Doctor Who Series 12: 10 Huge Questions After Spyfall Part 2
All the key talking points as Doctor Who's Spyfall concludes with more Masterful revelations.
You have to feel for Graham, Yaz and Ryan. They have finally got the Doctor to open up about who she is and where she is from, only to be left with even more questions. Lots of them, as Graham says.
That’s pretty much how we feel after watching part two of Spyfall. We found out the identity of the aliens, we learnt about the Master’s latest scheme and how the Kasaavin and Barton fit in, but plenty of questions remain and the story doesn’t quite all add up, so far at least. Spyfall isn’t as much of a head-scratcher as Steven Moffat’s most convoluted plotlines, but even on repeated viewing we are left with more ehs than ohs.
Many of those gaps will be explored and answered as the series progresses, the whole Timeless Child thread and the fate of Gallifrey will be hanging over the Doctor for some time, taking the wheels off that happy-go-lucky, adventuring spirit who last season seemed so happy in her own skin. With three companions on to her evasiveness, she’s not going to be allowed to wish it away.
Don’t be surprised to see several returning characters. The Master is a dead-cert, of course, but Barton’s disappearing act suggests his story isn’t quite done yet (a cameo to come, maybe?), and the Kasaavin are likely to feature again, probably as part of the finale just like Tim Shaw last season.
10. What Were The Kasaavin Doing On Earth?
Like the Silence before them, if we are to believe the Master, then the Kasaavin have been hidden on Earth for centuries, acting as spies. Their original motive was one of self-defence, protecting their own realm from discovery and invasion. Humanity is one civilisation among many they are keeping tabs on.
We know very little about them other than their role as alien spies. Are they paranoid by nature, or do they have cause to be wary of every other intelligent life form outside their reality? Why do they want to stay hidden? Do they have anything besides themselves to protect?
Their reality, some kind of giant organic data-centre, might look like an eternal maze of thick weed-like protrusions, but it is finite. The Master tempts them with his plan for human hard-drives, reasoning that they could do with the additional storage space.
There are too many unknowns for these creatures not to be making a reappearance, but a degree of mystery ought to remain even if we do find out more about their civilisation. The most effective aspect of the Kasaavin is their ghostlike and uncanny forms. They are intrinsically unknowable and are all the better for it. Going forward, they might prove useful allies for the Doctor, especially if they hold valuable intel on the Time Lords. Could they have been part of how the Master uncovered the ‘truth’ about the Timeless Child?