Doctor Who: Survivors Of The Flux Review - 6 Ups & 6 Downs
6. UP - The Grand Serpent
The Grand Serpent was back this week, doing his best Dot Cottan impression and managing to behave more like The Master than the current Master. Also, now he keeps horrifying little pets that teleport inside you and suffocate you from the inside. A+ for style and creativity.
The Grand Serpent is a different kind of villain to what we typically see in Doctor Who - a patient, crafty antagonist who slowly worms his way into UNIT over the course of sixty years. The Grand Serpent steers UNIT from its very inception to land himself in a position of immense power by 2017, quietly assassinating anyone who stands in his way.
As of yet, his motives or reasons for having an interest in Earth haven’t been revealed, and we’re still not entirely sure exactly who he is, but it seems as if we’re primed to find out next week. If not, he’ll be heading for the down list. For now though, this guy is a pretty slick and formidable character who has managed to single handedly dismantle Earth’s foremost defence force.
Plus, Craig Parkinson is just the best at playing those characters you love to hate.