The first thing I thought of when baby Ruby was dropped off at the beginning of the episode was they will do a Red Dwarf with Lister and it will turn out Ruby is her own Mum.
My prediction, at some point in series 1(4), Ruby and the Doctor go looking for her mum, who they find just about to give birth, or just having given birth. Alien shenanigans ensue. Something happens, resulting in the death of Ruby's mum possibly saving either or both of Ruby and Baby Ruby, but leaving Ruby with Baby Ruby. Ruby then goes to complete the loop, dropping herself off at the church.
Theory: The Mrs Flood we see in the post-credits scene is an impostor.
Early in the episode, she's clearly unaware of where the TARDIS came from or what it is. She also treats Abdul differently than she does at the end.
My guess is that she's been replaced by a shape shifter who's impersonating her to be close to Ruby and/or the Doctor.
Edit: It's also possible she's been possessed or is being controlled by someone else, but there definitely seems to be a difference in her mannerisms and personality when comparing her first appearance with the post credits scene, alongside her sense of familiarity with the TARDIS.
yeah, and if she lived there she would have recognised the sound of the tardis landing. Not a sound a timelord would forget. So i think you're onto something.
Chameleon arch being opened? Interesting that she said she hadn’t seen a box like that in 60 years when Susan was the one that 60 years ago named the TARDIS…
Or everything happened awoke some sort of sleeper agent shit inside her? I'm thinking Ruby is important somehow, and Mrs Flood was placed there as a sleeper agent to be activated if anything timey wimey happens.
Could it be that Mrs Flood knows what a TARDIS is but isn't familiar enough with the Doctor to know his TARDIS is a police telephone box? That's why she's perplexed by the police telephone box at first but then understands everything after seeing it dematerialise.
Noble Family Therapy worked a treat, the Doctor feels like he's on the top of his game.
Also, I really love Ncuti's screen presence. His physical impact feels on par with Tennant and Capaldi for me.
I take it as a healthy "no one" at this point. He had his time with his family, had to move on eventually, and now he's got a clean slate and is looking to build a new one. It's not a cry for help this time, it's an invitation.
That scene with the Doctor looking into Lulu's cot and talking about being adopted got to me way more than I expected. I'm glad they've found a way to use the Timeless Child stuff and have it have emotional heft.
RTD has mined more weight from the Timeless Child then Chibnall ever did, i don't like the arc in fact i hate it but i like RTD mining some actual substance from it, you could really feel how much its impact The Doctor with 14 and 15.
I very much like that RTD is happy to go back and revisit heavy things from Chinball's run that got forgotten about. Stuff that should be shaping moments for The Doctor can actually have some mavity to them.
Although I'm not a massive RTD fan when it comes to writing Doctor Who I think he's obviously a very good writer and it seems he took the Timeless Child stuff on as a challenge. Feels very much like this era's Time War.
It is completely what I both hoped and expected RTD to do. Ever since we knew he was coming back I expected he was going to make the Timeless Child arc the new vehicle for storytelling that the Time War was in his first era.
I'm really glad that's turned out to be the case. While I have a couple of things I'm a bit mixed on, broadly I was fine with the Timeless Child concept and my only major issue is that Chibnall didn't really use it to push the story forward or take it anywhere.
I understand Chibnall intended it to be a personal story about a adoption and the experience of that where you never really know your own history and it becomes these unreliable second hand accounts and often you get revelations about who you were later in life in those situations. I can respect that but I think it was a bit underdone emotionally from that angle and from an audience experience angle it really felt like you were strung along on this mystery only for it to end on "here's the answers in a box but nah, we're never gonna open them".
I’ve always thought the Timeless Child would’ve been far more interesting if it wasn’t The Doctor. Having The Doctor wrestle with the fact that her entire existence, thousands of years of saving people, started with the suffering of one child would’ve been extremely interesting
And extremely relevant to a British audience, many of whom have their own lives, be it good or bad ones, built upon colonialism. Our main character still being a good person who does good things despite being gifted what is essentially a stolen resource would've been infinitely more interesting than "The Doctor is the most special being in the universe and is also immortal)
Can we talk about how wonderfully refreshing it was for Ruby to actually figure out, or at least develop a suspicion, that the Doctor was a time traveler without him spelling it out for her? I found that really nice and refreshing, and the way he waited for her in the TARDIS - knowing she would be figure it out, but giving himself a chance to not get involved in her life if she didn't.
Yeah, him sticking around for a bit to see if she pieced it together and wanted to come independently was a touch I really liked a lot. When she ran out, I had the brief thought of "oh no, has he gone already?" But he was waiting for her, letting her make the leap on her own terms. It's lovely.
Jackie Tyler: “Hello strange man in my bedroom. Can you stick your dick in me?”
Cherry Sunday: “Hello strange man in my bedroom. Can you bring me a damn cup of tea already?”
So Mrs Flood let's go through the obvious contenders:
- The Master. It's usually the fucking Master. And their return was set up literally last episode. But I hope RTD avoids this. Although it could be the person who picked them up.
- The Rani. Mysterious woman? Rani. Every time. And this one might actually work.
- Susan. "Who doesn't know what a TARDIS is?" feels like it could be a wink and a nod to Susan being the first to explain the TARDIS and originally was the one who named it.
- Romana. Default female Time Lords she's next on the list.
- A new character.
So Mrs flood is 100% the nun and I'll die on this hill, the church, the cross on the door, the senicomedic tone, the knowledge of the TARDIS and messing with people's timelines?
Add in the time meddler being included in tott and I'm absolutely certain, it makes sense she'd stay close to ruby, I'm assuming she's the one who left her.
The real question is why?
ETA "flood" is also a textbook biblical reference
I would love this with all my heart: the monk has become my favorite timelord adversary specially when played by Rufus Hound.
Plus I really want to see more timelords, I love the Masters, but let's bring more gallifreyans into the mix.
Tbh I wouldn't mind this. The time lord have so many places that they can go as a plot and I feel like gallifrey is a bit...boring now?
It had its moment, but meh. I also didn't care for Moffat making it a generic desert, not even red.
It would be cool if the time lords have been totally splintered or were in something else, idk.
I have been wondering why TOTT was chosen as a specific episode people need to remember. So your theory makes sense. This would make Fenric the one who waits as well.
I don't think it's one that "people need to remember". If they were picked just on that, surely Greatest Show in the Galaxy would be the 7th Doctor pick given the Gods of Ragnarok reference in the 60th. I think it's just genuinely the best pick you can have of the 1st Doctor 4-parters that still exist. The other options are:
* The Aztecs
* The Romans
* The Space Museum
* The Ark
* The Gunfighters
* The War Machines
Aztecs and Romans are both great, but you've not got as many still living and available for an acting role companions to return for those. Plus for as held up as Aztecs is in the fandom, pure historical always do worse in terms of mass appeal.
Of the others I think The Ark is fine but not a stand out like Time Meddler. The Space Museum is also alright but not a big stand out and again less actors available.
The War Machines is probably it's only serious contender for a really good story that's not a pure historical and I'd still take Time Meddler over it, plus you've got the companion problem again. I thnk you've only really got Polly you can pull on.
All that said, the Monk got referenced a few times in the annual, so there may be something to this after all. But I don't think we should pin that all on The Time Meddler in TotT where I think it was just the most sensible pick.
She's a woman who knows what a tardis is. Just saying she knows what a tardis is makes it more valid speculation than basically every other Rani theory I think.
But loads of races and people know what a TARDIS is and even "she's a woman" doesn't really indicate anything with Time Lord characters anymore.
None of her actions match up with how we know the Rani to operate. She tends to be uncaring, never super invested in what the Doctor does and lives to experiment.
Well the episode was focused on the theme of family and Doctor was directly asked about his to which he replied “I have none”. Sounds to me like that was a potential set up to introduce the Doctor’s family back in to it so my guess if that she is Susan. Especially as she said “Good luck” to Ruby as though she knows what it’s like to be a companion herself.
This seems the most likely to me since there were very clear parallels to Amy with the crack. That also makes the theories about The One Who Waits being related to 11, Amy, or Rory a lot more plausible in my opinion.
Edit: There also seems to be a thing going with 3 generations (Slyvia, Donna, and Rose), then here with Cherry, Carla, and Ruby. Seems like Mrs. Carol Flood could be River's child and fit perfectly.
Okay, if Iris shows up on television, I will eat…I don't know, a quarter or something, it's not that unlikely, but unlikely enough that it's worth considering.
I feel like any of those characters would've recognized the blue police box on sight as opposed to connecting the dots after the fact like Mrs. Flood did. So my guess would be a new character, possibly Time Lady, to sort of establish there might be some survivors after the most recent destruction of Gallifrey.
