The final episode of Doctor Who season 11 has arrived. This season hasn’t had an overarching story. Instead, the Doctor and her companions have had multiple stand alone adventures.While coming off as more of a monster of the week special, Episode 10 is another one of these episodes. The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos takes fans back to the beginning. The season’s more episodic storytelling threw off viewers.
What the episode lacks in story it makes up for in character development.. Much like last week’s episode, this is a story about human beings in the universe. Doctor Who season 11 episode 10 not about the universe itself, it’s about human beings in the universe.
9 Distress Signals
The episode opens on an unknown planet. Two figures are preparing to do some sort of mystical work. A being arrives, bathed in light. The episode picks up 3,704 years in the future. The Doctor explains there are 9 different distress calls coming from one planet. The Doctor and her team move to investigate. The planet is giving off strange mental waves. When they arrive on the planet they end up in an empty ship. There they meet a commander named Paltraki. Paltraki, a commander, has arrived on the planet. While Paltraki can’t recall why he and his crew were on the ship, they receive a call from a mysterious figure. One of the beings from the first few moments calls and demands that Paltraki return something he took.
A new voice begins to speak. The Doctor and her crew recognize the voice. Tzim-Sha, the alien responsible for killing Ryan’s grandmother Grace. They learn that Paltraki stole something in a crystal. The Doctor doesn’t know what it is, saying that it’s impossible and shouldn’t exist. Ultimately they decide to save Paltraki’s crew and stop Tzim-Sha.The series began with Tzim-Sha killing Grace. Ultimately, the alien was responsible for bringing the group together. Now, Ryan, Yaz, Graham, and the Doctor find themselves facing Tzim-Sha once again.
Should have Brought Wellies
The group moves to investigate the source of the signal. Graham explains to the Doctor that he wants to kill Tzim-Sha. The Doctor says that if he does he’ll have to leave. The group arrives at the site of a massive battle with Paltraki. They come upon a massive alien ship floating above the landscape. After wading across a marsh, the group is dragged onboard the ship. The group splits up into three groups. Yaz and Paltraki go to try and find out what’s in the crystal. Graham and Ryan go to free Paltraki’s crew. The Doctor goes to seek out Tzim-Sha.
While Yaz and Paltraki investigate the crystals, Ryan and Graham discuss his need for revenge. Ryan says Graham is being ridiculous, Graham doesn’t agree. They end up facing Tzim-Sha’s robot army. Meanwhile, the Doctor meets one of the beings responsible for doing the mystical work. The being reveals herself to be an Ux. The Ux are a race of dimensional engineers with the ability to re-write the universe. The Ux identifies herself as Andinio. she reveals that they are performing Tzim-Sha’s will. Calling him “The Creator”, Andinio reveals that they defended their God. After taking the Doctor to see Tzim-Sha, Andinio shares that they turned their ship/shrine into a weapon for him.
Tzim-Sha, swearing revenge, has corrupted the Ux. Combining his alien technology with the Ux’s gifts, Tzim-Sha is using the Ux’s faith in him to get them to do his work. He’s built a weapon and he intends to use it to hurt the Doctor. The weapon’s target is Earth.
The Better Man
The Doctor and Andinio debate if Tzim-Sha is the creator. The Doctor points out he’s not. Tzim-Sha reveals his plans regarding the weapon to the Doctor. Graham, and Ryan work to free Tzim-Sha’s hostages. Graham and Ryan debate if Graham should kill Tzim-Sha. Ryan explains that he has come to love and care for Graham despite their differences. He doesn’t want him to kill Tzim-Sha knowing the Doctor would be angry. He explains that Graham’s wife Grace would want him to “Be the better man”. Meanwhile the Doctor learns that the weapon contains the matter of 5 planets. The ux work to create a rip in space time to generate enough power to power the machine.
The Doctor, desperate to try and save the planets, must work with the Ux. The Ux work with the Doctor and create a massive mechanism for the Ux to return the planets to their galaxies.The Ux mourn that he isn’t their creator. With the Doctor’s help, the Ux move the planets back into place. The movement causes the two of them unimaginable pain, but they accomplish it.
Meanwhile, Paltraki, Graham, and Ryan free the hostages. Paltraki takes them back to his ship. Graham and Ryan face off against Tzim-Sha. Graham faces off against him. Tzim-Sha
explains that Graham is weak. Graham denies it and refuses to kill Tzim-Sha. The alien mocks Graham’s weakness. Graham explains that if he ever saw him again he’d kill him. Each group makes a plan to defeat Tzim-Sha. Ryan and Graham work together to bring him down before locking Tzim-Sha in a stasis chamber for all eternity.
Travel Hopefully
The Ux hook themselves into the circuit that the Doctor created. Together, they all move the planets back into place. Graham arrives and explains to the Doctor that he couldn’t kill him. The Doctor compliments him. As the Ux leave they seal their shrine forever. The group reunites in Paltraki’s ship with the freed members of the captain’s crew. Paltraki says he’ll take the hostages home. The Ux also leave their planet. Andinio is nervous, but the Doctor urges her to travel hopefully. The Doctor explains that the universe will surprise them the more that they see. The group leaves on the TARDIS for another adventure.
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