Doctor Who: SPOILER Review - Dot and Bubble

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

The Doctor meltdown at the end is entirely in character. It's exactly the sort of reaction you would have expected from, for example, Eleven - no one human has ANYTHING to say to me today. Sure, the Doctor walks away as soon as the immediate danger is fixed 99% of the time, just as soon as he's sure help is on the way, or that they have got this under control. But they HAVEN'T got this under control and help ISN'T on the way - so this is literally the Doctor walking away knowing they'll die, and they won't listen to him because of something superficial.

[@theKtransmission]

Fair enough, it's definitely in character for him, no doubt. I just hated the space racists too much to care about them lol. The Doctor's empathy completely makes sense. I just don't think the episode crafted a scene that made me as an audience member care about the stakes of the situation. I did feel bad for him in that moment, but I guess I just don't like seeing someone fall all over themselves to save someone who hates them. It gives me a visceral rejection to their plight. But you're right, this is totally in-character for the good-hearted Doctor. I have a feeling a lot of people are going to like this final scene, and that's totally cool! It's not a terrible scene, I think it's just make or break based off your gut visceral reaction to it.

[@MichaelJohnson-kq7qg]

@@theKtransmission i think it's a mark of how well put together the whole episode is that you start the episode kind of hating Lindy, then you find the mortal risk she's in and they manage to get you to sympathize with her, and they play they back and forth with her being just obnoxious enough to keep you feeling like she's kind of awful, but still able to follow her escape as the main thread. It's not until she gets Ricky September killed that you really build up a strong antipathy to her, and even then, if she'd just.. cared... you probably could have accepted it. And the second time you watch it, you come to despise her much earlier, and much more sincerely, since now you can see what the actual subtext was. I think the writing was pitch-perfect, it's incredibly hard to write a script that is a totally different experience the second time you see it, and they nailed that. And the actress just absolutely nails it. Even if I didn't like the ending, I'd forgive it for what came before.

[@marhawkman303]

@@theKtransmission It's strange to me though since... the Doctor comes across as a sympathetic... but ultimately helpless bystander. The Doctor... a man who has destroyed armies... flummuxxed by a rogue AI? Actually... that's a thing that's kinda ambiguous... IS the AI actually rogue, or was it programmed to do this by people with malicious intent? I see such question as a major failure of story telling. the story is too much fluff and not meaty enough to have anything to think about. you're left guessing so much things start to feel like nonsense.

[@Jansenbaker]

My view of the ending is that the Doctor has 2-3 thoughts going on. -Even a person being racist doesn't mean they deserve to die. -These people will surely die in the wilderness. -Maybe another thought of "I don't want the last survivors of this society to die needlessly." Having witnessed Lindey barely be able to walk on her own, and the way they all acted in normal life, he has very little reason to think they are capable of handling themselves out there, no matter how confident some of them sound. The moment you mentioned with the Bogeyman, the Doctor was feeling that the creature was created, and didn't ask to be that way, plus was the only one of its kind, and he sympathized with it. To him, killing it seemed cruel. This version of the Doctor is a very caring person (except to goblins, it seems... hm.) and here, it hurts him that their ideas about him are getting in the way so much, he can't help them. All of this probably isn't news to you. I just wanted to try to expound on the motivations, and say I get where he's coming from.

[@zemoxian]

I agree. I know I probably wouldn’t survive in a wilderness unaided. Can you imagine them knowing how to make fire? Have they ever experienced fire? Do they know what fire is even useful for? Like cooking food or boiling water to kill off bacteria? How about food? Do they know where it comes from? What plants are safe to eat? How do you catch, kill, prepare, cook animals? What is shelter and how do you build it in the wild? Seriously the Golgafrinchans were far more capable of surviving than this bunch. So I think after all the work they put in to breaking into these people’s bubbles and directing them to freedom all for them to decide to throw their lives away because they don’t like his face is pretty shocking. It doesn’t matter whether they’re likable or not. They deserve to live nonetheless. The Doctor has tried to save the Master and Davros at times. I think they’re far worse villains than these spoiled rich racist kids.

