The 2023 Doctor Who Christmas Special, The Church on Ruby Road, was a welcome return to form. Russell T Davies‘ writing was as amazing as ever. Ncuti Gatwa cut a fine figure as the Fifteenth Doctor, and showed instant chemistry with companion Millie Gibson. Still, there was some fear that fans might be viewing the revival with rose-colored glasses. Thankfully, the first two episodes of the new series confirm that Doctor Who is back and better than ever.
Russell T Davies Creates a New Doctor Who Trilogy
When Russell T Davies spearheaded the first Doctor Who revival in 2005, he crafted a neat story arc with the first three episodes. “Rose” reintroduced The Doctor through the eyes of shopgirl Rose Tyler, against the backdrop of an alien invasion. The second episode, “The End of the World,” took them to the future and the day Earth dies. The final episode, “The Unquiet Dead,” took place in the past, and featured Charles Dickens.
This trilogy gave new audiences a taste of everything Doctor Who had to offer as a franchise. Tales with aliens set in the present day. Science fiction stories with exotic aliens in the future. Seemingly supernatural stories set in the past, with historical figures joining in the adventure. Davies tries the same trick here, with The Church on Ruby Road having introduced new companion Ruby Sunday and the new Doctor.
Doctor Who: Space Babies is Familiar but Good
After a brief trip back to the days of the dinosaurs, Ruby and the Doctor travel forward to 21506. They land on a space station that functions as a baby farm. It is also, curiously, managed by several babies. Babies who are six years old, but still have the bodies of babies and very advanced strollers to carry them around. They are also menaced by a monster on the lower decks, a Bogeyman who somehow terrifies even the normally unflappable Doctor.
Davies’ script puts a neat spin on the monsters-chasing-down-corridors formula of classic Doctor Who. He also neatly explains some things for new viewers, such as how The Doctor translates alien languages for his companions. At the same time, Davies works in some of the social commentary common to his writing. There’s the paradox of technology being used to deage children to keep them innocent, while simultaneously rushing them into adulthood and self-sufficiency. There’s also the reason why a farm full of babies was abandoned by the people meant to be caring for them in the first place.
Beyond the theme of a crisis in the future, there is much about Space Babies that invites comparison to “The End of the World.” There’s a scene where Ruby and The Doctor gaze upon the beauty of space and Ruby marvels that humanity makes it to the stars. There’s also a bit where Ruby, much like Rose Tyler, calls home from the future after The Doctor hacks her phone.
Gatwa and Gibson Make the New Doctor Who
Despite these shared plot points, Space Babies is its own story. This is largely due to the performances of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson. While it is tempting to dismiss Ruby Sunday as Rose Tyler 2.0, she is a drastically different character. Gibson plays her with more confidence than Billie Piper showed in her second episode, pointedly telling the Doctor that he is not leaving her behind while he goes to confront the Boogeyman.
Gatwa also offers a new take on the Doctor, while still embodying the classic Doctor Who idea that he should never be cowardly or cruel. He is the imaginary friend every child ever wished was there to drive back the monsters. This Doctor, however, is more inclined to offer the monster a hug, and question the idea of viewing anything as a monster at first glance.
Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord Leaves a Sour Note
Unfortunately, the final third of the triptych doesn’t quite stick the landing. Jumping forward six months from the end of Space Babies, The Devil’s Chord finds Ruby and The Doctor traveling to 1963. They plan to watch the Beatles as they record their first album. Instead, they discover that someone is stealing music from the hearts of humanity. This someone is the Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon), a cosmic being who is to music what the Toymaker is to fun and games.
Monsoon is a delight as the Maestro and steals all their scenes, along with the music. It is also something of a relief that, despite the name, Monsoon is not playing the latest incarnation of the Doctor’s archenemy, the Master. That would have been just a little too on the nose, given their history of using aliases with Master hidden in them. Unfortunately, Davies’ script hits too many of the same notes as the Doctor’s battle with the Toymaker in last year’s “The Giggle.”
It seems clear that Davies is building to something with the idea of a Pantheon of cosmic tricksters. However, the script doesn’t deliver enough hints as to where this is going. Thankfully, the production values and performances are impressive enough to save the story.
Despite some script flaws, The Devil’s Chord is a serviceable episode. All in all, the new Doctor Who seems to have set off on the right foot. Hopefully the rest of the new series will continue along these lines.
Space Babies Grade: 5/5
The Devil’s Chord Grade: 3/5
Doctor Who: Series 1 is now streaming on BBC iplayer and Disney+.
