Doctor Who: The Timeless Children review

The Timeless Children

The last episode of Series 12. Does everything change? Does nothing change? Who's the Doctor, really? Were there Cybermen on Gallifrey? Was the Master telling the truth? Where did the Timeless Child come from? What did Brendan have to do with anything? Some of these questions were answered. The Master pulls the Doctor through to Gallifrey, leaving the survivors, the 'fam' and Ko Sharmus to fend for themselves. In the Citadel, the Master hooks the Doctor up to the Matrix...

The Master uses the Matrix to tell the Doctor what he found out about the Timeless Child and the origin of the Time Lords. Or, what his view of it is. An ancient Gallifreyian Shabogan explorer, Tecteun discovers a child alone, next to a monument and a rift to another dimension. (Which she doesn't investigate when the child refuses to say where she came from?) It certainly increases the mystery. The two send more time exploring before returning to Gallifrey. And then it's revealed that regeneration comes from the child.

(And that Tecteun experimented on the child to splice the ability into the Gallifreyians. Certainly an interesting idea.) Then the big whammy. The Master then says that the Timeless Child is the Doctor! Like, what? Doesn't really make sense. But at the same time, the Master is talking to the Lone Cyberman. Telling him to come through the Barrier to Gallifrey so they can join forces. Ashad reveals his goal. Get rid of all organic life via a death particle in his chest, after turning the Cybermen into robots.

Although the Master says that isn't special. That is a particularly good scene. Yas, Graham and the others escape from the ship by pretending to be Cybermen. It's certainly inspired by earlier instances of companions pretending to be antagonists, but it works, and it was done well. It is also consistent with the development of the characters so far. The scenes in Ko Sharmus' base were also done well, with Ryan's 'slam dunk' destroying a group of Cybermen being a rather good call back. The Master compresses the Lone Cyberman, but the particle isn't activated (yet.)

Yas steps through to Gallifrey first. Consistent with the way her character has been going. I'd like to see more of her. The Master reveals that he's turning dead Time Lords into CyberLords. Interesting idea, and a rather good scene. But not as good as when the Doctor escaped from the Matrix by using her memories. (Ruth, Doctor and Morbius Doctors pre-Hartnell... Still, everything and yet, nothing.) The revelation hasn't really changed the Doctor. But escaping, the Master and his CyberLords was done well.

A House TARDIS in Sheffield, and a Tree TARDIS on the desolate planet. Judoon surprise! A good ending to this interesting episode. More in the Three or Two Part finale review. 8/10.