As The Doctor establishes with a playful nod to Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, this season of Doctor Who has been a “world of pure imagination.” From booger monsters, to social media bubbles, and even alternate timelines, the theme has remained constant. This week is no exception to the rule. Our latest villains, the Chuldur, destroy worlds simply to satisfy their overactive imaginations.
‘Rogue’ further establishes some important plot and character beats before next week’s penultimate episode, but more importantly, it allows Ncuti Gatwa and Jonathan Groff to serve up a fandom ‘ship for the ages when The Doctor (Gatwa) charms a dashing bounty hunter named Rogue (Groff). As The Doctor puts it, “honey, I’m here for fun!” Well, Doctor, so are we!
Of course, we can’t truly dig into this episode without acknowledging that it is playing some familiar beats which will go a long way toward informing each fan’s final take on the episode.
- Do you miss Captain Jack Harkness? Groff’s Rogue is not-so-subtly Captain Jack coded. From the big, impressive ship with a traditional cloaking device to his more flexible moral compass and calm, cool sexuality – we have a Jack 2.0. He even shows us he’s not so rough-and-tumble after all when he sacrifices himself to save The Doctor from an impossible emotional decision.
- Do you want to see The Doctor pushed toward darkness because a family of powerful, body-swapping, evil beings took someone he loves? This episode offers “Human Nature” and “Family of Blood” vibes. This time, the Chuldur are in the house to redefine “angry birds” and cosplay the world to death. When The Doctor expresses happiness that the Chuldur will suffer in exile for 600 years, we can’t help but remember the fury of the Time Lord.
- Are you geeking out to season three of Bridgerton? Good news! So are the Chuldur (and the folks at Socially Distanced)! While we could have connected the dots on our own, the episode makes a point of vocalizing the Bridgerton comps several times. This reviewer is not up-to-date with those sexy socialites, but is absolutely thrilled that folks get to have some fun with this fandom crossover. Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson, Coronation Street) and (secret bird lady) Emily Beckett (Camilla Aiko, Lee) are particularly savvy when it comes to drawing out the thrill of Bridgerton drama. Emily is similarly successful at applauding and celebrating Ruby’s spunk and individualism; in fact, however you feel about Ruby, it’s hard not to love for ripping Lord Barton a new one when he tells her to “learn to be admired in silence.”
Speaking of familiar beats and Ruby’s self-confidence, our plucky companion manages to avoid getting fried by a bird when she invokes Chekov’s psychic earrings. This is representative of the fact that, while this episode is an absolute blast, there isn’t a ton of plot here. The birds are bad. There are more birds than we think. We need to trap them. We’ve got one shot. Oops, somebody we like has to be exiled alongside the big birds. It’s good fine fun that paves the way for some fun, well-balanced camp.
Indira Varma shines as both the catty Duchess of Pemberton and matriarch of the cosplay killers. One clunky moment arrives after Ruby’s fake-out death. The Doctor flashes back to promising Ruby’s mother, Carla, that he will keep Ruby safe. Seasoned fans are very familiar with this type of emotional burden, but we also have to be understanding of the season’s desire to orient new viewers. That being said, Carla Sunday (Michelle Greenidge, After Life) and her mother, Cherry (Angela Wynter, EastEnders), were such standouts back in “The Church on Ruby Road” that it would have been nice to see a more fully realized interaction with The Doctor. Despite that mini-snag, this is a solid Doctor Who story that fits perfectly into the vibe of the show we know and love.
While the episode might feel a bit by-the-book at times, the chemistry between The Doctor and Rogue elevates it to a higher echelon. Even in the early moments, when Rogue is doing his best to be guarded and dismissive of The Doctor, you feel the energy crackling. By the time we find the captured Doctor gyrating to the beats of Kylie Minogue (shoutout to “Voyage of the Damned”), we know that we are just as smitten with this ship as our intrepid time-traveling boyfriends-to-be are with each other. There is almost too much charm to track, but who wouldn’t fall for The Doctor if he looked at you and said, “When we both get out of this, let’s argue across the stars.”
Of course, there is much more than physical attraction and playful flirtation at work here. Over the years, “dancing” has been a handy metaphor to stand in for The Doctor’s struggle with human interaction (and even those pesky questions about The Doctor’s sex life). In this episode, The Doctor gets to dance with style, grace, and heartfelt emotion. While Rogue’s “proposal” is partly a ruse to draw out the Chuldur, both character’s emotions are real. Even more important is the fact that both adventurers are haunted by loss and reluctant to get attached to folks who may not survive the next adventure. When they eventually share an on-screen kiss, it feels earned and genuine.
While The Doctor tends to travel with humans who are seeing all of time and the universe for the first time, our favorite Time Lord has a long history of imploring other overpowered folks to join the TARDIS crew. Every now and then, our Doctor yearns for somebody who can understand the weight of being an immortal savior. For instance, we’ve seen The Doctor appeal to The Master’s better nature time and time again. Most recently, Fourteen offered companionship and adventure to The Toymaker (albeit in a desperate ploy to distract the mad god from terrorizing the human race on Earth). This time, it’s Rogue who finds himself at the end of the invitation; as is often the case, things don’t quite work out. Rogue makes a heroic sacrifice to free Ruby from a trap that would have dumped her in a random dimension. His parting words? “Find me.” At the end of the episode, The Doctor places the “engagement” ring from Rogue on his finger as an unspoken promise that he will, in fact, find his dashing bounty hunter. Now there’s a cliffhanger.
Of course, Ruby is here as well, and she does more than playfully gasp at upper-crust drama and plug into the Matrix to defeat a bird; she also helps land the emotional plane. It pains her to watch The Doctor put on a happy face after losing his new flame; she pleads with him to drop the facade. When he tries to wave her off, she is able to silence him and comfort him with a hug. Whatever mysteries may unravel regarding Ruby, her offers of humanity and connection are the most important things she (or any companion) can bring to the table.
Next week doesn’t seem to promise romance, but it sure looks like we are going to get some answers about actress Susan Twist. In “Rogue,” she appears once again, this time as a portrait of the Duchess of Pemberton’s mother-in-law: “her eyes still follow me about the room…constant judgment.” Next week, our mystery woman seems to be some sort of business mogul named Susan Triad. Eagle-eyed Whovians have been quick to point out that S. Triad is an anagram for TARDIS. Could we have a Time Lord on our hands? An advanced TARDIS model? A simple, knowing reference meant to toy with overzealous Whovians (‘Rogue’ did take a random pot-shot at cosplay as a toxic pastime, so we know that the show isn’t above mocking its fanbase)? We can’t say for sure, but it certainly seems like the final pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.
Join us next week after the penultimate episode, and we’ll start unpacking the endgame!
