TV REVIEWS: FTN Reviews Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 2: Spyfall Part 2

And thus ends the first arc of the new season of Doctor Who, and much like the companions to the Doctor…I have questions, loads.

I’ll admit, “Spyfall Part 2” did deliver on some really interesting things, but its biggest downfall by far was trying to make things a bit too complicated for its own good. As a result, things had to be rushed at the end, certain things about the whole evil spy plot felt unresolved or not touched upon, and more.

Obviously, the two big questions about the end of Part 1 was how the compansions of Graham, Ryan and Yaz were going to escape the crashing plane. Leave it to the Doctor to figure out a way, all the while predicting how everyone would react to everything. Furthermore, there was the question of the “afterlife” that the Doctor was at. Turns out, it wasn’t an afterlife, but another dimension of sorts. Want me to explain more of that? Sorry, I honestly didn’t follow that thread of what the Doctor was saying.

Because not long after she was there, she ended up in the 18th century with the lady, Ada Lovelace, who helped make computers…and then she was in 1943 with a codebreaker in occupied France…and the Master was in both places…and it honestly got more complicated from there.

Meanwhile, the compansions were on the run for their lives after they were basically blacklisted by Barton (in a very cool and very scary use of technology) and had to use what spy gear they had left to survive everything.

Again, at times, it was very cool and compelling, including Graham having to dance to use the laser shoes (which can we just admit that it was a funny gag, but no spy would ever have laser shoes that require that kind of movement?) to save the day. But again, they just kept adding layers that were pointless or confusing. Like Barton traveling around so fast, his apparent hatred of his mother that led to killing her, how he “escaped” unscathed from his plan failing and more.

As for The Master, I still question whether he was the right villain to bring back so soon after Capaldi’s run with Missy. Especially since he basically confirmed that he is after Missy in regards to how he visited Gallifrey in the pocket dimension…and then destroyed it because he learned the “truth” about the “Timeless Child’ that was teased back in Season 11.

I’m not sure we needed to have another twist on Gallifrey lore, especially one that apparently rewrites everything we knew about them. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.

Jodie Whittaker though was a treat in this episode, she was incomprehensible at times as she tried to explain it all, but her energy and love for what was going on really showed. As did the horror of seeing Gallifrey burning after she worked so hard to save it in her past lives. She’s clearly rattled, and wants to know why the Master did what he did. But how long until we find out what the Timeless Child is? Only time will tell…

In the end, “Spyfall Part 2” did an ok job of filling everything out (are the companions now free and clear from the blacklisting?), but they went too deep down the rabbit hole in my opinion, and the quality of the arc suffered as a result.