Doctor Who review: Missy meets her exact opposite in The Lumiat
By James Aggas
Doctor Who spin-off Missy: Series 2 begins with her meeting her exact opposite in the form of the Lumiat. But who is she really? And how does she know so much about Missy?
The second series of Missy kicks off with the evil Time Lady having a lot of fun by indulging in plenty of chaos and destruction. She’s hoping to get the Doctor’s attention, but someone else entirely shows up. Like Missy’s best enemy, this mysterious woman is a complete do-gooder who enjoys saving people. But who – or what – is the Lumiat?
Lisa McMullin clearly had a lot of fun writing this episode. What’s particularly great is how much she indulges in Missy being completely and utterly evil. Series 1 didn’t exactly shy away from it, but The Lumiat takes it up to eleven.
Missy gets to have plenty of truly nasty moments in this episode – usually while being absolutely hilarious at the same time. We should hate her for it, but at the same time, we can’t help but root for her. McMullin knows how to write a great villain protagonist, but more importantly, she knows how to write for Missy perfectly, a key reason why this story works so well.
(L to R) Beth Chalmers, Eve Webster, Matthew Jacobs-Morgan, Gina McKee, and John Banks feature in this opening episode of Missy.
Image courtesy Big Finish Productions
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Who is the Lumiat?
What also makes the story work is the Lumiat herself. Initially, we know little about her, other than the fact that she’s eager to stop Missy’s evildoing at any and every opportunity. The first half is essentially Missy trying to find out who she is, creating as much chaos as she can to get her attention.
The second half of the story is when her identity is revealed. And it has to be said, it’s a brilliant idea. One that’s a clear (and even openly stated) parallel to another Doctor Who character.
Gina McKee is fantastic as the Lumiat. She’s not just the exact opposite of Missy, but she’s also her equal. For example, while she prefers to be nice and do genuinely kind things, she’s also more than a little kooky and funny, too. She’s a perfect match for Gomez and brings a high level of energy to the role, which is exactly what a character like the Lumiat needed.
The Lumiat is an enjoyable opening story to Missy: Series 2. It’s an episode that’s not just fun to listen to, but also features a lot of nods to the history of the character. More than that: it even foreshadows Missy’s ending – and beyond…
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If you haven’t listened to the episode yet, do you have any theories on who the Lumiat could be? If you have listened to it, do you think the character’s identity is a strong idea? Let us know in the comments below.