Almost forgot to write a bit for The Flux. Finished it in my rewatch. Written about it before. Didn't want to repeat anything I'd already said.
Love The Flux. One of the best stories of 13's Era.
My only notes revolve around the sadness that it had to end at six episodes. Probably for the best to be honest but I would have liked a little more time to digest what Swarm and Azure were both meant to be to the bigger narrative other than an abstract nihilistic threat to the universe and to The Division, which was another abstract but authoritarian threat?
Beyond that it was just awesome!
Karvanista, Eustacius Jericho (RIP), Claire Brown, Peggy from the Village of Angels, Mary Seacole, the Sontarans (lol an arguable all-time favorite villain), Bel and Vinder, Dan's parents (and the overly dramatic music playing off as he gets handed a wok to approach an alien ship), the Mad Mole, Kate Stewart, and of course Team Tardis.
I guess I feel we also didn't get enough time to understand The Grand Serpent? We were given a surface level understanding of his evil which was plain enough...his dispatchment felt a bit like a climactic short-straw. Maybe if the mole himself had been the one to open the door? Idk. Another reason more episodes might have not been the worst idea.
In fairness, what we did get with his tampering into UNIT was still pretty great. He found a way in through a "weak link" that was really just a human being making a connection with someone else over a shared fascination of the unknown. Very believable method of espionage.
Still would have liked to see his form of time travel. Feels like that is rather special and his use of a genuine article and a name that is a grandiose title implies he has some connection to...idk...Timelords or their naming conventions?
Maybe there was more originally and they didn't have enough time in production.
So yeah! Overall a very enjoyable story and easily Top 5 Thirteen plot. Arguable Top 3.
Lest I forget this was also the story we received two gems in the Thasmin plot where The Doctor replaces Yaz's sister in her visions of her own life and the Doctor's interactive hologram message.
The way the hologram ended was incredible and so relatable. Love it when I watch a story and the characters do things we would do. The hologram is a helpful message from the Doctor's perspective and from Yaz's: the most important keepsake. The Doctor wandering off hearing Yaz talking to her is just like a voicemail you may receive from someone as they hear you from another room while they'd been leaving it.
This era really understood how to slow things down and embrace the little things.
The Flux (rewatch ranking): 8.5/10 only some notes. 😅