Once, Upon Time (TV story)

Once, Upon Time, prefixed in the title sequence with Chapter Three and in other sources with Flux, was the third episode of series 13 of Doctor Who. It formed the third chapter of the six-part serial Doctor Who: Flux.

This chapter saw the Thirteenth Doctor revisiting lost memories in her own time stream. As such, it re-introduced the Fugitive Doctor, and began to piece together how she fits in with the Siege of Atropos and the origin of the Flux, long ago.

It also connects the Division, and their creation of the planet Time, to the ending of the Dark Times, linking these new revelations to the expansive mythology of the existing Doctor Who universe, establishing the concept of Time as naturally chaotic and unstable.

As the episode focused in on each character's history, Once, Upon Time also shone light on Vinder's story, including how he came to be on Outpost Rose, and what will be his main motivation: reconnecting with Bel, who is shown making her own way to find him.

Bel's storyline in the episode also highlights the Flux's impact on the wider universe, with many worlds overtaken, and provides an anchor for the audience to understand what the Great Disruption has done to local time.

Synopsis
Atropos has fallen, once again. The Doctor has thrown herself into a time storm in a desperate bid to save her friends. As Time itself comes apart, she finds much more than she bargained for.

All four are lost, together, in memories: past, present, future. So many roles they play. So many choices they have endured. And now, what happened once has come again.

Plot
to be added

Cast

 * The Doctor - Jodie Whittaker
 * Yasmin Khan - Mandip Gill
 * Dan Lewis - John Bishop
 * Bel - Thaddea Graham
 * Azure - Rochenda Sandall
 * Swarm - Sam Spruell
 * Vinder - Jacob Anderson
 * Diane - Nadia Albina
 * Fugitive Doctor - Jo Martin
 * Joseph Williamson - Steve Oram
 * Grand Serpent - Craig Parkinson
 * Sonya Khan - Bhavnisha Parmar
 * Old Swarm - Matthew Needham
 * Karvanista - Craige Els
 * Awsok - Barbara Flynn
 * Passenger - Jonny Mathers
 * Police Officer - Chantelle Pierre
 * Voice of the Cybermen - Nicholas Briggs
 * Voice of the Mouri - Amanda Drew
 * Priest Triangle - Nigel Lambert

Uncredited cast

 * Mouri - Chloe Williams, Antonia Shanice , TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA
 * Commander - TBA
 * Weeping Angel - TBA
 * Alforians - TBA
 * Cyberman - Richard Price, Matthew Rohman , Jon Davey Simon Carew

Story notes

 * The credits of this episode cemented the term "Fugitive Doctor" — gained from the title of the episode where this incarnation first appeared, Fugitive of the Judoon, and widely used in Doctor Who fandom up to this point — as a DWU term.
 * This episode firmly establishes the Fugitive Doctor as a past incarnation, something which had been left ambiguous since her debut. Specifically, it places her near the end of the Doctor's association with the Division, adding extra weight to her decision to run away by ''Fugitive of the Judoon.
 * The Weeping Angel showing up in the video game Yaz and Sonya are playing may be a reference to VR game The Edge of Reality, while its appearance later on Yaz's phone, from which it emerges, might be a reference to the iOS game The Lonely Assassins. Both games were released earlier in 2021.
 * The video game Yaz and Sonya play bears a resemblance to.

Ratings

 * Overnight: 3.76 million
 * Consolidated: 4.67 million

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors

 * The BBC iPlayer subtitles during the Next Time trailer incorrectly names Peggy as "Maggie".

Continuity

 * The Doctor notes, worriedly, "The Angel has the TARDIS", echoing back to the Tenth Doctor's words, recorded for Sally Sparrow. (TV: Blink)
 * A Weeping Angel has previously succeeded in entering the TARDIS. (TV: Good as Gold)
 * Weeping Angels have used images of themselves to become physical entities before. (TV: Flesh and Stone, PROSE: Touched by an Angel)
 * Yaz does not appear to recognise the Weeping Angel. In one account, she has encountered them before. (COMIC: A Little Help from My Friends)
 * Yaz is seen on duty as a police officer. (TV: The Woman Who Fell to Earth)
 * The Doctor refers to herself as "your future" to the Fugitive Doctor, who also has not met her yet. (TV: Fugitive of the Judoon)
 * Joseph Williamson returns, this time briefly encountering Dan. (TV: The Halloween Apocalypse)
 * A Cyberman declares that love is not a mission, but an emotion, therefore not worth fighting for, to which Bel retorts. The Tenth (TV: The Age of Steel) and Twelfth Doctors both declared emotions, especially love, are necessary and worth fighting for. (TV: Death in Heaven, The Doctor Falls)
 * The Daleks can be seen levitating again, this time to get through rough terrain. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks, Dalek et al.)
 * Azure reveals that she captured Diane, (TV: The Halloween Apocalypse) and Passenger is shown to be a vessel for prisoners, in which Diane is being kept as a hostage. (TV: War of the Sontarans)

Home video releases
to be added