BWW Recap: Will It Be War or Peace with the Zygons on DOCTOR WHO

By: Nov. 07, 2015
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On "The Zygon Inversion," things are at the boiling point between the rebel Zygons and U.N.I.T.

Bonnie, the Zygon clone of Clara, hits The Doctor's plane, but not without Clara, who realized the link, making her miss the first one. The connection between the two of them comes into play again, when Clara is able to force Bonnie to wink when talking to The Doctor, giving away the location of Clara's pod. This prompts Bonnie to visit Clara, who she knows has the real location of the Osgood Box.

While Clara and Bonnie talk, Bonnie realizes that their heartbeats are connected, so she can get Clara to tell her the truth, or she'll kill her. With this technique, she gets Clara to tell her how to access the Osgood box.

However, Bonnie finds out that there isn't just one Osgood Box, but two. Kate, Osgood and The Doctor show up to where the boxes-and Clara-are being held, and a stand off takes place between Kate and Bonnie, both of whom want to press their respective boxes. Each box has two buttons: truth or consequences. For Kate's box, one kills all of the Zygons and the other sets off a warhead that kills everyone in London. For Bonnie's, one normalizes every Zygon and the other makes the Zygons never able to change to their normal selves again. Angry, The Doctor explains to them how these boxes represent war, and how even though you may think you're making the right decision in the beginning, you have no idea who will die, and how many innocent people will be hurt. In an impassioned speech, The Doctor reminds both of them how he's done more damage and hurt more people than anyone. He heard his entire species scream, and the pain it caused made him promise himself that he'd never let anyone else make that mistake again.

Kate backs down, and Bonnie realizes that both boxes are empty, because she's thinking like The Doctor, now. She understands where he's coming from, and once she agrees to put the ceasefire in place again, she decides to take the form as the other Osgood in order for them to continue to keep the peace.

I really enjoyed the scenes where Clara was trapped in her pod. The actualization of her memory as her apartment, but with things that are slightly off was a good way to explain how she sees what's going on in the outside world, and how she can influence Bonnie. Clara is shaping up to be one of the strongest companions yet. When The Doctor tells Bonnie that he made the right decision with his box because he had Clara in his head, it made it very obvious that Clara's The Doctor's moral compass. This worries me, though, with her impending departure, I wonder what's going to happen to The Doctor when she leaves, and if he will spiral.

The Doctor's speech in this episode was incredibly moving. Peter Capaldi shined in this episode, alternating from witty to very emotional. His speech to Kate and Bonnie was passionate and strong, and it reminded me of how much pain The Doctor has been through, and all that he lost. It was a speech to remind us of why he does what he does: to make sure no one will ever feel the same pain and make the same mistakes he made. This episode also made another indication of his impending loss of Clara. After all of the trouble with the Zygons is resolved, he and Clara head back in the TARDIS, and he reminds her that he will be the judge of time, and then gives her a look that is very telling of the sadness that he feels for her fate. I don't know what he knows about Clara's fate, but he definitely knows something. He told her it had been a long month, and she corrected him saying it'd only been five minutes, and even though that was a joke from Clara, that could be The Doctor indicating he's an older version of himself-or I could be over thinking it!

I also have to say, I love how Osgood has gone from Doctor fangirl who won over everyone's hearts, to the protector of the human race. For someone who loves The Doctor, being able to turn down the life as a companion is a huge show of strength and determination. I look forward to future appearances--and Doctor wardrobe choices--from Osgood!

I enjoyed this two-parter, especially The Doctor's moment over the Time War, but I'm ready for a glimpse at what the over-arching story for this season will be--mainly what Clara's fate will be, and when Missy will be back. Since this season is close to over, it's time for a bigger look at what's to come!

Moments from "The Zygon Inversion"

-Osgood: "Sonic specs, isn't that a bit pointless?" - Thank you, Osgood, for saying what everyone thinks!

-The Doctor: "Don't look at my browser history"

-Doctor John Disco is a great name for The Doctor.

-But wait, The Doctor's real name is Basil?!?

-Well the T.A.R.D.I.S. apparently stands for Totally And Radically Driving In Space

-The Doctor: "I'll be the judge of time."


Leave your comments on tonight's episode, below, or tweet me at @kaitmilligan! Be sure to check back next week as I recap another episode of DOCTOR WHO!

Photo Credit: Simon Ridgway, © BBC WORLDWIDE LIMITED



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