Doctor Who Flux: 10 Huge Questions After The Vanquishers

Swarm and Azure are very swiftly extinguished by Time. These jarring endings are a bit of a habit with Chris Chibnall’s writing. On a sad note, Jericho’s end is equally sudden and barely remarked upon, and Karvanista becomes the last of the Lupari in an off-screen assault. The gravity of the event is signalled by him howling, but he soon returns to his usual sardonic self. Sontarans (twice) and also Tecteun are likewise instantly written out during this series. Williamson is conveniently returned to his time when the very first door the Doctor checks happens to be the right one.

But is the Ravagers’ story really over? Has Time killed them permanently, or can he pull them back into service at any time? Azure experiences her death as a religious epiphany. To her it is not a punishment, but a reward to be freed from the confines of space and a body.

The Ravagers claim to only exist because of the Doctor. They tell her that she is a mistake that must be corrected by them. Swarm even says she is the universe. It seems to point to a struggle that began before the Ravagers were captured on Atropos. There is more than revenge in play.

We still do not know why or how Azure ended up chameleon arched as a human living in Scotland. It could be due to the series being substantially reduced due to the pandemic, but it might also suggest their story is not quite done.