Live from Master Closet Studios, you’re listening to the only podcast on the internet that is still in 1904: It’s the Noobs and the Whovian!
My name is Austin and I’m the Whovian and these are my sons Corbin and Tripp and we’re the noobs!
This is the podcast that introduces a whole new generation to Doctor Who by watching an episode each week and discussing it from the perspective of a dad who HASN’T seen it before, and two sons who haven’t.
Welcome to Episode 183 covering Series 13 episode 5 entitled Doctor Who: Flux, Chapter 5 – Survivors of the Flux
Super-short Recap
This is the one where the Doctor talks a lot while the companions actually do some crap.
Production notes
- Story #297e
- Originally aired November 28, 2021 to 3.82
- Village of the Angels was 3.45 overnight and became 4.55 in the consolidated
- Written by: Chibs
- Directed by: Azhur Saleem
Checklist
- Name of the episode spoken in dialogue?
- nope
- Creature of the week
- Freaky serpent thing
- TARDIS
- She’s just hanging out at UNIT
- Random Jiggery Pokery
- Adaptive hologram?
- Jibberty Jabberty
- I just want to read this to you: Swarm builds a psycho-temporal bridge to the Doctor using the Time Force harvested from the Temple of Atropos and the spatial energy harvested from the lifeforms trapped within the Ravagers’ Passengers in conjunction with the psychic link between Swarm and the Doctor. He and Azure use the bridge to reach the Division ship outpost. (TV: The Halloween Apocalypse, Once, Upon Time, Village of the Angels)
Other stuff we noticed
- How do we feel about the Doctor “turning into an Angel” only being a form of transport?
- The end of the world is predicted to be December 5th, which is when The Vanquishers will air!
- It’s finally official: Earth is the center of the universe, or at least what’s left
Who’s Who?
- What is the Flux? Like seriously. What the heck?
- It’s creating ripples through time that would impact certain people. So… psychics are real?
- What is the Division?
- Simple and indescribable.
- It began as a group on Gallifrey to ensure the safety of the galaxy. It grew as Gallifrey grew.
- The Doctor is indignant about Division interfering in cultures & civilizations.
- It’s sitting just outside Universe One
- It exists to protect the universe, but because of the Doctor’s meddling and giving people hope, they are going to destroy the universe and move into another.
- Who is Awsok?
- Basically, the leader of Division
- She’s, let’s be clear here, the one who found the Timeless Child, the one the Doctor used to call Mother, she’s… TECTEUN!!!!!
- Who is Prentis/The Grand Serpent?
- He showed up in 1958 and guided UNIT
- I’m kinda confused. Was he TRYING to guide UNIT well, or destroy it? I don’t get it.
- Who is Kumar?
- The hermit on the hill
- This guy was so great!
- I love the trope of the grandiose greeting to the grand sage who then is like “hey dudes, whassup?!”
- Who is Karvanista?
- Why did Karvanista hyperjack Bel’s ship instead of Juverost’s (the one that fell out of formation)?
- He doesn’t have time travel, idiot!
- Who is Williamson?
- He has HAD IT!
- A ship? A ship at sea?!
- Was that ghostly, sir? Did you feel it?
- Who is Swarm?
- Who is Azure?
- She claims to be able to cure the Doctor’s pain? Or was that a threat of “we’ll kill ya so you don’t hurt anymore”?
- Who is Passenger?
- Vinder and Diane meet up in one!
- Who is Claire?
- I guess we’re done with her? What was her deal in The Halloween Apocalypse?
- Who is Bel?
- She doesn’t like being called a coward
- Who is Tigmi?
- There was some conversation in the group this week that confused me. Apparently some people think Tigmi is JUST an AI. Like Siri or something.
- Who is Vinder?
- He immediately caught up to Bel?
- Who is Professor Eustacius Jericho?
- Just awesome
- Who is Dan Lewis?
- Oi, Dan. Are YOU from Liverpool? Why have you never mentioned it?
- Who is Yasmin “Yaz” Khan?
- Taking charge and kicking butt!
- She and the others have been on their own for 3 years, but 1904 was a LONG year!
- There’s no use being squeamish, we’ve got the world to save
- This pretty little girl can look after her self, it’s these two you have to worry about.
- Who is the Fugitive Doctor?
- Will she be back this week?
- Who is the Doctor?
- Her friends are never lost?!
- She got a nice new addition to her outfit for cosplayers in that conversion plate/brooch
- She’s a virus that got out into the experiment
- Morality was always her flaw.
- She thinks Tecteun was wrong for taking her from that planet.
- First, she likely saved her
- Second, it’s exactly was the Doctor does with companions!
- I can stop this, I can save them. I’m the one!
- She finally said it. She’s the Messiah!
- All her memories were quantum stored in the Weeping Angel, but have been transferred to the fob watch.
- You me, and the end of the universe, it’s personal now. And I’m gonna win.
Classic Who Connection
- We see the creation of UNIT! Very cool to get it’s origin story and interesting that they made a reference to the War Machines. The War Machines serial is a First Doctor story set in 1966 where humans created an AI computer which deems humans inferior and creates weaponized computers who attempt to take over the world.
Overall impressions
- Overall rating out of 10
- Jared – 7.5 UNIT backstories
- Austin – 9.5 face crystals
- Corbin – 8 indian hermit monks living in a mountain
- Tripp – 8.5 stranger snakes
Theories
- Jared – Swarm was a Time Lord or comes from the attempt to give Time Lords regenerations (connected to the Timeless Child storyline).
- Tripp – The doctor and swarm are from the same dimension, but not same race. Dan is somehow important to the division.
- Tigimi is dan. Tigimi has to be sent back in time so dan can grow up in the right time and an angel will send him back in time. The next episode starts with the doctor getting her memories back. She loses and the master and the doctor move on to the next universe leaving the rest behind. Prentis and the master are working together.
- Austin – The Flux is the Nexus that takes you to the Timeless Child’s universe/dimension
- Something’s up with Dan. I think he is a Timelord
- There is a connection between Williamson and Dan, they might be the same person
- The Timeless Child was used to create the Angels just like the Time Lords
- Tigmi is the Timeless Child
- Yaz et. al don’t make it back.
- Corbin – Tigmi is Swarm or Swarm AND Azure
The Game Plan
- Next week is, or course, Doctor Who: Flux, Chapter 6 – The Vanquishers
- After Series 13, we want to do a Best Of series. We’re going to cover our favorite story from each NuWho Doctor, as well as our favorite Festive special! And by “our” I mean “all of us”. Go to noobsandthewhovian.com/bestof to take the survey and help us pick the very best of NuWho.
Closing
Noobs and the Whovian is a production of Master Closet Studios, where it’s always smaller on the inside. Your Senior Producer is Austin Reason. Our Audio Engineer is Thing One: Tripp Reason. Our Production Editor is the Other One: Corbin Reason. Special thanks to tardis.fandom.com for the trivia, and to Jared for the Classic Who Connection. Shout outs to Victor and Jared for their Patreon support.
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Until next time, be safe if you can. But always. Be. Amazing.
