In the past, I've usually covered Doctor Who with my "Changing of the Doctor" posts, with the last two reflecting on the latest Doctors, their tenure as the character and their regenerations. With the show premiering new episodes in the United States on a streaming service like Disney+, I'm seeing this as an opportunity to change things up by reviewing the series as I would other shows I cover on the blog. It will allow me to give more detailed thoughts as things go rather than try to sum up years of a character's run after it's over. For the first season of the Disney era, we're soaring very high with the Doctor and Ruby Sunday in the TARDIS.
Whether it be last year's Christmas special or the proper season premiere, the first stories starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor serve as a perfect jumping on point for new fans and includes plenty of callbacks for established ones. Right from the get-go, the show continues to feature the fun, scary, and ridiculous elements fans have come to love from the 60-year franchise. Even though it's been 14 years since showrunner Russel T. Davies left, his first proper season with his return has proven he hasn't lost a step and has brought a level of excitement back to the franchise after some tumultuous years.
Series Fourteen is a very imaginative season and makes a point in how important it is to be able to express yourself (Disney backing the budget is boon too). We see this in how the social commentary is presented as well as new villains like the Bogeyman and the Maestro (who reminds me of a mix of Pennywise and DC's Music Meister). My favorite episodes in terms of how creative they were are "Boom" and "Dot and Bubble."
Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor is just as fun and serious as Ten and Eleven, and there's a scary hint of Twelve when he gets mad. Along with his sassiness, what really sets Fifteen apart from the others is his willingness to feel vulnerable. As I talked about in my last "Changing of the Doctor" post, Fifteen's emergence has to do with the Doctor's mental health. While other Doctors have tried not let their fun-loving and strong appearance falter, Fifteen is more open with his emotions and letting others comfort him during the tough moments.
Millie Gibson as new companion Ruby Sunday is the perfect audience surrogate, full of wide-eyed wonder as the Doctor takes her through time and space. She makes me think of a combination of past companions Rose Tyler and Clara Oswald. Her and Gatwa's Doctor have instant BFF chemistry that shines as they go through the good times and bad times together.
There are two big mysteries throughout the season that do tie in together. One is about Ruby searching for her birth-mother. The other is a staple of Davies' previous time on the show with a subtle overarching thread throughout the season that leads up to the main threat in the final episodes. Personally, I think both pay off very well, though from what I gather, the resolution with Ruby's mom seems to be divisive. All I'll say is I can see people ugly cry like at the end of "Doomsday", but in a happy way.
There are however still some questions to be asked about Mrs. Flood, Ruby's neighbor. She seems to have knowledge about the Doctor, his enemies or at least future events committed by them, and breaks the fourth wall to the audience. I have a few theories on who she could be; two connect with characters brought up so far since last year's specials, one is too predictable to happen in my opinion, and one is pretty left field but could totally make sense. This will probably be Davies' long game story through his new run, so I guess we'll have to see what happens.
If there was anything to be desired with the season, I kind of wish they had balanced out the episodes travelling to the future and the past. There are only two episodes set in the past, "The Devil's Chord" and "Rogue", but they were still very well-done stories (especially the romance subplot in the latter).
The one episode I didn't care for was "73 Yards." While it put Ruby front and center and showed off Gibson's amazing talent, I found it a bit mean-spirited even if that did have to do the social commentary I think they were going for.
Excluding David Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor specials, great acting coupled with imaginative effects and storytelling make this the most fun I've had with a season of Doctor Who since the first season of Jodie Whittaker's run. I can't wait to see where the Doctor will touch down in the TARDIS next when he returns for this year's Christmas special.
