Spoilers might be upgraded.

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(Source: BBC One)

There are great episodes of Doctor Who that you can’t ever call favourites because they go dark. World Enough and Time falls into that category. It starts off light and campy with Missy breaking the fourth wall. We’re basically lured into a false sense of security, thinking this one is all about silliness and fun. And then one of our beloved characters gets shot and we realized we’ve walked right into a pitch black trap that tugs at the heartstrings.

Yes, this a great but dark episode. It’s very well crafted and the payoff is great. Now, in case you haven’t noticed, the better the episode the less recap it gets from me. I feel that it’s only fair since a great episode speaks by itself.

I think very much like the Doctor, I wanted Missy to show some signs of redemption. But more important than that, I didn’t think I’d have to worry about the other travelers onboard the TARDIS. I didn’t think I’d have to worry about Bill. You see, the scuffle on board this ship was a red herring. This ship comes from Mondas… And this episode is about the very birth of the Cybermen.

The Cybermen are more of a nightmare that a lot of the other enemies of the Doctor because they’re built from people. The transformation is hailed as irreversible. You can’t turn a Cyberman back to a regular human being. You also can’t unknow the fact that inside, there’s a person in perpetual pain, a silent traveler inside his own body turned to machine.

To add just about another challenge, the huge ship orbits a black hole. Time is happening faster on the part of the ship that is further away. The Doctor has managed to leave a memory imprint on Bill’s mind: Wait for me. But this imprint is a cruel reminder through the years that Bill waits for the Doctor, already her heart a piece of technology. The first of many upgrades she will get. Her apparent benefactor, a lowly maintenance guy, is not what he seems to be. Or rather, he’s exactly what you thinking he is.

The Master is back. Or rather, he’s back in time. Now that he’s joined forces with his future self, Missy herself, the Doctor is at its worst disadvantage. We’re going into the finale with everything on the line, and the chance that neither the Doctor nor Bill will make it alive in one piece… or any original ones.

Highs/Lows/Upgrades:

  • ARGHHH! I didn’t want Bill’s life on the line here. I know the Cybermen’s rule is you don’t go back to human if you’re upgraded to a Cyberman, but will there be a caveat/exception this time? Or are we losing Bill this season too?
  • Missy is funny, but we’ve forgotten she’s got evil in her. And now beside her too!
  • Missy insists that the Doctor’s real name is Doctor Who. “It’s on all the screens.” Fourth wall trolling at its finest. Or worst.
  • I hate to have real life but in, but we all know that Peter Capaldi is leaving the show. So we’re getting a regeneration and a new face. I was hoping Pearl Mackie would stick around as Bill, but that one is in the balance now.
  • I waited. My GAWD, that finger pointing hurt. Guilt in its purest form. It almost feels like a betrayal. Knowing what he knew, why couldn’t the Doctor just freakin’ RUSH down for Bill?
  • We were all expecting the Spanish Inquisition here. Meaning, the whole delayed reveal of the Cybermen when we all knew they were the Cybermen might seem pointless. Still, it was well made.
  • John Simms returns as the Master without us losing Michelle Gomez as Missy. The result is an evil alliance through time, but still something we all wanted to witness.
  • The Genesis of the Cybermen is a known unproduced story of Doctor Who. The Master names it at some point, which makes me think that was going to be the original name of the finale. Whether or not some of the original plot elements will be used is unknown.

That will do for now.