Doctor Who review: Series 12 begins with a blockbuster episode in Spyfall: Part One

Spies, conspiracies, aliens and a massive cliffhanger! Series 12 of Doctor Who kicked off with the blockbuster episode Spyfall: Part One!

A year after the last episode, (exactly a year, in fact), Doctor Who fans finally got to watch a brand new adventure for the Thirteenth Doctor and her team. But how strong was Spyfall: Part One? Was it worth the wait?

Personally speaking, I’d say yes. Spyfall was a really fun, blockbuster episode. And honestly, after Series 11, we really needed that. I’m not saying that Series 11 was terrible, but it did feel surprisingly low-key overall. All the stories felt very standalone, and even the finale lacked the epic or even emotional impact that we’ve come to expect from such major episodes.

Spyfall at least feels different to that. Radically different. I’ve used the word “blockbuster” to describe it because honestly, that’s exactly what it feels like.

This isn’t just because of the clear influence from James Bond movies (although that certainly helps). But the episode featured a worldwide scale, a huge threat, and at least a couple of clear, dangerous villains.

Lenny Henry as Daniel Barton is probably one of the stronger villains we’ve had in recent years.

Photo Credit: Ben Blackall/BBC Studios/BBC America

Refreshing old-school

This last point is particularly important. Series 11 had a major issue where the villains were either weak (such as Krasko in Rosa, or even the more major villain of Tim Shaw from the opening and closing episodes), or were even non-existent. Something that’s long been important in Doctor Who – and indeed, in many, many stories – is having a clear, strong villain. So to have so few of those in the last series was definitely disappointing.

Which is why Lenny Henry’s character of Daniel Barton felt like a breath of fresh air. Despite the fact that we’ve seen so many like him before, it honestly felt so refreshing to have a villain that felt so old-school. A powerful and rich super-villain is a trope we’ve seen in many a James Bond movie, but then again, that was kind of the point, and Lenny Henry played that part very well.

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Bond pastiche

Speaking of which: it was a very smart move of showrunner and writer Chris Chibnall to use the James Bond formula. It’s simple and recognizable, and it’s an easy excuse to make the story feel bigger than usual.

At the same time, there’s no question that Spyfall is a Doctor Who story. There are alien threats, otherworldly environments and, of course, a leading character who prefers to use her wits over conventional weapons. The nods to Bond are there, and they help the story, but they don’t overwhelm it.

Lastly, the episode ended on a truly fantastic cliffhanger. On first viewing, it almost seemed to come out of left-field, but it works. A key reason for that is Sacha Dhawan’s fantastic performance. He was wonderfully endearing as the new character O – a charming and likable geek that seemed to fit the current TARDIS team really well. So the ending was a bold move, but it definitely worked.

Overall, Spyfall: Part One was a satisfying opening episode. It was big, bold and best of all, it was fun. Here’s hoping the rest of the series continues to be this promising.

What were your thoughts on the first part of Spyfall? Did you love it? Hate it? Do you think it was an improvement over Series 11? Let us know in the comments below.