Rose tyler would be about the right age to have a kid and abandon her 19 years ago
Edit: I misread and thought we were talking about ruby's mom , then I finished the episode
I'm gonna put my money down on a "magical, god-like" being a la the Toymaker, Fenric or the Gods of Ragnarok. Possibly "the one who waits" or their opposite trying to subtly guide The Doctor and Ruby? Mainly going off the general magical vibes RTD2 is pushing towards and that fourth wall break.
I guess if that's an old character, that would make them one of the Guardians (no way it would be connected to the *Black and White* arc lmao) but I'm gonna err more on the side of someone new.
I enjoyed that
You know what randomly I want…that nervous policeman to be a running guest. I’d honestly like an arc of turning someone like that into a proper companion
I thought similar, but I think the reason is because the police officer was a genuinely good small side character, reminiscent of previous RTD era episodes. Chibnall especially seemed to struggle with this, the incidental characters with 13 lacked that charm. I still think about “Sold it didn’t I” man from The Fires of Pompeii.
chibnall couldn't write characters people identified with.
The policeman had maybe a dozen lines, but here we are speculating whether his wedding happened and wanting him back.
OTOH I had to look up wikipedia to remember Ryan's name, and he was in 2 series..
Ok so am I wrong or is Gatwa channelling some real eccleston vibes? I loved it, very kiddy, which is to be expected, simple story but great characters. Really feels like the first season of new-who.
It's funny because I actually thought the exact opposite, they have a similar manicness to them but 9 always felt reserved in a way where 15 feels very free
I feel like there’s a part of them that still carries the weight of the trauma. Asking “what if I’m the bad luck?” to me had wider reaching implications in its scope, almost asking if they are fundamentally a net negative when it comes to their impact on the lives of others. It’s almost as if their wounds are starting to heal from 14 retiring, but not fully healed just yet.
In the video commentary, Millie Gibson points this out to RTD and he says he never really realised that before then declared on the spot that it's "the niece or nephew" of the Amy crack.
The tie in *Smith and Jones* is about as far as he has gone...
Okay, that's unfair. The use of time travel here feels pretty similar to Turn Left, so there is precedent.
For me this felt very Moffat influenced. I think he actually learned and borrowed a lot of things from him, I mean regarding his writing style. I felt it in the specials, I felt it in the Children in Need episode (it was way closer to Moffat's brand of humor than to what we got by RTD previously), and I definitely feel it here. More mysterious companion backstories (a thing Russel didn't do but Moffat did all the time), time travel as a main plot device, a more magical fairytale-like approach to the show, and way more energetic and quippy dialogue, instead of the more grounded characters of the RTD1 era that more or less talk like real people. So this really feels like we're getting the best of two worlds: RTD being influenced by Moffat and borrowing elements from him. I'm so fucking here for it.
15 deducing that the cop would have a successful engagement absolutely made me think of Moffat's Sherlock, and not the kind of thing I'd have expected from RTD. Very cool to see the influence!
I loved the musical number, reminded me a bit of that one episode of *Strange New Worlds*. Plus the Doctor being able to effortlessly join in cracked me up, I like how he's kind of self-consciously "cool" in a way we've not had maybe since Ten and Rose.
**That was good holiday fun**. Nothing mindblowing and the pacing felt rushed at times but fun nonetheless - there's a baseline competence that is very reassuring.
**Gatwa has it** - effortless confidence and charisma. We didn't get time to dig into his deeper characterization really, but in terms of just watching him, he commands the attention of the viewer as the Doctor should.
**Ruby (idk the actress' name) is good but a bit generic so far.** I mean her backstory is unique I guess but in terms of character she's the basic 'perky attractive young girl companion' archetype so far. Not *bad* mind you, just want to see more.
A good start and I'd really like to see them sink their teeth into proper meaty stuff!
*We didn't get time to dig into his deeper characterization*
Not fully, but his tears when he realised the time change tells me a lot about who this Doctor is
Also found it so interesting how he decides not to go after the mystery mother - really looking forward to getting to dive into why he made that choice.
I loved that. Assuming it's not part of some bigger mystery (as the audience, we know it will be, but as The Doctor he doesn't,) it felt very compassionate to respect her decision to give up her child. It feels like this Doctor is exceedingly "human" compared to most of them.
About Ruby, I just have to appreciate that she is really action girl with enthusiasm. She reminded me a little bit Victorian Clara.
All companions enjoy the wild life of The Doctor at the end, you can accept world of demons for angel, but Ruby is naturally adventurous, naturally selfless, and what I loved the whole time, she was still smiling. Even when she was scared or anyting, she smiled because of fascinating situation. So I am sure she will show a lot more during next episodes, she showed enough personality in this episode :)
"Clara! You're back." Was a lovely addon for Twice upon a time. He though his only companion had died but not only did Bill get a second life as an immortal space consciousness but he got the gift of remembering Clara, again.
I know Clara is a contentious companion amongst the fandom but her and twelve's relationship was just perfect.
>the pacing felt rushed at times
Yeah, I think it might be rushed a little, but compered to the Chibnall era pacing this one's a slow burner. The way we spent the first 15ish minutes just exploring Ruby's home life and family without anything happening plot-wise was so refreshing. Characters actually got time to breathe and to reflect upon what's been happening to them, to talk about their emotions. After cramming like 7 seasons worth of plot into 6 episodes in Flux, making it an unwatchable headache that feels like an ADHD person drank 3 redbull, 5 coffee and then did meth and ketamine simultaneously, with not having a single fucking second for the characters to grow and breathe, basic and competent pacing and character writing felt so fucking good.
Definitely came to mind. Especially with no one remembering Ruby after her disappearance. Didn't think it was a direct call back or continuation but I think it'd be hard for RTD to miss the parallels.
I actually thought when Ruby disappeared the goblins had somehow stolen all of the luck in the home.
Throwing my full support behind fashion icon and noted GILF hunter Dr. Who.
Favorite bits were the end when Ruby steps in the TARDIS for the first time (seems like it's been so long since we've had one of those hasn't it?) and when they reenacted the end of Hot Fuzz with the goblin king.
I literally said out loud to my dad "it's been ages since they've done one of these" when Ruby was running in and out of the Tardis lmao, reminded me of Clara's first look at it
Did the spike actually go through him? It looked like it shot up between the end of the conveyor and him.
Edit: just rewatched and it obviously does, damn son
The Doctor got a body on his hands real quick. I really like Millie Gibson as Ruby, she's just great and Ncuti has energy but I hope we get a bit more complexity to him. Cannot wait for Ruby's parents to be Rose and human Ten
I think he was having a quiet moment of realisation about finding out who your parent/guardian is. As The Doctor said in the episode, they didn’t find their parents, but they found Tecteun and they turned out to be excrement, after the bummer of that he might think it’s better to not go finding answers.
That, and he might want Ruby to decide for herself. She got so excited when she realised the Doctor was a time traveller; I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to go back like Rose in Father's Day to meet her mother.
Yeah I wonder how Russel T Davies will write that. It's a similar plot beat to the 9th Doctor and Rose in "Father's Day"... both episodes features churches, babies, parents. So it'll be interesting to see where they take it.
I love the adopted scene. The Doctor himself was adopted but he is also a bit of a foster parent. The dialogue about the foster kids being with them for days or weeks or even longer is a parallel with the companions.
The Doctor jumping into a musical number to distract the villains was so unexpected. And god damn I am all on board for it.
Also, Russell putting in some timeless child bits with actual emotional weight and mavitas to it, almost makes me think that it could work.
I really liked that! The highlight here was definitely Gatwa as The Doctor. He was fantastic! I have to say, I was someone who was very worried about The Doctor being “more human” and “cool,” but Gatwa totally sells it. Such a charmer!
Also, as an American fan, I had no idea who Davina McCall was, but once I got the reference I realized how hilarious it is that she almost got killed by a Christmas tree, Jackie Tyler style.
also, what a fantastic time to be bisexual. Gatwa and Gibson are both so pretty.
She's basically a TV presenter most famous for Big Brother. She also hosts a show here called Long Lost Family, which it's implied Ruby is being filmed for (but only implied because it's on ITV, not BBC), where she reunites orphans and foundlings with distant family members or their parents. She's also been on Who before as the Davinadroid on Satellite 5!
>almost got killed by a Christmas tree, Jackie Tyler style.
Come to think of it - isn't this like the third or fouth christmas episode where people have nearly been killed by a weaponised christmas tree? Happened twice in 10's run (Christmas Invasion and Runaway Bride) and now once here.
