It’s Time to Make a Wish: Wish World, our thoughts

Daniel’s thoughts, written in the style of a story, as it is on theme:

Once upon a time there was a community radio station in South Wales, called Newport City Radio. Founded by two lifelong friends. One warm summer day in 2014 they gained a new volunteer. A volunteer that would bring a series of reviews of all things nerdy, especially reviews surrounding a fictional science fiction show, that is to what many would describe as a British Institution.

‘Wish World’ was the one of many episodes this very volunteer was eager to see, especially after the climatic scene from “The Interstellar Song Contest.” He enjoyed that very much, the revelation of Mrs. Flood being the Rani was a welcome if not predictable reveal.

Wish World or what felt like to him was that of The Land of Fiction. The benevolent Doctor, sorry, John Smith. Living everyday life with wife and daughter, Belinda and Poppy (respectively). The fan found himself questioning what is going on here. Why does it feel like someone’s interpretation of THE perfect family of the 1950’s.

The striking resemblance of the novel of Doctor Who and the Deadly Wish was that of the 1997 publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Many would notice the author of The Deadly Wish is that of I. M. Foreman of 76 Totter’s Lane, London. One could speculate that after being a Scrap Merchant, Mr. Foreman retired and became an author. Another hint of that of “The Land of Fiction.” Conrad acts as a sinister Jackanory throughout the episode’s run.

Everyone except Ruby and the disabled community were the ones making sense of it all, and this got the fan rather interested in which direction the story was going. Everything wasn’t making sense, the Time Lord living everyday human life and his old foe, The Rani whizzing about on an Oppressor Mk II in the style of Flash Gordon gave old school science fiction vibes.

The fan got the sense that what was shown of the Rani’s dastardly plan was merely the tip of the iceberg. He was sure that fans worldwide were to be subjected to more thrills when viewing the finale be it at home or on the silver screen. He enjoyed this episode very much, and found himself wanting more.

Though he was expecting the Bone Palace, the Nerve Center of the Rani’s to help seek out an old foe the Doctor and a pivotal figure in Gallifreyan lore. Omega, the Gallifreyan who specialises in Black Holes gave his life so that Time Lords could gain the ability to time travel, resides in the Underverse. 

Waiting centuries, no doubt growing bitter over the years. Blaming the Time Lords of abandonment and patiently waiting to bring the Doctor’s demise after being defeated multiple times. 

The Newport City Radio volunteer felt the third member of the Unholy Trinity would be that of the Beast, last seen in the 2006 two parter ‘The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit.’ Which would’ve meant the return of the voice of both Sutekh and the Beast/Devil; Gabriel Woolf.

But alas, it wasn’t meant to be. The return of Omega was still a welcome though, the fan himself is also eager to see the full return of Susan Foreman and just what pivotal role is baby Poppy going to play? It certainly seems that Poppy was far more aware of what’s going on in this reality, especially when she’s not overly enthusiastic about May 24th. 

Like Susan does she share the same ability of telepathy, could sweet little Poppy be Susan’s mother? Upon reading the latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine, they learned that certain Gallifreyan lore is going to be altered, could this be it? 

Changing Gallifreyan Lore makes many fans nervous and as the narrator of this piece, one could say Davies can’t change anymore than what Chibnall has. Many fans are still reeling from the revelation of “The Timeless Child.”

But one thing strikes interest, were the Doctor and the Rani truly once allies? Would’ve this been during the Doctor’s time at “the Division?” The seeds planted may imply that the Rani could be the Time Lord’s sister.

But before this comes to a close the meaning of the seventh son of the seventh son is that of “a healer” and what is another name for a healer, could it potentially be a doctor?

Jack’s Thoughts

Firstly, I again really enjoyed this episode: it definitely really surprised me in a lot of aspects. That whole false reality aspect to the story was used very effectively. It’s something we’ve seen before in other episodes that deal with a perception of a false reality, where a minority group of people had doubts about what was going on while everyone else seemed to accept things at face value. That theme always gets me thinking, and I thought it was brought back in a clever way this time around. Though I was confused at times throughout the episode, the story having similarities to the Tenth Doctor story Human Nature, which was originally a novel, did really help me navigate what was happening in this week’s episode. That connection gave me a bit of grounding and made it easier to follow, even when the plot got a bit strange or abstract. Ruby’s performance in this episode was brilliant, even though she was not the main focus of the episode. She still stood out and brought a lot of emotion and presence to her scenes. The whole episode was paced very well, which is a welcome change from some of the previous episodes that I felt either dragged or rushed at times. This one felt like it had the right balance, it kept me interested the whole way through and gave each moment time to breathe without overstaying its welcome.

