DOCTOR WHO | Dot and Bubble Reaction! | 14x5 Review | Season One | WE STAN FOR SLUGS | Disney+

We're back and we absolutely stand with the slugs!!!!
Link to video on Christel Dee's channel interviewing David Chipakupaku
• Written by and for whi...
Thank you all for being here with us on these watch throughs and thank you for always being a supportive and wonderful community!
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PAULA DEMING
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KAT ALYSHA
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[@dagga07]

im Black, im from the uk. this is the type of racism we have in england. i think the episode shows the issue perfectly for people who have never experienced it for themselves. Russel t davies wrote that episode even tho he is white he still understands racism and has seen it himself as he lived in manchester england for a number of years. Manchester is where i come from it is a very multicultural city and has a large gay community and i have no doubt he had lots of black friends who he had lots of experience to write from. i dont think you have to be black to write about racism and i also dont think that black writers have to write about racism. it would be much more fun for me as a black person if a black writer wrote stories that were not about racism but instead added characteristics or cultural references or jokes that black people would get or relate to. i did relate to the feelings of frustration the doctor was showing at the end. its the feeling of knowing you havent done anything wrong, in fact you tried to help but your hated by someone just because of your colour and their ignorance. Great review guys keep it up!

[@damianoakes2592]

Paula, not knowing the ending: "I love her!" Kat, knowing the ending but not wanting to spoil it: "Yeah, the actress is great." That's a friend right there!

[@KatAlysha]

I was like... How do I not show my absolute UTTER disdain 😂😂

[@damianoakes2592]

@@KatAlysha I love how you avert your gaze when the reveal started to give Paula the space to take in the moment lol

[@ericreese7792]

Callie Cooke is fantastic and I hope she enjoys steady employment for many years to come.

[@scotthewitt258]

Both Ncuti and Millie play that final scene so well. The Doctor being The Doctor is "Hate me for my skin, but do it in the Tardis, while I take you somewhere safe." And Ruby just so quietly, but so lovingly, being there in his anguish.

[@garrettwhite5943]

'I DID block you! I just thought you looked the same!' 'That's voodoo' Uh... Wow this episode was so subtle until it WASN'T

[@mjm3091]

to be fair, it was needed - cause even with that some people still missed it

[@gaz-l621]

Paula makes some strong points, but ultimately I think the point of the episode was more about 'here's what racism actually looks like', because the other thing episodes like the Rosa Parks one or other times Doctor Who has touched on these issues run into is: It's easy to separate yourself from the type of racism where people yell slurs or legally segregate buses or restaurants, or literally enslave people. But racism isn't just that, especially now, it's much less explicit, it hides behind a veneer of plausible deniability. (Micro-agressions are a big part of this, as most of the time they're not that bad in isolation, maybe a bit uncomfortable or a 'hey, chill' moment... but the pattern and the overall messaging of "you do not belong" that they create is the problem AND the point of them.) It's a really fine line to walk as there's still viewers who didn't get that this episode was about racism even after Davies outright has said that's the point. And it's a message that he couldn't go any more explicit with because if he did, he'd be going back into that 'racism is calling people the N word' vein which is so easy for people to dismiss and pretend racism is over because it's so much rarer now.

[@mjm3091]

It's also very much first future episode where we encounter racism that isn't alien. We had blue people jokes, hatred against and from cat people and obviously Daleks, but it always done as a joke or unrealistic something that we already have "defeated" in our times. There was the separation that it wasn't really humans doing it to each other. But this is more down to earth "day-to-day" type of racism through most of this episode, with more older segregational type more common in the past - at the end of the episode. Even if it was hidden behind the "Finetime".

[@nedzed3663]

Paula sitting there, mouth agape as Lindy sold out poor Ricky was my reaction as well. To, on an instant, go from sort of sympathizing with a ditzy clueless entitled, but still having endearing moments, to hating them, and seeing them in a much more sinister light, is pretty impressive. Bravo to this actress because afterwards, her facial expressions alone showed she sucks, and then there's the racism.

[@Rik77]

There's a video on KZbin from a non white fan who made a good point that this episode is not just about racism...it's actually about what she called "whiteness", the typical Anglican church kind of friendly to your face, but behind that they have a sense of entitlement over others, and don't think of black people as people, at least historically. This is explored in many respects and the kicker being these are white supremists essentially. And that's why it's so well crafted and uses sci-fi as observation. This is why the story shows Lindys general disdain for others, rather than having her be really nice and then suddenly show her racist side.

[@joshrosenthal326]

Who is the KZbinr? Can you remember? I’d really like to watch the video. Thank you.

[@Rik77]

@@joshrosenthal326 Fat Culture Critic kzbin.info/www/bejne/qGOriISNo9V0pZIsi=9M3ycw7--MkcM10P

[@Faction.Paradox]

Everyone rightly praises Ncuti's phenomenal acting at the end of the episode, but Millie also delivers a beautiful heartbreak which is easy to miss in the background. Ruby realises just before The Doctor, no doubt due to being in this position before with her family.

