After a couple of years, the Doctor is back and more fabulous than he’s ever been. Having had two adventures so far with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), which are now available on Disney+, we’ve seen a return to serialized storytelling that feels fresh in the age of streaming. From a futuristic baby farm to the Swinging Sixties, the new Doctor and his companion have faced a variety of challenges from a monster made out of snot to a delightfully campy musical villain played by Jinkx Monsoon. In two episodes, showrunner Russell T. Davies has established a return to form for “Doctor Who” after the show’s thirteenth season was not well received.
The series’ biggest strength is Ncuti Gatwa. Filled with wide-eyed enthusiasm and charm, he captures all of the eccentricities of the Doctor wonderfully while bringing his own version of the iconic character to the table. His Doctor is more bubbly compared to his previous counterparts, as he seeks to move on from the emotional trauma of his past. Unlike his predecessors, who all had a singular iconic costume that defined them, Gatwa changes clothes from episode to episode. It feels bold in a way like the series is announcing that Gatwa’s version of the Doctor will be freer in ways we haven’t seen before. It is intriguing to see where Gatwa’s iteration of the character will go. Similarly, Millie Gibson is delightful as she matches Gatwa’s energy, proving to be an excitable companion so far.
Although the Doctor and his companion zip between different locations across space, now available for viewing on an American streaming platform, “Doctor Who” is as distinctly British as ever. In the first episode, the whole episode revolves around a pun that only works in British English. In the second episode, we are taken back to Doctor Who’s roots in 1963 London, the year the first “Doctor Who” episode came out. The newest iteration may have a lot of firsts, but it is still the same “Doctor Who” that has had such an iconic place in British popular culture for decades now.
Yet, it still feels like the best is to come. Right now, the episode zips by at an almost alarming speed, which makes the Doctor and Ruby feel very oriented to the plot. Compared to previous Doctors, who would spend a lot of time just wandering around, this faster paced version of Doctor Who takes a bit of getting used to. It is perhaps the biggest drawback to this season only having eight episodes; there simply isn’t enough time to get immersed in the little things. However, this is a problem that exists across all streaming shows, not just “Doctor Who.”
But the first two episodes, while having the Doctor and Ruby engaged in zany adventures, hint at more malevolent god-villains showing up to wreak mayhem across time and space. We got a delicious taste of what these battles between the Doctor and his new foes might look like with a dance battle with Maestro, the campiest villain of the year by far. It’s enough to hook you and see what the show still has under the sleeves of the Doctor’s fabulous new outfits.
Verdict: A return to form for “Doctor Who,” Ncuti Gatwa’s iteration of the iconic character has a promising start in the first two episodes of the new season.
