New Nu-Who the review – Dot and Bubble

Living in Finetime is wonderful, when everything is fine all the time! Or is it? A planet populated by teenagers glued to their smart devices sounds nothing short of a nightmare to me.

Davies’ approach to this episode gives the sense of foreboding where, as a race, we’re becoming devoted to our smartphones, and becoming a social media influencer is the dream that every young adult seems to cherish.

Another observation to make is how disconnected from humanity we’re all becoming through the use of smart devices, and this was executed brilliantly in this episode. Could the message in the episode be Russell T Davies telling us, “If you continue down this road, this is what could happen!”? No one questions their pocket-sized computers; we just wake up, grab the device, check our notifications, and go about our everyday life glued to a screen, oblivious of what these devices could be planning for us.

The episode did feel like watching Charlie Brooker’s “Black Mirror” but with a heavy dosage of Doctor Who. I found it easy to point out the similarities between the episode and everyday life—not the giant man-eating slugs part, but our constant need to be connected to an electronic device.

As the episode progressed, I grew to loathe Lindy Pepper-Bean (Callie Cooke). Her incompetence to do anything but rely on her Dot and Bubble device infuriated me, not to mention her inability to take responsibility. The constant whining of “I hate you!” whenever things didn’t go her way was that of a petulant child. I found her annoying, but I still wanted her and her social media friends to escape the slugs. That was until she did the unforgivable and betrayed the rather handsome Ricky September (Tom Rhys Harries).

Loathing grew to hatred. Cooke played the role of a spoiled child brilliantly. When she betrayed Ricky September after everything he did for her, I had nothing but burning hatred towards the character. The annoying fact in life is that those who are educated and talk sense are usually the ones who are ignored and shunned from society. I also found September’s characteristics reminiscent of the Doctor. He and the Doctor would have gotten along like a house on fire! Russell T Davies did an excellent job of mirroring today’s society, especially where people don’t know what to do unless a screen has instructed them.

Racism played a crucial role in the overall story. It wasn’t until a second viewing that I noticed— and I feel very ashamed to say this—that every person on Finetime was Caucasian. This was why they refused the Doctor’s help at the climax of the story. The language used by those narrow-minded kids made it evident that racism still exists 5 billion years in our future. However, this can be expected from overly privileged children living off the bank of Mam and Dad.

The pain and anguish in the Doctor’s eyes were evident and beautifully delivered by Ncuti Gatwa, who is shining like a fiery beacon in a long run of Doctors. He’s brilliant! I do however have one small critique in his portrayal as the Doctor, IF this was his first episode where we actually witness him shedding a tear I feel like it would’ve held more “mavity” to the situation, because we’ve already seen him cry in previous episodes we’ve already got the impression that he’s an emotional Doctor, a Doctor who wears their hearts on their sleeves.

I also forgot to mention another appearance from Susan Twist. Again, the Doctor and Ruby are beginning to recognize her. Only two, maybe three weeks remain until we have the big reveal, and I can’t wait.

Solid episode, with a very frightening and foreboding story. Three episodes remain, and the identity of “The One Who Waits” is yet to be revealed. Many fans have speculated that this mysterious figure is the Trickster, introduced in the spinoff series “The Sarah Jane Adventures”. I’m also eager to learn who Susan Twist is actually playing. It is now known among the fandom that her character in the two-part finale is Susan Triad. How is she playing different people across time and space?

Originally, I posed the question of whether she could be the Rani, but now I’m wondering if she’s the Master. Both the Rani and the Master are known for sporting disguises to fool their arch-nemesis, and after all, the Meep did mention that another alien with two hearts is already on Earth. Furthermore, I have a feeling that the Vlinx, last seen in “The Giggle”, is going to play a crucial role in this story arc!

Written by Daniel Price
Images from BBC Pictures