Sexiest TV

NOTE: There are many speculating “leaks” ahead of the first episode floating around online – they will not be discussed in this review. If you want to talk about the leaks, please use spoilers.

Doctor Who is back. With talks of its planned cancellation running rampant more than ever; the mixed at best reception of the first series of the Ncuti Gatwa series; and even given the rumours that he’s leaving the show after the second series, breaking the three-series rule that most Doctors have had with less episodes than any prior one since Eccleston (for perspective, Gatwa leaving at the end of Series 2 would be like if Smith left after The Doctor’s Wife), anticipation felt like what it must have been like to watch the series during the classic era and the Slyvester McCoy years. It doesn’t help that trailers tease a Greatest Show in the Galaxy-influenced episode – but despite all odds, Russell T Davies came out of the gates flying with a gangbuster of a premiere that felt like the best episode of Doctor Who in ages.

Out goes Ruby; after only one season – in goes Belinda Chadra, played by Varada Sethu – another actor to have been previously cast in Doctor Who in Steven Moffat’s Boom; returning as a different character – we later find out that her Boom character is an ancestor of Belinda from the far flung future – but even in the far flung future, she looks exactly the same? Belinda is important and feels important – The Doctor’s charm is used to get her under his spell; much like Ace and Seven, but with one crucial difference. This time Belinda has seen through it from the get go and makes one thing clear – this isn’t going to be the same, instant best-friends vibes that he had with Ruby.

Belinda is a working Nurse; and once she learns The Doctor’s name, asks to be called The Nurse. She’s a firecracker and feels like a more developed character than Ruby was already – as good as Millie Gibson was; Ruby felt paper-thin in her series in terms of character development outside of 73 Yards, which was largely retconned by the end. Belinda gets gifted a star by her white gamer boyfriend Alan – but we later find out that star is home to a humanoid species and androids who are now at war. The androids kidnap Belinda believing her to be their Queen – in a very Jupiter Ascending inspired opening – where Mrs. Flood watches on from afar, breaking the fourth wall as ever. The mystery of Mrs. Flood is fascinating – her fourth-wall breaking charm and quirkiness despite the façade of an elderly woman creates an air of mystery begging to be resolved. It’s nothing that Doctor Who hasn’t done before, we’ve seen Missy introduced in a similar fashion, and we’ve seen Rose return this way. Russell T Davies is sticking to a formula largely here – his arc words became a thing for much of his first run – remember Torchwood and You Are Not Alone? And if he likes a formula, he tends to stick with it. I’m interested to see if Series 2 can break what he’s done before.

It’s certainly shaping up to be promising. Belinda is taken to the robot stronghold where she finds out that The Doctor has infiltrated the AI compound to aid the Rebels in a rescue attempt – she’s gone through a jump in time that has led to her arriving later than planned. Meanwhile; The Doctor has been working with the resistance, building up enough trust including creating a companion dynamic with Evelyn Miller’s Sasha 55 – a war hero who gets killed in front of him. This creates the first rift between Belinda and The Doctor; and when The Doctor scans Belinda without asking her – she’s instantly able to push back. The Doctor is a manipulator at heart; and Gatwa plays into Seven’s tendencies to push Ace around very well. He’s not used to being called out on it and immediately apologies; walking right into Belinda’s trap. She’s smart and wants to be taken home; it’s rare to meet a companion who’s not swept up under the spell of the TARDIS – and that’s what makes her different.

The whole set-up here makes Alan the villain – Alan was kidnapped by the robots at Belinda’s request but doesn’t jump through time like she does and ends up embracing their gifts whole heartedly including a cybernetic upgrade. The big twist is that they’re not AI bots, they’re AL bots – and Alan is their leader! It’s a commentary on incels – Alan turns a happy peaceful fusion of the humans/androids into enemies and has them kill each other for his sport. He’s cruel; and he’s dealt with in a cruel way – still believing he can marry Belinda despite being controlling in the relationship and wanting oversight over what she does. In an age where Disney is catering to the right-wing incels, blaming the failure of Snow White on Rachel Zegler, catering The Rise of Skywalker and modern Star Wars to the wrong sort of fanbase and switching the Avengers roster back to a primarily all-male team, undoing the inclusiveness of what came before, for Russell T Davies to open his new series that many would’ve watched on Disney+ outside of the UK with an incel as the villain is a fantastic slap in the face to those sorts of fans. It makes Belinda’s victory all the more sweeter; and it is Belinda’s victory, she’s the one that makes the call to turn herself in – and the ending feels well earned.

Beyond the comparisons of working in healthcare that Belinda and Martha Jones have this feels very much like a successor to Smith & Jones – the quirky upbeat charm of Gatwa gives way to something darker by the third act. It’s one of Davies’ strongest series premieres – finding his footing early on and making use of some stunning visuals to really call back to retro 50s and 60s sci-fi of the golden age. This is where all the budget is going and the set-up at the end of the episode where we see famous Landmarks floating through space behind a Taxi cab promises a real mystery box to come. If it is the last ever series – where better place to start?

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