Doctor Who: World Enough and Time review

Doctor Who: World Enough and Time review

“Full conversion wasn’t necessary, though it will be in time.” So, pucker up!

Kelly Fiveash – Jun 24, 2017 10:05 pm | 67

Credit: Simon Ridgway/Ray Burmiston/BBC

This is a post-UK broadcast review of Doctor Who: World Enough and Time. River Song always warned the Doctor against spoilers, so be sure to watch the episode first. Doctor Who, season 10, airs on Saturdays at 6:45pm UK time on BBC One, and 9pm EDT on BBC America.

Season 10 of Doctor Who has been incredibly lopsided—floating in and out of decent stories, while teasing us with a subtle Missy narrative that is finally, tantalisingly coming to full fruition in World Enough and Time. It’s just a shame that the engines have been on reverse thrust a little too often over the past few weeks.

There have been some good standalone episodes and an excellent opening to a deeply disappointing trilogy. The popular sci-fi-on-a-shoestring-budget drama has also failed to bring an instant hit with any of the new monsters introduced over the last 10 weeks: too much cheap CGI in the absence of made-you-look, made-you-jump detail, perhaps with the exception of Knock Knock and its quirky use of 3D surround sound. And while lead performances have been one of the highlights—particularly with the introduction of Bill, played by Pearl Mackie—some of the flimsier scripts have made the series feel like a washout.

But we’re back on firm ground with World Enough and Time. It’s a very strong episode that manages to weave an agreeable timey-wimey spaceship yarn into the climax of this season’s gently brewing Missy story, complete with Cybermen. The big reveal doesn’t disappoint, either, even though it’s immediately obvious to me that Mr Razor is the Master (John Simms).

The episode feels like a mashup of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Singing Detective, and 12 Monkeys… in space. It seems particularly influenced by the dystopian landscapes of Terry Gilliam films. I love that it explores the human condition through the eyes of Bill as the Doctor (Peter Capaldi), Missy (Michelle Gomez), and Nardole (Matt Lucas) are more than 1,000 floors away on a 400-mile long, 100-mile wide tin can spaceship (Button Moon, anyone?) that is very slowly reversing out of a black hole. Ten minutes at the top of the ship can be measured in years for Bill, who is stuck below deck on a deranged hospital ward that looks out onto a desolate, fume-filled urban scene. “It’s a battle of time,” the Doctor says.

So what of the fate of a heartless-mechanical heart Bill, who is now a Mondasian Cyberman after waiting in vain for the Doctor to find her? Is it a coincidence that Bill is shot by a trigger-happy alien who could be the brother of blue-skinned Dahh-Ren from Oxygen? Is there a significant link here, or were the producers keen for the make-up department to use up the last of the blue paint? But then, Oxygen is notable for another reason: the Doctor first lost his sight during his time on Chasm Forge. Are we now seeing the result of that physical damage with the Time Lord’s despair over his imminent regeneration?

There are so many exits expected this year that it’s hard to know where to begin: showrunner Steven Moffat, Capaldi, and Gomez are on their way out, so should the fresh-faced, lippy-in-a-good-way Bill (known simply as “exposition” to the ever-brilliant Missy) exit stage left, too? There hasn’t been anything to suggest that Bill or, indeed, Nardole will be toast. But it would be bold if Bill is ditched after just one season. A factory settings-level reboot for Doctor Who‘s new showrunner Chris Chibnall, perhaps?

Stand still, yet we will make him run

There are lots of lovely flickery-trickery moments in World Enough and Time, which is penned by Moffat and directed by Rachel Talaly. At last, the visuals and action very much do the talking. And Murray Gold’s excellent score here is by far the best of the season. It’s also a terrific return after seven years for Simm’s the Master—“I’m very worried about my future,” he tells Missy. “Give us a kiss!”

Missy’s reformed ways are dreadfully unsettling for the Master. So are we about to see both versions of the renegade Time Lord go to war with a weakened Doctor, who might be forced to sacrifice Bill? How can he rescue her at this point, anyway? It’s possible there is a way back: Clara, remember, was very nearly entombed in the case of a Dalek but she escaped. So perhaps there’s still hope for Bill.

I also like the idea—from Bill’s desperate “I waited” POV—that the Doctor has taken years to track her down. But his problem-solving takes just 10 minutes at the top of the ship—which is speedy even by the Time Lord’s standards. But he does seem blindsided about the ship’s Mondas origins and only too easily walks into the Master’s trap. It must all be part of the Doctor’s master plan, surely?

Bonus round: regeneration is on the cards for the Doctor come the Christmas special, but there’s also bold promises that Doctor Who will never be the same again. There are hints—and one very intriguing rumour about a person who already turned the role down—that the next Doctor will be played by a woman. So don’t rule it out yet!

The next episode of Doctor Who, entitled The Doctor Falls (season 10, ep 12), will air on Saturday, July 1. As ever, check in for Ars’ review straight after broadcast.