The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) is back for his second series but after the way series one ended, it seems he is need of a new companion. While Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) was a wonderful companion, it seems the Doctor and his adventures are going to be finding someone more suitable for his outings and adventures and not focused on finding out their origin story so to speak. While in the season premiere, Doctor Who deals with technology and time travel (obviously) in a rather basic way, leaving a lot to be desired but the new dynamic between him and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) is something familiar but welcomed.
The episode starts with Belinda being kidnapped by AI powered machines that make claim she is their queen. The Doctor is aware of this situation and tries to save Belinda, but aside from her making her own decisions and having more ‘free will’ than Ruby Sunday and other companions typically, she is independent and makes her own decisions and doesn’t go along for every single thing the Doctor says. Belinda is very similar to Martha (Freema Agyeman) and this seems to be firmly what Ncuti’s Doctor Who needed to keep the momentum moving, but we’ll see how the story continues between these two. While we want to leave the whimsy and mystery of this season premiere a mystery until viewed, it’s safe to say The Doctor and Belinda have their work cut out for them as they try to escape the powerful grips of AI (the robot leader of the colony whose laid claim to Belinda as their queen). Not a standout episode or plot, but one that is fun but not as whimsical and daring as the Doctor Who we’ve come to love in most of last season.
With Russel T Davies penning the script it’s not a surprise that the elements are there for a classic Whovian adventure – it’s just missing that extra step to make it a memorable or favourite episode. Exploring AI and robots in a terminator world is not new grounds by any stretch of the meaning but is engaging enough to keep audiences intrigued. If it wasn’t for Ncuti Gatwa’s whimsical nature and Varda Sethu’s absolute no bull take on Belinda this episode would’ve fallen flat and mediocre at best, but with the new companion doctor relationship being explored and Belinda’s less than enthusiastic approach to the situation creates a new dynamic we haven’t seen in some time. Whatever this season brings for Doctor Who, we are certainly seated and excited to see what new adventures he gets up to with his companion.
