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"The Vanquishers", prefixed frequently with either "Chapter Six" or "Flux", is the sixth and final episode of the thirteenth series of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who, and of the six-episode serial known collectively as Doctor Who: Flux. It was first broadcast on BBC One on 5 December 2021. It was written by showrunner and executive producer Chris Chibnall, and directed by Azhur Saleem.

The episode stars Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, alongside Mandip Gill and John Bishop as her companions, Yasmin Khan and Dan Lewis, respectively.

Plot

The Doctor runs from Swarm, taking Tecteun's Ood with her. Swarm and Azure advance on her but the Doctor takes off her conversion plate and, as Swarm touches her, is split into three copies among the Division spacecraft, Bel's ship, and the Liverpool tunnels.

On the Division spacecraft, Azure attempts to return the Doctor's missing memories to her using the fob watch. The Doctor refuses to see them. Azure reveals her intent to engineer the Flux into a time loop of universal destruction. The Ood attempts to slow down the Flux.

In the Passenger, Vinder and Diane disrupt its internal systems and escape into another unknown environment.

Yaz, Dan, Jericho, and Williamson take out the Sontaran vanguard with lightning from a tunnel door before traveling to 2021 through another. They meet Kate Stewart who is leading a resistance against the invasion. The Doctor bargains for Claire and Jericho to help them find the final Flux event's coordinates. She takes her TARDIS from Kate.

The Doctor crashes Bel's ship into the Sontaran command headquarters. They are stopped by a force field, captured, and placed on a Sontaran ship. Karvanista reveals that during the Doctor's time in the Division, he was her companion. He cannot say more about it, under threat of a Division poison implant in his brain. The Sontarans remove the Doctor and inform Karvanista of the Lupari's extinction.

The Doctor piloting the TARDIS frees her copy from the Grand Serpent's torture device and aims it at him.

Bel downloads Sontaran transmissions offering alliance with the Cybermen and Daleks, a ruse to sacrifice them to the Flux while the Lupari shield ensconces the Sontarans. Claire escapes the ship. Jericho cannot. The Doctor rescues Vinder and Diane, and reforms the Lupari shield behind the Sontarans, leaving the Flux to consume the Sontarans, Daleks and Cybermen, as well as Jericho. The Doctor uses the Passenger, a repository of endless matter, to absorb the Flux.

Azure and Swarm bring the Doctor to Atropos to sacrifice her to Time, but since the Flux failed to free Time, Time destroys them. Time lets the Doctor go but warns of her end before reunifying her. In the tunnels, Kate and Vinder maroon the Serpent on a small asteroid through a door. Vinder and Bel decide to travel with Karvanista. Dan invites Diane on a date, but Diane refuses. The Doctor invites Dan to join her and Yaz on their travels. She deposits her fob watch deep into the TARDIS interior.

Production

Development

"The Vanquishers" was written by showrunner and executive producer Chris Chibnall.

Casting

The series is the third to feature Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, and Mandip Gill as Yasmin Khan, with John Bishop having joined the cast for the series as Daniel Lewis.

Filming

Azhur Saleem directed the second block, which comprised the third, fifth, and sixth episodes of the series.

Broadcast and reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)	40%
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)	5/10
Review scores
Source	Rating
The A.V. Club	B−
Radio Times
The Independent
The Telegraph

Broadcast

"The Vanquishers" aired on 5 December 2021. The episode serves as the final part of a six-part story, entitled Flux. In the United States the episode aired on BBC America.

Ratings

The episode was watched by 3.58 million viewers overnight. The seven-day consolidated rating (counting all views across all platforms within seven days of broadcast) was 4.64 million. The episode was the sixth-highest rated programme on BBC1 for the week, and the 26th-highest programme across all channels for the week.

Critical reception

Martin Belam of The Guardian called The Vanquishers "a decent episode that ended what was the best, most consistent season of the Whittaker era." Louise Griffin for the Metro gave the episode three stars out of five, describing it as "a finale that’s enjoyable but feels like it’s frantically trying to tie up loose ends as efficiently as possible." Isobel Lewis for The Independent also gave the episode three stars out of five, writing that "Flux has revelled in its own confusion, but while some bits in the middle feel like a hazy blur (the less said about episode three, the better), the pay-off is largely satisfying." Patrick Mulkern of the Radio Times gave the episode four stars out of five, describing the story as having "resolved satisfyingly" in an episode in which "everything but the kitchen sink, the dog basket and the loo brush was being chucked into the mix."