[@PaulaDeming]

oh yes, it's so, so good

[@Paris.mcdonough]

I was watching Ruby's reaction which was touching and powerful

[@OldManFerdiad]

I thoroughly recommend rewatching any episode and watching Millie Gibson when she isn't the focus of the scene. Her 'acting is reacting' in the background of scenes is just beautiful.

[@Desincarne]

Nah, they both already knew what Finetime/Homeworld were - a white supremacist apartheid society. Remember, the Doctor and Ruby couldn't get into or even see into Finetime but they still knew about the dot/bubble, the mantraps and the danger Lindy et al were all in, which means they had to have visited Homeworld first and seen everyone dead. In order for them to have known that Finetime even existed, they must have checked a few things out first - and it's in every interaction. As soon as the Doctor's attempt fails he sends Ruby in to try; Ruby has to step in and urge them all to listen to the Doctor; he specifically says "you don't have to like me, but..." when speaking to all her friends. They know. But there's a huge difference between intellectually knowing, and being confronted and frustrated by racism so stunted and stupid that it leads them all to their deaths. That's the Doctor's reaction.

[@kingsora6352]

I actually focused on millie's reaction more as I'm black and kinda knew ncuti would sell tf out of this scene because most of us dont really have to pretend frustration in this situation

[@wtimmins]

The very very very long look of shock on Paula's face feeds my soul.

[@aaronmcmahon7462]

One of the most poignant moments which point to both class and racist overtones was the vicious irony of Lindy of saying it was the Doctor's duty to save her (alluding that as a black person, he is a subhuman or slave - not to mention the childish waffle about discipline), yet he would have seen it as his duty because he is a good person. I wish Ace could have been there because she would have torn those racists apart.

[@scotthewitt258]

Someone should have set Ace loose with TWO baseball bats.....

[@kanton4108]

"Come and say that to my face and a bagful of nitro 9, Bilge bag!" - Ace

[@mjm3091]

Tbh - would it be Fugitive, she would smack them all through the heads, dragged them by the bleached hair straight into Tardis - and kicked them into racism-rehabilitation centre where they would learn how to be human.

[@adamcarlson2192]

Ricky is actually very Doctor coded, he shows up helping, willing to do anything for Lindy, knows everything she doesn't, the only real difference between her accepting his help vs. The Doctor? I think you know, now.

[@paulflux5892]

"Who do you think you are? Another Doctor?" I think that's part of the narrative purpose of Ricky September. He acts like the Doctor normally does, to contrast how accepting Lindy is of his (white, blond) help, compared to how she keeps rejecting the (black) Doctor's help.

[@donaldb1]

Maybe, but she still sacrificed Ricky to save herself.

[@OldManFerdiad]

there's even a scene where they run holding hands, which is a total Doctor/Companion move... but yeah, Lindy is still terrible and sacrifices him

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Tbf, Ricky and the Dr both go "against the rules". Ricky by not being in the bubble 24/7, the dr by bypassing the block amongst other things

[@FromRussiaWithLuv007]

Using brain computing power as a type of UBI

[@alexanderriley2979]

It's just me, but I took it as implicit she would sacrifice anyone if she felt it necessary to live, the people she admired, or the people in the vicinity.

[@bryter00]

That was a fascinating reaction. Paula, not having seen the episode - found it easy to laugh at Lindy and her bubble world, which is exactly what a new viewer is supposed to do, (up until the point we are not meant to laugh at Lindy any more, of course) Kat having already watched the episode and knowing the little comments peppered throughout, as well as what was to come, found it hard to even raise a smile at Lindy at all. Which is exactly how the viewer is supposed to react on a second watch. That is genius writing from RTD.

[@KatAlysha]

What an episode for us to have done a "fan and noob" rewatch!!

[@bryter00]

@@KatAlysha The perfect episode to go all old school Gallifrey Gals. 😀

[@KatAlysha]

@@bryter00 truly could not have worked out any better!

[@kanton4108]

That's what I loved about this episode also; all the tiny little moments that seem unimportant and throw away at first, turned out to speak volumes on second watch. I noticed that my attention was different in each watch. First was trying to figure out the mystery and then second, picking up on all the key moments that my brain kinda glossed over previously.

[@SweenyTodd98]

Callie Cooke (Lindy) was so damn good in this episode! She really made you feel a range of emotions for Lindy throughout the episode.

[@kevenpinder7025]

Don't worry. None of them have taken a boating safety course. In ten minutes Finetime is gonna be Drowntime.

[@bobblebardsley]

I would very much enjoy that as a minisode...

[@kevenpinder7025]

Water off!!!

[@christianwise637]

Even if the boat doesn't sink or get damaged, they're still going to have to deal with all the wildlife and possible diseases once they get out there - there's decent odds that half of those people will die of space dysentery or something

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

The fact that it was the Disney Jungle Cruise boat, though... 🤭

[@scotthewitt258]

There's literally a waterfall right outside the dock, someone said.