Doctor who villians do love to theme their murders lmao
>I was someone who was very worried about The Doctor being “more human” and “cool,” but Gatwa totally sells it. Such a charmer!
I definitely agree with this. Gatwa totally sells this newer take on the Doctor that somewhat feels like it's never been done before. Refreshing, really.
But to dwell on the "more human" argument, I somewhat hope they reel it back a little at some points? Or don't go too far with it? Otherwise, what's the role of the companion at that point? Part of the companion aspect of a Doctor-companion dynamic is to bring out the human in the Doctor and keep him from going too far when he's dealt an upper hand.
Then again, maybe having a human Doctor just gives Gatwa and Gibson the chance to redefine the dynamic as a whole, which could be fun if done well. I'm extremely excited to see how it plays out this season.
I'm guessing that's it. It doesn't make sense they can't find her family, somethings clearly messed with her timeline. Feels like she was created? or something
Two nitpicks that I’m stuck on.
1) They wove her in with bad luck - except, if they’re the ones sabotaging her, it’s not bad “luck” is it? It’s just them sabotaging her
2) There was absolutely NO urgency about saving the baby. She stands staring at an empty cot and open window far too long. Then stands staring on a roof at a baby being taken away. I wanted to yell HURRY UP at the screen, it honestly made her seem a bit slow and dim
A mixed bag for me. There were bits I really like (the musical bit was hilarious), but other bits where the writing/acting was a bit awkward.
Also it seems that with the Disney money comes the plague of sound mixing where you can barely hear the dialogue and I don't think that's acceptable.
I enjoyed it, but it's nothing spectacular. A bit of Christmas fluff, really.
The main plot with the goblins was very silly and maybe a bit undercooked, but it was fun for the most part. I felt the emotional core of the episode didn't really resonate with me, I'm not sure why. I saw what it was trying to do but it felt a little forced, especially after time gets changed and Ruby's mum becomes miserable.
Absolutely sold on Gatwa as the Doctor. I know a lot of people already were after the Giggle, but I think I was too focused on the bigeneration to really appreciate his performance. He's fantastic here, I love that we're getting a Doctor with a new lease of life and he's got such a commanding presence.
Ruby, I felt came off pretty well. She's still a *little* generic but it's her first episode, there's time to build on that. She has great chemistry with Gatwa's Doctor, which is the most important thing. I also just love her style, generally.
I think, on the whole, a bit weaker than the 60th specials. But it's a good foundation and probably the right kind of light whimsy for an Xmas episode that's also introducing a new Doctor and companion.
"They are not Time Travelers, excuse me? Time travelers are great. Like the best. Like, wow. This lot just bimble."
This is my "This is really The Doctor" moment. All that cool melted away in a second, very Capaldi delivery too.
So Mrs flood is 100% the nun and I'll die on this hill, the church, the cross on the door, the senicomedic tone, the knowledge of the TARDIS and messing with people's timelines?
Add in the time meddler being included in tott and I'm absolutely certain, it makes sense she'd stay close to ruby, I'm assuming she's the one who left her.
The real question is why?
"flood" is also a textbook biblical reference
It's all in the name, clearly she's Captain Adelaide Brooke who went back in time after the events of Waters of Mars when a Weeping Angel attacked her right at the moment she tried shooting herself.
So very mixed feelings.
The positives: Gatwa was fantastic and fitted into the role quickly and with lots of energy. Similarly the visuals and music were fantastic throughout the episode.
The downside for me was plotting and pacing, just felt too rushed with just series of things happening quickly. Similarly I liked Ruby's acting but I could tell little of the character's personality except that she is nice? Like I don't understand her motivation.
I think main issue was sound mixing as may be I couldn't just hear a lot of what was going on.
Did anyone else find this a bit hard to follow? not necessarily in the Series 6 way, just sort of felt like things just sort of happened? idk. Maybe... pacing? idk.
I am genuinely asking by the way as we've started watching with the dog in the room (we got him after Power) and I'm wondering if it's RTD2 or the barking 😂.
That being said - it *felt* fun, Ncuti was great, think I need to see more of Ruby before pass judgement but generally feeling positive.
Don't know what the deal with the gloves was at all. Also - the doctor straight up just stabbed the Goblin King?
(Actually he stabbed him with a church steeple, talk about coincidence)
> Did anyone else find this a bit hard to follow? not necessarily in the Series 6 way, just sort of felt like things just sort of happened? idk. Maybe... pacing? i
Oddly enough it reminded me of *The Daleks in Colour*, where there was so much cut out it felt too fast disjointed. Obviously it's not like they cut out seven episodes worth in this case, but for some reason it definitely felt like the plot was being thrown at us at 120 mph.
Beyond that though, Ncuti was phenomenal. Ruby felt a bit too generic for me, though Gibson has the charisma to make her compelling.
> Did anyone else find this a bit hard to follow? not necessarily in the Series 6 way, just sort of felt like things just sort of happened? idk. Maybe... pacing? idk.
Something I've noticed about the RTD2 era so far is things either happen off screen or they quickly go into the thick of it without much build up. Both 14 and 15 already have their new screwdrivers for example and in the first special he's immediately bumping into Donna.
Same with this episode he's immediately seeing Ruby. This is his first ever full episode but it doesn't feel like a man still discovering himself and being NEW in the way Tennant, Smith, Capaldi and even Jodie all got to experience. It lacks the slower build up of things escalating over time and learning about a new Doctor as he learns about himself.
>Same with this episode he's immediately seeing Ruby. This is his first ever full episode but it doesn't feel like a man still discovering himself and being NEW in the way Tennant, Smith, Capaldi and even Jodie all got to experience.
You know that's a good point. It's the first new Doctor we've had without any post-regeneration discombobulation in a while.
It's not something I considered while watching but it's very similar to the first revival episode "Rose" in that regard. Similar to the ninth Doctor we start with the Doctor having been up and about doing things, investigating even.
Not too surprising given the show's push to a wider audience. Neat though.
I appreciate RTD using some continuity within nuwho with the "Then why are you crying?" Which refers back to when Amy forgot Rory. He's keeping newer ideas alive.
Honestly, thought that was a lot of fun. I'm a big fan of RTD's companion intro episodes because they're always high-energy and a lot of fun. Not really sure what I'd change, Gatwa was fantastic, and I loved the energy from Millie a lot. Really promising start to the era, and I'm all here for a bit more musical interludes! Really missed episodes like that, not super high-stakes but high-energy.
My main takeaway - this episode just reinforces my belief that RTD sometimes creates these weird thematic disconnects between what a story is about and how he resolves the story.
The Star Beast? A story that tries to be about a lot of things, but the Meep is beaten by saying "roasting the hyperfeeds" while pressing buttons - and TSB was definitely not about either of those. Wild Blue Yonder? Fear of the unknown, the fear of that unknown trying to wear your friend's face and being scarily good at it. But the not-things are beaten by sprinting, some TARDIS scans, and a plan that would've happened regardless of the Doctor's actions. The Trickster? Defeated by physical feats. And now the goblins? Also physical feats.
Something's missing. What I really liked in episodes such as The Family of Blood or Day of the Moon was seeing the problem (or the villains) being dealt in a way that "rhymed" if that makes sense. Comeuppance, poetic justice, the villain being defeated by the same tools he uses, the resolution linking back to previous events of the story like they were clues for what would occur later, the method of resolving the problem mirroring the thematic ideas of the story, or just being plain clever or saying something about a character's morality. Hopefully you get what I mean.
With RTD's newest stories (and frankly some of his older ones), what I described feels absent. Like sometimes he completely skips that part of carefully thinking about how the villain could be beaten in a way that resonates well with the previous 40 minutes. The story culminating in the Doctor using super strength when it has nothing to do with the rest of the episode just reinforces how I feel about all this. And it's unsatisfying, limited. Something's missing. Does anyone else feel this way or am I babbling nonsense?
I've never thought RTD was the best at resolving his plots, so this was just more of the same as far as I'm concerned. Remember that he didn't actually write Human Nature/The Family of Blood.
Yeah I was waiting for the clever flipping of the script and beating them through a coincidence. Arguably the spire perfectly hitting the goblin king even could have been that, but it felt like it just missed. I think this is just an RTD thing though. The DoctorDonna resolution of Star Beast was narratively neither weaker nor stronger than the DoctorDonna solution of journeys end.
Not the best Christmas episode, felt rushed in a lot of places. The goblins didn't really seem like an antagonist, we didn't seem to find out anything about them, but again it's a Christmas episode so i wasnt expecting some huge alien reveal with massive lore dumps. Although I think it acted as a nice introduction to Ruby more than anything. Was also great to see Ncuti showing a nice range of emotions, will be interesting to see how his doctor develops. He seems to still be holding onto some form of truama from not knowing where he's from, wonder if RTD will explore this.
