The world is slipping into chaos — possibly life-altering, no-more-Earth chaos — and we have to wait an entire week to see how the Doctor fixes it (so business as usual for a Doctor Who fan).
On the night that inspired Frankenstein, the Doctor and her companions stop in 1816-era Lake Geneva due to something strange in the air. The Doctor gives her companions three rules when visiting with Mary Shelley and her friends: Don’t mention Frankenstein, nobody interferes, and under no circumstances should they snog (kiss for the non-Brits) Lord Byron — guess which rule is broken first.
The Doctor was given another rule from Jack Harkness — don’t give the Lone Cyberman what it wants — and, well, you can guess how that one goes.
The episode began as a spooky story. A couple of famous 19th-century authors (Mary Shelly and Lord Byron) and their friends were simply enjoying an evening of ghost stories when the Doctor showed up and strange things started to occur. As everyone split up throughout the night, they began to realize they couldn’t move from where they were. The house, in order to guard something, had become a maze from which they could not escape. And it wasn’t just a ghost or ghoul who was trying to get the “something,’ but a creature much viler: the Lone Cyberman. This creature is different from the rest of its race: It is not quite finished and is made from mismatching parts, similar to Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Someone had sent Cyberium (a silvery, all-knowing substance that holds the entire future of the Cyberman race within it) to Lake Geneva in 1816, and Percy Bysshe Shelley mistakingly picked it up. The winding rooms and ghastly sights were a product of the substance hiding within him to protect itself. The Doctor had no choice but to risk humanity to save Shelley’s life by extracting the Cyberium from him and giving it to the Cyberman. A poet’s words shape history, she says, and if he died the world as we know it would cease to exist. Unfortunately, if the Cyberman continues in his plan to raise an army, the world will also cease to exist.
Meanwhile, keep in mind that the Master is still out there. The 12th Doctor already learned the consequences of Cybermen teaming up with the Master, and my bet is on everything coming full circle once more. Thirteen seems to know that one (or all) of her companions could meet a similar fate — mentioning that she always ends up alone in the end.
The two-part finale starts next week. Until then, check out the best tweets about last night’s episode below.
Jack at Thirteen right now#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/tvTCuGlTV6
— cal (@callumread_) February 16, 2020
why is she so relatable #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/9XVatQ2Po6
— emily // 🩷💜💙 (@13stardisfam) February 17, 2020
do you hear that? that's the sound of my heart shattering into a million pieces.#doctorwho pic.twitter.com/0WNKQ1wZTM
— caitlin ☾ UNIT COMEBACK ERA (@katesunitold) February 16, 2020
“Cause sometimes this team structure isn’t flat. It’s mountainous, with me at the summit, in the stratosphere alone. Sometimes, even I can’t win!”
– An absolutely brilliant performance from Whittaker, a truly defining moment for her Doctor. 😍#DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/gGjOzuff7E
— Hybrid12Whovian ✨ (@Hybrid12Who) February 16, 2020
Photo: BBC
