Knock Knock, whose there? Doctor. Doctor Who. That’s right there is a new season of Doctor Who and while it is a new season it is new new Who, as in this is an official reboot again leaving Jodie Whittaker to be the final doctor between Christopher Eccleston to her, ushing in a new era with Ncuti Gatwa leading the charge. With there being a new doctor in town, that undoubtedly means we have a new companion as well in the form of Millie Gibson, and to just make things abundantly clear if you haven’t seen the Christmas special already you’d be fine starting right off with Episode 1 of the new season, but the Christmas special and the three episodes prior that all launched as part of the Disney+ era of Who are great, so why deprive yourself of more Who.
This review is going to cover the first two episodes of the new season, but because there are so many secrets and twists and spoilers afloat in the show it is hard to talk about each episode in any form of detail so it would be easier to casually talk about the show as a whole (that we’ve seen thus far) and the ups and downs of the show thus far. First and foremost, if you were unsure if this was a reboot or a continuation, when The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) take the Tardis to prehistoric times we get an exposition dump explaining the Tardis, timelords, the Doctor’s two hearts, and so forth – it feels out of place but for a starting point that’s just a launching point for a new fanbase it does address anything and everything one would need to know out of the gate for the Doctor.
Moreover though, the first episode Space Babies is if Doctor Who made an episode inspired by Super Baby Geniuses. As a very young child that may be a fun, whimsical albeit silly episode, but as a Doctor Who fan and an adult this episode just didn’t do it for me. About halfway through the episode though, I was thoroughly relieved this wasn’t a toned down more child appropriate version of the show, as it still handles all the themes and content any previous incarnation has, thankfully. The episode while having some momentum, just failed to deliver on that reasoning that makes this show have such a large fanbase and the longevity it has accumulated.
The second episode however, The Devil’s Chord is where the show and where The Doctor and Ruby Sunday truly find their footing with each other and the show as a whole and captures the essence of Doctor Who. Featuring a villain, Maestro (Jinx Monsoon) who may go down as a top tier Who villain and a history changing and defining episode, this is a wild change of pace from the first episode that feels like it could’ve been plopped down in the midst of a Smith or Tenant season and fit right in. Truly a fantastic episode that reminds you why audiences love Doctor Who or will take any skeptics of the show and turn them into fans immediately.
Doctor Who Season 1 (fourth continuation/reboot) starts off a little rocky but with the second half of the season premiere ends with a bang that will surely have diehard Whovians filled with joy and new fans of the show clamoured to their televisions when new episodes drop turning them into Whovians to also discover the seasons past. The chemistry between Gatwa and Gibson is simply perfect, and the charisma and energy that Gatwa brings to the forefront is infectious.