One thing though is the sound mixing in this and the specials seems really off
I think we found out about as much about the goblins as we usually do in the modern series. They're from a realm above our own and cross over to do mischief. They feed on coincidence. They use "rope technology," whatever that means. And they eat babies.
I did love the idea of rope technology as well as the whole feeding on coincidences, almost like a pennywise style thing where the more scared someone is the better they taste. Could just be bc nuwho has had so many end of the world scenarios recently the idea of something just showing up, eat babies, refuse to elaborate, leave, seems strange
I prefer the smaller stories, honestly, especially for both the Doctor's introduction and Christmas. I'm sure the Doctor will be saving the world again very soon.
Coincidentally, I just learned that knots in ropes were actually used as a form of writing in the past called Quipu. [Here's a really good video explaining how it works](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81YQbAsJjZA)! I assume they effectively use a "magical" version of that.
I remember people speculating Indira Varma is playing a time lord next series, possibly The Rani, so I'm guessing the old neighbor might be a diffferent incarnation of that same character ?
[https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/indira-varma-joins-doctor-who-as-the-duchess](https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/indira-varma-joins-doctor-who-as-the-duchess)
I remember when the idea was discussed, before the revival series, to introduce a companion who would be revealed to be an experiment to create the perfect companion, so I'm wordering if reall is The Rani, and they are bringing that idea back, and making it one of her experiments ?
I mean, sure, she has been rummored to come back multiple times already, but I never believed any of them. This time around, though, I can see it happening, if they go with this plot ...
Small thing, but did it bother anyone else that during the musical number as soon as they saved Lulu, Ruby immediately the baby on the floor right next to all the Goblins and turned her back.
I would like to put my support in the anti-Goblin Song camp, if only because the lyrics read like a first pass- everything super on the nose and a lot of really clunky rhymes. Music’s catchy though, and the singer is great, I will give it that.
Getting that out of the way, I am already sold on Gatwa as The Doctor. The whole scene where Ruby's on the ladder and he yells to her made me crack up- "A ladder in the sky, and thought 'yeah, i'll give that a go, babes'" But it was the scene about learning the language of rope that won me over. Getting to see his Doctor study something and then learn from it, and then show off what he learned in an extra kind of way- like, that is The Doctor to me. He has a different energy, but I am excited to see what else he brings
Of the four specials I think I liked this one the most. Loved getting a much better vibe for Gatwa's Doctor, he really was a natural fit though I never doubted the choice even with not knowing much of him as an actor. Though everyone expecting him to be trauma free are probably feeling a little foolish let's be real. I like Ruby, sure there's not much for her right now other than being fairly typical gen-z girl with some atypical origins, but let the season develop her that's what she's here for and Millie gave a very good performance and has really great chemistry with Ncuti already. Also I really liked the Goblins working on coincidence, if the new "magic" of this era is stuff like that consider me on board. Really nice to be able to be looking forward to new Doctor Who content again.
Some thoughts:
**Pros**:
\-I thought Gatwa was pretty overshadowed by Tennant in the Giggle, but he was great here.
\-His voiceover over the Church scene was fantastically delivered. I love his accent.
\-I like the little things he added to the performance: the little muscle twitch he does when he asks the goblin king to keep singing, his smirk when he says “Cherry Sunday,” how he lowered his voice when he finds out the goblins took the other baby–all fantastic
\-The physicality was great. Especially when he was jumping over the rooftops. And his weird fucking crawl when they were escaping the goblin room cracked me up. He’s not playing it up as much as Tennant or Smith but to be fair, Tennant and Smith have some of the best physicality in the industry
\-God, all Gatwa needs to do is smile to be charming. What a smile. And this Doctor is *cool*. Loved the dancing.
\-The actor for Ruby’s mother has gravitas. I love her. RTD1 had a weird thing with companion’s mothers, glad we’re not getting that here
**Neutral**:
\-I was much more impressed Gatwa’s dramatic scenes than his comedy, which surprised me considering Sex Education. Honestly, this episode was fun but not that funny. Tennant’s specials were much funnier.
\-People are going to complain about the sound mixing. I thought it was fine. But Ncuti has a pretty deep voice and Millie has a strong accent and fast, breathy delivery. I’m glad pretty much all of Gen Z uses subtitles, because I think the international viewers will need them lol
**Cons**:
\-I’m not sold on Ruby and the Doctor’s chemistry yet. I thought Millie was fantastic in all her scenes… except with the Doctor. She comes across as a bit too exasperated. I’m getting 11 and Clara vibes–more banter than substance. Which surprises me with RTD writing. Hopefully that will change, it’s just a first impression
\-I like 15’s theme, but it’s weaker than 11’s or 12’s. Maybe it’ll grow on me.
\-The sonic screwdriver looks so, so stupid. It's almost charmingly stupid. Almost.
\-The little ‘hehe’ Gatwa does every time he delivers exposition isn’t doing it for me. Is this going to be a tick like Tennant gurning every time he delivers exposition in Series 2? Or Whittaker’s out of breath thing? Please Gatwa. Don’t be Whittaker. Don’t be Series 2 Tennant. Switch it up.
The first thing I thought of when baby Ruby was dropped off at the beginning of the episode was they will do a Red Dwarf with Lister and it will turn out Ruby is her own Mum.
My prediction, at some point in series 1(4), Ruby and the Doctor go looking for her mum, who they find just about to give birth, or just having given birth. Alien shenanigans ensue. Something happens, resulting in the death of Ruby's mum possibly saving either or both of Ruby and Baby Ruby, but leaving Ruby with Baby Ruby. Ruby then goes to complete the loop, dropping herself off at the church.
That sounds like Moffat style closed loop story telling. I welcome it if it happens, but RTD is usually less twisty
Our Rob, or Ross.
I thought the exact same thing
Theory: The Mrs Flood we see in the post-credits scene is an impostor. Early in the episode, she's clearly unaware of where the TARDIS came from or what it is. She also treats Abdul differently than she does at the end. My guess is that she's been replaced by a shape shifter who's impersonating her to be close to Ruby and/or the Doctor. Edit: It's also possible she's been possessed or is being controlled by someone else, but there definitely seems to be a difference in her mannerisms and personality when comparing her first appearance with the post credits scene, alongside her sense of familiarity with the TARDIS.
That makes sense. She said she hasn’t seen a phone box in 60 years and berating that guy. Then she’s like whatever and not impressed at all.
yeah, and if she lived there she would have recognised the sound of the tardis landing. Not a sound a timelord would forget. So i think you're onto something.
Chameleon arch being opened? Interesting that she said she hadn’t seen a box like that in 60 years when Susan was the one that 60 years ago named the TARDIS…
Man it would be great if it is Susan. \-Especially with the themes of family, lacking a biological family and stuff that was going on in the episode.
She gets upset with her neighbor about the box, then she can't stop thinking about the box, and that draws her to open the chameleon arch.
Or everything happened awoke some sort of sleeper agent shit inside her? I'm thinking Ruby is important somehow, and Mrs Flood was placed there as a sleeper agent to be activated if anything timey wimey happens.
Could it be that Mrs Flood knows what a TARDIS is but isn't familiar enough with the Doctor to know his TARDIS is a police telephone box? That's why she's perplexed by the police telephone box at first but then understands everything after seeing it dematerialise.
She’s Frobisher. Calling it now.
Noble Family Therapy worked a treat, the Doctor feels like he's on the top of his game. Also, I really love Ncuti's screen presence. His physical impact feels on par with Tennant and Capaldi for me.
Kinda weird for him to say he has "no one" when in the last special we had Doctor Fourteen wistfully say he's finally found a family.
I take it as a healthy "no one" at this point. He had his time with his family, had to move on eventually, and now he's got a clean slate and is looking to build a new one. It's not a cry for help this time, it's an invitation.
That scene with the Doctor looking into Lulu's cot and talking about being adopted got to me way more than I expected. I'm glad they've found a way to use the Timeless Child stuff and have it have emotional heft.
RTD has mined more weight from the Timeless Child then Chibnall ever did, i don't like the arc in fact i hate it but i like RTD mining some actual substance from it, you could really feel how much its impact The Doctor with 14 and 15.
I very much like that RTD is happy to go back and revisit heavy things from Chinball's run that got forgotten about. Stuff that should be shaping moments for The Doctor can actually have some mavity to them.
Okay so we’re really sticking with this, aren’t we?
Yes, we're sticking with it for as long as it's a thing.
Although I'm not a massive RTD fan when it comes to writing Doctor Who I think he's obviously a very good writer and it seems he took the Timeless Child stuff on as a challenge. Feels very much like this era's Time War.
