Editor’s notice: The beneath recap incorporates spoilers for the Doctor Who Season 2 premiere.
Doctor Who is again for a brand-new journey with a brand-new companion and a complete season forward of misadventures as a mysterious pressure stops the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu) from getting again house. While the primary episode of the season is a superbly positive entry within the franchise, with a barely convoluted plot made murky by some extra heavy-handed parts, “The Robot Revolution” is value a look ahead to the present’s glorious new companion and one other stellar efficiency from Gatwa. Written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Peter Hoar (The Last of Us), this episode takes the viewer alongside for the trip as nurse Belinda Chandra is kidnapped by killer robots and brought to be forcibly married to what they imagine is an AI generator.
While the plot itself isn’t significantly groundbreaking within the grand scheme of Doctor Who, the true spotlight of “The Robot Revolution” is Sethu’s efficiency, introducing us to this season’s companion. Taken in opposition to her will to be “the queen of outer space,” Belinda is as charming and type as she is daring and confrontational. She rolls with the punches of this wild journey in a approach that feels significantly relatable at this level in human historical past, making one of the best out of an unbelievable scenario. In an episode that doesn’t fairly know what it’s making an attempt to say at occasions, we instantly know who Belinda is and the way she matches into this world. Rather than joyfully becoming a member of the Doctor after being dazzled by his life, Belinda has already clocked the extra harmful and reckless facets of his life. However, they’re drawn collectively by circumstance anyway as destiny forces them to take “the long way round” to get house.
‘Doctor Who’ Introduces an Excellent New Companion in “The Robot Revolution”
“The Robot Revolution” opens with a flashback to Belinda on a date with an ungainly, barely unbearable younger man named Alan, who’s gifting her a star for her birthday. Presenting her with a certificates naming the star “Miss Belinda Chandra.” When Belinda asks if it must say “miss,” her date — who could be very explicit about just about all the pieces she says — asks if she’s married, and, on condition that she’s not, the miss stays. Ultimately, she accepts the present and the 2 share a reasonably cringeworthy (for Belinda in addition to the viewers) kiss earlier than we soar again to the current day. In 2025, the Doctor touches down within the TARDIS proper outdoors a hospital, and inside, we observe Belinda by means of a condensed episode of The Pitt, or somewhat, her day by day job as a nurse. She’s type and affected person, treating a variety of accidents and mishaps with grace earlier than she clocks out with out ever operating into the Doctor. Meanwhile, he’s frantically looking for her for causes unknown, going so far as to pester the opposite workers and even unintentionally shutting down energy to the entire constructing when he sonics the pc, which can’t be good for a hospital. Back at Belinda’s flat, we study that she lives with a couple of roommates with whom she isn’t significantly shut.
When she’s lastly sleeping, a rocket lands in her yard and a pair of campy-looking robots break down her door and kill a neighbor’s cat to let her know they imply enterprise. They’re right here for her, to take her away as queen of the planet “Missbelindachandra.” However, should you attempt to determine how or why the robots, and even the Doctor for that matter, knew to return get her, it’s possible you’ll find yourself in a paradox loop. Even within the face of lethal robots taking her off the planet, Belinda is daring and unafraid to talk her thoughts, letting them know that what they’re doing is ridiculous from the soar. As they take her away, we see that Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood is her neighbor too, trying hilariously nonplussed as Belinda is taken away. And sure, she continues her pleasant fourth wall breaks with an ominous warning to the viewers, so should you’re asking, no, we truly didn’t see her, wink wink.
On the rocket, Belinda continues to protest in opposition to the ridiculous circumstance she’s discovered herself in, suggesting that the robots truly go get Alan Budd, the person who purchased her the star, revealing that she hasn’t seen him in 16 years. While they’re touring, time goes a bit wibbly-wobbly, and the identical occurs for the Doctor, who’s following them within the TARDIS, already figuring out the place to go, because it’s later revealed that he arrives on the planet a complete six months earlier than Belinda and the bots. Finally, as soon as they land, Belinda is greeted by a human, or a member of the humanoid species that lives right here. On the floor, her new pal, Sasha 55 (Evelyn Miller), welcomes her together with their “robotic overlords,” however below her breath, she delivers a plea for assist earlier than taking Belinda to the throne room.
