*Series 13 spoilers.*
Well, I’ve talked about Vinder, and I’ve talked about Bel—only one thing left to do! These two recurring characters in a six-episode season managed to become one of my favorite new Who couples.
This is something they accomplish with Bel not appearing at all until episode 3, and the pair not reuniting until the season finale. Of course, “lovers fighting to get back to each other” is a tried-and-true romance convention. It takes me back to my Lost days with poor Sun and Jin, or Charming and Snow’s refrain of, “I will always find you,” on Once Upon a Time. So only sharing screentime in part of one episode isn’t really a detractor. Some romances are about the chase; this one is about the quest.
This is particularly true on Bel’s part. We get to know Vinder a little bit before we learn that he’s trying to get back to someone, but we meet her navigating a Flux-ravaged universe, trying to find her love. On her travels, she keeps up a running commentary to her as-yet-unnamed love, reminiscing about their foiled honeymoon plans, describing the state that the universe is in, and always promising that she’ll find a way to reach him. At the end of her debut episode, the reveal that Vinder is her partner is such a beautiful moment. Unbeknownst to Bel, a time storm has thrust Vinder back into the events that caused their initial separation, and he relives recording the one message he was able to send her as she watches it for the umpteenth time. With the holographic playback, it looks as if he’s sitting across from her.
Vinder gets tangled up with the Doctor and her crew for a bit, so he starts his own search a little later, retracing the steps of where Bel has already been. But once he gets going, he’s just as tenacious as she is. Although it takes them a while longer to get back to each other, with their paths not quite crossing, neither is about to entertain the possibility of giving up.
Their energies are different but complementary, and they both have similar skills and instincts that help them stay on their feet during a dangerous journey. And while, for both of them, finding one another is priority one, neither is so myopic about it that they ignore what’s going on around them. As Vinder follows Bel’s trail, he finds a message she left for him explaining that she’s gotten sidetracked trying to help some Flux refugees. When he goes after her, he gets trapped inside a Passengerform, where he teams up with Di and helps her with her own imprisonment. Bel and Vinder are desperate to get back to each other, but when they see someone in need of aid, they step in. These complements and similarities help us see why they make such a good couple, even when we haven’t seen them together yet.
When Vinder and Bel finally, at long last, see each other again, the moment is frustratingly undercut by Dan’s reunion with Di at the same time. I get that Dan is a companion and thus takes more narrative precedence, but come on! It’s Bel and Vinder! Do you know what they both went through to get here?
But after Dan and Di have their moment, we cut back to Bel and Vinder, who haven’t broken their embrace yet. When they finally do, their greetings for one another are simple, understated. They don’t need speeches or declarations—they’re with each other again, so they’re both just enjoying having the other in front of them. Bel also tells Vinder that they’re having a baby “if the universe survives.” Surprise and delight dance across his face before he responds, “Better make sure it does, then.”
On the whole, I enjoyed the Flux storyline and think the show did a pretty good job with series 13. But among a lot of positives, Vinder and Bel’s plot was my favorite. I don’t know if we’ll ever seen them again—obviously, I would love to, but their story wrapped up so well that I’d still be satisfied if we didn’t.
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