Cons:
So, I'll start by saying I think a couple of my complaints are going to be "too soon to judge" sorts of things. This is only our second episode seeing Ruby and the Doctor interact, so I'm totally willing, and excited, to see how their dynamic is going to evolve as we go on. But in this episode specifically, I felt like both of them were sort of... over-acting in order to artificially charge up their chemistry on screen? There were a lot of really loud line deliveries and kind of awkward pacing within the lines, eyes getting big, just like... really oversized reactions in the midst of conversations that didn't need to be played so... theatrically, I guess? This is a little hard to explain because I'm not criticizing like, the overall direction that Ncuti Gatwa is taking the character, I think there's a lot of great stuff there, it was just... it felt like both actors were playing up this great connection and affection they had for each other in a way that felt unearned. It's strange, because I liked them together a lot in the Christmas Special, but here it felt like they were trying to speed run the degree to which they'd have such a connection.
I also think this was partially a dialogue problem, it felt like there were a lot of kind of uninspired dialogue moments written in here, which also surprised me a lot. Like, I didn't need the Doctor to say the thing out loud about pressing the buttons, that would have worked just visually. The part where he realizes that the bogeyman is made out of literal boogers dragged on way too long, the punchline was like... hanging in the air for a solid minute before we got to Ruby's reaction and it felt very clunky. The Doctor laughing when he made the space babies cry by showing them the bogeyman again? That was weird. Also, the constant "babies... space babies" thing wasn't funny the first time and it got less funny the more it got repeated. Or even the bit at the end when Ruby tells Jocelyn "that's what you do, you save all of them" and she like... repeats it and then Jocelyn cries and hugs her? It was just too much.
And my other big criticism with the structure of this episode was actually the emotionally heartfelt moment of reckoning, where the Doctor saves the bogeyman and reflects that they are both the only one of their kind. Like, here's the thing. First, the episode flashed back to the Doctor's dialogue earlier talking about how he's the last of the Time Lords and how everyone is unique and special. And it was weird, it was like... no, this is the kind of flashback you do if the Doctor said that shit three episodes ago, not like... fifteen minutes ago in the same episode. It was so unnecessary.
But more importantly, this moment where Jocelyn goes to destroy the bogeyman to save the babies, there's this moment when Ruby is like "but it's one of them, it also needs to be saved", that completely threw me off-guard and just made no practical sense to me at all. It hits right after we've just figured out that the bogeyman is a computer-generated creature specifically created out of children's boogers in order to teach them a lesson and give them a storybook monster. The fact that this thing was actually sentient and not just computer code wasn't actually made clear to me, the viewer, until we see how Ruby and the Doctor react to the idea of it dying. It felt so misplaced and strange because I literally thought the point of the computer reveal was to be like "oh, this thing isn't real, it's just a manifestation of fear, we should get rid of it by helping the babies be less afraid and learning that the monsters under their bed aren't real" but instead it was "oh no, this is a creature deserving of our compassion, we can't let it die!"
So long story short, this was the emotional revelation beat of the episode, where the Doctor reaches out for a fellow orphaned creature, and it should have been a slam dunk, but instead it just felt very... off, to me. On a practical and emotional level.
Pros:
Here's the thing: I really truly didn't hate this episode, and I still have high hopes for this season of the show. I feel like the people who didn't like it are going to complain mainly about the tonal whiplash of having poop jokes paired with political commentary paired with tragic reflections on abandonment or whatever, but... no. That's fine. That's Doctor Who, babes. I don't mind that this episode was a wacky mess, I don't mind the slightly freaky CGI baby mouths, I don't mind the strange mix of whimsy and horror shoved side by side within a single scene. That stuff is built into the fabric of this show and I am truthfully here for it. I want them to keep trying weird and crazy stuff, and I do appreciate that this episode wasn't playing it safe.
The beginning scene was clearly a "intro for new Doctor Who fans" moment, with some backstory download and then a demonstration of the TARDIS's abilities. I didn't mind this, even if it was clearly just there to onboard new viewers. Ruby is a new companion, she deserves an explanation for what's going on! And I loved the butterfly effect gag, that was so silly and charming. Plus, those were some halfway decent CGI dinos, clearly the show demonstrating its shiny new Disney money.
I thought the babies that talked like kindergartners were actually surprisingly adorable. The beat about Captain Poppy never having had a hug before broke my heart, it was so sweet to see the Doctor and Ruby both immediately wanting to help all the babies. It was so immediate, especially for Ruby: we're here now, you never should have been left to fend for yourselves, and even though I have no idea what's going on, I'm taking responsibility for this situation because I am the adult in the room. Such a great way to show off what a caring person she is, with a practiced ability to care for young children. I love that we have our somewhat typical spunky, quippy young woman coming along on TARDIS adventures, but one of the main tent-pole things we know about her personality is how much she treasures children and how much of a natural she is at caring for young ones. I feel like you don't get that a ton on TV these days.
The political stuff about abortions and immigration and refugees was all pretty well done; I feel like that's going to be another thing people complain about, but it's another part of Doctor Who's DNA as a show. It's often overtly political and doesn't bother to be subtle about it. And honestly, none it felt forced, it felt like a funny, over-the-top but still cogent metaphor for actual real life politics back in twenty-first century Earth.
While I've already said the Doctor's big moment of saving the bogeyman didn't work for me on an emotional level, there were a couple of more sincere moments in the episode that did work for me. First, Jocelyn's reveal that she's stayed hidden from the babies in order to guard herself against the grief of watching them die when the station runs out of supplies... oof. That hit hard. (Also, the Nan-E bit with the censoring of the swears was also a comedy bit that did work for me throughout.)
And the bit of the Doctor telling Ruby he can't ever take her back in time to find out who left her at the church on Christmas... that was also well-acted and is setting up what I'm sure will be interesting fodder for the through-line of this season. I liked the energy between them in that final scene, it felt like some of the manic high-energy strangeness I was sensing from earlier had mellowed out, and it felt more real.
This is proving to be a longer review than I intended, but one other thing: I kind of love the way the Doctor is freaked out by how scared he is of the bogeyman, before he figures out that it's literally a creature designed to be scary. It reveals kind of a surprising amount about the Doctor as a character, and how this particular iteration conceives of himself. Like... is the Doctor under the impression that he's someone who doesn't feel fear very often? Is that how we're meant to think of the character? Because I think of him as being quite scared a lot of the time. And running away from crazy shit that seems dangerous is a quintessential Doctor move! But I don't think this line is like, a plot hole or out of character. I think it's an interesting peak into how the Doctor conceives of himself, and what kind of emotional responses feel like an interruption of his normal behavior to him. He's still figuring out who this new regeneration is, I would imagine, although we don't know how long it's been since he said goodbye to Donna and David Tennant.
We end the episode with Ruby getting invited to come along on adventures, but not before stopping by for Christmas at her foster mother's place. The Doctor takes a scan of Ruby's DNA, ostensibly to figure out more about who she really is...
I'm holding my breath hoping this doesn't get too much like Moffat-era companions, Clara especially, with the whole Impossible Girl bullshit that ended up being so insufferable. But even if it does end up going in somewhat of a similar direction, I'm still excited to hang out with these characters for a bit! I just have to give this season premiere kind of low marks, unfortunately.
6/10
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