‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘Spyfall – Part One’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

We live in quite the incredible era when it comes to television right now. Because every idea and every concept we could ever ask for, is available to us on the small screen, and the vast majority of production companies out there are upping their game when it comes to the overall quality of T.V. shows and that has… raised our expectations to the nth degree for television shows as a whole. But while we expect and demand better of T.V. based entertainment, we do at times, need to cut these shows some slack. Because every writer and every saga need a little bit of time to find their groove and their proper direction and oddly enough this is a courtesy that should have been extended to series 11 of Doctor Who.
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Because some fans were quite harsh in regard to Chris Chibnall’s first outing with the TARDIS, despite the fact that his first year at the helm featured stories that quite frankly captured the essence of the Doctor and the good that she engenders across every single corner of the universe. But at the same time, I understand some of the logical criticism that was directed at the series since the Doctor’s morality became a focal point over anything else, and the adventure and thrilling stakes that often permeate this series took a back seat in Thirteen’s first year. Which brings me back to my point about patience with new writers. Because it was only a matter of time before Chibnall and company figured out the right balance for the new Doctor and for proof, well look no further than the Series 12 premiere, since ‘Spyfall – Part One’ was an absolute tour de force of storytelling, one that genuinely took the time to entertain and outright stun us with quality tension and a big surprise.

The tension was accomplished by giving us quite the grand mystery. For in the opening moments of this tale, we quickly came to learn that spies around the world were under siege from an unsettling species of aliens that seemingly appeared out of thin air and things only got worse from there. Because those agents were having their DNA rewritten for reasons unknown and that of course meant that MI6 needed the Doctor’s help to uncover what species of alien was behind this twisted attack and how exactly they might be stopped, and also how they were related to an internet mogul named Daniel Barton, the head of a company named VOR. And well, this opening sequence wasted no time in setting the mood since the attacks on the agents were damn eerie for certain and we were even treated to a thrilling car chase scene that saw Team TARDIS in quite the precarious situation.

But the best part about this grandiose and epic setup, was that the tension only grew from there. For the team was forced to split up to continue their investigation, with the Doctor and Graham heading off to the Australian outback to meet with the only former MI6 agent who might know more about this attack while Ryan and Yaz headed off to San Francisco to investigate Barton and, the search for information at VOR HQ proved to be about as dangerous as one might expect. Mainly because, Yaz and Ryan came to learn that Daniel Barton is only 93% human and he is definitely in league with these monsters since he gave them orders when they had concerns about ‘obstacles’ and to make matters worse, one of these creatures briefly captured Yaz in a genuinely alien place that was devoid of life or beauty.  

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Yet, the series was still willing to raise the stakes beyond that particular reveal and it accomplished that by way of the Doctor and Graham’s visit with the agent known as O. And this quirky young man believed that he might have the answers to this terrifying mystery hidden in his vast amounts of alien intelligence. But before they could dive in and piece it together, these beings came calling. Thankfully though, O’s defenses around the house allowed for the Doctor to capture one of these aliens and interrogate them, and its disdain for our species was chilling, as was its claim that it was ready to invade our universe. But alas, that’s as far as the Doctor was able to get with this being since it switched places with Yaz and in the wake of this harrowing attack, the Doctor felt it was best to go right to the potential source of this mess by visiting Barton in person. 
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Which led to something that the series is known for, outright fun, since this is where a James Bond parody came into play. For everyone took the time to put on their 007-best tuxedo wise, before infiltrating Barton’s casino themed birthday party and the fun had here was simply top notch and you can never go wrong with a little homage to fiction’s greatest spy. But it didn’t take long for the tension to return since the Doctor’s confrontation with Barton went poorly, and that led to another car chase scene and an intense attempt to board Daniel’s private plane and well, this is where the series premiere found a way to completely and utterly drop our jaws by way of an incredible twist ending. Because their arrival on the plane, led to the discovery of the fact that Barton had already escaped, which meant he had help from someone in making that happen.

Granted the logical choice in this instance would be the mysterious aliens poking around in our world. But as it turns out, the real culprit here was O, because he was happy to reveal quite a few things. Such as the fact that he controls the aliens, and in turn he controls Barton because he is the mastermind of this whole mess, with an emphasis on the word… Master. Because O is in fact, The Master, and this reveal was simply stunning to say the least since I don’t think any of us ever expected to see the character again after how things went for Missy at the end of Series 10. But here we are, and the Doctor’s greatest nemesis is as mad as ever and is out to execute some kind of incredible plot to bring down the universe he so despises and that led to one incredible cliffhanger, wherein the Doctor is lost and unsure of what to do, and she’s also separated from her mates, and this was one heck of a way to kick off the new season.

Because it simply got right down to business and it shed all of the deeper meaning present in Series 11. Which honestly, I’m fine with. Because this premiere was all about having fun and getting back to that sense of adventure that permeates the fabric of this series, all while giving the Doctor an incredible task to overcome and it definitely succeeded in its endeavors. For the stakes are always high when the Master is involved and already, I’m eager to learn more about his return and whether or not this is an offshoot timeline Master or Missy’s evolution since death really does mean nothing to this villain. But more importantly, I’m more curious as to how the Doctor is going to get the universe out of this mess because these aliens truly seem unstoppable and the Master has the upper head and really in the end, this was just a stellar episode. One that let us know that Series 12 is going to be vastly different in tone and design and I am here for it and I am already counting down to the minutes to Sunday when this epic two-parter will come to a close. Until next time. 

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