The last few episodes have been plagued by a few missteps, little things that seem out of character for the denizens of the TARDIS, or introduction of characters/plots that seem not thoroughly thought out. World Enough and Time continues that trend, but in a different way. See that banner image up top? Yep. It’s the return of John Simm’s Master, the precursor to Missy. See below? Yep. The original Mondasian Cybermen (more on them later). Both were revealed in promotional material before this season even started. World Enough and Time is a HELL of an episode, chilling with an emotional gut-punch. The only real grievance is that I can imagine how incredibly potent it would have been without any forewarning.
Synopsis:
Friendship drives the Doctor into the rashest decision of his life. Trapped on a giant spaceship, caught in the event horizon of a black hole, he witnesses the death of someone he is pledged to protect. Is there any way he can redeem his mistake? Are events already out of control? For once, time is the Time Lord’s enemy…
Post opening credits, the episode feels very familiar. An ominous setting, a distress call drawing a Time Lord and his band to an ominous setting; only this time, it’s Missy in charge. It’s a test after her period of rehabilitation with the Doctor, to see how she performs out in the wild. His confidence in watching things from afar is sadly misplaced as a panicked member of the crew blasts a hole in Bill’s chest. Yep. That happened. Of course with a show that deals with the bending of time and space, it softens the blow/lasting impact of such a thing; however, the episode cuts to the past, a sweet sequence between the Doctor and his Companion discussing him keeping her safe. It’s this that really makes it hit home. Bill’s body is swiftly taken away to the bowels of the ship by lurching, masked entities intent on repairing the damage.
Down below, Bill awakens with a new mechanical heart and the eventual realization that the ship’s proximity to a black hole is causing time dilation. Minutes pass on the top deck where the Doctor remains, while below, weeks or even months pass. The time dilation aspect isn’t just some get out device, it’s smartly conceived in terms of showing the progression of the harsh conditions consuming the population below, but also the advancement of their technology. And their fate? Well, as they all discover, the ship is from Mondas, the original home of the Cybermen. Yep. These people are mechanically upgrading themselves with an intention to survive and escape. And now Bill is amongst them, and she’s in line for similar ‘improvements’.
A little nerdery for you now. Many of the Cybermen you’ve seen in Doctor Who since 2005 aren’t the originals. Nope, cast your mind back to Rise of the Cybermen and you may recall that the mechanical monsters you see are a product of Cybus technologies on a parallel Earth. In the Classic Who era, the Cybermen came from the planet Mondas (something somewhat contradicted by some later appearances), a sister planet to Earth — from a race of humanoids who upgraded themselves to survive. After their first appearance in The Tenth Planet, they were upgraded with sleeker designs culminating in how they looked in one of the final adventures of the Seventh Doctor in Silver Nemesis. Some of Moffat’s use of Cybermen since he took over as show runner is of the newer ‘robot’ design, but lack the Cybus ‘C” on the chest, suggesting a more evolved version of the Mondasian Cybermen. It’s never been made clear, but with the “next time” trailer showing the old and new versions, we may get some clarification on that.
It’s in this hospital ward that the real horror of the episode manifests. It feels more like a Victorian era spa, something out of A Cure For Wellness, than anything hi-tech. There are digital screams of patients, lurching figures, smoke strewn skies, and a pervading sense that something terrible is about to consume Bill. That it eventually does is terrible enough, but her last words are truly heartbreaking, as well as a damnation on the Doctor. Moffat has trundled out “the girl who waited” back with Amy Pond, and he does so again to chilling effect here. There’s something about how blase Capaldi’s Doctor has gotten this season. Him trusting Missy to be somewhat rehabilitated implies a staggering misjudgment. He’s not as reckless as 10 got in his final few episodes, but there’s no question it’s his choices that led to Bill’s fate. Is it permanent? Maybe; there’s every chance a new showrunner coming in will want a clean slate. It’s certainly clear from the flash-forward at the opening of the episode that the Doctor is to suffer a great loss before beginning his regeneration…alone.
The return of Simm’s Master — last seen plunging into the void along with the rest of Gallifrey back in The End of Time — is the other big event this episode. Thankfully, once revealed, Simm toned down the frenetic insanity he’s shown in the past in favor of a more in-keeping malevolence. Despite not really being a fan of Simm’s take, the scenes where the two versions were paired together were pretty great, also a reminder how this rehabilitation has neutered the character somewhat. More impressive than the makeup done to conceal him as Zathros from Babylon 5 was the fact that he managed to keep up the act of being ‘nice’ for however many years Bill was in his care. Granted we didn’t get to spend too much time in the presence of the Master/Missy, but part two should see to that.
Also…still failing to see the point of Nardole.
Even with hamstringing itself with the pre-air reveals, World Enough and Time is one of the best episodes of the Capaldi era. It feels big even though it is focused in terms of scale and narrative. Bill’s instant embrace by fans pays off with an emotional wallop, setting up high stakes for the finale. Fingers crossed The Doctor Falls delivers an ending worthy of the opener.