Doctor Who has become a “do you remember this character?” show now. The Rani! Shirley! Kate Stewart! Omega! Susan! Rogue! Mel! Remember Steven Moffat famously saying that he wouldn’t bring the Rani back because nobody cares about her; and there’s nothing distinctive about the Rani here, even with the Bi-Generation, a wasted, gimmicky mess of a concept that feels dead on arrival, to make her feel any different from say, The Master or Missy – there’s no character traits – tell me none of these are something that Missy wouldn’t do. It’s like they wanted Missy but couldn’t get her back for whatever reason so went with the Rani instead as another female Time Lord.
The episode is a 1984 scenario where Conrad is the Ned Flanders-master lord of a world where The Doctor is John Smith and living happily married to Belinda; and their daughter Poppy. It is a world with no room for mistakes – homophobia is presented as having “doubts” – when John Smith calls Ibrahim at UNIT a very good-looking man; the attitude of Ibrahim instantly switches from friendship into homophobia in seconds. John has been having doubts all day – and is told by Rogue that “tables don’t do that”, which begins to trigger his revival. His memories restored; the Wish World broken – the Doctor plummets into the abyss of the reality war – knowing – against all odds, that Poppy is real. Poppy is a Space Baby, somehow wished into creation by Conrad – storylines are blurring, not a figment of imagination; but a real – living character.
Wanted to get the summary out of the way quickly as there’s a lot to talk about and not all of it is good; in fact – Russell T Davies might very well have lost the magic. This series feels rushed – there’s a good episode here if you give the companion story arcs to one of the companions; say you have Belinda being the one who also finds out about the community of disabled/homeless people and leads a rebellion. Yet instead, from a character being so full of promise, these last episodes have really wasted the brilliance of Varada Sethu – to the point where if she follows the standard one-series rule it will feel just as cheated as Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor if he regenerates now – it feels like we’ve barely spent any time with her. Lucky Day was Ruby centric when it badly needed to be Belinda-centric. The Interstellar Song Contest felt like it was written for Ruby. As great as it was – The Story & The Engine barely featured Belinda at all. It feels like Russell hasn’t really known what to do with her since introducing her as someone who doesn’t want to travel with The Doctor.
And then there’s the build up. There’s 40 minutes of exposition for The Rani to go “because this isn’t just exposition, Doctor” doesn’t excuse the fact that it was all exposition anyway and it’s not a get out of jail free card. Saying something does not make it more than what it is. Rogue showing up for a pointless cameo; Mel being there randomly again and not actually doing anything with her in the episode at all – this doesn’t feel quite as earned as say; The Stolen Earth culmination. This feels like a mishmash of every character at once and now you’re left wondering how Russell is going to wrap it up in the finale and potentially include a Doctor Who regeneration as well – and the short answer is given his track record; probably not. Omega is such a groan-worthy reveal it feels like a direct copy-cat of Sutekh – stick a classic character in there in what was supposed to be a new series friendly revival! It doesn’t feel like a revival – fresh bolt of energy at all – instead it feels like a show that is fifteen seasons too long and has outstayed its welcome by at least four of them; as someone partial to the Chris Chibnall era.
Ruby’s arc feels pushed aside for Belinda’s which is problematic when you consider the whole arc is about giving voice to the disabled characters she finds herself with; and Shirley – the chance encounter where they begin to notice after Ruby getting abandoned by her foster mother again feels a touch one too time too many to have any sympathy for her even if it’s not by choice. The bond between Ruby and Shirley is great and the revolution is great – even if it’s surface level “look we exist; but the largely leftist audience already is aware” – but then it just randomly decides to shaft them to the side and have them just stand there and watch events unfold from beneath the tower. It feels like once again; Russell had a story for ONE of Ruby or Belinda. Not both.
This episode feels like what Chibnall’s era got criticised so much for; yet Power of the Doctor was a more functioning special than any of this mess. The tropes put together without any substance or meaning, the time lords origin we’re doing AGAIN? Really? Old villains reintroduced just feels cheating – and there’s the whole shlock factor that makes it feel more like an episode of Sarah Jane Adventures than Doctor Who – look back at even Flux and it feels like it has more gravitas than this. The nostalgia is purely here to make the fans go “wow” and there’s just no compelling engagement here between the Rani and The Doctor at all. Old antagonists are changed so much that even the fans who do recognise them; only know them by name only. Plots are considered cool on paper – but given no depth or heart to them. It’s all “you should feel this! You should react this way! You should clap at this character!” but there’s nothing of depth in the actual script.
Thematically; I hope Omega is the big threat that we don’t actually see next episode. He’s a thematic element of Rani bringing back her perfect Galifrey – of which the next time trailer now promises that’s her intention. The main goal of the next episode is to stop her Galifrey from returning. Conrad’s obsession with the past world; nostalgia as a gateway to fascism – is interesting enough but we’ve seen it done by Russell a few too many times now. I did love the concept outside of the series arc – an ableist, homophobic nuclear family world showing the dangers of unchecked power and Conrad – see the Ned Flanders dystopia in The Simpsons – and it’s such a good concept of an episode that purely relies on The Reality War being good it’s hard to judge how well it sticks the landing. But given Russell’s track record of famously not sticking the landing – one of the main flaws of RTD1? I could say I have my doubts…
