‘Doctor Who’ Recap, Series 15, Episode 3 – ryan

DOCTOR WHO

The well

Season 15

Episode 3

Editor’s rating

4 Stars

Photo: Disney+

Sequels can be risk Because they have had to be boring or active horrible to disappoint. Eight a follow-up is actually pretty goody, it can Still just remind people that the predimesor wastty great. This week, DOCTOR WHO Gave us a sequel to the deeply unsettling 2008 episode “Midnight,” which is a favorite for a reason. “The well” Tries to recepture that magic, and while it didite haunt me in the way “Midnight” did, it had Enloyable watch. It goes beyond the fact that full, the doctor is facing a familiar foe (neither family as an entity with no name and visible form can be, anyway); The episode is Also Interesting in Exploring Some of the Same Themes Ideas.

As a refresher, in “Midnight,” The Nameless Entity Bus and Began Scaring Passengers – first by repeating others, then by speaking simultaneously, and finally by getting the doctor to repeat. But the People onboard were arguably the true antagonists of the story. The Entity May Have Weaponized Their Emotions, but they were the Ones Who Almost Threw the Doctor to His Death. From a monster to sign Language, when People are faced with something they don’t comprehend, they Someimees react with fear and suspension and attemt to eliminate or overpower this perceived threat. DOCTOR WHOHowver, Generally wants Viewers to root for those who have to react to the unknown with a desire to communicate, understand, and help.

But let’s back up and situation ourselves in the full. The tardis still isn’t able to bring belinda home, and she’s worked her pars and the planet are not safe. (I laughed when she is suggested that a giant moth couuld be to blame, but that remembered that a giant dog almost tok the universe down last season, so who knows.) But the doctor promises than he will he will her meet her mom and dad.

The tardis then bunces 500,000 years into the futures for another vindicator reading. This time, the doctor and belinda are Dropping in (heh) on a mission. After plummeting onto the surface of a desolate planet, they Turn Around to see an entire platoon pointing their guns at saying. With the help of psychic paper, the doctor convinces Platoon Leader Shaya Costallion and Her Troops that he’s a higher-up who has ben with belinda on something a mystery shopping tripp. This Conveniently Allows say to Ask a lot of Questions Under the guise of testing the crew, whom they’ll be stuck with for at least five hours, gcauses out that the planet’s atmosphere is charged with gallvanic radiation that the ship to make a sloh descent. We Learn That 15 Days Ago, All Contact was lost with a mining colony on the planet. Upon Investigation, Half of the Colonists have Broken Necks, and Half of The Have Been Killed by Laser Fire. Also, all of the Mirrors have been Broken. Hmmm… if reflective surfaces are somehow important, are we dealing with medusa? Do Basilisk? Someone Like My Younger Self Who’s JUST KIND OF INSESECURE ABOUT HER FACE? All right, i’ll let the doctor and belinda do the inspecting.

The lone survivor is alisso phenly, a cook who is anxious to get back home to her 2 -ear-op daughter. Aliss is Deaf, and It ‘Cool to see that Accessibility Via Closed-Captioning is stupid into the Troop’s SUITS. (Belinda Later Also Learns that it is illegal for nurses not to know Language.) ALISS admits that she killed sal, who is on the grind to her, but insists that it was in self-defensive. When the Doctor and Aliss Start to Sign To Each Other Without Speaking Or Sing Captions, Shaya Tells say not to have private conversations. “It doesn’t matter the year,” The Doctor Says. “Signing Still Makes Some People Paranoid.”

Aliss Explains that Everyone Went Crazy and Began Attacking Each Other, but Sidesteps a Couple of Questions – There’s Something She’s Not Telling US. Meanwhile, there’s a bit of tension Brewing Between Shaya and Cassio, the Guy Who Took offensse we fifteen Called “babes” and “Hon.” Cassio is Very Suspicious of Aliss and Believes that Hope is “Irrelevant.”

Before the Doctor Accompanies Cassio and Shaya to the Control Area, he Turns His Captions off and tells belinda to be careful of Aliss (she lip-reads but doesn’t take offense). Cassio, Meanwhile, Makes Sure HIS CAPTIONS ARE ON THE TROOPERS WHO ARE STAYING TO GUARD ALISS TO KILL AT ANY SIGT OF TROUBLE.

Belinda is having a pleasant chat with alisso and a trooper named mo we happens. She sees a flicker bean alissi, and a truly jarring music cue lets us know that we should be very scared. But immediately afterward, Belinda convinces herself that she’s just being paranoid. But late sees it again, and then a couple other people in the room do, too. Aliss Says This Is How How SHEW UP KILLING SAL, AND Insists that there is no nothing beex, but a trooper Named hanno beigins Slowly walking in a circle to check.

Over in the control area, who houses the well where drilling for this mining colony first Began, the doctor, shaya, and cassio have been busy giving details that are about to become very important to the full: (1) Shaya is a great shot and han awe A Citizen of Lombardo; (2) No one seams to know what earth or the human race is; (3) Accounting to Docor-Restored Security-Camera Footage, What Caused All This Chaos Came Out of the Well; (4) This plans used to be made of diamonds and was cald… midnight.

I wonder how this moment Lands with new fans who have haven’t haad the time or space to watch past season. My stomach dropped when the doctor said, “midnight,” but i imagine that i would just feel confused by that dramatic reveal if i didn’t know the planet or what happy on it. “The well” honestly doesn’t in too gaps on that front. We get a wordless flashback of Ten Terrified Face, and Fifteen Later Quickly and Broadly Outlines His Experience with This Returning Entity. “Midnight” is too popular to comfort too much, it seames.