References

1. "Chibnall Has Written All of Series 13 Solo (Bar One Episode), Confirms Directors". Doctor Who TV. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
2. Collis, Clark (22 January 2020). "Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker will play time traveler for at least one more season". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 23 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
3. Cremona, Patrick (30 November 2020). "Doctor Who: Mandip Gill says there's "more to come" for Yaz and her mental health storyline". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
4. Foster, Chuck (1 January 2021). "New companion for Series 13". DoctorWhoNews.net. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
5. Laford, Andrea (9 August 2021). "Doctor Who Series 13 and 2022 specials: directors and casting news". CultBox. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
6. ^ "Doctor Who: Flux, Episode 6". Rotten Tomatoes.
7. Siede, Caroline (6 December 2021). "Doctor Who's Flux finale falls flat". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
8. Mulkern, Patrick (5 December 2021). "Doctor Who – The Vanquishers review: Flux draws to a satisfying, if frenetic, conclusion". Radio Times. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
9. Lewis, Isobel (5 December 2021). "Doctor Who review, 'The Vanquishers': Series finale is more funny than terrifying as Jodie Whittaker fights for the universe". The Independent. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
10. Hogan, Michael (5 December 2021). "Doctor Who, episode 6 review: Flux ended less with a bang, more with a sequence of small squelches". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
11. "The Vanquishers". BBC. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
12. Haring, Bruce (9 October 2021). "'Doctor Who: Flux' Unveils Season 13 Trailer, Promises New Villains For Jodie Whittaker Finale". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
13. Mellor, Louisa (9 October 2021). "Doctor Who Series 13 is Titled 'Flux' and Starts On Halloween". Den of Geek. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
14. Misra, Sulagna (5 December 2021). "Doctor Who: Flux comes to its fiery conclusion". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
15. Marcus (6 December 2021). "Ratings Latest". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
16. Marcus (13 December 2021). "Series 13 Ratings". Doctor Who News. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
17. "Doctor Who recap: Flux chapter six – The Vanquishers". The Guardian. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
18. "Doctor Who Flux: The Vanquishers review". Metro. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
19. "Doctor Who review, 'The Vanquishers'". The Independent. 8 December 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
20. "Doctor Who – The Vanquishers review". Radio Times. 5 December 2021. Retrieved 27 April 2022.

External links

• "The Vanquishers" at the BBC Doctor Who homepage
• "The Vanquishers" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
• "Chapter Six: The Vanquishers" at IMDb

