“The Robot Revolution” is the first episode of the 15th season of the new “Doctor Who” series, also indicated as season 2. The show resumes after “Joy to the World“. It’s available in the UK and Ireland on BBC channels and in many other countries on the Disney+ platform.
Beware that in various adverts and marketing materials, this season is promoted as season 2 passing through a new start with the production by Bad Wolf and distribution by Disney+, hence the double notation.
Note. This article contains some spoilers about “The Robot Revolution”.
Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) is an ordinary nurse trying to juggle a demanding job with her housemates when she gets kidnapped by a group of robots. Their aim is to take her to the planet Miss Belinda Chandra 1, a name assigned thanks to Belinda’s boyfriend from 17 years ago, to raise to the throne. The 15th Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) doesn’t arrive in time to save her and is forced to follow the spaceship.
The premise of this episode might seem like the dodgiest in television history if you think of alien robots kidnapping a human because on Earth, her name was assigned to their system. The very retro ’50s science fiction style makes for an over-the-top opening even by Russell T Davies’ standards. The most interesting moment is the reappearance of Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson), just to remind us that her story continues from the previous station.
Things quickly become sinister when the situation on the planet Miss Belinda Chandra 1 emerges, with the coexistence between the organic inhabitants and the robots that came to an abrupt end. There’s perhaps a bit too much for an episode with themes such as artificial intelligence and its ramifications, ending up becoming almost a bad copy of the Terminator saga. If nothing else, the death of Sasha 55 (Evelyn Miller) gives the Doctor a real reason to shed a tear.
The meaning of the prologue in which Alan (Jonny Green) gives Belinda the star naming certificate becomes broader. The BBC has published an image of that certificate, so anyone can put their name on it. At your own risk! 😀
A situation in which the boy could have seemed awkward and overeager to make sure Belinda understood the meaning of his gift turns into something more profound. Again, it seemed to me a theme included with haste, without the developments it deserved.
In the end, the protagonists seem to me to be the best element of this episode. The 15th Doctor is always full of energy, and Belinda Chandra’s debut was a positive one. The new “Doctor Who” series seems to be requiring an explanation of the recycling of actors and a connection to last season’s episode “Boom” suggests there’s more than a coincidence in the meeting between the Doctor and the Nurse.
After the information for Varada Sethu’s character was released, some people expressed concern that she was a bad copy of Martha Jones. Well, perhaps, Russell T Davies listened to the fans who pointed out that crippling a character’s potential with a silly petty story of unrequited love isn’t such a great idea.
The ending of “The Robot Revolution” teased the audience, and we’ll see how the bits of story that were offered are developed. Now, I have low expectations for Russell T Davies’ episodes, so I can’t say I’m disappointed with this start to the season. At least there’s the possibility of an interesting companion for the Doctor.