Once there, Sasha 55 shares a glance with the Doctor, who’s gathered with a number of different residents. Rather abruptly, the robots inform Belinda that she’s there for a royal wedding ceremony to the good AI generator — although what precisely it’s producing on this planet in addition to devastation and chaos is unclear, however I suppose that tracks so far as AI turbines go. Belinda naturally resists, questioning why “everything on this planet is so stupid,” however earlier than the robots can take her away, the Doctor, who’s now the planet’s historian, provides to elucidate issues to their new queen. He reveals that the robots can’t hear each ninth phrase and tells her that he and the rebels are literally about to overthrow the machines. Mayhem erupts and the Doctor jumps into motion to guard Belinda, whereas Sasha 55 and the opposite rebels have interaction their overlords in a firefight. Sasha 55 insists that Belinda can belief the Doctor, even insisting that as quickly as he will get Belinda house, the 2 of them will jet off on their very own journey. In that second, it turns into alarmingly clear that Sasha 55 is marked for loss of life, getting eviscerated proper in entrance of Belinda simply seconds later. The Doctor will get them out and destroys the teleport system behind them.
Belinda Chandra Isn’t Your Average ‘Doctor Who’ Companion — And That’s a Good Thing
At the insurgent base — which can really feel acquainted for followers of Sethu who additionally performs a member of the resistance on Andor — a younger man calls for that Belinda higher have been definitely worth the lives they misplaced in that firefight. Belinda, who hasn’t had a say in any of this, insists that none of that is her fault earlier than providing some phrases of consolation to the Doctor as he briefly mourns the lack of one more pal. The Doctor provides Belinda her personal Chekov’s gun when he gently switches off a small cleansing bot that had adopted them by means of the teleport for worry of it main the killer robots to their base.
Belinda instantly begins serving to sufferers, falling simply into the ability she is aware of and loves by serving to individuals who want her. When she mentions she’s meant to be beginning a brand new shift on the hospital on Monday, the Doctor is all of a sudden reminded of Mundy Flynn, the Anglican Marine from the 51st century Sethu performed in Season 1. In the second of quiet, the Doctor and Belinda get to know one another higher, bonding over their shared need to assist folks and admitting they make a “pretty good team” as “just the Doctor” and “just the nurse.” The Doctor provides Belinda a bit of little bit of a crash course in alien life, exhibiting her his two hearts and making a pleasant Kylie Minogue reference, as a result of the Doctor is at the beginning a Kylie stan.
Together they dig into the thriller of “The Robot Revolution” and try and make sense of the very paradoxical nature of the story. Ultimately, they understand that they’ve the identical certificates the robots have, giving themselves one other Checkov’s gun with the information that if the 2 objects had been to the touch, it will create a sophisticated space-time occasion of disastrous proportions. They dig additional into the timey-wimey thriller of a time fissure in area that’s at the very least partially answerable for the scenario they’ve discovered themselves in. Meanwhile, one of many rebels continues to present Belinda a tough time, and the conflict rages on outdoors, making her really feel the burden of all of the lives misplaced in her identify. While the Doctor and the opposite rebels proceed to analyze what precipitated the robots to begin attacking folks 10 years in the past, Belinda goes forward and fires that first Chekov’s gun by turning the cleansing bot again on so she will flip herself in. When the robots arrive, the locals are enraged and prepared for a combat, however Belinda reveals she did this to guard them, going willingly to marry the AI generator if it means the robots will cease killing folks.
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“The Robot Revolution” Loses Its Meaning by Trying To Do Too Much
In the inside sanctum of the AI generator, the Doctor tries to persuade the supreme chief to take him as an alternative of Belinda, promising the omnipotent machine that it will make a significantly better match with him. The Doctor’s pleas are rejected instantly, and it’s made clear that he’s merely there to watch because the planet’s historian. Belinda is unhappy and scared however resolved in her mission to avoid wasting the planet, insisting that after she’s gone, they are going to cease the conflict and depart what quantities to “her people” alone. She tells them they will drop the “miss” although and simply bear in mind her as Belinda, to which the AI asks if she’s married. Unfortunately, that is additionally when the plot begins to resemble one thing akin to Swiss cheese, because it’s revealed that the AI generator isn’t an AI in any case, and it’s, in reality, Alan Budd, the misogynist boyfriend who purchased Belinda the star.
