WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR DOCTOR WHO: SERIES 12 EPISODES 1 AND 2! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
Written by Chris Chibnall.
Part 1 directed by Jamie Magnus Stone.
Part 2 directed by Lee Haven Jones.
Intelligence agents around the world are under attack from alien forces, so MI6 turn to the only people who can help: the Doctor and her friends. As they travel the globe looking for answers, attacks come from all sides. Earth's security rests on the team's shoulders, but where will this planet-threatening conspiracy lead them?
Oh boy, this is a big one.
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| Team TARDIS, suited and booted! |
After a year of no Doctor Who, "Spyfall" somehow fills the gap with a story that could have been a full series, it is that packed full of incident. Spread across the world, and spread across different time periods, "Spyfall" is possibly one of the
biggest Doctor Who stories ever told, possibly the biggest and weightiest since the 50th Anniversary story "The Day of the Doctor". With so many twists and turns, big revelations and game-changing moments, Chris Chibnall has really laid his cards on the table with these two episodes. And while it isn't perfect, I'd be shocked if any members of the audience had many complaints, because "Spyfall" really does offer something for everyone, possibly even more so than Series 11's opening episode "The Woman Who Fell to Earth". This is Doctor Who doing big ideas and big spectacle, and succeeding with good grace.
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The Doctor scans for something in the Australian outback.
But what's out in the dark? |
I'll start by mentioning our TARDIS team. While no one would argue that this isn't a highly talented group of actors, it was becoming noticed that not all the actors were being pushed to the potential they could have been. While several episodes of Series 11 showcased Bradley Walsh's talents, and Tosin Cole had the spotlight (in this reviewer's opinion) during "Resolution", the team were, for the most part, sidelined, in favour of the guest cast. All this changes, however, with "Spyfall" which, across its two hour run-time, gives moments for our regulars to shine. You can really see the family themes that Chris was trying to develop in the previous season come together, and all four of the lead actors step up to the occasion. This is, without a doubt, the strongest showing for Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill thus far, as both get the chance to add some much needed detail and dimensions to their characters, which have, until this point, looked a little two dimensional and cardboard-like. Chibnall gives both actors material to really get their teeth into, and, as such, they excel. We also get to see the team really under pressure, as the secrets the Doctor has kept from her friends start to come back to haunt her. And yet, at the same time, this story brings our characters closer together, especially the companions. Without the Doctor to bounce off in the second episode, we get to see them working together to survive, and how much they rely on each other to do so. Jodie, meanwhile, gets the chance to define a little bit more of who her Doctor is, and how she operates. Some of her scenes in the second episode show off a steel and a fire that her Doctor has rarely displayed before, and certain plot twists bode well for the future, so long as Chibnall has the conviction to carry them through. The TARDIS team is suitably shaken up in this story, and I look forward to see how this slightly amended dynamic is explored in future stories.
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| The Doctor, Graham, Ryan, Yaz and C (Stephen Fry) discover something impossible is happening to spies. But what? |
When all the press, publicity photos and episode descriptions for this two-part story were released, one thing was screamingly obvious: the production team were going for a down-the-line, pure James Bond pastiche. For several years, I had been hoping the show would attempt a story like this: sure, we'd got close with "The Bells of Saint John", "The Zygon Invasion/The Zygon Inversion" and "Extremis", but no one has really had the guts to do a full throttle Bond movie. "Spyfall", however, is exactly what it claims to be, and doesn't pretend to be something else. Certainly the first episode leans very heavily into that aesthetic, using visual tropes and elements from various Bond films down the years. Even the title is a play on the 2012 Bond movie "Skyfall" (though I'm sure you've already worked that out, it's not hard), and this is really what gives the episode its kick. There is a lot to take in during the first episode, so much so that I wouldn't be surprised if you end up completely lost with it. I'll be honest, I found parts of it difficult to follow, something that isn't helped by the pacing, which is set to breakneck, and doesn't really let up until the final ten minutes of the second episode. I think that's the main reason why the first episode felt a little disjointed to me: we have to run from set-piece to set-piece, without so much as a chance to draw breath. When we reach the party in the second half, and get the chance to enjoy the moment a little more, that's when I started to become more invested, and when the story really felt like it started to pick up. There's a clear build of tension throughout, and the Doctor's confrontation with Barton is a brilliantly written scene that shows off the range that the two actors have. But, of course, the big talking point (and what the episode is building towards, really) is the return of the Master. Just typing those words is incredibly exciting, and new Master Sacha Dwahan is a revelation. He brings a flair and an energy to the role that feels new and invigorating. I'll be honest, it took me a while to warm to Michelle Gomez (it was only really during "The Witch's Familiar" that I really started to see her as the Master), and John Simm remained pretty lukewarm for me until his return in "World Enough and Time/The Doctor Falls". Dwahan, however, gets it right from the very beginning, with an initially charming and understated performance as O. However, when the mask drops and the Master is revealed, Dwahan really unleashes, and his tour-de-force performance marks him out instantly. This is my favourite first performance from a Master since Alex Macqueen, or possibly even Derek Jacobi. He is immediately fully-formed, and the rest of the story doesn't shirk away from his nastier tendencies. Chibnall even brings back the Tissue Compression Eliminator, which really is the Master's key weapon, let's be fair. The Laser Screwdriver always looked a bit naff in comparison.
