Blair Loveday
Doctor Who is one of the longest and oldest running nerd series around, and somehow this nerd only got into it recently.
I have slowly been making my way back through the Seasons and I am loving it. So with the chance to check out the mini series Flux on DVD, I jumped at the chance.
Doctor Who is generally a series of individual episodes that contain an isolated story. Season Thirteen is a big change to this in that it’s a six episode mini series. The series tells the story of a universe and time destroying event called the flux which is causing absolute chaos. And the only person capable of saving everything is the Doctor.
The series kicks off with an old villain being released. If you are new to the series, like me, then you won’t have a clue who he is, but you know he is bad. He kicks off the flux and things go bananas. We are also introduced to a Liverpool man called Dan. Dan is captured by a new character who is a giant dog-like being called Karvanista. When the Doctor and Yaz follow the strange signals in Dan’s house, the journey to Karvanista’s spaceship winds up with them learning about the flux, and its impending taking over of Earth.
Dan winds up with the Doctor and Yaz in the TARDIS and the Flux hits, sending them all in different directions in time. The story goes absolutely bananas, with a bunch of iconic villains, and some weirdness with time as the worlds history is rewritten. On the whole, it’s a really fun Doctor Who romp.
If you are new to the show, then this isn’t the worst jumping off point. There are heaps of old characters and some information that is really useful to know as a long time watcher. On the flip side, as with every new companion, Dan really helps a new watcher ease through the questions. Is the TARDIS alive? What’s the deal with the Doctor? Space travel? Lots of questions you will have, will be asked by Dan as he goes from living his chill Scouser life to travelling through space. There were plenty of times I was lost and had no idea which characters were new and which were old, but I was in it for the journey.
The DVD collection comes with heaps of special features on each disc which is super awesome, but it doesn’t come with the Season 13 Specials which is unfortunate because they wrap up a few storylines. I really wish it did come with them, as finding places to watch Doctor Who in NZ is hard.
Doctor Who: Flux is a really awesome and fun series that is as good of a starting point as any for someone wanting to check out the show. There are some plot holes, and it’s not always consistently excellent, but it’s dumb and fun. Turn your brain off, and enjoy the 6 hour journey the series has to offer.
