It’s a joy to watch a series hit its stride, and most importantly feeling comfortable in its own skin.
Doctor Who has not had the luxury of, either frankly, since the halcyon days of Matt Smith‘s 11th Doctor. Peter Capaldi’s run did not find its stride, or find its confidence in its characters and tone (or strong enough story arc for that matter) until the waning days of his final season. This made for a very tumultuous three seasons there were equal parts brilliant and forgettable.
However, Season 12 (so far) has proven that this show has found its stride, and is more than comfortable not only in its own skin — but diving into the deep end of beloved Whovian lore.
Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 2, ‘Spyfall, Part 2’ on the surface is your run-of-the-mill Who episode. The Doctor finds away through some timey whimey chicanery to defy all logic and save the earth (and the universe) from utter destruction. The episode has the requisite nebulous extraterrestrial army, the corrupt human contact, heavy-handed commentary on society’s dependence on technology, and some wonderful musings from The Doctor about hope and humanity.
While this aspect episode, like all the episodes that have the same exact story beats, is fun — it’s not what makes this episode fantastic. It’s The Doctor and The Master (Sacha Dhawan) that do.
Sacha Dhawan has been an utter revelation as The Master. His reveal in ‘Spyfall, Part 1‘ was genius — so genius that even though I knew he was The Master, Dhawan’s performance made doubt the spoilers. Dhawan, throughout these two episodes, has been able to infuse The Master with sociopathic psychosis, post traumatic rage, and high octane mustache-twirling villainy. The chemistry between Whittaker and Dhawan is amazing — their chess-like maneuvers around each other through this episode was breathtaking to watch. They make an excellent Doctor/Master combination and offer a wildly different yet strangely familiar vibe to Peter Capaldi/Michelle Gomez/John Simm and David Tennant/John Simm.
While The Master won’t be the every episode villain, I love what he sets in motion. He plants the seeds of doubt for The Doctor about Gallifrey, and The Timeless Child. He breaks her heart at his destruction of her home planet, which we all know The Doctor saved in The Day of The Doctor. Whittaker’s performance here is staggering — her heartbreak is palpable, and it’ll be interesting to see how this trauma colors the soul of The Doctor this season.
I highly recommend, if you have the time, to watch Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 2 in a binge format with the season premiere. It makes for a really complete, and compelling viewing experience.
