Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution
April 13, 2025 9:39 PM - Season 2, Episode 1 - Subscribe
When robots from outer space kidnap nurse Belinda Chandra, the Doctor embarks on an epic intergalactic quest to get his new friend back home to Earth.
Directed by Peter Hoar. Written by Russell T. Davies.
Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Disney+ era, Season 15 of the 2005 Revival, or Season 41 if you've been here since 1963.
The Guardian - "The New Companion is Spot On".
The Independent - "Gatwa’s Doctor wants, above all, to be liked."
Den of Geek - "Doctor Who is back with a strong start ..."
Elizabeth Sandifer - "It’s ideologically charming. It’s clever and fun and even a good episode. But if I’m being honest, I’m bored of it."
Tom Brevoort - "... firmly into camp and color and silliness."
Directed by Peter Hoar. Written by Russell T. Davies.
Episode 1 of Season 2 of the Disney+ era, Season 15 of the 2005 Revival, or Season 41 if you've been here since 1963.
The Guardian - "The New Companion is Spot On".
The Independent - "Gatwa’s Doctor wants, above all, to be liked."
Den of Geek - "Doctor Who is back with a strong start ..."
Elizabeth Sandifer - "It’s ideologically charming. It’s clever and fun and even a good episode. But if I’m being honest, I’m bored of it."
Tom Brevoort - "... firmly into camp and color and silliness."
I watched it quick and broadly enjoyed it, with plenty to likes and a few things that didn’t land but that’s ok because I want this show to have a go rather than play it safe.
The design, costumes, acting and direction continue to be amazing and firmly 2025 and continues to show the Disney money, if maybe a bit too dazzlingly digital for my analog-aged eyes. And the gags land pretty well, with “padam, padam” a favourite.
Belinda being in her late-30s while the Doctor comes across to me as mid-20s made for a good central dynamic. Gatwa does the charm and bounce of some of the Doctor’s other incarnations very well, but can’t quite land the actually-ancient bit that particularly Matt Smith conveyed. Belinda having been around the block and seen a lot of the human condition first hand as a career-NHS-nurse provides plenty of contrast.
The Doctor’s long-standing failing – the easy slide into arrogance that comes from being quite good at most things – shows through here with the questions of consent and gelled well with the broader AI and demands-for-attachment themes. There are many many ideas and mysteries here – some of the latter driving the story along and being answered (I was intrigued by the idea the AI Generator wanted marriage) – and others left dangling for next time. Although Mrs Flood’s appearance to break the fourth wall doesn’t really mean much to me yet. The wreckage of Earth and the May 2025 date (I assume that’ll be when the finale is released) looks good through.
But I can’t shed the nagging feeling that RTD in being both writer and showrunner, but without his younger energy from 2005-2009, there’s a few rough edges in the writing and plotting that could’ve been shaved off. The people of Missbelindachandra barely make an impression in between the dying – and it would’ve been nice to establish the neighbour’s cat a bit more. I might’ve missed it, but seeing a little bit more of Belinda and Alan’s breakup more fully as part of showing their relationship (maybe a montage) may have set the characterisation third act up a bit more clearly without telegraphing too far. And the time-wimey elements seemed unnecessarily complicated and detrimental to what was happening. If the Doctor had been there for six months just waiting around for Belinda, doesn’t he come across as useless? Couldn’t he have just arrived the day or two before (as the Tardis goes faster than the rocket) – long enough to learn what he needs to exposit as the Historian to Belinda when she arrives. The robots using the time fracture to capture Alan ten years ago while the certificate had been there for 5,000 years I think also confused.
I realise from a Disney+ perspective "it's a show about time-travel" that makes Doctor Who try to stand out, but I think they're trying to hard to leverage that into everything - just let the Tardis deposit the Doctor somewhere/when new every adventure and we're good to go.
But for all that – its great to have new Doctor Who again for a few short months.
posted by jjderooy at 10:49 PM on April 13 [1 favorite]
The design, costumes, acting and direction continue to be amazing and firmly 2025 and continues to show the Disney money, if maybe a bit too dazzlingly digital for my analog-aged eyes. And the gags land pretty well, with “padam, padam” a favourite.
Belinda being in her late-30s while the Doctor comes across to me as mid-20s made for a good central dynamic. Gatwa does the charm and bounce of some of the Doctor’s other incarnations very well, but can’t quite land the actually-ancient bit that particularly Matt Smith conveyed. Belinda having been around the block and seen a lot of the human condition first hand as a career-NHS-nurse provides plenty of contrast.
The Doctor’s long-standing failing – the easy slide into arrogance that comes from being quite good at most things – shows through here with the questions of consent and gelled well with the broader AI and demands-for-attachment themes. There are many many ideas and mysteries here – some of the latter driving the story along and being answered (I was intrigued by the idea the AI Generator wanted marriage) – and others left dangling for next time. Although Mrs Flood’s appearance to break the fourth wall doesn’t really mean much to me yet. The wreckage of Earth and the May 2025 date (I assume that’ll be when the finale is released) looks good through.
