Doctor Who: Wish World Review - 4 Ups & 6 Downs
Doctor Who Season 2 starts to fall apart at the final hurdle.
When I was a kid, I’d watch a series of Doctor Who, and as the season went on, my excitement would grow. Those little teasers spread throughout, foreboding what was to come – I’d eat them up. A Doctor Who finale was event television, the point at which the hype train arrived at the station. They weren’t always the best stories of the season, in fact they rarely ever were, but they always felt like a big deal.
My relationship with the Doctor Who finale is rather different these days, and I don’t think I’m the only one. Finales are something I dread – the mystery boxes are a chore, the inevitable twists and reveals are just words at this point. A finale is what drags a strong season like we’ve had this year right back down to Earth, and Wish World is no exception. Worse than that, Wish World makes me appreciate finales like The Battle Of Ransoor Av Kolos, because, despite being utter trash, at least it didn’t hinge it’s entire plot on the showrunner’s Classic Who fanfiction.
Wish World was, ultimately, more of the same. More evidence that we really, really need some flesh blood behind the scenes of this show.
10. DOWN - A Lack of Context
At the end of the previous episode, we were given a typical finale-lead-in cliffhanger. Fifteen and Belinda attempt to return back to Earth, and, as they do, the TARDIS doors explode.
If you were hoping that one was explained, I’ve got bad news for you, because you won’t be getting context. In isolation, this isn’t a big issue, it’s a gap we can conceivably fill in our heads. The issue lies in the fact that there’s an awful lot more we see in Wish World that I think it’s unlikely we’ll get context for. What’s up with the giant bone palace and the dinosaurs? Why is Susan Twist here again? What’s the deal with Belinda’s family? WHY IS MRS FLOOD BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL?!
There are at least five mysteries by my count (Susan Foreman, Omega, Poppy, Rogue, Mrs Flood) that are all far more central to the plot than any of the above, and the finale is going to struggle as it is to balance them all, especially with the Rani, Conrad, Ruby and UNIT also in play. It feels unlikely that these smaller threads are also going to be explored.
Quite simply, they’re there because they are – half-baked ideas that we’re just meant to run with because there’s not enough time. If an episode leaves you with this many questions, that’s not good writing. Give me one good mystery, not ten mysteries I couldn’t care less about.