Links to related articles

v t e Doctor Who episodes by Chris Chibnall Tenth Doctor "42" Eleventh Doctor "The Hungry Earth" / "Cold Blood" "Dinosaurs on a Spaceship" "The Power of Three" Thirteenth Doctor Series 11 "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" "The Ghost Monument" "Rosa" "Arachnids in the UK" "The Tsuranga Conundrum" "The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos" "Resolution" Series 12 "Spyfall" "Fugitive of the Judoon" "Praxeus" "Can You Hear Me?" "Ascension of the Cybermen" / "The Timeless Children" "Revolution of the Daleks" Series 13 "The Halloween Apocalypse" / "War of the Sontarans" / "Once, Upon Time" / "Village of the Angels" / "Survivors of the Flux" / "The Vanquishers" Specials "Eve of the Daleks" "Legend of the Sea Devils" "The Power of the Doctor" Mini episodes Pond Life "P.S." v t e Doctor Who: Thirteenth Doctor television stories Series 11 "The Woman Who Fell to Earth" "The Ghost Monument" "Rosa" "Arachnids in the UK" "The Tsuranga Conundrum" "Demons of the Punjab" "Kerblam!" 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See also The Lego Batman Movie Audio The Monthly Adventures The Genocide Machine The Apocalypse Element The Mutant Phase The Time of the Daleks Jubilee The Juggernauts Return of the Daleks Renaissance of the Daleks Brotherhood of the Daleks Enemy of the Daleks Plague of the Daleks Daleks Among Us Dalek Empire Dalek War I, Davros Innocence The Davros Mission Other Death and the Daleks Unbound The Lost Stories The Four Doctors The Five Companions Energy of the Daleks The Eighth Doctor Adventures The War Doctor Living History The Tenth Doctor Adventures After the Daleks Nightmare of the Daleks The Final Beginning Minor appearances Seasons of Fear Eyes of the Master Books Novelisations Doctor Who in an Exciting Adventure with the Daleks The Dalek Invasion of Earth The Chase The Daleks' Master Plan Part I: Mission to the Unknown The Daleks' Master Plan Part II: The Mutation of Time The Power of the Daleks The Evil of the Daleks Day of the Daleks Doctor Who and the Space War Planet of the Daleks Death to the Daleks Doctor Who and the Genesis of the Daleks Doctor Who and the Destiny of the Daleks Resurrection of the Daleks Revelation of the Daleks Remembrance of the Daleks Eighth Doctor Adventures War of the Daleks Legacy of the Daleks New Series Adventures I Am a Dalek Prisoner of the Daleks The Dalek Generation Engines of War Other The Dalek Factor Video games Dalek Attack Destiny of the Doctors Top Trumps "City of the Daleks" Evacuation Earth Return to Earth The Mazes of Time The Eternity Clock Legacy Lego Dimensions Stage The Evil of the Daleks The Daleks' Master Plan Doctor Who Prom Doctor Who Live v t e Doctor Who: Multi-Doctor stories Television Major instances The Three Doctors "The Five Doctors" The Two Doctors "The Day of the Doctor" "Twice Upon a Time" "Fugitive of the Judoon" "The Power of the Doctor" "The Giggle" Minor instances "The Name of the Doctor" "Deep Breath" "Listen" "The Doctor Falls" "The Timeless Children" "Once, Upon Time" Audio The Sirens of Time Zagreus 100 The Four Doctors The Eleven Cold Fusion Books Timewyrm: Genesys Timewyrm: Revelation Who Killed Kennedy Cold Fusion The Eight Doctors Players Interference – Book One Interference – Book Two The Colony of Lies Wolfsbane Comics Emperor of the Daleks Assimilation Video games Dalek Attack Destiny of the Doctors Legacy Lego Dimensions See also Regeneration The Brain of Morbius The Trial of a Time Lord Dimensions in Time The Curse of Fatal Death "Time Crash" "Journey's End" "The Big Bang" "Time" "The Rebel Flesh / "The Almost People" "Last Night" "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS" "The Vanquishers" Regeneration stories v t e Doctor Who: Ood stories Television Major appearances "The Impossible Planet" / "The Satan Pit" "Planet of the Ood" "The Doctor's Wife" Flux "Survivors of the Flux" / "The Vanquishers" Minor appearances "The Waters of Mars" "The End of Time" "The Magician's Apprentice" "Face the Raven" "Revolution of the Daleks" Audio Prisoner of the Ood The Master of Callous Torchwood Stage Doctor Who Prom Doctor Who Live See also Tardisode "Death Is the Only Answer" Pond Life v t e Doctor Who: Sontaran stories Television Major appearances The Time Warrior The Sontaran Experiment The Invasion of Time The Two Doctors "The Sontaran Stratagem" / "The Poison Sky" The Last Sontaran Enemy of the Bane Flux "The Halloween Apocalypse" / "War of the Sontarans" / "Survivors of the Flux" / "The Vanquishers" Commander Strax "A Good Man Goes to War" "The Snowmen" "The Crimson Horror" "The Name of the Doctor" "Deep Breath" Minor appearances "The End of Time" "The Pandorica Opens" "The Time of the Doctor" "Face the Raven" Audio Faction Paradox Heroes of Sontar The Five Companions The Eternity Cage The Sontarans The First Sontarans Master of the Daleks The Haunting The Sontaran Ordeal The Sontaran Project The Paternoster Gang Peepshow The Great Sontaran War Books Lords of the Storm Shakedown The Eight Doctors The Infinity Doctors The Sontaran Games The Taking of Chelsea 426 Spin-offs Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans Mindgame Video games Destiny of the Doctors "The Gunpowder Plot" Legacy See also Rutan "A Fix with Sontarans" Doctor Who Prom Pond Life

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