But I can’t shed the nagging feeling that RTD in being both writer and showrunner, but without his younger energy from 2005-2009, there’s a few rough edges in the writing and plotting that could’ve been shaved off. The people of Missbelindachandra barely make an impression in between the dying – and it would’ve been nice to establish the neighbour’s cat a bit more. I might’ve missed it, but seeing a little bit more of Belinda and Alan’s breakup more fully as part of showing their relationship (maybe a montage) may have set the characterisation third act up a bit more clearly without telegraphing too far. And the time-wimey elements seemed unnecessarily complicated and detrimental to what was happening. If the Doctor had been there for six months just waiting around for Belinda, doesn’t he come across as useless? Couldn’t he have just arrived the day or two before (as the Tardis goes faster than the rocket) – long enough to learn what he needs to exposit as the Historian to Belinda when she arrives. The robots using the time fracture to capture Alan ten years ago while the certificate had been there for 5,000 years I think also confused.
I realise from a Disney+ perspective "it's a show about time-travel" that makes Doctor Who try to stand out, but I think they're trying to hard to leverage that into everything - just let the Tardis deposit the Doctor somewhere/when new every adventure and we're good to go.
But for all that – its great to have new Doctor Who again for a few short months.
posted by jjderooy at 10:49 PM on April 13 [1 favorite]
We liked it quite a bit. It felt legitimately “Doctor Who.”
~ Agree that the Disney Dollars really showed in this one.
~ Liked the offhand “timey-wimey” reference.
~ I was kind of shocked about the cat.
~ I only noticed one hand-wavey, explain-it-away moment, when the Doctor and Belinda are trying to get back to Earth but are being held back, she asks him if it’s the time crack/fissure/glitch/whatever was the problem, the Doctor merely say “No, I fixed that.” Or did I miss the quick moment that showed him stitching time back together?
Anyway, it was a solid Who episode.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:31 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]
~ Agree that the Disney Dollars really showed in this one.
~ Liked the offhand “timey-wimey” reference.
~ I was kind of shocked about the cat.
~ I only noticed one hand-wavey, explain-it-away moment, when the Doctor and Belinda are trying to get back to Earth but are being held back, she asks him if it’s the time crack/fissure/glitch/whatever was the problem, the Doctor merely say “No, I fixed that.” Or did I miss the quick moment that showed him stitching time back together?
Anyway, it was a solid Who episode.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:31 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]
Belinda is great. I liked her earlier character (her descendant) from last year's episode too. Her response to his "timey wimey" ("Am I six?") was hilarious and her anger at his scanning her DNA without consent was fantastic. About time someone called him out. But everything that happened on Missbelindachandra was too rushed and mostly dumb. Why every ninth word? Why was that one guy so pissed off at the one person who just arrived and had no idea what was going on? Who were all these nameless missbelindachandrians who got killed and why should we care about Sasha 55 anyway? And what the heck was Alan's problem?
I would have liked something smaller. A longer introduction to Belinda, more explanation about Alan besides his stupid comment about how girls don't understand math, a story that doesn't involve the destruction of earth for the millionth time. And if RTD really wanted to do this story first, then maybe it should have been in two parts, with the Doctor spending time with the rebels so we could get to know them and maybe care about them instead of them being cannon fodder. It was all too rushed and too shallow to make me care.
And I am still mad about the cat.
posted by ceejaytee at 5:52 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
I would have liked something smaller. A longer introduction to Belinda, more explanation about Alan besides his stupid comment about how girls don't understand math, a story that doesn't involve the destruction of earth for the millionth time. And if RTD really wanted to do this story first, then maybe it should have been in two parts, with the Doctor spending time with the rebels so we could get to know them and maybe care about them instead of them being cannon fodder. It was all too rushed and too shallow to make me care.
And I am still mad about the cat.
posted by ceejaytee at 5:52 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
Doctor Who does Jupiter Ascending! (This is not a complaint.)
I wonder if Sasha 55(?) might turn up in another iteration, that was a lovely performance.
Great wibbly-wobbly bit in the middle there, I had to reboot my wifi in the middle of it (or did I? LOL).
posted by Coaticass at 4:49 PM on April 14
I wonder if Sasha 55(?) might turn up in another iteration, that was a lovely performance.
Great wibbly-wobbly bit in the middle there, I had to reboot my wifi in the middle of it (or did I? LOL).
posted by Coaticass at 4:49 PM on April 14
I do love a companion who has no time for the Doctor's bullshit. And I've given up on any sensible continuity or logic: whatever the story calls for is the way the world works, even if it contradicts the way the world worked last week. I do miss the nostalgically naff special effects of 2005--what I wouldn't give for some bubble wrap monsters!
posted by rikschell at 5:35 AM on April 15 [2 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 5:35 AM on April 15 [2 favorites]
Another companion who is super important for some reason. sigh.
