Previously on Doctor Who: The Doctor, Clara, a young Rupert/Danny Pink, AND a future descendent of Pink’s went on a journey to find out what hides in the dark, or under your bed when you are alone. Clara took an unexpected trip to Gallifrey where she met a young boy who would grow up to be the Doctor and basically promised him that one day he would do great things. And now…
Who’s Bloggin’ Who…
 

“TIME HEIST”

Written By: Stephen Thompson and Steven Moffat

Directed By: Douglas Mackinnon

One of the things Doctor Who has always been great at doing is all that wibbly, wobbly, timey, whimey…stuff. The Doctor is always encountering people who he’s either already met, or is yet to meet in some way or another. This story is really the first time that Capaldi has been able to handle that type of setting. How did he do? Let’s dive right in and find out!

The episode begins with the Doctor basically begging Clara to jump in the Tardis with him and spend the day together sightseeing. But alas, she already has other plans with Danny Pink, as it seems the two have grown even closer than the previous episode. Alright, I’m sorry, but if a time traveler were to show up begging you to go with him on an incredible journey throughout time and space, would you turn him down because you had a date? I mean, I know Clara’s already been with him through a lot, but still, stuff like that doesn’t happen every day! Well, actually, maybe for her it does. Suddenly, the phone on the Tardis begins ringing, which completely catches the pair off guard. Very few people in the Universe actually know the Doctor’s number, including the mysterious woman in the shop that first gave it to Clara. The Doctor Answers, and the two immediately find themselves in completely different surroundings.

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They appear to be in some sort of chamber, and they’re not alone. Joining them are Psi, a computer hacker who actually has a cybernetic computer for a brain. And Saibra, a humanoid who can shapeshift into anyone she touches. They’ve all been brought together by a figure on a screen known as “the Architect”. They’ve all had their memories wiped, and are given instructions to somehow break into the Bank of Karabraxos, the most impenetrable bank in the entire Universe! The Doctor quickly takes point on the situation, even due to Psi’s constant questioning of who put him in charge in the first place! I think the thing I like best about this situation is that the Tardis is nowhere to be found. It always adds a fun dynamic when the Doctor can’t just run into his blue box and immediately find the answers. Secrets are soon uncovered, such as Psi previously wiping his own memory as protection to all of his loved ones. And Saibra’s belief of her ability to be a curse.

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They quickly find out that security forces know they are in the bank, and word finds its way back to the boss, Ms. Delphox. She brings with her to the main floor an alien known as the Teller, who is said to be the last of his kind and has tremendous psychic abilities. The Teller finds a man who had guilt on his conscious over his plan to deposit counterfeit funds at the bank, locks on to his brain, and turns it into soup. The foursome continue to follow the Architect’s instructions, and soon find a box that contains four small devices which the Doctor calls a “last resort”. I love it when we see a new creature introduced into Doctor Who lore. The Teller looks definitely amazing, and you can see the sadness in his face over his current situation.

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Things begin to get hectic the further they go into the bank. Clara finds herself in trouble when the Teller locks onto her brainwaves, but the Doctor saves her, and Saibra is instead caught. Only instead of having her brain turned to soup, she uses the device known as an atomic disintegrator to end things her own way. Psi immediately takes offense over the way the Doctor treats Saibra’s apparent death, and the two argue until guards show up and they have to continue further into the vault. Ms. Delphox has released the Teller to track them down, and once again gets ahold of Clara. This time, however, Psi is the one who chooses to sacrifice himself in order to save Clara, and uses the atomic disintegrator. Realizing they’re the only ones left, the Doctor and Clara head into the vault and see just what it is that the Architect wanted them to steal. The Doctor soon realizes that because of the solar storm that is bearing down on the bank outside, the Architect must be a person from the future who knew the exact time the bank would be the most vulnerable, and thereby easiest to break into, and sent them there at that very moment. See, what’d I tell ya? Wibbly wobbly, timey whimey! Inside the main vault, they find a device that could restore Psi’s memories and a formula that would help stabilize Saibra’s condition. I always love those moments when things start to click for the Doctor, and once he began to realize just why they were there the episode took a big step forward!

Of course, security soon finds them, and they are taken straight to Ms. Delphox’s office. They are ordered to be killed, but the two security guards in the room turn out to be Psi and Saibra! Those devices were not atomic disintegrators, but instead teleportation devices. The newly reunited foursome return to the vault, where they find the private vault, which actually turns out to be the living quarters of Director Karabraxos! It turns out that Karabraxos clones herself, names the clone “Ms. Delphox”, and stations them around the bank. She then issues the clone to be incinerated. This angers the Doctor, but he soon finally realizes that through Karabraxos’ hatred of her clone, there is a connection between him and the Architect. Who’s the only person that can hate him the most? Why…HIMSELF! As Director Kalabraxos, attempts to leave the vault, he gives her a piece of paper telling her that he is a time traveler, and includes his phone number for her to call! The Teller soon arrives, and after reading the Doctor’s mind to unlock the blocked memories, he unlocks a nearby door and we see another creature of the same species. This one was being held captive so that the Teller would work for Kalabraxos! The Doctor set all this up in the future after receiving a call from future Kalabraxos on her death bed so that the species would be saved! Psi gets his memories back, Saibra uses the serum to save herself from her condition, and Clara still makes it to her date with Danny.

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I honestly feel that this was the best episode of the season thus far! Doctor Who always seems to do its best when the writers decide to think outside of the box, and who doesn’t love a heist story? Capaldi now has four episodes under his Doctor belt, and this one I think really showcased him as the Doctor we all love who is trying to decode this mystery in order to save everyone! He takes such glee when he figures everything out, and even more when he is able to save not just a group of people, but an entire species. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a future version of Capaldi’s Doctor remembering something in his past that has to be done in order for his future to be what it is. Remember when he showed up with all of his previous selves to put Gallifrey in the pocket Universe during “The Day of the Doctor”? I loved how they continue to showcase the Doctor’s wonderment over the mysterious woman in the shop that for some reason wants Clara and him to stick together. So far, all signs point to Missy, and I hope we get some answers to just who she is soon. Until next time…