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| A Master-ful entrance... |
This revelation, of course, shakes up the second episode considerably, which takes a very different approach to the first. The second turns the story from a global epic into a temporal one as well, giving this story the feeling of one of those big, Hartnell-era quest stories like "The Keys of Marinus", "The Chase" or "The Daleks' Master Plan". The breadth and variety of time periods on display in this story is staggering, and just goes to show how ambitious this story is. We go from the early 19th Century, to Paris in 1943, during the Nazi occupation, and all the way back to England in the present day, with a few stops on the way, and one very surprising destination at the end (which I'll get too). That's certainly ambitious, and it is to the full credit of the sets and costume department that it is pulled off so successfully. While we don't really spend a lot of time in these locations, the attention to detail is astonishing, and shows how great the production team is that work on the series at the moment. This episode also gives us plenty of meaty Doctor/Master scenes that make the slightly confusing first half a bit more palatable. Our monsters this time around also get to parade their plan, and it is quite an interesting one, although one could argue that it is sort of just thrown in to justify the Kasaavin's aggression. Nevertheless, they are still a fairly interesting antagonist, one who I could see playing a part in Chibnall's plans for the future. After all, any foe that can get through the walls of the TARDIS must be a massive threat, and the Doctor's reaction certainly presents them as such. The idea that they take on the attributes of the walls they pass through as well gives them an uneasy edge that really adds to their appeal. It's a shame that, in the second half, they, together with their human mouthpiece Daniel Barton, are slightly sidelined, as the Master takes the fore. However, there is no denying that there is some great potential in these monsters, and it would be nice to see them return at some point. Setting the second episode in history also gives us the chance to feature some very interesting guest characters: namely, famed mathematician Ada Lovelace and British spy Noor Inayat Khan. While these figures could have stories centered around them anyway (in fact, Lovelace has had a Big Finish audio, "The Enchantress of Numbers", based around her), their presence in this story doesn't feel like a consolation, but rather brings a degree of colour to story-lines that might have felt a little hollow without them.
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The Doctor has a word with Barton (Lenny Henry). And it
isn't to complement the canopies... |
Despite the rushed pace and non-stop plot, this story does still offer its guest characters sometime to establish themselves. With the calibre of actors that you are working with here, you want to give them something to do, and this story does, for the most part, just that, although I do have some reservations. Lenny Henry, particularly, is fantastic as Daniel Barton, giving us one of the most fun portrayals of a villain in the modern show. If it wasn't for Sacha Dwahan, Henry probably would have been the highlight. Daniel Barton is an utterly believable, well-rounded villain, and Henry gets the chance to show his versatility and range as an actor. While Barton's motivation is a little nebulous, and his sudden disappearance at the end of the story smacks of forgetfulness more than anything else, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't seem him brought back at some point, as there are some interesting ideas raised with his character that I think would be a shame if they weren't addressed. Sadly, however, I would argue that our other big name guest actor, Stephen Fry, isn't treated with half as much good grace as Henry. While Fry himself is great, he feels wasted in a thankless guest role that seems ill-befitting of his talents. C does need a certain amount of gravitas behind it, I agree, but someone like Stephen Fry could carry a whole Doctor Who story, never mind a five minute set-up. The rest of the cast fare well, especially Sylvie Briggs and Aurora Marion as Ada and Noor respectively. They sensitively bring these figures to life, while, at the same time, making them interesting and relatable for the audience who isn't aware of their historical legacy. In the wrong hands, they could have been rather thankless parts, but, fortunately, the actors bring their A-game. The same can be said for directors Jamie Magnus Stone and Lee Haven Jones, who bring such an interesting visual style to each episode, and really attempt to push the boundaries with regards to the visuals. What's also great is that the pair of them are on the same page: both episodes share a common look, which is vital in a two-part story. When they announced that this story was to be directed by two different directors, I can't deny that I felt a little disheartened. However, their consistency across both episodes impressed me greatly, and actually made me regret my initial attitude. They both set themselves up here as some of Doctor Who's finest ever directors, and considering that list includes Douglas Camfield, Graham Harper and Rachel Talalay, that is high praise indeed.
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| "Did I leave the oven on?..." |
And then there's the ending. Wow. So far, the Chibnall era has played it relatively safe, certainly regarding Doctor Who continuity. Sure, we've had the Daleks, but the re-design was a one-off, part of the story and everything was the same at the end. Not here. Chibnall takes the double gamble of destroying Gallifrey AGAIN!, and revealing that the reference to the Timeless Child from last year wasn't just a throwaway line, but a key piece of the arc for the Whittaker era. Now, while I love the immediate potential that this gives, it does concern me that, going forward, we may end up retreading a lot of the same ground that the Russell T Davies years did, especially with regards to the Doctor being the last of her kind. I don't want us to end up going down the same route, especially considering that I wasn't massively keen on a lot of the post-Time War angst we ended up with the first time around. However, this shift in the dynamic of the show does give us a chance for Jodie to take her Doctor in different directions than perhaps she had previously. I suppose it will all end up being borne out in time, but I am looking forward to seeing where we go next. There are many more options now for the show, and I certainly think the idea of everything the Doctor (and, by extension, the audience) knows about Gallifrey being a lie is a very interesting direction for the show to take. Whether or not it is a success will depend, of course, on where we go next, but, let's say that, for the moment, I'm pretty excited.
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The Master (Sacha Dahwan), accurately capturing the reaction
of the audience at the moment of his reveal. |
Overall,
however, "Spyfall" is something very special. It's rare that you get
a Doctor Who story that is quite this exciting, quite this gripping and quite
this shocking. It isn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination. However, it's ambition, bravura style and showmanship will carry you though any rough patch, and will keep you engaged for the whole run-time. If this is the standard that Series 12 is going to be working at, we are going to be in for something very special indeed. "Spyfall" is everything it promised to be and more, and sees Doctor Who return in confidence and style. This is event television.
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| Who... Doctor Who! |
All pictures copyright to the BBC. Thank you very much for reading.
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