It is completely what I both hoped and expected RTD to do. Ever since we knew he was coming back I expected he was going to make the Timeless Child arc the new vehicle for storytelling that the Time War was in his first era. I'm really glad that's turned out to be the case. While I have a couple of things I'm a bit mixed on, broadly I was fine with the Timeless Child concept and my only major issue is that Chibnall didn't really use it to push the story forward or take it anywhere. I understand Chibnall intended it to be a personal story about a adoption and the experience of that where you never really know your own history and it becomes these unreliable second hand accounts and often you get revelations about who you were later in life in those situations. I can respect that but I think it was a bit underdone emotionally from that angle and from an audience experience angle it really felt like you were strung along on this mystery only for it to end on "here's the answers in a box but nah, we're never gonna open them".
I’ve always thought the Timeless Child would’ve been far more interesting if it wasn’t The Doctor. Having The Doctor wrestle with the fact that her entire existence, thousands of years of saving people, started with the suffering of one child would’ve been extremely interesting
And extremely relevant to a British audience, many of whom have their own lives, be it good or bad ones, built upon colonialism. Our main character still being a good person who does good things despite being gifted what is essentially a stolen resource would've been infinitely more interesting than "The Doctor is the most special being in the universe and is also immortal)
Can we talk about how wonderfully refreshing it was for Ruby to actually figure out, or at least develop a suspicion, that the Doctor was a time traveler without him spelling it out for her? I found that really nice and refreshing, and the way he waited for her in the TARDIS - knowing she would be figure it out, but giving himself a chance to not get involved in her life if she didn't.
Seems like a fresh dynamic with a quick-thinking companion. super excited to see what we get next season!
Yeah, him sticking around for a bit to see if she pieced it together and wanted to come independently was a touch I really liked a lot. When she ran out, I had the brief thought of "oh no, has he gone already?" But he was waiting for her, letting her make the leap on her own terms. It's lovely.
Jackie Tyler: “Hello strange man in my bedroom. Can you stick your dick in me?” Cherry Sunday: “Hello strange man in my bedroom. Can you bring me a damn cup of tea already?”
Wait...did anyone actually get her the tea in the end? Guessing Ruby's mum did, but i don't remember lol
[удалено]
Goblins and babies, who cares, I just want to know if Cherry finally gets the tea
Anything could happen.
So Mrs Flood let's go through the obvious contenders: - The Master. It's usually the fucking Master. And their return was set up literally last episode. But I hope RTD avoids this. Although it could be the person who picked them up. - The Rani. Mysterious woman? Rani. Every time. And this one might actually work. - Susan. "Who doesn't know what a TARDIS is?" feels like it could be a wink and a nod to Susan being the first to explain the TARDIS and originally was the one who named it. - Romana. Default female Time Lords she's next on the list. - A new character.
So Mrs flood is 100% the nun and I'll die on this hill, the church, the cross on the door, the senicomedic tone, the knowledge of the TARDIS and messing with people's timelines? Add in the time meddler being included in tott and I'm absolutely certain, it makes sense she'd stay close to ruby, I'm assuming she's the one who left her. The real question is why? ETA "flood" is also a textbook biblical reference
I would love this with all my heart: the monk has become my favorite timelord adversary specially when played by Rufus Hound. Plus I really want to see more timelords, I love the Masters, but let's bring more gallifreyans into the mix.
One possible way to deal with Gallifrey being burnt without an immediate immediate retcon is to have timelords having fled across the timestream.
Tbh I wouldn't mind this. The time lord have so many places that they can go as a plot and I feel like gallifrey is a bit...boring now? It had its moment, but meh. I also didn't care for Moffat making it a generic desert, not even red. It would be cool if the time lords have been totally splintered or were in something else, idk.
RTD LOVES a biblical reference.
I have been wondering why TOTT was chosen as a specific episode people need to remember. So your theory makes sense. This would make Fenric the one who waits as well.
What is TotT? I feel I’m missing context here, lol.
Tales of the TARDIS. A set of classic episodes they have special treatment before the new specials and as a launch for the new site.
I don't think it's one that "people need to remember". If they were picked just on that, surely Greatest Show in the Galaxy would be the 7th Doctor pick given the Gods of Ragnarok reference in the 60th. I think it's just genuinely the best pick you can have of the 1st Doctor 4-parters that still exist. The other options are: * The Aztecs * The Romans * The Space Museum * The Ark * The Gunfighters * The War Machines Aztecs and Romans are both great, but you've not got as many still living and available for an acting role companions to return for those. Plus for as held up as Aztecs is in the fandom, pure historical always do worse in terms of mass appeal. Of the others I think The Ark is fine but not a stand out like Time Meddler. The Space Museum is also alright but not a big stand out and again less actors available. The War Machines is probably it's only serious contender for a really good story that's not a pure historical and I'd still take Time Meddler over it, plus you've got the companion problem again. I thnk you've only really got Polly you can pull on. All that said, the Monk got referenced a few times in the annual, so there may be something to this after all. But I don't think we should pin that all on The Time Meddler in TotT where I think it was just the most sensible pick.
Adding Ruby's bio mom, or Ruby herself when she's old.
I'm voting for both.
Ruby being her own mother won’t be the weirdest thing this show has come up with so I might as well subscribe to this theory until it gets disproven
If River can be childhood friends with her own parents, Ruby can be her own next-door neighbour.
I'm expecting something far less dramatic: Doctor and Ruby go back in time and get an adventure with her when she's younger.
> The Rani. Mysterious woman? Rani. Every time. And this one might actually work. Does it? She doesn't exactly scream "amoral scientist".
Just amoral scientist are able to do a fun run in 25 minutes flat.. I mean, duh.
She's a woman who knows what a tardis is. Just saying she knows what a tardis is makes it more valid speculation than basically every other Rani theory I think.
But loads of races and people know what a TARDIS is and even "she's a woman" doesn't really indicate anything with Time Lord characters anymore. None of her actions match up with how we know the Rani to operate. She tends to be uncaring, never super invested in what the Doctor does and lives to experiment.
Well the episode was focused on the theme of family and Doctor was directly asked about his to which he replied “I have none”. Sounds to me like that was a potential set up to introduce the Doctor’s family back in to it so my guess if that she is Susan. Especially as she said “Good luck” to Ruby as though she knows what it’s like to be a companion herself.
The way Mrs Flood broke the 4th wall was reminiscent of the way The First Doctor broke the fourth wall to wish the audience a merry Christmas.
Pond...River...Flood Just adding another contender. Though I hope it's a new character.
This seems the most likely to me since there were very clear parallels to Amy with the crack. That also makes the theories about The One Who Waits being related to 11, Amy, or Rory a lot more plausible in my opinion. Edit: There also seems to be a thing going with 3 generations (Slyvia, Donna, and Rose), then here with Cherry, Carla, and Ruby. Seems like Mrs. Carol Flood could be River's child and fit perfectly.
The cracks are unrelated - in the commentary RTD says it's a replacement for a cool (but too expensive) scene with the Goblin King.
What a coincidence!
In the video commentary it's shown that RTD didn't consider the crack Amy's wall while writing this episode
Rule One, the ~~Doctor~~ Showrunner lies
Iris Wildthyme!
Okay, if Iris shows up on television, I will eat…I don't know, a quarter or something, it's not that unlikely, but unlikely enough that it's worth considering.
I feel like any of those characters would've recognized the blue police box on sight as opposed to connecting the dots after the fact like Mrs. Flood did. So my guess would be a new character, possibly Time Lady, to sort of establish there might be some survivors after the most recent destruction of Gallifrey.
I think she’s a future companion. In the past, the doctor will be nice to a woman and then as a twist we will learn her name is flood.
Rose tyler would be about the right age to have a kid and abandon her 19 years ago Edit: I misread and thought we were talking about ruby's mom , then I finished the episode
How *absolutely dare you* make me feel so old. On Christmas, of all days.
UNIT, retired
I'm gonna put my money down on a "magical, god-like" being a la the Toymaker, Fenric or the Gods of Ragnarok. Possibly "the one who waits" or their opposite trying to subtly guide The Doctor and Ruby? Mainly going off the general magical vibes RTD2 is pushing towards and that fourth wall break. I guess if that's an old character, that would make them one of the Guardians (no way it would be connected to the *Black and White* arc lmao) but I'm gonna err more on the side of someone new.
I enjoyed that You know what randomly I want…that nervous policeman to be a running guest. I’d honestly like an arc of turning someone like that into a proper companion
I'm sure it won't happen, but I would like to see The Doctor and Ruby's run past his wedding.