[@dvdmike007]

Kat's knowing look when Ricky went down was everything

[@Soliy87]

SLUGS FOREVER

[@KatAlysha]

Surprise Sunday post 🥰✨️

[@OldManFerdiad]

and we love you both for it

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Thanks Kat

[@willparks3429]

I have never been on the side of slugs before now

[@DocMoctezuma]

Awesome! Thank you Kat, for all the work you do on this channel and these reactions! And you have a damn good pokerface too!

[@IceMetalPunk]

Surprise Ruby Sunday post?

[@SNMG7664]

The TARDIS told him it always takes him where he needs to go. If he's going to be travelling about time in that body this episode is probably a lesson he needed to learn as a character, yeah.

[@scotthewitt258]

The only thing missing was them seeing her tattoo and her saying "It's going to be a maze."

[@kevenpinder7025]

Dot: I cannot "off," but, if you'd like, I can open the Pod Bay Doors.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

I can't do that Dave 😂😂

[@kivimik]

Definitely a HAL 9000 vibe.

[@IceMetalPunk]

Me as the Dot: "Oh, look, a Black man is coming up the stairs! Quick, there's a white man coming to save you, just jump off the roof and he'll catch you!"

[@MarkMcCook]

The song sampled at the end was from the "Rings of Akhaten" episode.

[@KatAlysha]

Yes! That one!

[@darthsimian2196]

I love that this is the episode we get two of. The difference between Kat having to process on her own and Paula getting to talk it out is fascinating. Both brilliant to watch. You both handled the discussion so well. Excellent stuff. On 73 yards. I don’t think the woman is Ruby. I just think the curse rewards her by showing her the original curse being avoided as a reward for her recapturing/foiling Mad Jack in that reality.

[@davidjrandall1979]

When I saw the pre-season teaser for this episode I was expecting a mid-season, silly, fun, camp, filler episode. I have never been so wrong.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

We got bamboozled

[@keith.morgan]

#teamslug The silence between you when Lindy betrayed Ricky was deafening! Great review gals!

[@Lordwhizzkid]

That conversation about Ricky has been really sticking at me for the past week or so. When going back and looking at his faces and reactions, he's definitely more polite but there's surprise on seeing The Doctor, dismissal of knowledge, and dismissal of appreciation "He's hot" and "Oh you're clever as well", with a pained smile. And to finish giving an almost sarcastic thumbs up while The Doctor is doing the thing that would maybe save his life. He's definitely more subtle than Lindy Pepper-bean is, but to me it's clear as day he's still being incredibly dismissive of The Doctor because of who he is. Genuinely impressive acting and some intelligent writing, since you may spot some of these but dismiss them yourself because "he's being heroic, so he couldn't have been racist". Truly something else

[@LordLOC]

I actually don't think that's the case with Ricky. They made it a point to have him say he turns the bubble and dot off and reads books. So, he's self-educated (not sure what else to call it but you know what I mean) and reads books so he is not plugged into the Finetime garbage-verse 24/7 etc. I don't think he was being dismissive of the Doctor nor having a forced smile because the Doctor and Ruby were enamored with him. And as others have pointed out, he's basically the stand-in for the Doctor in the episode and makes it obvious fairly early on what is going on when Lindy accepts Ricky's help before the Doctor because Ricky is white and the Doctor is black.

[@gyrus.2211]

@@LordLOCi think that’s kinda the point, though. You can work real hard to educate yourself. But at the end of the day if you are white you exist within a system of oppression that you benefit from. No amount of being aware fixes that, or means that you don’t have internal biases. That is why in this world it’s not enough to not be racist, you have to be anti-racist.

[@fleason771]

In RTD1 & the Moffat era there has never been a writers room. Russell chooses his writers, commissions a story from them (usually with key notes he wants them to have in the story) & once handed in as showrunner he ammends the scripts to suit the season. Chibnall attempted a US-style writers room but out of all of his 3 seasons it only happened in Jodies debut S11, afterwards the BBC did not value it enough to continue forward with it. He is quoted as saying in Doctor Who Magazine that writing for Who is a lonely, isolating experience & instead tried to create an in-depth writers room that met together & discussed stories with all the writers & all levels of production to help each step of the way

[@OldManFerdiad]

So after a week to settle in, I think I have an answer to my question of "if the Dot could just kill them all like a ballbearing/bullet, why slugs?"... I think the Dot learned cruelty from the residents of Finetime/Homeworld and wanted them to suffer, getting picked off one by one by the slugs (which presumably it grew there and on the Homeworld).

[@bemasaberwyn55]

It's implied the cruelty by making the Finetime residents walk into the slugs

[@mjm3091]

Tbh, we also don't know who made Dot - for all we know this could also have been a longer ploy and revenge. We know other people were made to serve and there was some leniency for them to talk through Bubble. So there is a chance there were black-skinned engineers who made the whole system.

