Doctor Who 9.8 "The Zygon Inversion"

There are eight minutes in this episode of Who that rank amongst the best the show has ever done. They may be the very best.

The story moves beyond the parallels to immigration, refugees, and extremists within groups and takes on warmongers in general. As we saw hinted at in the first part, the Doctor has set up a box that will ensure the cease-fire between humans and zygons. It turns out that he has created a war-in-miniature scenario. There are two boxes, one for each side. Each box has two buttons, one that will give the side what they want the other that will amount to suicide. Each side has a fifty-fifty chance at victory or destruction.

While the enemies consider their options and weigh their odds, the Doctor shows them the stupidity of their intentions.

I can’t accurately weigh how enjoyable the show will be for viewers with no background. The conflict and much of the action here is nested in a lot of backstory, going back to the Fiftieth Anniversary Special two years ago and beyond. However, I suspect this two-parter works fine on its own.

And it is a high recommend. This is the reason science fiction stories exist.