I suppose I should have trusted Russell T. Davies and company a little more than I did going into this episode. After all, I’ve been praising this as the best season of Who since it returned in 2005, if not the best season of Who ever. I was afraid this episode would be a goofy excuse for some musical guests and not much else. I love being wrong about this episode while being right about this season.

Welcome to the Interstellar Song Contest!

What starts as a fun, goofy chance for some celebrity and musical guests quickly turned into something much more deadly. When a plot for revenge threatens the 100,000 audience members and 3 trillion people watching, the Doctor and Belinda have to pull the survivors of a terrorist attack together to keep everyone alive. But the terrorists may turn the Doctor’s hearts to ice, and they may have to pay for their sins in blood. This is a tale of revenge and justice and forgiveness. It once again brings essential Doctor Who themes to the forefront and asks us hard questions about ourselves within those themes.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but I may have geeked out enough to make my wife, taking a nap in another room, think something was wrong. If you’ve seen the episode, you know the part I’m talking about. If not, oh, I hope you’re a fan of Classic Who, or at least you’re familiar with some of the early stories. There are elements of the First, Sixth, Seventh, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Doctor here. The Doctor has thought they were the last of the Time Lords since the Thirteenth Doctor episode, “The Timeless Children.” The Master had wiped them all out, or so we were led to believe.

Now that has changed. There are at least two more Time Ladies about, and they both hold a special significance for the Doctor. One appears in brief flashes throughout the episode, usually when the Doctor is in danger. She urges him to “Go back!” Back to where, we aren’t entirely sure. But this Time Lady’s appearance changes everything we’ve known about the Doctor for 60 years.

The other Time Lady makes her appearance at the end, during a fun little mid-credits scene, so don’t turn off the episode until you’ve watched it all the way through. The mystery of the season starts to come into focus while still leaving us with many questions. Mrs. Flood finally reveals her true identity, and a old villain returns. You’ve probably already figured who I’m talking about at this point, but I won’t say the name. That might give too much away.

But even without those cameos and surprises, this still manages to be a solid hour of Doctor Who. It’s fun, funny, thought-provoking and chilling to watch. The Hellians are sympathetic antagonists with terrible methods. Their grievances are legitimate, yet they address those grievances in the worst way possible. Justice for Hellia is needed, but does that mean 3 trillion or more people have to die to pay for the Corporation’s sins? No, and the fact that Kid tries that approach is what puts the ice in the Doctor’s hearts. Kid is not an especially memorable villain, but he triggers the Doctor like few ever have before.

The writers smartly make the Doctor’s anger toward Kid’s threat to the 3 trillion viewers of the Interstellar Song Contest about the Doctor’s anger toward the Master for wiping out the Time Lords. The Doctor can’t bring back their people. They can’t make the Master pay. But they’ll be damned if half the galaxy is wiped out on their watch. The Doctor almost loses their mind over the plot to take revenge on the Corporation.

We have all seen Evil done in our time. We see it happening every day. Like the Doctor almost lost their humanity trying to stop the Evil they saw, we could easily lose our own fighting back. Like the Doctor, we need an anchor. Belinda brought the Doctor back to their senses. For me, that anchor to humanity is my wife and son. We all risk losing ourselves in the Evil around us, but it’s our choice to show mercy to our enemies that keeps the darkness at bay.

Next week: May 24, 2025, the Day the Earth Died