This week’s episode of Doctor Who is a calmer one compared to what we’ve had to deal with for the past three weeks: the possible destruction of Kastarion 3 due to The Doctor’s DNA, Ruby having to meddle with right-wing politics to stop the woman 73 yards behind her, and finally The Doctor failing to save a civilisation that’s so ignorant and racist that they’re willing to go to their eventual demise. This episode steps away from all that, and while it may seem obvious from all the clips and trailers, I’ve got to say it, and I’ll say it many times during this review, just like Ruby Sunday, but this episode is so Bridgerton.
This episode of Doctor Who is titled “Rogue” and takes us to 1813 Bath, England, where we follow The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), who are participating in a ball but are interrupted by the mysterious bounty hunter, Rogue (Jonathan Groff). It isn’t a ball unless there’s a scandal.
“Rogue” was a nice change of pace from what he had previously been watching, but at the same time, it managed to still do what the other episodes did, and that’s really what sets it apart when it comes to the genre. If the last two episodes were comparable to Black Mirror, then this episode is comparable to Bridgerton. I don’t say that loosely, as it’s more than just the setting that takes inspiration from the Netflix show. You’d think that Disney paid off a little to Netflix with how much it’s referenced in this episode. The main takeaway is that there are classical renditions of Bad Guy by Billie Eilish and Poker Face by Lady Gaga that are played in the episode. This is something that Bridgerton is widely known for doing, and it was nice to see that this episode was not only supposed to be using the same setting, but essentially, it’s an episode of Bridgerton with aliens.
What I’ve personally been enjoying from Ncuti’s interpretation of The Doctor is that we’ve known since “The Giggle” that, thanks to the Bi-Generation, Fourteen was able to rest and heal for Fifteen. I was worried that it wouldn’t show within this doctor, but so far it has, and I think this episode is the best case of it. We get to see how jolly The Doctor is, even after the unfortunate incident that he had to deal with last episode, and we’ve seen The Doctor get serious when it’s needed, and we even get some of that in this episode, which mostly feels like harmless fun until the end, when the stakes get unexpectedly high with yet another great plot twist. It might not top last week’s episode, but it will get people talking again as both Ncuti, Millie, and Jonathan provide praise-worthy performances.
This healing that Fifteen has had shows, as it’s evident in several scenes throughout the episode that The Doctor makes attempts to hide the pain, simply trying to move on, and though The Doctor is known for moving on in the past, he has always dealt with the pain and trauma head-on. This is met with a beautiful scene between Ruby and The Doctor where she embraces him to stop for once and just accept it; it solidifies their relationship, and if I wasn’t confident with them as a Doctor/Companion pairing before, that scene sealed the deal.
Jonathan Groff is introduced to Doctor Who in the form of a new character called Rogue, after whom the episode is titled. Jonathan Groff, as mentioned previously, performed amazingly, and he has almost perfect chemistry with The Doctor. Not much can be said about his mysterious character and his role within the episode, but I can say that Groff brings a certain charm to the character that just resonates so well, and he’s a character that I’d happily love to see again, even if it isn’t with this incarnation of The Doctor. I just simply need him back on the screen.
The villains in this episode somehow feel nostalgic, although it is their first appearance in the show. They are called the Chuldar, a race of shapeshifting aliens that is led by the vicious Duchess (Indira Varma), and Varma doesn’t give anything less than an outstanding performance. The reason why they feel nostalgic is because they feel like the new aliens that appeared during RTD’s first era of Doctor Who. They’re a welcoming presence for this season of Doctor Who, and they are truly the first antagonists this season besides Maestro who are honestly worth talking about. They’re ridiculous, but at the same time, they bring that classic Who horror back to the show, which you get to see in the opening scenes of the episode. While the budget isn’t low anymore, the increased budget was somehow still able to give it that classic feeling. On the topic of the grant they received from Disney that we should all be thankful for, this episode makes great use of the budget with the incredible set design, from the interior decoration of the manor, where the ball is taking place, to the bedrooms, where scandalous acts are taking place, and spaceships, where the Doctor is being scanned, showcasing familiar and perhaps unfamiliar faces to some general fans.
Hardcore Doctor Who fans, keep an eye out.
“Rogue” is the best episode of Doctor Who for fans who miss the classic adventures from Eccleston, Tennant, and Smith’s era. This episode is a nice change of pace, humorous and heartwarming, but also keeps us on the edge as there’s always a twist at the end. The Chuldar and Rogue are a welcoming addition to Doctor Who that I wish to see more of, especially with Jonathan Groff’s performance that helps provide the best chemistry we’ve seen this season with The Doctor and another character besides Ruby.
Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6 “Rogue” releases June 8 on BBC IPlayer and BBC One in the UK and June 7 on Disney+ internationally.