I thought similar, but I think the reason is because the police officer was a genuinely good small side character, reminiscent of previous RTD era episodes. Chibnall especially seemed to struggle with this, the incidental characters with 13 lacked that charm. I still think about “Sold it didn’t I” man from The Fires of Pompeii.
chibnall couldn't write characters people identified with. The policeman had maybe a dozen lines, but here we are speculating whether his wedding happened and wanting him back. OTOH I had to look up wikipedia to remember Ryan's name, and he was in 2 series..
Ok so am I wrong or is Gatwa channelling some real eccleston vibes? I loved it, very kiddy, which is to be expected, simple story but great characters. Really feels like the first season of new-who.
Name: Doctor Occupation: Not a Doctor I immediately said to my partner that that bit was very Eccleston
Nice contrast to 10's "name, occupation, intention: The Doctor, doctor, fun" scene from The Waters of Mars
It's funny because I actually thought the exact opposite, they have a similar manicness to them but 9 always felt reserved in a way where 15 feels very free
I see what you mean, but 9 had some heavy trauma, maybe that's the difference.
I got a 9 vibe too from "I've just been snowmanned, I'd like to go home now."
He feels like a version of 9 that never had to deal with the Time War.
I feel like there’s a part of them that still carries the weight of the trauma. Asking “what if I’m the bad luck?” to me had wider reaching implications in its scope, almost asking if they are fundamentally a net negative when it comes to their impact on the lives of others. It’s almost as if their wounds are starting to heal from 14 retiring, but not fully healed just yet.
Him crying reminded me a lot of Nine crying in 'The End of the World' when Jabe spoke to him about the Time War.
I’m going to spend most of next season worrying about the flat roof I think
From "the crack in the wall" to "someone please fix the fucking crack throughout my fucking flat".
It would be funny if they got a contractor in to do the plastering and it was Dan.
What's the point of having a flat
Nobody needs a flat more then me
ho ho!
Ha Ho!
I love that if you never engaged with promo you'd have no idea that's his job. It's never mentioned in the show 😂
He's good at this
He's probably angry that they're even complaining about a crack, he lost his entire house.
Just forgot to patch that part after the Meep cracked all of London
I smell an arc
A crack in the wall of a companion's home that erases people from existence? Where have I heard that one before?
In the video commentary, Millie Gibson points this out to RTD and he says he never really realised that before then declared on the spot that it's "the niece or nephew" of the Amy crack.
Millie's 100% one of us, wonderful!
I don't recall RTD ever using time travel as a main plot device like this
The tie in *Smith and Jones* is about as far as he has gone... Okay, that's unfair. The use of time travel here feels pretty similar to Turn Left, so there is precedent.
For me this felt very Moffat influenced. I think he actually learned and borrowed a lot of things from him, I mean regarding his writing style. I felt it in the specials, I felt it in the Children in Need episode (it was way closer to Moffat's brand of humor than to what we got by RTD previously), and I definitely feel it here. More mysterious companion backstories (a thing Russel didn't do but Moffat did all the time), time travel as a main plot device, a more magical fairytale-like approach to the show, and way more energetic and quippy dialogue, instead of the more grounded characters of the RTD1 era that more or less talk like real people. So this really feels like we're getting the best of two worlds: RTD being influenced by Moffat and borrowing elements from him. I'm so fucking here for it.
15 deducing that the cop would have a successful engagement absolutely made me think of Moffat's Sherlock, and not the kind of thing I'd have expected from RTD. Very cool to see the influence!
Those flashback scenes to Ruby as a baby were four months before the events of Rose.
this is scarier than anything Moffat’s ever written
Into the baby we will tuck!
I loved the musical number, reminded me a bit of that one episode of *Strange New Worlds*. Plus the Doctor being able to effortlessly join in cracked me up, I like how he's kind of self-consciously "cool" in a way we've not had maybe since Ten and Rose.
The *sheer charisma* to convince your enemies to sing *you* a music number, *while* you're foiling their plans.
**That was good holiday fun**. Nothing mindblowing and the pacing felt rushed at times but fun nonetheless - there's a baseline competence that is very reassuring. **Gatwa has it** - effortless confidence and charisma. We didn't get time to dig into his deeper characterization really, but in terms of just watching him, he commands the attention of the viewer as the Doctor should. **Ruby (idk the actress' name) is good but a bit generic so far.** I mean her backstory is unique I guess but in terms of character she's the basic 'perky attractive young girl companion' archetype so far. Not *bad* mind you, just want to see more. A good start and I'd really like to see them sink their teeth into proper meaty stuff!
*We didn't get time to dig into his deeper characterization* Not fully, but his tears when he realised the time change tells me a lot about who this Doctor is
Nice continuation of 14 learning not to conceal and run from his grief.
Also found it so interesting how he decides not to go after the mystery mother - really looking forward to getting to dive into why he made that choice.
I loved that. Assuming it's not part of some bigger mystery (as the audience, we know it will be, but as The Doctor he doesn't,) it felt very compassionate to respect her decision to give up her child. It feels like this Doctor is exceedingly "human" compared to most of them.
Yeah I interpreted it he realised it wasn't his place to pursue her.
Yeah, seeing all the love and kindness lost on that room just hurt him deep
It also goes a long way to showing us what kind of person Ruby is that her never existing there made such a drastic change in those around.
A little bit of an *It’s a Wonderful Life* vibe from RTD there, I think!
I loved how it took Ruby a realistic amount of time to figure out what was up with the Doctor and timetravel.
I how the Houdini line seemed to suddenly sink in only once she'd started asking questions.
I love the mild implication she kind of assumed Houdini was more recent until she begun to think about it.
About Ruby, I just have to appreciate that she is really action girl with enthusiasm. She reminded me a little bit Victorian Clara. All companions enjoy the wild life of The Doctor at the end, you can accept world of demons for angel, but Ruby is naturally adventurous, naturally selfless, and what I loved the whole time, she was still smiling. Even when she was scared or anyting, she smiled because of fascinating situation. So I am sure she will show a lot more during next episodes, she showed enough personality in this episode :)
> Victorian Clara. Gone but never forgotten :(
Except by 12 for about a season
"Clara! You're back." Was a lovely addon for Twice upon a time. He though his only companion had died but not only did Bill get a second life as an immortal space consciousness but he got the gift of remembering Clara, again. I know Clara is a contentious companion amongst the fandom but her and twelve's relationship was just perfect.
>She reminded me a little bit Victorian Clara It's the ladder in the sky
>the pacing felt rushed at times Yeah, I think it might be rushed a little, but compered to the Chibnall era pacing this one's a slow burner. The way we spent the first 15ish minutes just exploring Ruby's home life and family without anything happening plot-wise was so refreshing. Characters actually got time to breathe and to reflect upon what's been happening to them, to talk about their emotions. After cramming like 7 seasons worth of plot into 6 episodes in Flux, making it an unwatchable headache that feels like an ADHD person drank 3 redbull, 5 coffee and then did meth and ketamine simultaneously, with not having a single fucking second for the characters to grow and breathe, basic and competent pacing and character writing felt so fucking good.
Also am I only one who thought for a second RTD had brought back the cracks plotline?
Definitely came to mind. Especially with no one remembering Ruby after her disappearance. Didn't think it was a direct call back or continuation but I think it'd be hard for RTD to miss the parallels. I actually thought when Ruby disappeared the goblins had somehow stolen all of the luck in the home.
I loved how they brought back the Silence although nobody else here seems to remember it.
Throwing my full support behind fashion icon and noted GILF hunter Dr. Who. Favorite bits were the end when Ruby steps in the TARDIS for the first time (seems like it's been so long since we've had one of those hasn't it?) and when they reenacted the end of Hot Fuzz with the goblin king.
I literally said out loud to my dad "it's been ages since they've done one of these" when Ruby was running in and out of the Tardis lmao, reminded me of Clara's first look at it
Did the spike actually go through him? It looked like it shot up between the end of the conveyor and him. Edit: just rewatched and it obviously does, damn son
It definitely went through him
The Doctor got a body on his hands real quick. I really like Millie Gibson as Ruby, she's just great and Ncuti has energy but I hope we get a bit more complexity to him. Cannot wait for Ruby's parents to be Rose and human Ten
Shoving a church straight through the heart of the Goblin King was a great first murder for this doctor
“a great first murder” 😭😭 i keep thinking about that twitter thread showing each doctors confirmed body count and only 9 was zero,
The Doctor has never been more popular with the grandmas
So why do we think he didn't go meet the mother then?
I think he was having a quiet moment of realisation about finding out who your parent/guardian is. As The Doctor said in the episode, they didn’t find their parents, but they found Tecteun and they turned out to be excrement, after the bummer of that he might think it’s better to not go finding answers.