[@UKJesterVids]

One moment where apparently Paula's brain needed a reboot, and one definite "if looks could kill". Absolutely fantastic reaction :)

[@KernowWarrior]

Great reaction. Best bits 9:08 Paula "she's great" Kat's knowing look at the screen. 24:37 Kat: physically getting angry before 'it'

[@idrishall6126]

Guys i am a long term fan since the WE WATCH WHO days Here is a cool idea Sometine soon..... Have Paula watch a story on her own FIRST, then watch it with KAT where its her first time THIS is a reaction channel, would be such a fantastic experinent !!!!

[@IsiahBradley]

"Is this a planet of Nazis?!?" Hi, Paula!!! :) THANKS for this!!!!

[@KatAlysha]

DAMN NAZI PLANET 😤😤 Also you're welcome 🥰

[@PaulaDeming]

hehe

[@idrishall6126]

I think Paula nailed it

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Tehe

[@scottsmartky]

Not just Nazis but rich Nazis.

[@JustinWatson23]

A friend of mine who is indigenous Australian had a discussion about this episode and basically all the people who he knows are a tad racist didn't like the episode. He reckons once they realised it was about racism they also felt like their behaviours were being questioned so instead of doing that they just resorted to the bad writing line. I really had low expectations for this episode and the next one, but they've both been really well written, so can't wait for the reaction to the next episode also.

[@ianstopher9111]

The guy at the end suggests he would put himself forward for leader, which in German is Führer.

[@scotthewitt258]

Yeah. I realized a subtle thing today watching Jay & Adam's reaction to this. The Aryan kids cannot see the Slugs because of the Bubbles. They cannot see. Not-Sees. That had to be written.

[@ftumschk]

6:26 Doctor Poo... travelling through time and space in the TURDIS

[@tommarshall4561]

Brilliant reaction! Have discovered your channel relatively recently and loved catching up on your Who journey. This was one of your most compelling after show discussions to date. Thanks also for shouting out David Chipakupaku’s points, really appreciated that acknowledgment of the whiteness of the creative team. You’ll be glad to know there is at least one writer of colour working on the show for next season, at least (not been publicly announced who yet).

[@scotthewitt258]

That moment Paula realized everyone but the one Ginger is literally a textbook Aryan. Now, watch it again knowing the reveal, Paula. There are a LOT of clues.

[@scottboswell6406]

Someone last time made the point that all the blonde haired, blue eyed people had more followers than the ones with other hair colors. 'Paul Gothic' had less followers than the rest of that group. Also I first thought Lindy's friends where too scared to move, but then I thought they paid no attention to The Doctor because he's black; just getting an early start on "the survivors".

[@Stephen-Fox]

"Do we know what the writer's room looks like?" - Doctor Who doesn't use a writer's room approach. I believe Chibnall used a hybrid approach of writer's room and what Doctor Who has traditionally used during his era, but Doctor Who since it's revival has had the showrunner write most of the episodes, with independent commissions from other writers for individual episodes, rather than a writer's room approach. While IIRC streamers starting to use writer's rooms on smaller run shows was one of the WGA's demands in the recent strike action, Writer's Room approaches to shows are incredibly rare in the UK.

[@OldManFerdiad]

Also RTD has written every episode of the season, bar "Boom" (Moffat) and this week's "Rogue" ( Kate Herron and Briony Redman), which is markedly fewer guest writers than the old-style Nu Who 13 episode seasons, although it means RTD is writing more or less the same number. Absolutely agree that a more diverse writing team is important - essential in writers room situations. However, while it is very common for entire series to be written by one script writer, it does not mean that diversity from the top should not also be evident across the whole production team.

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

Yeah, when RTD is showrunner, it's pretty much ALL RTD ALL THE TIME. Even when he's not the main writer on the episode, he's notorious for having his edits all over every story. Sometimes -- according to the credited writers -- even completely rewriting the episode to be unrecognizable from the original story (Except for Moffat. That's the only writer he doesn't edit). That's what makes me nervous about him having any more diverse writers on staff. He traditionally railroads over all the writers he has. I doubt he'd be any different to a POC, sadly. (Or at least, I hope he's past all that).

[@Stephen-Fox]

(Just to emphasize how rare Writers Room approaches are in the UK - According to a Radio Free Skaro interview with Chris Chibnall in Feb 2023, it took about a year to hash out the details with the WGGB and BBC of how it would work, how much the fair pay would be for coming in for a day set up the contracts and so forth, because that approach to making television is so rare in the UK there isn't a set of stock contracts or standard rates for it - Partially because writers in the UK aren't concentrated in one or two cities like American writers are concentrated in LA and New York)

[@zemoxian]

I’m guessing that contributes to the complexity of copyright in Doctor Who. I’ve heard that certain characters or species weren’t available if the writer that created them hadn’t given them permission to use them at times. I wonder if it’s still that way today?

