Doctor Who: Wish World Review - 4 Ups & 6 Downs
9. UP - An Intriguing Dystopia
This is my biggest up of the week. I’ll admit, I found the central setup of this episode quite fun. I’m partial to a dystopia, especially one that’s a little bit George Orwell, it’s ‘doubt police’ and one-man propaganda machine. Despite all the other fluff, I do think Wish World nails this aspect pretty well.
Are we aping Marvel once again? Yes. If last season’s episode seven was inspired by Infinity War, then this year we’re clearly doing WandaVision (with a dash of Loki with that gorgeous retro UNIT set). It’s derivative, but they’re both excellent shows, and Doccy Who, for the most part, does manage to capture their vibe.
I like how this episode utilises Conrad, and a world that’s essentially constructed from a grifter’s imagination is a terrifying concept. I reckon he’s being set up to side with Mrs Flood against the Rani, what with his mummy issues and all, and whilst I think that may be one plot arc too many, I’m not mad that he’s here. He’s an easy character to love to hate, and a strong inclusion.
Two small jabs I enjoyed this week: firstly, Conrad finding ‘thinking’ extremely hard, and the not so subtle J.K. Rowling dig with that book cover.