At a time when we’re all desperate to get to know the new Tardis team, and with far fewer episodes to learn about than before, two Doctor-lite episodes in a row is a big ask of viewers. Although these two episodes are very good, 73 yards and Dots and bubbles The lack of the show’s newest stars is painful, though I’m sure they’ll be compelling gems once the box set comes out.
All that said, if you missed Ncuti Gatwa’s playful, highly entertaining take on our favorite Time Lord, GTA puts him back front and center, giving him plenty of opportunity to shine in the high society of Regency Bath. And shine he does. As the aforementioned previous episodes aptly demonstrate, Gatwa doesn’t need much screen time to make an impression. If he were an airplane, he’d be a Harrier: capable of taking to the skies without the need for a runway.
He’s charmingly dressed in period costume and moves mesmerizingly through a lavish country estate that’s clearly designed to evoke Netflix’s Bridgetown But it also reminds me of pride and PrejudiceThis is my main cultural touchpoint for all things Regency here, because I’m older and not young anymore. It also reminds me of Girl in the Fireplacea brilliant quasi-historical drama in its second season, is a very comfortable pairing indeed.
We can’t reveal too much, because we’re not allowed to, but this is a very typical Russell T Davies body snatching murder saga, from the running, silly disposable monsters to the exciting but inconclusive ending we shouldn’t think too much about. It’s very reminiscent of season two, and I feel like this episode could have been just as good for Tennant and Piper without too many tweaks. That’s high praise again – to be clear, I think season two is the unassailable gold standard for Doctor Who, so anything that reaches that height is welcome.
There is also the protagonist Rogue, Hamilton Alumni and Mindhunter Starring Jonathan Groff and other dazzling actors (obsessed Indira Varma also appears, as both a Georgian madam and a cartoon villain—does it feel like RTD watches a lot of Netflix? A lot?). Groff’s casting reminded me of what Old Russ said about Neil Patrick Harris in last year’s special: they needed someone who could match the talent and energy of David Tennant, and there weren’t many actors who could do that. It occurs to me that similar thinking led Groff to choose Rogue. Few actors could match Gatwa: you needed Broadway royalty. And, with a silent “cute” before his name, the character’s intentions are questionable but his unique American charm is irresistible. Who does it remind you of?
Although writing duties have been handed over to Briony Redman and Kate Herron, the creative team behind the first (and only) season of Disney’s Loki, this series still feels very much like RTD. This series is so much like Doctor Who that it’s no surprise they’re perfectly suited to the job. If anyone at BBC Studios is wondering who will be the next showrunners after RTD’s inevitable departure, I’d use some of my Disney money to pay the duo. Whatever it takes.
Yes, I think this episode did show intent. It seemed designed to remind you why you fell in love with this brilliant, silly, utterly stupid show in the first place. Following some truly bizarre stuff in recent weeks, perhaps some of the most left-field stuff ever to come out of Who, rogue Returning the revival to its most comfortable default setting is like the reset button Russell loves so much. It’s a classic historical drama with alien bad guys, full of familiar elements and callbacks to a bygone era. And there are tender blink-and-you’ll-miss-it revelations that will have keyboards on Gallifrey Base pounding like crazy for years to come.
If the parameters of this season’s mission could be boiled down to a catchphrase, it would be “We’re back”Since the season’s big plot doesn’t develop any further, and its one-shot villain is as convincingly menacing as Absorbaloff, some might dismiss it as unimportant. But it’s a remarkable showcase of the talent radiating from both sides of the camera, and hints at what lies beyond Fifteen’s first season as it confidently becomes a show reacquainting itself.