[@Stephen-Fox]

@@zemoxian It is, yeah. Most of the characters and creatures from Classic Who are owned by the first person who wrote them, with the exception of characters intended to be companions (not all companions fall into that category - K9 in particular wasn't originally intended as a companion but was bought in due to how much kid appeal the robot dog had) - You still sometimes see "Created by..." credits in modern Doctor Who. I'm sure one of the Chibnall era credits had something credited as Created By... for either Moffat or RTD but if so it wasn't Fugitive of the Judoon or Village of the Angels which does leave me scratching my head as to what might have wound up needing that credit. What's particularly notable on that front, though? The Tsuranga Conundrum, from the 2 years Doctor Who had an equivalent of a writer's room, a creature original to that serial. Still wound up with a "PTING CREATED BY TIM PRICE" credit.

[@grimreaper4104]

Kat’s reactions to the whole episode 😂

[@KatAlysha]

Me the whole episode: *gritting teeth* mhmmmm yeah... *Eye twitching* Omg yeah she can't walk... *Fists clenching* Mhmmmmmmmmm. Yup. YUP. *Tongue bleeding* EVERYTHINGS ALL GOOD HERE.

[@DerekHartley]

26:52 It's the Long Song from The Rings of Akhaten. And it was used with devastating effect.

[@markpatrick2735]

must have watched this about five times myself now. fucking amazing episode! and i love watching the penny drop with people. as others have said, it's interesting to see when, in the show, an individual recognises that everyone is white. As you both point out so clearly, it's AWARENESS that allows for change. love this channel.

[@scotthewitt258]

Ricky is really well put together as a character who still has SOME of the biases everyone was raised with, but still is more accepting and a little "open-minded" because he does not spend all day in the Bubble {their echo chambers} but turns his off after "work" and learns for himself. He's like a "stage" between a planet that has been raised racist and a planet where the cycle gets broken. Because kids learn racism. Much like being raised in a violent household, kids learn to hate "the different" because they are raised that way. A conscious decision to break the cycle is the first step.

[@ParsureArts]

Nice reaction and analysis! You’re right, hits different on a rewatch- (and the lying about their ages to stay is an interesting idea!) (And I love y’all’s tangents and hearing your perspective :D )

[@zemoxian]

I’ve had a different experience than what I’ve seen in reactions and comments. First I did miss the racism until I saw it mentioned later. Which concerns me as a black person. (I can be oblivious so I wonder if I might miss things directed towards me.) But despite knowing that, I still wanted the people rescued despite that. They’re still human beings and just being intolerant and hateful doesn’t deserve a death sentence. It makes me wonder if Lindy had been nicer and more relatable would it have made the episode more tragic to others. Or was that needed to mask the racism towards the Doctor. If she had been pleasant towards Ruby and hostile towards the Doctor from the beginning it would have been more obvious, I suppose. Racism and biases is learned behavior inherited via a shared environment. It leads to prejudices and bad behavior but a racist person isn’t necessarily bad in all aspects of their lives. And it doesn’t mean they can’t learn to be different. At the end, my mind was racing to find acceptable scenarios where the Doctor could intervene short of and including kidnapping. I decided kidnapping was unethical. Skipping forward to rescue any remaining survivors might be problematic as well. But I didn’t think to cheer the dots or the Mantraps. I consider what they did was genocide wiping out the population of two planets. I don’t like the person Lindy was. But I can’t write her off so easily. I think I share the Doctor’s anguish at the unnecessary loss of life here. 😢

[@ccdd24]

i noticed some people saying that Lindy blocks the Doctor immediately but talks to Ruby,this is because the dot highlighted the doctor in red as a unsoliceted request, warning the user to block request,Ruby was not highlighted in this way so Lindy talked to her.All the people in the Lindy bubble are real people,seen on doctor who unleashed.

[@bobblebardsley]

I think apart from having the right physical appearance, Ruby Sunday's name also fits the convention of Finetime (normal first name, surname is an object/thing) which may have helped her pass as a 'normal' request for Lindy to receive. Or it's just a coincidence.

[@scotthewitt258]

You TOTALLY missed the disgusted look on her face? That was because of something she saw besides the red box.......

[@FourthDrawerDown]

Kat: 😏 Paula: 😳

[@bemasaberwyn55]

Really takes us back huh? 😂😂

[@christianwise637]