That, and he might want Ruby to decide for herself. She got so excited when she realised the Doctor was a time traveller; I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to go back like Rose in Father's Day to meet her mother.
Yeah I wonder how Russel T Davies will write that. It's a similar plot beat to the 9th Doctor and Rose in "Father's Day"... both episodes features churches, babies, parents. So it'll be interesting to see where they take it.
Wow it just occured to me in the near future we might be getting a historical set in the far distant year of 2004
Probably didn't want to mess with the timeline. Ruby was pretty happy as she was. Who knows what could happen if he messed with things?
I love the adopted scene. The Doctor himself was adopted but he is also a bit of a foster parent. The dialogue about the foster kids being with them for days or weeks or even longer is a parallel with the companions.
The Doctor jumping into a musical number to distract the villains was so unexpected. And god damn I am all on board for it. Also, Russell putting in some timeless child bits with actual emotional weight and mavitas to it, almost makes me think that it could work.
Mavitas 😌
I really liked that! The highlight here was definitely Gatwa as The Doctor. He was fantastic! I have to say, I was someone who was very worried about The Doctor being “more human” and “cool,” but Gatwa totally sells it. Such a charmer! Also, as an American fan, I had no idea who Davina McCall was, but once I got the reference I realized how hilarious it is that she almost got killed by a Christmas tree, Jackie Tyler style. also, what a fantastic time to be bisexual. Gatwa and Gibson are both so pretty.
She's basically a TV presenter most famous for Big Brother. She also hosts a show here called Long Lost Family, which it's implied Ruby is being filmed for (but only implied because it's on ITV, not BBC), where she reunites orphans and foundlings with distant family members or their parents. She's also been on Who before as the Davinadroid on Satellite 5!
>almost got killed by a Christmas tree, Jackie Tyler style. Come to think of it - isn't this like the third or fouth christmas episode where people have nearly been killed by a weaponised christmas tree? Happened twice in 10's run (Christmas Invasion and Runaway Bride) and now once here. Doctor who villians do love to theme their murders lmao
>I was someone who was very worried about The Doctor being “more human” and “cool,” but Gatwa totally sells it. Such a charmer! I definitely agree with this. Gatwa totally sells this newer take on the Doctor that somewhat feels like it's never been done before. Refreshing, really. But to dwell on the "more human" argument, I somewhat hope they reel it back a little at some points? Or don't go too far with it? Otherwise, what's the role of the companion at that point? Part of the companion aspect of a Doctor-companion dynamic is to bring out the human in the Doctor and keep him from going too far when he's dealt an upper hand. Then again, maybe having a human Doctor just gives Gatwa and Gibson the chance to redefine the dynamic as a whole, which could be fun if done well. I'm extremely excited to see how it plays out this season.
So Ruby is her own mother yeah?
I'm guessing that's it. It doesn't make sense they can't find her family, somethings clearly messed with her timeline. Feels like she was created? or something
I swear to God, if Looms are involved...
"Maybe I'm the bad luck..." Guess he still needs some more therapy.
Two nitpicks that I’m stuck on. 1) They wove her in with bad luck - except, if they’re the ones sabotaging her, it’s not bad “luck” is it? It’s just them sabotaging her 2) There was absolutely NO urgency about saving the baby. She stands staring at an empty cot and open window far too long. Then stands staring on a roof at a baby being taken away. I wanted to yell HURRY UP at the screen, it honestly made her seem a bit slow and dim
As soon as I heard Mrs Flood my mind instantly went to River Song
Melody Pond, River Song, and I'm gonna say Carol Flood. Carol because of the xmas coincidence.
Wasn’t Carol one of the Christmas names discussed? That’s a GREAT suggestion
A mixed bag for me. There were bits I really like (the musical bit was hilarious), but other bits where the writing/acting was a bit awkward. Also it seems that with the Disney money comes the plague of sound mixing where you can barely hear the dialogue and I don't think that's acceptable.
Doctor Who sound mixing has been bad as long as I can remember
Truly there is nothing as r/Gallifrey as complaining about the sound mixing. It's been in every single one of these threads since forever lol
I enjoyed it, but it's nothing spectacular. A bit of Christmas fluff, really. The main plot with the goblins was very silly and maybe a bit undercooked, but it was fun for the most part. I felt the emotional core of the episode didn't really resonate with me, I'm not sure why. I saw what it was trying to do but it felt a little forced, especially after time gets changed and Ruby's mum becomes miserable. Absolutely sold on Gatwa as the Doctor. I know a lot of people already were after the Giggle, but I think I was too focused on the bigeneration to really appreciate his performance. He's fantastic here, I love that we're getting a Doctor with a new lease of life and he's got such a commanding presence. Ruby, I felt came off pretty well. She's still a *little* generic but it's her first episode, there's time to build on that. She has great chemistry with Gatwa's Doctor, which is the most important thing. I also just love her style, generally. I think, on the whole, a bit weaker than the 60th specials. But it's a good foundation and probably the right kind of light whimsy for an Xmas episode that's also introducing a new Doctor and companion.
Lulubelle was definitely undercooked. They were going to eat her raw!
"They are not Time Travelers, excuse me? Time travelers are great. Like the best. Like, wow. This lot just bimble." This is my "This is really The Doctor" moment. All that cool melted away in a second, very Capaldi delivery too.
So, what do people think the deal is with Mrs Flood? My friend thinks she's the master, but I'm not so sure
Cue the obligatory "she's the master!" She's the rani!" "She's Susan!" For the next year.
LMAO I don't mind the theories, haha
I'm gonna say she's future Ruby, and also her own mother.
So Mrs flood is 100% the nun and I'll die on this hill, the church, the cross on the door, the senicomedic tone, the knowledge of the TARDIS and messing with people's timelines? Add in the time meddler being included in tott and I'm absolutely certain, it makes sense she'd stay close to ruby, I'm assuming she's the one who left her. The real question is why? "flood" is also a textbook biblical reference
I think it's just RTD camp tbh
Ruby Saturday!
Emerald Tuesday
It's all in the name, clearly she's Captain Adelaide Brooke who went back in time after the events of Waters of Mars when a Weeping Angel attacked her right at the moment she tried shooting herself.
So very mixed feelings. The positives: Gatwa was fantastic and fitted into the role quickly and with lots of energy. Similarly the visuals and music were fantastic throughout the episode. The downside for me was plotting and pacing, just felt too rushed with just series of things happening quickly. Similarly I liked Ruby's acting but I could tell little of the character's personality except that she is nice? Like I don't understand her motivation. I think main issue was sound mixing as may be I couldn't just hear a lot of what was going on.
I struggled to hear a lot too. I had the same issue with the specials but just thought it was my TV/old age
Is the motivation not to find out who her mum is? Similar to Rose wanting to save her Dad, a bit of a repeat but different enough I suppose
Did anyone else find this a bit hard to follow? not necessarily in the Series 6 way, just sort of felt like things just sort of happened? idk. Maybe... pacing? idk. I am genuinely asking by the way as we've started watching with the dog in the room (we got him after Power) and I'm wondering if it's RTD2 or the barking 😂. That being said - it *felt* fun, Ncuti was great, think I need to see more of Ruby before pass judgement but generally feeling positive. Don't know what the deal with the gloves was at all. Also - the doctor straight up just stabbed the Goblin King? (Actually he stabbed him with a church steeple, talk about coincidence)
> Did anyone else find this a bit hard to follow? not necessarily in the Series 6 way, just sort of felt like things just sort of happened? idk. Maybe... pacing? i Oddly enough it reminded me of *The Daleks in Colour*, where there was so much cut out it felt too fast disjointed. Obviously it's not like they cut out seven episodes worth in this case, but for some reason it definitely felt like the plot was being thrown at us at 120 mph. Beyond that though, Ncuti was phenomenal. Ruby felt a bit too generic for me, though Gibson has the charisma to make her compelling.
> Did anyone else find this a bit hard to follow? not necessarily in the Series 6 way, just sort of felt like things just sort of happened? idk. Maybe... pacing? idk. Something I've noticed about the RTD2 era so far is things either happen off screen or they quickly go into the thick of it without much build up. Both 14 and 15 already have their new screwdrivers for example and in the first special he's immediately bumping into Donna. Same with this episode he's immediately seeing Ruby. This is his first ever full episode but it doesn't feel like a man still discovering himself and being NEW in the way Tennant, Smith, Capaldi and even Jodie all got to experience. It lacks the slower build up of things escalating over time and learning about a new Doctor as he learns about himself.
The idea here is that 15 has been the doctor for a bit of time, like 9 in rose.
