This is the second part of a two part story and follows on from the fun but flawed opening episode. This, in my opinion, is equally fun but slightly more flawed. It is full of drama and variety of settings so is enjoyable mostly but it has aspects I feel are not done well enough.
The cliffhanger from Part 1 was superbly exciting and dramatic with one of the best surprise reveals of The Master. As well as the shock reveal we had the return of the classic Master weapon - tissue compression - and a thrilling conclusion on the aeroplane. That thrilling cliffhanger is thrown away with the opening of this episode and that is my first big complaint: The way that cliffhanger is resolved at the start of this episode is rather like the escape from the Pandorica in Steven Moffatt's The Big Bang and is similarly deflating for me. The Doctor goes back in time and gives them a bizarre and convoluted way to escape and she does this after she meets back up with them. It is somewhat of a paradox and somewhat of a deus ex machina. I don't think it was done very well.
The Master takes centre stage in this episode which soon lifts the episode back to high level thrills. After a maniacal, quite over the top entrance in his reveal scene, Sacha Dhawan settles into a more nuanced performance which is truly menacing and impressive. He seizes the role and makes his incarnation of the Master an instant hit.
The Kasaavin had been setup as a highly intriguing, menacing and powerful alien threat in Part 1. They take a back seat to the Master in this part and their mystery remains unresolved in the story and for the remainder of the Chibnall era which is ultimately unfulfilling.
There are some comedic scenes with laser shoes that are definitely not to my taste and the whole of the companions part of the story is not as strong as it should be with some silly humour that I personally find unfunny.
On the other hand, the Master's plotting and interference in history makes for great plot development and change of pace from the first part. This is hugely added to by the different periods of history being used as well as the modern day. Exploring real historical figures and their impact on the world is a lovely and important element but the historic settings also provide rich visual and thematic variety. We get some very enjoyable scenes of drama and humour.
The Master's face-off with the Doctor is powerful and the guest actors are strong giving depth and warmth to the characters. Ada Lovelace especially is so engaging and well presented that she becomes a character I wished could remain as a regular.
When we reach the conclusion of the story we get a thrilling and jaw dropping revelation as the Master tells us he has devastated Gallifrey after finding out dark secrets of Timelord origins and of his and the Doctor's identities. "We are not who we think we are"! Once it all panned out in the Series 12 finale, I felt Chibnall rather fumbled the resolution of this set-up, as he frequently fumbled many other plots, and it was hugely controversial. But I found this electrifying at the time. It was delivered brilliantly in the final scenes of the episode and left me with such excitement for where this arc would lead. It actually made me the most excited for the show I had been since the Russell T. Davies days.
That exhilerating, suspenseful ending and the good aspects of the story filled me with hope but beneath the surface there were signs that Chibnall was not fully up to the task of nailing storylines as well as he should. He didn't even nail this story as well as he should so my optimism was a little bit blind perhaps.
My Rating: 7/10.
Series 11 Episode Ranking: 8th out of 11.
(Overall Average Rating for Spyfall Parts 1 & 2 - 7.5/10.)
The cliffhanger from Part 1 was superbly exciting and dramatic with one of the best surprise reveals of The Master. As well as the shock reveal we had the return of the classic Master weapon - tissue compression - and a thrilling conclusion on the aeroplane. That thrilling cliffhanger is thrown away with the opening of this episode and that is my first big complaint: The way that cliffhanger is resolved at the start of this episode is rather like the escape from the Pandorica in Steven Moffatt's The Big Bang and is similarly deflating for me. The Doctor goes back in time and gives them a bizarre and convoluted way to escape and she does this after she meets back up with them. It is somewhat of a paradox and somewhat of a deus ex machina. I don't think it was done very well.
The Master takes centre stage in this episode which soon lifts the episode back to high level thrills. After a maniacal, quite over the top entrance in his reveal scene, Sacha Dhawan settles into a more nuanced performance which is truly menacing and impressive. He seizes the role and makes his incarnation of the Master an instant hit.
The Kasaavin had been setup as a highly intriguing, menacing and powerful alien threat in Part 1. They take a back seat to the Master in this part and their mystery remains unresolved in the story and for the remainder of the Chibnall era which is ultimately unfulfilling.
There are some comedic scenes with laser shoes that are definitely not to my taste and the whole of the companions part of the story is not as strong as it should be with some silly humour that I personally find unfunny.
On the other hand, the Master's plotting and interference in history makes for great plot development and change of pace from the first part. This is hugely added to by the different periods of history being used as well as the modern day. Exploring real historical figures and their impact on the world is a lovely and important element but the historic settings also provide rich visual and thematic variety. We get some very enjoyable scenes of drama and humour.
The Master's face-off with the Doctor is powerful and the guest actors are strong giving depth and warmth to the characters. Ada Lovelace especially is so engaging and well presented that she becomes a character I wished could remain as a regular.
When we reach the conclusion of the story we get a thrilling and jaw dropping revelation as the Master tells us he has devastated Gallifrey after finding out dark secrets of Timelord origins and of his and the Doctor's identities. "We are not who we think we are"! Once it all panned out in the Series 12 finale, I felt Chibnall rather fumbled the resolution of this set-up, as he frequently fumbled many other plots, and it was hugely controversial. But I found this electrifying at the time. It was delivered brilliantly in the final scenes of the episode and left me with such excitement for where this arc would lead. It actually made me the most excited for the show I had been since the Russell T. Davies days.
That exhilerating, suspenseful ending and the good aspects of the story filled me with hope but beneath the surface there were signs that Chibnall was not fully up to the task of nailing storylines as well as he should. He didn't even nail this story as well as he should so my optimism was a little bit blind perhaps.
My Rating: 7/10.
Series 11 Episode Ranking: 8th out of 11.
(Overall Average Rating for Spyfall Parts 1 & 2 - 7.5/10.)