Strange how so many of us, myself included, expected this to end up being the weakest episode of the season, a very boomer-ish "young people and their cell phones" type story. And while there was a certain degree of that in the episode, "Dot and Bubble" ended up being something far more powerful and interesting; a visceral angry piece of text that took a hammer to the stupid self-destructive nature of White supremacy, and the social media echo chambers (or bubbles) that reinforce it. I'm not sure I'd go as far as calling it one of RTD's best episodes, but it's still a really strong script, and proof that the guy still has the sauce (this season has seen both RTD and Moffat provide sharp angry political scripts, we really are so back). As with the rest of this season, the production values are fantastic - I love how everything, from the costumes to the set design to the actual visuals of the Bubble itself, give Finetime the vibe of a sanitised pre-school environment. Similarly, I love the Slug-creatures and the visual effects used to realise them, they look delightfully goofy yet also oddly sinister in a way that only Doctor Who could manage. Honestly, between this episode and "73 Yards", director Dylan Holmes Williams is quickly proving himself to be a real find for this era. And the performances are really good, especially Callie Cooke, who does a fantastic job at playing Lindy as this vapid snippy character, and a sharp contrast to the protagonists of the previous Doctor-lite episodes like Elton Pope and Sally Sparrow. Even though the character is really unpleasant right from the start, she does a great job at making you sympathise with her and almost root for her, right up until she reveals her true colours at the end. And honestly, the way she flips from her superficial yet endearing personality into this cruel spiteful sociopath is so chillingly effective, and really makes the final twist land. The way the racist nature of Finetime is so subtly foreshadowed is honestly excellent, it's done is such a careful subtle fashion that you may not even notice the signs up until the ending. So many of Lindy's microaggressions went right over my head on first viewing, and it really demonstrates that level of privilege that I, a mixed race (half White and half Japanese specifically) person, have to not notice the frankly blatant red flags. And Ncuti Gatwa's performance is just phenomenal - he may not be in the episode all that long, but my word does he make a big impact with the little screentime he has. His desperation to get the Finetimers to let him save them, not even caring that they're reprehensible racists, is just palpable, and his reaction to their continued refusal of his help and willingness to die a preventable death for such a ridiculous reason is gut-wrenching - the combined disbelief, despair and anger is so perfectly conveyed with no dialogue at all, and makes for a wonderfully cynical and pessimistic ending. Between this episode, "Boom" and the next episode "Rogue", Ncuti may well be on his way to being one of my favourite Doctors - I don't know yet if he'll be able to beat Capaldi to the top spot, but he is definitely providing some strong competition. Anyway, that was a very insightful and interesting discussion between the two of you at the end there. For what it's worth, the next episode perfectly demonstrates why this show may be in need of some fresh blood at this point, and we've apparently been promised some POC writers joining next year, so we should (thankfully) be getting a more diverse writer's room for season 2/15/41

[@Rik77]

Also remember bubbles existed long before social media. So the story could have been written in sone form 20 years ago. It's easy for some viewers to focus on the oh boomers think tech is bad approach, when as you said that's not really what it's about, the tech just makes living in a bubble easier, which is the real problem today, not social media itself.

[@scottboswell6406]

After seeing this a few times myself, I realized their "work" is just busy work their parents gave them to make them feel 'important'. This is really extended playtime (funtime) for young, useless adults! Also, it's so fascinating watching Kat's experienced reaction compared to Paula's. Once you know, you know!!

[@josefschiltz2192]

I see what you mean with 73 Yards, Paula. Like the wave to Clara from Danny Pink in the restaurant and the young Danny - or Rupert as he was then - when he waved to Clara from the orphanage window to clue us in that this was one and the same person. Basically, that Ruby was a channeled and purposed temporal doppleganger

[@SurrealNirvana]

This episode was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop

[@msoda8516]

I’m black and my husband is white we watching this together and picked up the micro aggressions right away my husband didn’t. As soon as she made the comment about thinking the doctor with a different person because of the two times he popped up in her feed my ears perked up and my brain automatically went to all Black people look alike to racist. I was also picking of the fact that she kept calling him a criminal. People putting racist views about self preservation is nothing new. During ww2 the us Red Cross had to racially segregate donor blood because they were worried white soldiers would refuse life saving blood transfusions if there was a chance the blood gets from a minority.

[@happyslapsgiving5421]

What about the continuous MACRO aggressions towards Ruby? Did you spot those? 😂

[@sillyhermy]

@@happyslapsgiving5421 Asking question with obvious answers. 😂

[@daved2352]

When I heard that lookin alike line my thought was "Really Russell? That sounds pretty racist, I'm surprised it stayed in after the first draft"

[@NankitaBR]

I noticed that sounded racist as well, but I shook it off to maybe classicism because she wasn't treating Ruby the best either, but then after that end, while rewatching, I realized that while she is a bit rude with Ruby she is straight up hostile to the Doctor.

[@msoda8516]

@@NankitaBR That was how my husband saw the episode the first time. I saw the rudeness to ruby but it was different that to what she was giving the doctor. Ruby she was at least willing to hear from without dismissing outright like the doctor. She only let the doctor talk to her about ruby had gotten her to see there was danger.

[@pandaphil]

I could see Ricky's actor as a future Doctor.

[@SUK2293]

Kat is Dot ; Paula is Bubble ; I am Slug ; You are Friend.

[@acereporter73]

Definitely rooting for the slugs...

[@wtimmins]

And a lot more sympathetic for the Dots.

[@acereporter73]

@@wtimmins The Dots were REALLY sick of all their bullwhiz

[@wtimmins]

@@acereporter73 laughing so much, yeah

[@flaggerify]

Genocide is preferable to racism?

[@willparks3429]

​@@flaggerifywelcome to Merika

[@suzannehammer4944]

yes Lindy was the real monster

[@DavidWright1138]

The real monster was the "friends" we made along the way.

