Skip to content
Survivors Of The Flux is Chapter 5 in series 13 of Doctor Who, aka Doctor Who: Flux.
NOTE: There are some spoilers in this review.
This episode quickly saw the celibate non-binary Doctor free themself from the statue in which they were encased last week, and into the Division with the benevolent Ood, along with Barbara Flynn from The Beiderbecke Affair. Jeez, they don’t even TRY to put her in any peril, do they?!
She’s being told about how The Division started off on Gallifrey, but I started glazing over at that point. This story is just so uninteresting. The Doctor started off in The Division, and somehow got out? And Barbara Flynn is Tecteun, aka her mum? Well, with Chris Chibnall in charge, he doesn’t give a fuck, so why should we?
Meanwhile, Yaz, Dan and Kevin McNally found themselves playing ‘Indiana Jones’ after being stuck in 1901 for three years… well, in the same decade, anyway, leading to some pantomime punching, and the old cliche of a baddie taking a cyanide pill, even though these three clowns couldn’t exactly put up much of a fight.
Then on to 1904 Nepal, where the trio of idiots meet an old man on top of a mountain who talks in modern 2021 parlance, and imparts the words of wisdom: “Fetch your dog“, trying to do so in a conversation with a comedy stylee.
You see, this is the problem. One minute, it’s trying to be serious with the Doctor inside a Weeping Angel, and in another, it’s trying to force unfunny comedy in a set dressed up to look barely like Nepal.
Then on to 1968, where Robert Bathurst from Cold Feet is planning to set up UNIT and Dot from Line Of Duty has turned up again, before taking more trips in time and space, working his way into running UNIT, going to 1987, and then to 2017 where he meets Kate, who’s got his number… maybe… who gives a toss at this point.
Elsewhere, all the missing people are used as lifeforce for Azure and Swarm (who still look like Vincent Price in the Dr Phibes films)… so, ripping off the 1985 film Lifeforce, then?
And, 2021 Earth looks like Space 1999.
So, once again, another near-hour of incomprehenisble bullshit, which just felt like a set-up for next week. So, let’s just get the finale out of the way and then we can move on.
Plus, of course, the end credits were interrupted by another fucking cuntinuity announcer from Red Bee Media, waffling over them with some shite we didn’t need to hear. If only the Doctor would use her sonic screwdriver and stick it right up their collective arses!
Chapter 6 will be The Vanquishers, and airs next Sunday at 6.20pm.
Doctor Who: Flux can be pre-ordered on Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook, Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release on January 24th 2022.
You can also buy Series 12 on Blu-ray, DVD and Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook.
Also available is Revolution Of The Daleks on Blu-ray and DVD.
The episode is now on the BBC iPlayer.
Score: 0/10
Director: Azhur Saleem
Writer: Chris Chibnall
Music: Olga FitzRoy
Cast:
The Doctor: Jodie Whittaker
Yasmin Khan: Mandip Gill
Dan Lewis: John Bishop
Vinder: Jacob Anderson
Bel: Thaddea Graham
Joseph Williamson: Steve Oram
Swarm: Sam Spruell
Azure: Rochenda Sandall
Karvanista: Craige Els
Professor Eustace Jericho: Kevin McNally
Farquhar: Robert Bathurst
Awsok: Barbara Flynn
Prentis/Grand Serpent: Craig Parkinson
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.