Doctor Who is back with “Spyfall” part 1, and fans around the world are rejoicing! 2019 was a long year without any new episodes, but the New Year is here and the waiting is over. This post does contain spoilers. If you have not seen the new episode, then please read no further.
The First Half of “Spyfall” Part 1
The episode starts off with a bang right away. We see unknown creatures coming from nowhere, and they look like they take on whatever they walk through. This makes them virtually invisible until it’s too late. These creatures are taking out people across the globe. Pan to the opening credits.
We see Ryan, Yaz, and Graham living their “normal” lives. Ryan tells his mates that he’s been sick and travelling. Yaz tells her family and boss she has been working undercover. I mean, why not? As a police officer, that’s the dream right? Graham is getting a doctor’s checkup and mentions he has also been travelling. Each one of them is approached by black vehicles and people in suits telling them they need to go with them. Once they’ve been picked up, it’s the Doctor’s turn. The Doctor is working on her TARDIS. She’s “draining the water slides, and the bone lakes, and the rain forest floor.” One must keep up maintenance on their time machine, obviously!
The mysterious suit-wearing people in black vehicles pick her up, and off they go. Soon into their drive, the navigation system starts attacking. This felt very Sontaran at first, but the shape of the creatures attacking them says otherwise. I digress. The Doctor sonics their way out of the situation, and the fam ends up at MI6. Enter Stephen Fry! “C” is the head of MI6 who supposedly has read the Doctor’s file and mistakes Graham for the Doctor. To him, the Doctor is a man. However, the Doctor buts in with, “I’ve had an upgrade.” I am loving that response! “C” lets them know that spies around the world are being taken out, and their DNA is being re-written. “C” then explains the only agent who understands extra-terrestrial activity is agent “O” and he has been fired. Thankfully, O is the Doctor’s friend!
The Second Half of “Spyfall” gets even more intense
Yaz and Ryan are tasked with infiltrating Vor in San Francisco, a too-powerful search engine while the Doctor and Graham are off to Australia to see “O.” Spies and intelligence agents seem to be the targets of these mysterious creatures. The leader of MI6 (Stephen Fry) has been killed, so now the fam is on their own. As they enter the TARDIS to escape, one of the creatures starts to enter! The Doctor has no idea who these things are or where they come from. She’s hoping her friend will have information.
Flash to Yaz and Ryan going undercover. Ryan is supposed to be a photographer while Yaz is a reporter. Ryan has a hard time staying calm, which is not super conducive to being a spy. Yaz gets some information about Daniel Barton (Lenny Harry), the CEO of Vor. The two notice that Barton is only 93% human. What is his other 7%? Later, Yaz and Ryan infiltrate Barton’s office and find out he is helping (or controlling?) the mysterious creatures. Barton tells the creatures that they need to be “more discreet.” He leaves, and as Yaz and Ryan attempt to leave, Yaz gets attacked! She is sent to what looks like an empty void, and the creatures around the globe almost look like they’re activating.
Back in Australia, Graham and the Doctor are working with O, the Doctor’s “friend.” He manages to capture one of these mysterious creatures after a horde of them attack. Somehow, it disappears and Yaz appears. The Doctor picks up Ryan, and they still cannot figure out what is going on.
Thankfully, Yaz and Ryan got invited to Barton’s exclusive party. “Fancy a trip in the box?” was the Doctor’s invite to O, and O was so excited! The smile across his face was pure and priceless. Everyone goes to Barton’s party in their fancy attire. The Doctor in a tux is always such a fun look.
The Doctor confronting Barton with no beating around the bush was golden. She didn’t sugar coat why she was there and that she knew he was up to something. Of course, he tries to get away. The Doctor and her friends (including O) chase him on motorbikes. This reminded me of when the 11th Doctor rode his motorbike, so that was fun. They wind up in an airplane hangar.
Plot Twist
As the gang are running to chase Barton as he tries to take off in an airplane, we notice O is falling behind. They end up catching the plane, and O apologizes for being slow. He claims he was always the slowest in his class. However, the Doctor says she read his file. O was the fastest in his class. O then reveals that they should have been looking for the “spy master.” The spy…MASTER. O IS THE MASTER. The look on the Doctor’s face is pure terror! Of course, I was in absolute shock! Didn’t the Master die? Missy killed the Master the last time we saw them! The Master then shows them no one is flying the plane, and the real agent “O” has been shrunk with the Master’s Tissue Compression Eliminator. There is a bomb in the pilot’s seat! The Doctor can’t stop the bomb, and the Master calls in the mysterious creatures to take him away. So of course he is in control. Just before he leaves, he says, “Everything you think you know is a lie!” What does this mean? He then sends the Doctor into the same void Yaz was in, and now the airplane is crashing with the Doctor’s friends inside. Uh oh!
My Thoughts
This episode had my attention from the beginning, and so much happened in that one hour. AND it’s a two-parter? Talk about starting this new series off with an incredible story! As much as I loved series 11, “Spyfall” is already my favorite 13th Doctor story. I love the Doctor in a tux, and her over-confidence while playing cards was adorable. Oh, and can we also talk about Sacha Dwahan’s acting? I was rooting for him the whole time and was even giddy when he was giddy about the TARDIS. He and Yaz had some sweet chemistry, and then HELLO MASTER! What incredible acting. Sacha nailed his potrayal of the Master. None of us saw this coming! Does this mean the mysterious creatures from nowhere are Cybermen? Is this Master from a different timeline, possibly before Missy or even John Simm’s Master? He did have the Tissue Compression Eliminator. This device is from the classic era. What will happen to the Doctor’s friends as the airplane is falling from the sky? Where is this void Yaz has been and now the Doctor is trapped in? The entire episode was exciting, and I am looking forward to what happens in “Spyfall” part 2.
Fan Reactions
Fans across the world were tweeting during the premiere of “Spyfall.” Let’s take a look at some reactions!
https://twitter.com/IrishGoddessMEM/status/1212541695125909504
https://twitter.com/traceybee007/status/1212545701286039552
This episode so far is the most Doctor Who #DoctorWho has been in a while!!!! Please stay like this!! #Spyfall
— Katie Bienvenue (@kabienvenue) January 2, 2020
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— Christel Dee (@ChristelDee) January 1, 2020
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