 1904) and they try to find out how the world is going to end and if there is any way they can avoid that. Eventually they find themselves in the middle of a Sontaran invasion, but that’s another story.

Kate Stewart is back, briefly, but she will be in the next episode also. For the moment we are turning our attention to UNIT, but the organization is not presented as usual: the Grand Serpent (Vinder’s old boss) has infiltrated inside from its start and he is plotting to conquer the planet. The Flux’s fifth and penultimate episode of series 13, Survivors of the Flux, ends with a bit of a twist, as Craig Parkinson’s villainous Grand Serpent is revealed to have been in cahoots with the Sontarans and preparing Earth for their invasion using time travel (via some shady UNIT chicanery). The Sontarans are on the march again after appearances in the first two episodes of the series, more aggressive than ever, and the lead Sontaran actor Jonathan Watson says they’re quickly back up to their old tricks.

Bel and Vinder have not found each other yet but they are still involved very much in the story, because they have to not because they want to, in different sides.

Directed by Azhur Saleem, written by Chris Chibnall.

Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Mandip Gill (Yasmin Khan), John Bishop (Dan Lewis), Kevin McNally (Professor Eutacius Jericho), Barbara Flynn (Tecteun), Craig Parkinson (Prentis / Grand Serpent), Robert Bathurst (Farquhar), Craige Els (Karvanista), Thaddea Graham (Bel), Jacob Anderson (Vinder), Sam Spruell (Swarm), Rochenda Sandall (Azure), Nadia Albina (Diana), Nicholas Blane (Millington), Steve Oram (Joseph Williamson), Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart), Jonathan Watson (Sontaran Commander Stenek), Barbara Fadden (Weeping Angel), Isla Moody (Weeping Angel), Lowri Brown (Weeping Angel), Simon Carew (Ood), Silas Carson (Ood voice), Guy List (Waiter), Jonny Mathers (Passenger), Kammy Darweish (Kumar), George Caple (Alfie).

The next time episode, the last one of series 13, is The Vanquishers. In the final epic chapter in the story of the Flux, all hope is lost. The forces of darkness are in control. But when the monsters have won, who can you count upon to save the universe? Let’s find out on Sunday, 5th of December 2021.