[@theKtransmission]

Thank you for the insight into his character, it is helpful. Everything you say makes sense, and totally fits the Doctor's personality. I think I'm more annoyed that the people the Doctor is so desperate to save this year seem to strike the least notes of empathy in me, which may be by design. The Doctor has a couple of hearts bugger than mine I guess. I love the idea that the Doctor is boundlessly empathetic, but sometimes that butts up against the pure likability of who he shows that empathy for. I probably should have liked this final scene more, but I think something about how it was staged combined with the fact that I really disliked the people in this story just made me cold towards it.

[@idjles]

@@theKtransmission I think also that this is the first time that the Doctor in 15 incarnations is simply rejected for his appearance, and this scene is him coming to terms with his own skin color and that he as something to work through, not like just telling Martha Jones to be confident in the face of the racism she experienced. He has something to deal with - it's not like him sending 14 into retirement and he is completely free and unencumbered - he has only know dealing with his own appearance and "foundling" nature.

[@marhawkman303]

@@theKtransmission MY feeling is... the real kicker.. the BIG reason for them to be despondent? is something the Doctor DOESN'T KNOW. Unless I missed something... the Doctor doesn't KNOW the Homeworld is dead. Which makes his despair far less sensical.

[@Lillytime1236]

I was already watching the show with the theory that the doctor has been doing damage control behind the scenes this season; there has to be a narrative happening that we are not aware of... watch how he has to go back and fix events halfway through the goblin episode, it is the same here... there is a deeper reason to why he needed to save these people, and he is near to broken over the fact that he can't.

[@theKtransmission]

Interesting theory! Yeah he has been doing a ton of damage control and running into paradoxes at a higher clip than usual this season, that's definitely true. Considering how in the dark he's keeping Ruby, I wouldn't be surprised if we're out of the loop as well. Rule number 1: The Doctor lies.

[@idjles]

loved your review. Well done for the Macra Terror comparison and the deep comparison with all the slug monsters of the past - thanks for respecting all of that.

[@theKtransmission]

For sure, love me some classic Doctor Who! Any time it seems like the modern show is referencing its past I'll be all over that.

[@marhawkman303]

@@theKtransmission I just realized something.... The slug monsters are said to have snuck in from outside the city's bubble right? Then how is it we see one of the Home World in the shot establishing the HW is dead?

[@ginjamutha]

Twelve : “Here’s the unexpected, I forgive you. After all you’ve done, I forgive you”. Also Twelve: “I do what I do because it’s right and it’s decent. And above all, it’s kind. Just that. Just kind.” Fifteen’s response at the end is absolutely in character and reflects everything I love about The Doctor.

[@theKtransmission]

That's a good connection, you're right. Totally in character for the Doctor. I just hated the space racists too much to care about what was at stake lol. I think I was also angry for the Doctor, and didn't like seeing him beg these jerks to let him save them. I think the staging and direction just didn't bring me into the Doctor's point of view on it. I felt more like an angry friend who wanted to advise the Doctor to ditch these losers, rather than aligning with his desperate need to save them. Fair enough if you like the scene though, it seems to have touched a lot of people the way it was intended. I think this will be one of the more divisive endings for the season, which is totally cool.

[@nealjroberts4050]

I know what you mean. The episodes have been good but it feels like the endings or the climaxes have been rushed. It makes the Devil's Chord especially jarring with that overextended song and dance moment. Even 73 Yards would have been better served extending the Old Ruby Old Woman transition by a second or two.

[@theKtransmission]

Yeah I wonder what that's about. Modern Who has often struggled with rushed pacing and weird endings, but it feels especially pronounced this season. Maybe they have new editors with less experience or something.

[@nealjroberts4050]

@@theKtransmission Wouldn't be DW if there wasn't something wrong! 😆

[@marhawkman303]

@@theKtransmission I saw someone suggest that the stories themselves were rushed to script and not fully baked.... and it makes sense when you think about all the in-episode continuity errors.

[@vapx0075]

Because they are babies. They have slim chances of survival, unlike the actual space babies who have situational awareness and a nanny.

[@theKtransmission]

I do see that, for sure. The Doctor's probably right and he's acting completely in-character in this moment. I just wish these babies weren't so terribly unlikable lol.