The Doctor says “it’s not AI, it’s AL,” for Alan, and in combining this AI plot with certainly one of an incel — and sure, they are saying the quiet half aloud — “The Robot Revolution” finally ends up probably not saying something significant about both of those real-world antagonists. We’re meant to grasp that Alan is the villain of this planet, and he’s — he instantly began a conflict on harmless folks moments after he arrived and manipulated all the pieces so he can be “the winner.” However, he’s additionally painfully welded himself into the robotic mainframe as their chief, and the “every ninth word” trick from the start of the episode reveals that he’s in large ache, and he needs assist. The episode nearly makes a degree concerning the ease with which younger males are corrupted by the web and the devastation wrought on harmless folks when that occurs, however that’s buried beneath a lot the murkier textual content and subtext that the episode truly delivers.
Alan calls for that Belinda obey him and be a part of him in some sort of cursed matrimony earlier than holding out the diploma, making it appear as if perhaps he’s asking to be destroyed. The Doctor sends the opposite certificates again as much as Belinda with the little helper robotic, and he or she takes it as much as contact Alan’s making all the pieces go all wibbly-wobbly. Within the space-time explosion, Belinda and Alan seem like all ages without delay, flashing by means of their entire lives. Being a sophisticated space-time occasion himself, the Doctor is ready to soar into the blast and pull Belinda out, on the proper age, solely seconds later. Alan, then again, has disintegrated right into a sperm and an egg and is whisked away into nothingness by the small cleansing robotic because it polishes the flooring.
Finally, the robots apologize now that they’re free from the Alan generator and promise to make reparations to the folks of this planet. The insurgent who had given Belinda a tough time additionally apologizes to Belinda, and he guarantees to honor these they misplaced, beginning by naming the citadel after Sasha 55. While the Doctor is thrilled to be setting off on a brand new journey, Belinda stops him in his tracks by insisting he take her house first. She will get the usual, and ever pleasant, “it’s bigger on the inside” second when she and the Doctor lastly board the TARDIS to move again to Earth. However, whereas she’s momentarily dazzled by the spaceship and the Doctor’s talents, she genuinely simply needs to go house, regardless of the Doctor insisting that they will take their time since they’ve a time machine. He even thinks they could have been fated to fulfill as he scans her and reveals her the descendant of hers he met in Season 1 — Mundy Flynn.
Unlike most companions, Belinda isn’t able to set off into the celebs; she’s seen precisely how harmful and lethal the Doctor might be firsthand. She instantly holds him accountable, telling him she’s not certainly one of his adventures. It will get by means of to him, and he units their vacation spot for Earth, on May the twenty fourth, to get Belinda again in time for her new shift on the hospital — although, if we’re being sincere, she ought to most likely get some sleep earlier than going again to work. However, every time the TARDIS tries to leap house, it seems to bounce proper off that date, refusing to take them again to their desired vacation spot. The Doctor can’t determine precisely what’s occurring, however he guarantees he’ll get Belinda house even when they could must take “the long way round.” As the TARDIS whooshes away, the viewers is handled to the wreckage of Earth floating by means of area — together with Lady Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the good pyramids, a calendar marked for the twenty fourth, and one other duplicate of Belinda’s star certificates.
New episodes of Doctor Who will arrive on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer at 3 AM ET each Saturday.
The Doctor Who Season 2 premiere is a superbly positive watch, however a barely convoluted plot is made murky by some extra heavy-handed parts.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Network
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BBC
- Belinda is a wonderful new companion.
- Varada Sethu strikes the best stability of dazzled and cautious that makes Belinda much more compelling.
- Having the Doctor and Companion pressured collectively by circumstance makes the present really feel contemporary and provides a brand new layer to that dynamic.
- Lots of the “why” of the episode is misplaced in a reasonably convoluted plot.
- By combining a critique of AI with a critique of incel tradition, the episode fails to say something significant about both.
- The story itself is a reasonably common story for Doctor Who, making it a somewhat mediocre season opener.