It’s time to strap in, rev up your TARDIS, and shoot for the stars!! This season of Doctor Who is off to a pretty start with the inclusion of time travel, a kidnapping, and a mystery for the Doctor to follow all season long. As we follow the Doctor, played by Ncuti Gatwa and his new companion, Belinda Chandra, played by Varada Sethu, who was previously featured in the episode “Boom” in season one of the Disney era of WHO, we are set to see some pretty amazing places in time and space.
A Timelord’s Brief History
Doctor Who is a British TV show that started in 1963 with the Doctor’s first incarnation played by William Hartnell. Since then, there have been many incarnations of the Doctor, with recently David Tennant, who originally played the 10th Doctor, coming back to play the role of the 14th Doctor for a 3-episode story arc back in 2023 just to pass the torch on to his current regeneration.
The show has also been a career starter for some of its stars like Matt Smith, who played the 11th Doctor back in 2011, and Karen Gillan, who played his companion Amy Pond, who went on to star in such films like Guardians of the Galaxy, The Avengers: End Game, and Peppermint. The Doctor has been featured in many other forms, including literature, audio dramas, comic books, and movies. The series has also had its share of spin-offs in the form of Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, and Class being the most recent of the bunch.
Doctor Who: A Shaky Season 1 on the TARDIS
This past season of Doctor Who, we followed the doctor as he tried to solve the mystery of Ruby Sunday, his companion, through season one of this incarnation of the television show. And even though they went through some good times and bad, it always ends the way it always does for the doctor having to let a companion go and live their lives the way they want to. Of course, we did get to meet some new faces and see some old faces while dealing with some interesting enemies.
Last season, though, was essentially this incarnation of the Doctor Who team trying to find their footing. There were some weak episodes, like the episode “Space Babies,” and then there were some strong episodes, like “The Legend of Ruby Sunday.” in which we got to see Ncuti Gatwa give one of his best performances as The Doctor.
In This Adventure…
In Doctor Who, “The Robot Revolution,” we are introduced to Belinda Chandra in 2008 on a date with Alan Budd, played by Jonny Green, who buys her a star, naming it after her. Jump 17 years later, and we see Belinda is a hard-working nurse. When she is taken away into a rocket ship by a pair of red robots and sent to another world, it’s up to The Doctor to save her and send her home while trying to rebel against the planet’s robot overlords and their ruler, an artificial intelligence called “A.I. Generator.”
This episode is definitely a kick-off for fun as far as this season is to go. The first thing that stands out is the doctor and his new companion’s chemistry. If the chemistry does not work, then the season doesn’t work. The team of Doctor Who prides itself on looking for the right actors and actresses to portray these types of characters. We also get a companion in Belinda, who doesn’t want to go on an adventure through the cosmos.
She wants to do is go home and start her new shift at the hospital where she works. Meanwhile, the doctor continues to travel in space and time and look for new companions to show the universe because he is a lonely old alien who just wants to show somebody everything.
The Future Seems as Bright!!
So, what do we expect to see this next? Well, the upcoming episode looks like The Doctor and Belinda are traveling to the 1950’s to deal with an animated entity in a movie theater. Will The Doctor and Belinda get out of this situation, will they be stuck in the 50s, and will they be animated for this episode? This episode will mark the of Alan Cumming, who previously played King James in the 13th Doctor’s episode “The Witchfinders.” I, for one, can’t wait to see the next adventure The Doctor and his companion go on.
Tune into Doctor Who on Disney Plus or on the BBC iPlayer if you’re located in the UK.