[@nickwillson532]

They are H.G.Wells Eloi - beautiful, useless. Living from the Labour's of the Moorlocks : until Moorlock dinnertime.

[@scotthewitt258]

#TheSlugsWereRight

[@connorbosley4431]

From concept, this episode was supposed to be the "bad one" of the series, but in fact is one of the all time bests

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

This episode has been really growing on me, especially because of all of the great discourse it's caused. Definitely didn't expect that when I saw the original trailer. Thought it'd be a light, fluffy story. But nope.

[@scottsmartky]

When you watched this specifically for the Ricky death and Paula.exe fully broke for like 2 minutes. Don't worry. That was most of us the first time we saw that too. Glad you made it back from Mexico without drinking the water. And come on, you can't do a black Doctor without doing a single episode about racism. That'd be a massive oversight and would justifiably taint his entire run. Still hold that this was the perfect Doctor Who episode.

[@chrislawley6801]

We love you Paula

[@ArgyleR04D]

So, re: 73 Yards, I think the confusion is the point. The episode is structured to not give you any solid ground to build rational rules about why what happened happened. It's all in Kate's line about how we deal with the unknown. We are never more uncomfortable with anything than something that doesn't follow rules. My personal interpretation is: It is a Fae Circle, the Fae don't care about rules they do whatever entertains them XD

[@angeluslupus]

Is that an Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher sleeve/sock around Kat's glass?

[@David-cg1lh]

"yahoo" loved the screwed up expressions lol

[@ajandrianjafymusic]

In all my years of watching doctor who I’ve NEVER hated a character as much or as quickly as I did Lindy

[@seanred2977]

I'm so glad Paula thought it was a class thing because so did I, and I STiLL did when the episode ended, I really needed to be slapped in the face with the point to get it. Also Kat, since you've watched this so many times, how much is Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini stuck in your head by now? Random fact: that version of the song got to number 1 in the UK Singles Chart in the 90s with help from popular children's TV personality Timmy Mallett, so it's very well known in the UK if you're of a certain age lol.

[@joshuajoshua2732]

This is where Ncuti finally establishes himself properly as the Doctor and shows he's more advanced than the people he's trying rescue.

[@breakingthenotion.6045]

I think Ricky September was taken a back by the doctor at first but was able to accept/adapt to him because of Linda and the larger picture of an alien invasion.

[@fatwolf]

On the rewatch, the writing is so good.

[@kingsora6352]

Ya didnt notice that on you first watch?

[@Jim_The_Fish]

@@kingsora6352a lot of people didn’t. That was kind of Russell’s point.

[@scotthewitt258]

I may forget some: The look of disgust on Lindy's face when she instantly dismisses The Doctor the first time. The shock that Ruby and The Doctor are in the same room. {She works in a small office with five people} "I just thought you {all} looked alike." "He's smarter than he looks." "He will be disciplined when this is over." Thinking The Doctor was connected to the Slugs The talk of "contamination" {a callback to the real reason Ruby & The Doctor being in the same room was "bad"} Calling Idris "Voodoo" Literally everyone but the one Ginger geing blonde, with blue eyes

[@David-cg1lh]

Is the song the rings of ahketen one? Now you said that it does sound similar and I love that scene of the doctors speech to the parasite god.

[@davidjrandall1979]

That's the one - The Long Song

[@bobblebardsley]

I need _[creature crunching]_ on a T-shirt or something...

[@TychoCelchu]

Paula’s utter shock at how quickly Lindy throws Ricky under the bus. Lindy was pure self-interest. With the people of Finetime, I think it’s a combination of racism and classism. When it comes to British media content there’s usually an element of classism to some degree, even when we’re not consciously aware that we’re doing it.

[@solitarymaninblack]

Kat and Paula put the Fine in fine time.

[@_leao3459]

With this ep, doctor who changed forever

[@roban28]

Yikes! I realise what a mean person I am, because I decided Lindy wasn’t worth saving when she walked into the post! I started to be concerned that the Doctor was going starve a species of space slugs. 😂

[@RoseKindle]

I need that phone wallpaper so badddddddd~

[@4884nat]

Great reaction. I googled Ricky September and the actor is 31 in real life.

[@DavidSmith-cx8dg]

It's interesting seeing Paula's view ,it could have been about class until Lindy realised the doctor was the same person and was outraged . This was so well written and acted . It seemed to be about social media and total dependency - a valid subject but turned into so much more . Equally interesting to hear Kat reflections after a week . After a bad start the series has really picked up .

[@GedUK]

You don't need to look at the beautiful appartment if the only function of the beautiful appartment is to *tell* people how beautiful it is. Appearances matter to these people more than depth. As we see as the episode goes on.

[@oliverturner7365]

On your point about how white/black the writersroom is. Doctor Who (at least for Series 14/1) doesn't operate a writersroom system (sorry, anally retentive ASD writer here). The showrunner commissions writers to come in and write individual episodes, but they don't sit down and plan the series as a group. That all happens in Russell's head. Russell (white) has written 6, Steven Moffat (white) 1, Kate Herron & Briony Redman (both white) have written 1. Answer your question?

