It’s here! Fantasy has manifested into reality, everything is bright (even when it’s not meant to be) and there are musical numbers.
The cringe is real, oh yes, and everything seems more unhinged than usual but that is key to Russell T Davies’ design.
Rather than slip back into the science fiction tropes we expect, RTD has doubled down – tripled down – on breaking the universe.
Warning: Spoilers Sweetie
The Flux, the Timeless Child – it all happened, no retcon. To push even harder, the recent specials unleashed the Celestial Toymaker and his reign has further complicated the status quo.
Sure, I prefer harder, more traditional science fiction but I respect the brave decision to make the surreal work. But does it work? So long as the rules that govern the ‘magic’ is plausible, I guess. It's all rather confusing. Ultimately, the franchise, which spans six decades, needs to innovate if it wants to thrive and persist. Or else what's the point? Just chuck an old VHS tape in the player and enjoy the classics if you’re not keen on change.
If we're going to reboot and remake the show then let's go big! That is certainly the case here.
Disney+ has three episodes listed which has confused people when they talk about the first two episodes.
Special 4 is being treated as episode one, ‘Space Babies’ episode two and ‘The Devil’s Chord’ episode three.
The Doctor and his companion Ruby Sunday travel across time and space, with adventures all the way from the Regency era in England, to war-torn future worlds. Throughout their adventures in the TARDIS – a time-traveling ship shaped like a police box – they encounter incredible friends and dangerous foes, including a terrifying bogeyman, and the Doctor’s most powerful enemy yet.
*So yeah, this is season 14 of the 2005 revival but Disney is saying it’s season one …
‘Space Babies’ – Infantile Beginnings
RTD has settled on a poignant title, 'Space Babies', which directly references the plot of the story and the target audience in North America. This is unashamedly an introduction – or rather a crash course – in who the Doctor is at surface level and what the show is all about. Essentially, alien dude has abandonment issues, enjoys freedom and passes the time (and space) with a living space ship and convinces naive humans to tag along.
Unfortunately, for me, there is too much character and lore exposition early on. Most of which comes across as forced and not so organic. Like it's an inconvenience to the plot to have to cover all this ground but we're going to rush through it so we can move along. This made for some hasty dialogue and action sequences. I mean, let the show breathe. Pacing is bang-bang-bang and I'm barely hanging on. It's clear that everything about this era is overt. And that's ok. I'm enjoying Ncuti Gatwa's take on the Doctor and not-Rose Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday is fine. They share great chemistry on-screen and revel in the banter and humour – it's all overwhelmingly positive. Infectious even.
We are told the Doctor is adopted, the ‘posh people’ on Gallifrey use titles like Rani and Conquistador instead of names, Time And Relative Dimension In Space (TARDIS) is explained, the Police Box (circa 1963) aesthetic is an old TARDIS disguise but the chameleon [circuit] is broken (everything in the universe is knackered babes) but the perception filter works a treat – you know the telepathic circuit that translates both audio and visual for the discerning space and time traveller. Oh, the Doctor is also the last of the Time Lords and has two hearts.
Apparently the Doctor can breathe life back into butterflies like it's no big deal and can hack mobile phones for time-relative calls (we’ve seen that trick before).
Yeah ... I couldn't wait for this particular story to end – as soon as the babies started talking. In addition to predictable plot beats, the lip syncing broke my immersion. The infantilism ruined it for me. Clearly this story is geared for a specific target and it's not me.
Despite all that I still enjoyed it and chuckled.
How they resolve the baby farm colony space station and leave it to burn towards an inhabited planet, with a 'doggo' near an airlock, just seemed crazy. Not the most definitively solved problem but there you go. Maybe this is a taste of things to come.
Ruby receives a key to the TARDIS on the condition that she doesn't go back to 'that church'. Obviously, we're totally revisiting that point in time as mystery abounds. Also, earlier in the episode she brought the memory of snow into existence which confirms that fantasy/imagination/memory can be made real even if it is temporary. Scary.
Was this the best attempt at throwing a new audience into the whacky Whonivese? No, I reckon 'The Eleventh Hour' starring Matt Smith did a better job at easing viewers in.
‘The Devil’s Chord’ – Aeolian Tones
While it did drag in places, pardon the pun, I loved Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) as a unique villain and I hope we experience an encore in the future.
It's not quite the musical we were expecting but it was musical enough. Here we have a direct consequence from the Toymaker's meddling.
And what a specimen Maestro is. Shooting tablatures like tentacles, embracing the melodramatic as only Monsoon can, consuming music, seeking people out with a tuning fork that was cool.
Yes, there is a Pantheon of God-like beings. At least from the classics we're familiar with Fenric, Sutekh and the Gods of Ragnarok among others.
Interestingly, who is on a tier higher than Maestro and Toymaker to instil such fear? Hints abound that there is another out there but we don't know who or what it is?
I'm enjoying this notion of the Doctor trying to make sense of the fantasy – the unconventional laws these Godly creatures abide by. Absolutely terrifying stuff considering the show has mostly leaned on science.
What did you make of the Beatles in this?
I thought bugger what Lennon and McCartney had to say, surely Starr and Harrison are for more interesting to chat with. And yeah when you cast actors to play such iconic and beloved people it ain't going to gel well if you can't visually connect with them. Tough crowd.
The ending was excessively indulgent to make up for the grim 'silent nuclear winter'. The peaks and troughs make me nervous though. We're hitting some incredible highs and gut-wreching lows and we're only getting started. This is going to be an epic ride.
Big Questions
We've got ourselves plenty to consider in terms of the arc.
Who is Mrs Flood?
Who is Ruby Sunday?
What happened at the church at that point in time?
What is the Doctor if they are not of Gallifrey origin?
What God/entity/character terrifies the Toymaker?
So far it has been a mad rush and entertaining but is this storytelling sustainable? The next ep looks like a banger.