Archie Panjabi was brilliant in this episode. I’ve really enjoyed seeing her take on the fan-favourite classic character, The Rani. It’s a bold move to bring back a character like that, especially one with such a strong legacy in the classic series, but I think she pulled it off incredibly well. The scene where she revealed herself to The Doctor was brilliantly done, it had just the right amount of tension, surprise, and drama. You could tell the writers and performers were having a lot of fun with it, and as a fan, I was totally on board. And of course, I can’t forget the long-awaited return of another classic villain, Omega. After 50 years since his last appearance, to say I loved the way they revealed this to us is an understatement. It gave me chills, honestly. The build-up was great, and the payoff was more than worth it. I’m really looking forward to seeing how he fits into the bigger picture, especially with how the season has been teasing larger cosmic themes. I also loved the symbolic touch of a cup smashing every time someone doubts the reality they’re living in, it was such a clever, visual way of showing that things weren’t quite right, and it added a lot of tension to those scenes. It’s one of those little creative details that makes you appreciate the effort that goes into an episode like this.

Lastly, I want to praise Russell T Davies for the way he has used the Pantheon of the Gods throughout his current run as showrunner. It has been brilliant, weaving those elements into the narrative in a way that feels both fresh and respectful of the show’s long history. I know Russell has his critics, but he truly does really love listening to the fans, and I think that makes a big difference. You can tell that he understands what it’s like to be a big fan of this wonderful show, and that passion really shines through in his writing and the direction of the series. The way he’s been building toward something bigger all season, slowly revealing new pieces while still delivering satisfying weekly stories, shows a lot of skill and care. I’m really excited to see how the final pieces of the puzzle play out in the finale and how The Doctor plans on getting out of this one. There are still so many questions that need answering, and that makes me even more hyped for what’s coming next. I would give the episode a solid 8.5 out of 10, not just for the plot or surprises, but for how everything came together: the performances, the pacing, the visual storytelling, and the respect for the show’s deep history. 

It’s episodes like this that remind me why I love Doctor Who so much and why it continues to be such a special series after all these years.

Amber’s Thoughts

This episode honestly felt underwhelming. I had high hopes, especially coming off the momentum of the last few episodes, but something about this one didn’t quite land for me. That being said, I did love the opening with the “perfect” society. It was visually interesting and had an unsettling tone that grabbed my attention right away. The broadcasts with Conrad felt odd, but in a good way, they made me curious and a little uneasy, and I was genuinely wondering what on Earth was going on. Why was everyone just living life and acting like everything was perfectly normal? Why was Conrad in a position of power? When the reveal came that it was a world created by Conrad from a wish, it was a welcome twist. I liked it. It wasn’t overly complicated, but it gave a strong enough emotional and thematic hook to carry the episode forward. As twisted as it was, I found it fascinating that his idea of a perfect society was a heteronormative society. It clearly wasn’t presented as a good thing, and it felt like a commentary on real-world norms and expectations, especially with the scene where “John Smith” gets called out just for calling another man attractive. That moment really stuck with me and said a lot about how fragile and artificial the society Conrad had created actually was.

Something that still has me scratching my head is how Captain Poppy fits into all of this. She’s a character from last series’ opener, and now she’s appearing again and apparently she’s very important, especially with The Doctor talking at the end about how she’s real, whatever that means. That repeated emphasis felt like a big deal, and I’m wondering if it’s building toward something major in the finale. It’s intriguing, for sure. 

On the subject of returning characters, I also noticed Rogue appearing again on the TV. I’ll be honest, the CGI there was a bit questionable,  I am glad he wasn’t forgotten. It reminded me a lot of how Susan showed up briefly in between thoughts during the last episode. These little callbacks are appreciated, though I hope they actually lead somewhere and aren’t just cameos.

One of the biggest surprises for me was the reveal that Omega is the one The Rani is looking for. That was a twist I don’t think I saw anyone predict. Last series, everyone was speculating that Sutekh would be returning, and they were right, but with this, I don’t think I’ve seen anyone call it. It was a genuine surprise, which I always appreciate. Still, I do wish the show would step back a bit from bringing back Classic Who villains. It feels like every major villain from the past few series has been a returning character, and while I do enjoy the callbacks, it’s starting to feel a bit overdone. It would be really refreshing to see a new villain introduced, something we’ve never seen before that can stand on its own without leaning on past lore.

Toward the end of the episode, I think things started to falter a bit in terms of pacing. There was just a little too much exposition. The moment The Doctor came face-to-face with The Rani, it suddenly felt like we were being forced to sit through a long speech explaining everything. It wasn’t poorly written, but it broke the flow of the scene. Instead of a dramatic confrontation, it turned into an info dump. The same goes for the beginning of the episode, where it felt like so much was being explained to us rather than shown. 

Despite this, I’m still incredibly excited for the grand finale next week!

Images courtesy of BBC Pictures