[@darshvia]

Re the Doctor and racism... Just recall that Jodie's Doctor was written to literally break the brown Master's perception filter so that the actual Nazi's could see him... That Doctor was written as using Nazi's to defeat their nemesis. But this episode is fantastic, agreed.

[@SunniestAutumn]

In fairness the Thirteenth Doctor also ended racism forever by correcting the timeline and having Rosa Parks face racist abuse. But yeah, "Now they'll see the real you" goes down as one of the worst, most out of character-moments for the Doctor ever.

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

Yeah, still bitter about that Master Nazi scene. 😡

[@lordhoot1]

The writers' room is Russell T Davies. That's pretty normal in British TV. I would hope he consults with people who have relevant perspectives though.

[@corringhamdepot4434]

When I watched this straight for the first time. I was really irritated by the main character "casting". Until I realised that they made her that way on purpose. Watching it again this way was much more fun.

[@solitarymaninblack]

The Time Machine had the Eloi people. Young, blonde, white and never working. The George Pal 1960 version. Ncuti is having a to deal with the nonsense ever since he took on the role. Callie is from my home county.

[@bemasaberwyn55]

16:48 Paula, I snorted when I first watched the episode, I continue to snort every time I see it

[@Riverwolf1489]

I watched on my own this time. This episodes ending broke my heart. Very well written. I wont spoil for those that haven't watched.

[@alexanderriley2979]

*makes mention of a possible easter egg homage to H.G. Wells novella The Time Machine*

[@nickb5371]

God I love the slugs, they were so in the right this time (except Ricky he might have been alright)

[@KatAlysha]

Ricky we're unsure of but... We love the slugs 😤🖤

[@nickb5371]

@@KatAlysha bless the slugs

[@ABrecher]

I have to agree with Paula. The one thing I didn't like about Lindy (or her portrayal) was that she was too cliche of a snob. I think a more interesting story would have made Lindy feel more like an innocent or even an almost-good-guy until she was revealed as who she really was.

[@Quixotic1018]

Rip to ricky aka the doctor's awakening

[@David-cg1lh]

11:45 kats expression haha

[@KatAlysha]

Followed by me excitedly and secretly encouraging the slugs 😂

[@bemasaberwyn55]

​@@KatAlyshareally takes you back to watching the earlier episodes 😂😂

[@slaintejimmy]

You kinda wonder what books are available for Ricky in Fine Time Klaus Barbie-land.. 'Mein Kampf' maybe? 😧 Go Slugs!! 🤠

[@GhostPurple69]

even ricky september, his change of expression, his hesitation, the specific things he says when talking to the doctor-he's making an effort not to act on his impulses, but you can see his discomfort and his just barely-there politeness papering over his urge to dismiss the doctor out-of-hand. and, like. on a meta level, you know how all the reactionaries have been all, Not My Doctor about gatwa without even engaging with his portayal, dismissing the show as "woke"-ricky is the doctor they would want. even when he's saying the same things as gatwa, behaving essentially the same way. but you also know that it ultimately wouldn't matter, trying to placate them, since they would immediately toss ricky under the bus immediately the moment they got bored or it just convenient to do so, the moment things became in any way challenging. because that's the way supremacist culture works. and davies knew full well where things would go when he cast gatwa. and so instead of ignoring the issue or throwing the bigots a bone to try to play nice-welp. here's a mirror for you. a chance, maybe, for a learning experience.

[@TheTeamAka]

Omg first time seeing the channel, kat is so beautiful, id kill to pull off that mohawk

[@KatAlysha]

Awe, thank you!!

[@nickwillson532]

Well, arguably he's experienced dalek racism, I would say definitely. However, racists with beautiful faces. Not all that glistens is gold. Brilliant satire. Reminds me a bit of The Time Machine 1960 film. It's about class as well as racism. Just pure elitism, all encompassing, racism, otherism, no old people, non whites, non poor, non "beautiful"

[@ugolomb]

It's the first time the Doctor had to face human racism against himself. He's faced human racism against his companions (e.g., the 12th Doctor punching a villain who racially insulted Bill Potts in "Thin Ice"), and he's faced bigotry against himself for being a Time Lord. The latter usually came from villains, but there were exceptions (e.g., Cass in Night of the Doctor preferring to die rather than put her trust in a Time Lord). But it's the first time he's faced bigotry specifically because of the colour of his skin (unless he's had some experience with that while being the Fugitive Doctor -- but he wouldn't have any memories of that)

[@NicoleM_radiantbaby]

Yeah, really makes that 'walk around like you own the place' scene with Martha in 'Shakespeare Code' hit that much harder. (That scene ALWAYS pissed me off, though, so...)

[@solitarymaninblack]

I am sharing your video. I had noticed that another channel did not talk about the racism in the episode. Either they missed it of were uncomfortable with it. Brie Larson spoke about diversity and film critics in her Crystal Awards speech. The antisjw youtubers tried to cancel her.

[@12chapin]

Never turn left