‘Doctor Who: Flux’ Recap – ‘Chapter Six: The Vanquishers’

Written by Shae Rufe

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series thirteen finale of ‘Doctor Who’.
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Doctor Who wasted no time on its series thirteen finale, we jumped right in to where we last ended. The Doctor is faced with Azure and Swarm and only one way out. Azure is dangling her locked memories like a carrot in hopes of coaxing the Doctor to stay, while Swarm is too happy to gloat over her apparent capture. The Doctor begs the Ood to help her escape and it seems like she almost does. She fades into existence on the Lupari ship where Bel and Karvanista are currently fighting off Sontarans. She fades away just as quick to find the TARDIS with Yaz, Dan, Jericho, and hopefully some much needed allies, only to be brought back to the Division ship. Turns out she’s actually in three places at once. Three Doctors are a dangerous thing. Technically, one Doctor is dangerous. Being split between three places at once is proving to be a bit of a strain, but it’s nothing she can’t handle.

With Yaz and Dan, she figures out the door system. With Bel and Karvanista, she plans to sabotage the Sontaran ships. Turns out the Sontarans have sent out a message to all Daleks and Cybermen who remain within the universe, asking for a treaty. And with Swarm and Azure, well, things are a bit different. They’re torturing the Doctor. Revenge for what she did to them when she worked for Division. The locked memories from countless lives she’s lived still dangled before her, ever a present reminder of everything she’s been denied. All the while she’s split enough to start to struggle. It’s not sustainable, being split into three. On the Sontaran Ship, she learns that Karvanista was a companion of hers. He can’t speak to her about that time, however, since Division put an implant in his brain that will kill him if he ever does. She’s then escorted away by the Grand Serpent, to be tortured/interrogated by him. It gives Bel all the time she needs to get information from their ship. The Doctor shows up and saves the Doctor and it’s quite adorable to see her flirt with herself. Two Doctors in one TARDIS, navigating away from everything and saving the day, what more could we ask for on a finale?

All finales are not without loss. The Doctor isn’t able to sustain this being split for long but she is able to connect with her selves and make an informal plan. First, they have to save Vinder and Diane who were trapped in a Passenger Form. Claire and Jericho are sent to the Sontaran psychic division where Claire sees the exact end of the universe, the next wave of the Flux is hitting soon. That’s why the Sontaran’s are calling the Daleks and the Cybermen here, so they can destroy their enemies once and for all and survive behind the Lupari ships… also they killed all the Lupari except for Karvanista. Vinder and Bel are sent out to destroy Sontaran communications just as the Flux begins, shortly after the Cybermen and Dalek armies arrive. While the Sontarans think they’ve won, since the Flux starts to destroy the Cybermen and Daleks, Karvanista moves the Lupari ships remotely, while safely in the TARDIS. Claire makes it back to the TARDIS, but Jericho isn’t as lucky. Sadly, he dies in the Flux… and I cried like a baby. With the Flux breaking through the Lupari ships, Diane suggests the Passenger Form. The Doctor summons it and they all watch as the Passenger Form absorbs the rest of the Flux, saving the remainder of the Universe.

By now, Swarm and Azure have taken the Doctor to meet Time, literal Time. The Doctor is their offering, even though they failed to destroy the universe and free Time. Which doesn’t go well for them, since Time literally kills them. Then the Doctor is given a warning. Her enemies are vast, and she should beware their Master. Then Time makes the Doctor whole again and she ends up back on the TARDIS. Vinder takes care of the Grand Serpent, and then the Doctor sends him and Bel off with Karvanista on his ship. Dan and Diane go home, Claire and Kate Stewart are where they need to be, and all loose ends are tied up nicely. Well, they were. Dan asks Diane out for a drink, and she turns him down… even though they did save the world together. In the end, the Doctor and Yaz show up, offering him to join them on their next adventure, which he happily accepts. The Doctor even apologizes to Yaz for pushing her out and not opening up to her.
 
Finally, alone, the Doctor takes her locked memories and asks the TARDIS to hide them from her, only to be given back when she truly asks for them. With that, we’re left until the New Year’s Special to wait for more Doctor Who and find out just what trouble The Doctor is going to get up to with Dan and Yaz next.

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