Something Chris Chibnall does really well is setting up a story, and this episode is no exception. There’s a lot going on, but it’s interesting.

The Halloween Apocalypse starts off with a burst of chaotic fun as the Thirteenth Doctor and Yaz are already in the middle of an adventure.

Then we meet Dan, who gets a pretty charming introduction as he tries to pass himself off as a tour guide at a museum. He flirts a bit with Diane, who actually works at the museum. It’s cute.

Next up is the main villain. He comes across as powerful, but I hope we’ll get more insight into his motivations, right now, he just seems generically evil.

Karvanista (a dog-like alien) makes a sudden appearance at Dan’s house, which is one of the episode’s funnier moments. It's still unclear exactly what's happening, but the sheer strangeness of it all makes it fun. It ends with Karvanista kidnapping Dan.

One moment I really liked was in the TARDIS, where Yaz confronts the Doctor about keeping secrets. It’s rare that Yaz gets to show this much personality, and it adds tension to their dynamic.

We're also introduced to yet another character, Inston, who witnesses the destruction of a planet. At this point, it feels like a bit too much. The episode is crowded with characters, and it’s hard to connect with them all.

We later see the villain reunite with his sister. I’m not a fan of their design — they’re just kind of ugly, and not in an interesting or scary way. Plus, their “Thanos snap” trick of killing random people doesn’t have much emotional weight because we haven’t had time to care about those people.

We meet Diane again, and this time she seems to know the Doctor in some way. Her later scene stepping into a creepy house and meeting the villain’s sister adds to the intrigue, even if we don't fully understand her role yet.

Back to Yaz: I’d forgotten how angry she was at the Doctor in this era, but I liked that tension. It gives Yaz more depth, and their conversations feel more emotionally grounded.

Dan and Yaz’s first meeting is also a fun moment. Their banter works well and gives both characters some levity.

One twist I liked was the reveal that Karvanista isn’t kidnapping Dan he’s saving him from the Flux, whether Dan wants to be saved or not.

Meanwhile, Inston pops up again, still worried, while even more planets are destroyed. It’s all very dramatic, but a bit relentless.

I also enjoyed the gag where the Doctor returns Dan’s house in miniature form a nice bit of weirdness.

Then we get even more characters, including a couple of Sontarans. They seem pleased about the Flux. I know it’s a controversial opinion, but I prefer the Sontarans' look during the RTD and Moffat years. Being a clone race, it made more sense that they looked nearly identical.

The Doctor and her friends investigate the Flux itself, watching as it devastates world after world. It looks impressive, but it’s not that interesting though to be fair, large-scale threats are rarely the thing I enjoy most.

We meet the villain again, and apparently, he’s encountered the Doctor before but she doesn’t remember. I really like this kind of mystery being set up.

In the end, Karvanista and his people save Earth by forming a protective shield. Interestingly, the TARDIS doesn't hold up as well as his ships some parts of it start breaking down, adding to the sense that something’s seriously wrong. But it feels weird that the TARDIS is worse at protecting itself from the Flux than Karvanista’s ship, especially since we’ve heard so many times before that it's indestructible.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the mysterious bearded man who shows up with no explanation. He appears at both the beginning and end of the episode.

Overall, this is a pretty solid setup for the season. There’s a lot of promise here, and I’m curious to see where it’s all heading. That said, the episode tries to do too much at once. It might’ve worked better if they had delayed the introductions of Inston, the bearded man, and maybe Diane (after her first appearance) until later episodes. The constant stream of events leaves little room to breathe, making the pacing feel rushed and uneven.

Still, it's an engaging start, messy, but ambitious.