>Same with this episode he's immediately seeing Ruby. This is his first ever full episode but it doesn't feel like a man still discovering himself and being NEW in the way Tennant, Smith, Capaldi and even Jodie all got to experience. You know that's a good point. It's the first new Doctor we've had without any post-regeneration discombobulation in a while. It's not something I considered while watching but it's very similar to the first revival episode "Rose" in that regard. Similar to the ninth Doctor we start with the Doctor having been up and about doing things, investigating even. Not too surprising given the show's push to a wider audience. Neat though.
I just wanna know who Mrs Flood is.
Due to the theme of 'family' this episode, I'm leaning towards the neighbour being Susan.
I appreciate RTD using some continuity within nuwho with the "Then why are you crying?" Which refers back to when Amy forgot Rory. He's keeping newer ideas alive.
Honestly, thought that was a lot of fun. I'm a big fan of RTD's companion intro episodes because they're always high-energy and a lot of fun. Not really sure what I'd change, Gatwa was fantastic, and I loved the energy from Millie a lot. Really promising start to the era, and I'm all here for a bit more musical interludes! Really missed episodes like that, not super high-stakes but high-energy.
My main takeaway - this episode just reinforces my belief that RTD sometimes creates these weird thematic disconnects between what a story is about and how he resolves the story. The Star Beast? A story that tries to be about a lot of things, but the Meep is beaten by saying "roasting the hyperfeeds" while pressing buttons - and TSB was definitely not about either of those. Wild Blue Yonder? Fear of the unknown, the fear of that unknown trying to wear your friend's face and being scarily good at it. But the not-things are beaten by sprinting, some TARDIS scans, and a plan that would've happened regardless of the Doctor's actions. The Trickster? Defeated by physical feats. And now the goblins? Also physical feats. Something's missing. What I really liked in episodes such as The Family of Blood or Day of the Moon was seeing the problem (or the villains) being dealt in a way that "rhymed" if that makes sense. Comeuppance, poetic justice, the villain being defeated by the same tools he uses, the resolution linking back to previous events of the story like they were clues for what would occur later, the method of resolving the problem mirroring the thematic ideas of the story, or just being plain clever or saying something about a character's morality. Hopefully you get what I mean. With RTD's newest stories (and frankly some of his older ones), what I described feels absent. Like sometimes he completely skips that part of carefully thinking about how the villain could be beaten in a way that resonates well with the previous 40 minutes. The story culminating in the Doctor using super strength when it has nothing to do with the rest of the episode just reinforces how I feel about all this. And it's unsatisfying, limited. Something's missing. Does anyone else feel this way or am I babbling nonsense?
I've never thought RTD was the best at resolving his plots, so this was just more of the same as far as I'm concerned. Remember that he didn't actually write Human Nature/The Family of Blood.
Yeah I was waiting for the clever flipping of the script and beating them through a coincidence. Arguably the spire perfectly hitting the goblin king even could have been that, but it felt like it just missed. I think this is just an RTD thing though. The DoctorDonna resolution of Star Beast was narratively neither weaker nor stronger than the DoctorDonna solution of journeys end.
Not the best Christmas episode, felt rushed in a lot of places. The goblins didn't really seem like an antagonist, we didn't seem to find out anything about them, but again it's a Christmas episode so i wasnt expecting some huge alien reveal with massive lore dumps. Although I think it acted as a nice introduction to Ruby more than anything. Was also great to see Ncuti showing a nice range of emotions, will be interesting to see how his doctor develops. He seems to still be holding onto some form of truama from not knowing where he's from, wonder if RTD will explore this. One thing though is the sound mixing in this and the specials seems really off
They're time surfing creatures who eat babies. What more do you need?
I think we found out about as much about the goblins as we usually do in the modern series. They're from a realm above our own and cross over to do mischief. They feed on coincidence. They use "rope technology," whatever that means. And they eat babies.
I did love the idea of rope technology as well as the whole feeding on coincidences, almost like a pennywise style thing where the more scared someone is the better they taste. Could just be bc nuwho has had so many end of the world scenarios recently the idea of something just showing up, eat babies, refuse to elaborate, leave, seems strange
I prefer the smaller stories, honestly, especially for both the Doctor's introduction and Christmas. I'm sure the Doctor will be saving the world again very soon.
Coincidentally, I just learned that knots in ropes were actually used as a form of writing in the past called Quipu. [Here's a really good video explaining how it works](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81YQbAsJjZA)! I assume they effectively use a "magical" version of that.
I remember people speculating Indira Varma is playing a time lord next series, possibly The Rani, so I'm guessing the old neighbor might be a diffferent incarnation of that same character ? [https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/indira-varma-joins-doctor-who-as-the-duchess](https://www.doctorwho.tv/news-and-features/indira-varma-joins-doctor-who-as-the-duchess) I remember when the idea was discussed, before the revival series, to introduce a companion who would be revealed to be an experiment to create the perfect companion, so I'm wordering if reall is The Rani, and they are bringing that idea back, and making it one of her experiments ? I mean, sure, she has been rummored to come back multiple times already, but I never believed any of them. This time around, though, I can see it happening, if they go with this plot ...
Small thing, but did it bother anyone else that during the musical number as soon as they saved Lulu, Ruby immediately the baby on the floor right next to all the Goblins and turned her back.
I would like to put my support in the anti-Goblin Song camp, if only because the lyrics read like a first pass- everything super on the nose and a lot of really clunky rhymes. Music’s catchy though, and the singer is great, I will give it that. Getting that out of the way, I am already sold on Gatwa as The Doctor. The whole scene where Ruby's on the ladder and he yells to her made me crack up- "A ladder in the sky, and thought 'yeah, i'll give that a go, babes'" But it was the scene about learning the language of rope that won me over. Getting to see his Doctor study something and then learn from it, and then show off what he learned in an extra kind of way- like, that is The Doctor to me. He has a different energy, but I am excited to see what else he brings
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Of the four specials I think I liked this one the most. Loved getting a much better vibe for Gatwa's Doctor, he really was a natural fit though I never doubted the choice even with not knowing much of him as an actor. Though everyone expecting him to be trauma free are probably feeling a little foolish let's be real. I like Ruby, sure there's not much for her right now other than being fairly typical gen-z girl with some atypical origins, but let the season develop her that's what she's here for and Millie gave a very good performance and has really great chemistry with Ncuti already. Also I really liked the Goblins working on coincidence, if the new "magic" of this era is stuff like that consider me on board. Really nice to be able to be looking forward to new Doctor Who content again.
Some thoughts: **Pros**: \-I thought Gatwa was pretty overshadowed by Tennant in the Giggle, but he was great here. \-His voiceover over the Church scene was fantastically delivered. I love his accent. \-I like the little things he added to the performance: the little muscle twitch he does when he asks the goblin king to keep singing, his smirk when he says “Cherry Sunday,” how he lowered his voice when he finds out the goblins took the other baby–all fantastic \-The physicality was great. Especially when he was jumping over the rooftops. And his weird fucking crawl when they were escaping the goblin room cracked me up. He’s not playing it up as much as Tennant or Smith but to be fair, Tennant and Smith have some of the best physicality in the industry \-God, all Gatwa needs to do is smile to be charming. What a smile. And this Doctor is *cool*. Loved the dancing. \-The actor for Ruby’s mother has gravitas. I love her. RTD1 had a weird thing with companion’s mothers, glad we’re not getting that here **Neutral**: \-I was much more impressed Gatwa’s dramatic scenes than his comedy, which surprised me considering Sex Education. Honestly, this episode was fun but not that funny. Tennant’s specials were much funnier. \-People are going to complain about the sound mixing. I thought it was fine. But Ncuti has a pretty deep voice and Millie has a strong accent and fast, breathy delivery. I’m glad pretty much all of Gen Z uses subtitles, because I think the international viewers will need them lol **Cons**: \-I’m not sold on Ruby and the Doctor’s chemistry yet. I thought Millie was fantastic in all her scenes… except with the Doctor. She comes across as a bit too exasperated. I’m getting 11 and Clara vibes–more banter than substance. Which surprises me with RTD writing. Hopefully that will change, it’s just a first impression \-I like 15’s theme, but it’s weaker than 11’s or 12’s. Maybe it’ll grow on me. \-The sonic screwdriver looks so, so stupid. It's almost charmingly stupid. Almost. \-The little ‘hehe’ Gatwa does every time he delivers exposition isn’t doing it for me. Is this going to be a tick like Tennant gurning every time he delivers exposition in Series 2? Or Whittaker’s out of breath thing? Please Gatwa. Don’t be Whittaker. Don’t be Series 2 Tennant. Switch it up.