A year ago, I wrote a conclusion for season one of Doctor Who’s new era on Disney+. In it, I expressed frustrations about the show’s handling but, more importantly, offered solutions for how to fix them in Doctor Who season two. With Doctor Who season two over and Ncuti Gatwa out of the show far…… Continue reading Doctor Who Season Two: What Went Wrong, and Can It Be Fixed?
Tag: BBC
Doctor Who: The Reality War
What began as a bold new era under Disney’s banner ends not with clarity, but chaos. The Reality War, penned by Russell T Davies and directed by Alex Sanjiv Pillai, arrives burdened by lore, expectation, and a 66-minute runtime that it struggles to justify. The episode juggles gods, genetic legacies, and a regeneration, yet fails…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Reality War
Doctor Who: Wish World
At its most potent, Doctor Who weaponises the uncanny. The greatest episodes have often been those where the rules of reality itself begin to warp, where the world turns subtly wrong and no one but the companion notices. Wish World leans squarely into that tradition, attempting a heady cocktail of dystopian allegory, psychological horror, and…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Wish World
Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine
In The Story and the Engine, the Doctor visits Lagos and uncovers a mysterious barbershop powered by stories, where Nigerian folklore and sci-fi collide in a meditation on identity, legacy, and the power of oral tradition. The Story and the Engine is an intellectually thrilling premise, and in some moments, an emotionally moving one. But…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine
Doctor Who: Lucky Day
Would it be your lucky day to meet the Doctor? For Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), it was on New Year’s Day 2007. That chance encounter leaves a mark, both figuratively and, as it turns out, literally. Fixated on the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and the enigma of the blue box, a young Conrad grows up to…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Lucky Day
Doctor Who: The Well
Doctor Who’s third episode, The Well, opens aboard a mining colony on a dead planet, where all but one inhabitant has mysteriously died. The Well is a passable, slightly underwhelming entry, co-written by Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall and directed by Amanda Brotchie. Revisiting heavily trodden ground, it struggles to reach the lofty heights…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Well
Doctor Who: Lux
Lux, the second episode of the series, sees the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu) land in 1950s America to discover that the local cinema is chained up, 15 people are missing, and a cartoon character roams free from his celluloid. Taking the form of Mr Ring-A-Ding, a 2D cartoon projection voiced with theatrical…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Lux
Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution
Doctor Who returns with The Robot Revolution, a bold but uneven series opener introducing a new companion, Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu). The episode brims with ambition but struggles to ground its emotional core or deliver its message. Penned by showrunner Russell T Davies and directed by Peter Hoar (It’s a Sin, The Last of Us),…… Continue reading Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution
Doctor Who: Season One — What went wrong?
Doctor Who season one has finished airing with the Empire of Death. Beginning its ongoing relationship with Disney, the show’s relaunch has brought highs and lows that the production team will need to assess ahead of their next season. The first season of Doctor Who, with Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Millie Gibson as…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Season One — What went wrong?
Doctor Who: Empire of Death
The highly anticipated final episode of Doctor Who season one sees the Doctor, UNIT, and Ruby Sunday in a fierce battle against the return of the formidable Sutekh the Destroyer as he unleashes an Empire of Death. Ending the previous episode with a cliffhanger, Doctor Who: The Legend of Ruby Sunday reintroduced Sutekh the Destroyer…… Continue reading Doctor Who: Empire of Death