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 1:06 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 1:06 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
I don't know if this is a bad episode or if the amount of interest I had in Doctor Who was finite and has been greatly exceeded.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:38 PM on April 22
posted by DirtyOldTown at 6:38 PM on April 22
I realise from a Disney+ perspective "it's a show about time-travel" that makes Doctor Who try to stand out, but I think they're trying to hard to leverage that into everything - just let the Tardis deposit the Doctor somewhere/when new every adventure and we're good to go.
I agree 100%. We know he's a time-traveler. We don't need to be reminded of that constantly by having every plot revolve around time-travel shenanigans. It's like they think we'll forget if it isn't in our faces all the time.
Agree with all the critiques (not establishing the Missbelindachandrans as characters, no explanation of Alan and Belinda's relationship, etc.) but still enjoyable. This episode should have either been a two-parter to fill in the missing detail, or cut and simplified so as not to have so many weak points in the story.
As soon as Sasha-55 said "Take me to the stars, Doctor!" I knew she was gonna get blasted.
Was a little surprised by the cat murder. Also, when the Doctor accidentally shuts off the power at the hospital, let's hope there was no one on life support or in surgery or anything.
Another companion who is super important for some reason. sigh.
Yeah, that trope needs to be tossed. It's so much better if it's just some random interesting person(s) that get caught up with the Doctor.
So, let me see if I can get this straight: 5000+ years ago, the Star Certificate appeared on this other planet through the time glitch, establishing/bootstrapping the Missbelindachandra society. 17 years ago, Alan buys the Star Certificate for Miss Belinda Chandra. 10 years ago, Alan appears on Missbelindachandra through the time glitch with some advanced robots, and takes over the planet, becoming a robot-human hybrid dictator. Six months ago, the Doctor arrives through the time glitch at Missbelindachandra, becomes the Historian, and waits. Present day, Miss Belinda Chandra gets kidnapped from earth, and the Doctor follows -- shunting him back to 6 months ago (or Belinda forward 6 months?). She tells the Robots to go get Alan, which they do, but they get shunted back 10 years, establishing the robot dictatorship. And then at some point in the future (?), some robots (or somebody else?) gets the Star Certificate, and takes it back to the dawn of Missbelindachandran history, completing the time loop. Is that... close?
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:26 PM on April 23
I agree 100%. We know he's a time-traveler. We don't need to be reminded of that constantly by having every plot revolve around time-travel shenanigans. It's like they think we'll forget if it isn't in our faces all the time.
Agree with all the critiques (not establishing the Missbelindachandrans as characters, no explanation of Alan and Belinda's relationship, etc.) but still enjoyable. This episode should have either been a two-parter to fill in the missing detail, or cut and simplified so as not to have so many weak points in the story.
As soon as Sasha-55 said "Take me to the stars, Doctor!" I knew she was gonna get blasted.
Was a little surprised by the cat murder. Also, when the Doctor accidentally shuts off the power at the hospital, let's hope there was no one on life support or in surgery or anything.
Another companion who is super important for some reason. sigh.
Yeah, that trope needs to be tossed. It's so much better if it's just some random interesting person(s) that get caught up with the Doctor.
So, let me see if I can get this straight: 5000+ years ago, the Star Certificate appeared on this other planet through the time glitch, establishing/bootstrapping the Missbelindachandra society. 17 years ago, Alan buys the Star Certificate for Miss Belinda Chandra. 10 years ago, Alan appears on Missbelindachandra through the time glitch with some advanced robots, and takes over the planet, becoming a robot-human hybrid dictator. Six months ago, the Doctor arrives through the time glitch at Missbelindachandra, becomes the Historian, and waits. Present day, Miss Belinda Chandra gets kidnapped from earth, and the Doctor follows -- shunting him back to 6 months ago (or Belinda forward 6 months?). She tells the Robots to go get Alan, which they do, but they get shunted back 10 years, establishing the robot dictatorship. And then at some point in the future (?), some robots (or somebody else?) gets the Star Certificate, and takes it back to the dawn of Missbelindachandran history, completing the time loop. Is that... close?
posted by Saxon Kane at 2:26 PM on April 23
Thinking more about this episode, it is pretty messed up that the Doctor laughs about Alan reverting to a sperm & egg and then getting vacuumed up by the polish bot. Outside of genocidal baddies like the Daleks, the Doctor is usually pretty devoted to saving as many lives as possible, even the villain's.
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:32 AM on April 27
posted by Saxon Kane at 11:32 AM on April 27
Thinking more about this episode, it is pretty messed up that the Doctor laughs about Alan reverting to a sperm & egg and then getting vacuumed up by the polish bot.
Yeah, but that guy was an incel asshole.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:51 PM on April 27 [1 favorite]
Yeah, but that guy was an incel asshole.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 6:51 PM on April 27 [1 favorite]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
I liked Belinda a lot, and I think a companion who is, like, a bona fide grownup just is a better fit for 15. She's obviously more of a grownup than HE is, which is a nice change of pace for this show.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 9:46 PM on April 13 [2 favorites]