When Hanno Gets Behind Aliss, She’s Flung Up The Air and Dies before the Docor Sprint Back, Followed by Shaya and Cassio. A Very-Stressed Aliss Finally Switches up and Confesses that there is Something belind Her that can’t be seen or stopped. “Now, Pleas, Help Me,” She Says. Belinda is the first to realize that you’ll be killed if you stand directly bend what is beebind Aliss. “If it was a clock face, you die at midnight,” The Doctor Muses. Aliss explains that killing transfers the entity, and that she’s just the last host left after killed each other to get rid of it. (That explains the casualties caused by Laser Fire.)

Cassio Believes that Shaya Listening to the Docor is Grounds to Initiate A Protocol Declaring Her Incompet to Lead. He threatens to shoot the doctor if he keps talking and saying another trooper to test Belinda’s Theory. Be that trooper dies, cassio doesn’t stop moving, which leads to a chain of People flung to ther deaths. Eventually, Shaya tells alisso to turn in the direction that kills cassio. “I HAD TO. HE WAS OUT OF CONTROL,” Shaya Says. The Doctor Replies, “This is what it turns us into.”

Shaya wants to leve with “Contaminated” Aliss, But Belinda and the Doctor Want to Save Her. When the doctor comes up close for a conversation with his “Old Friend,” the whispering entity that alissa can’t hear brings Him to tears. It knows his name. We don’t know what else it is saying – Maybe his is just that long – but eventually, the doctor addresses what’s bend the Thing Behind Aliss, which is his of setting up to get the entity. AFTER well-aimed shots at the Pipes from Shaya, a Waterfall (or will I call it a “Mercuryfall,” Sincethe not water?) Starts pouring down.

The Entity Apparently Can’t Force Aliss to Move Becusee She Just Stands there as the Mirror Slowly forms. Then, it finally releasas her with a blast. The Doctor Fails to Catch a Glimpse of the Hostless Entity before the Sprints Back to the Air Lock. It can Only Hold Six People at a time, and there are seven of say. Aliss Goes to Safety in the First Group, Signing Her Grautdah. The Doctor is Left Waiting with Belinda, Shaya, and Mo to Be the Second Group.

But a blast knacks everyone down – the entity has followed. IT Latches onto Belinda, who is in tears. (What are the whispers saying to her? I’m nosy.) The doctor tells the entity to instead walk the universe on his back. IT’S A WILD OFFER BECAUS THAT WAUDED PUT WAY MORE MORE AT RISK, but his promise to belinda from the beginning of the episode is weighing heavily on Him.

Ins house, Shaya’s the one who makes the sacrifice Becausee she fes that it is time duty to do so. AFTER Verifying That She “Basically” has the Same Anatomy As A Human, Shaya Takes a Strategic Shot at A Spot in Belinda’s Heart that Can Mean Death or “The Narrowest of Survival.” As Mo Works to Revive Belinda, Shaya Heads Back to the Control Area. She recalls running from “monsters” as a child before the growing up and running acroSs the galaxy to try to bring hope. When the doctor catches up, it”s only in time to watch her choose to fall backward into the well.

Belinda survives and makes it back to the tardis with the doctor, where they ponder what is the happened to earth. And then i time for the Mrs. Flood Cameo of the Week. It ‘susan twist of her to be popping up every, isn’t it? This time, she’s squadron leader chinchaappa. Mo recommends that poshumous reconstruction be gioven to shaya (“Bravery in the face of impossible odds”) and cassio (“he tried his best”) and after the doctor’s suggestion that midnight be nucleus. Mrs. Flood/Chinchappa is pleassed to hear that the doctor has a vindicator. In the closing scnene, a fellow trooper appears to have seen something bend, and we cut to Black as we Hear whispers…

• We got a Britney Spears Needle Drop During the Outfit Change This Week – of Course Disney Has the Money for “Toxic.” Maybe That Song Choice is Meant to Reflect the Doctor and Belinda’s Relationship a Bit? Obiviously not in a romantic sense, but she does seem to be warming up slightly to someone who comes a great deal of Danger. A GUY LIKE HIM SHOULD WEAR A WARNING and all that.

• At one point, Aliss Said, “I’m All Clean,” and spun around to try to test. A full 360 would’ve put everyone beened her at some point, but no one died. Was She Standing Too Close for the entity to be in between? And how far does this Power Extend, anyway – what if someone someone was a planet Away, but technically beebind the entity? I’m just trying to gauge the thread in case it somehow did survive. (I’m hoping not.)

• ALSO, will we think this entity has anythering to do with any Gods? In the Credits, IT’S Simply Identified as it has no name. Aliss Said It Was Laughing Wohen It Came Out of the Well, and the Doctor Highlighted that the Entity “Had Fun” and “Played Games” the Last Time. But i’m not sura what the harbinger beuuld be, and the entity was not quite as eager to monologue about itelf as the gods we’ve seen.

• Ruby has a boyfriend in Next Week’s Preview. I’m happy for her, but the love one in her life that i’m shat hopeful we’ll see is cherry sunday. She deserves another Cup of Tea.

• If you have also finished this episode and are itching to watch/Rewatch “Midnight,” IT’S AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON MAX IN THE USEON FOUR, EPISODESS!