[@erinromaneck8839]

Loved your review. I think I liked the episode more than you did, but we're also viewing it with different life experiences. I love your term "space racists". They were definitely a very unlikable and vapid society. I can understand not caring about what happened to them as a viewer of a TV show, but I get why the Doctor had the extreme reaction that he had. They were walking off to their death and he knew that. He has never had his offer of help or salvation rejected based off of the color of his skin. These people are going to die and there's nothing he can do about it. I thought Ncuti's performance in that final scene was amazing. He could have taken the saliva level down a notch, but that did help make it feel raw and real. I do hope they provided Millie with a wet wipe.

[@theKtransmission]

Lol yeah the slobber was a bit much for sure. Yeah I was wondering if I was coming down too hard on the ending. It's not like it ruins the episode for me, it just felt a bit awkward and stagey to me. But I do appreciate the sentiment of the scene, and what you say does make his reaction make a lot of sense. He gives a great performance, completely committed for sure. I think I was just so over the space racists by the time we reached that scene that I didn't care about them, so I think I was annoyed that the Doctor was so upset. I'm like the friend who hates your ex after they break your heart and I immediately jump to "forget them, they were terrible anyway" mode instead of letting my friend mourn the loss. Maybe the moment will feel better next time I watch it. Always good to keep your own opinions and not worry too much about what one silly critic online thought. Definitely a good episode with a good message overall!

[@erinromaneck8839]

I totally get where you're coming from. I feel like this episode would have been better as a two parter. It felt a bit rushed and clunky in parts. I think it was especially hard to care about the space racists right after Lindy betrayed Rickyand two seconds after we realized that they were, indeed, racists. I'm not losing any sleep about them wandering off into the wilderness to die.

[@missykbemis]

Woo WHO! Geronimo! I am and always will be the optimist.

[@theKtransmission]

Haha trying to get these out fast as possible! Nice to see ya back this week 😀

[@Futurebound_jpg]

I agree the end came kinda out of left feild. Me and my boyfriend were both confused why it was so dramatic, thinking the doctor must know that theyre all DOOMED to die if he doesnt save them. But its never clarified so the moment doesnt really hit. I thought it wouldve been an amazing end for them all to have to go restart, no technology, no help, no mommy or daddy’s money, maybe it would be good for their society. I couldn’t figure out why the doctor was so resentful towards the idea of leaving them to do that

[@theKtransmission]

I think this is exactly why the scene doesn’t land for me emotionally. They don’t set up the context well enough and if anything they make the survivors seem hopeful and confident in their chances. So the Doctor comes off unreasonably melodramatic about it.

[@kaicreech7336]

@@theKtransmission ...The survivers, heading off into a jungle, who only learned how to walk that day?

[@nealjroberts4050]

I was expecting a "this is Skaro" moment so...

[@Futurebound_jpg]

@@kaicreech7336 i seriously think they’d end up figuring it out and surviving. The woods around them looked healthy, flourished. They will probably have food and shelter there, easy. Also a few reviewers pointed out that she seems like she can walk but is just afraid to leave her comfort zone. We’ve all met those people who refuse to do easy things theyve never even tried before, holding themselves back. She runs bubble-free easily once she is with the ricky character, because he becomes her new comfort bubble. She doesnt need the bubble to walk she is just used to having it for that purpose and refuses to try without it.

[@kaicreech7336]

@@Futurebound_jpg I meant, more that if they hadn't practice walking on their own then it's unlikely that they've developed any other related survival skills. A completely average and otherwise intelligent cross-section of people from today living in a normal City could very easily die in a ordinary jungle. These people probably don't even know how to fish turn on let alone how to prepare fish/start a fire. They're from the future, they might not even know how to cook or that meat is dangerous if it isn't cooked. The episode does an act like they're too stupid to learn, but these are the kind of test where you get multiple tries.

[@arnothill]

I like how you picked apart the elements that made the episode work, and identified the apparent threat as the Ai, with the real monsters being the human population. However, I think you underestimate the impact of the racist reasoning employed by the group of survivors upon our hero. The Doctor could see, as surely anyone, the inevitable demise of the poorly prepared pioneers who are heading out into the wilds. Your review was apt and well considered up until the end, where you mistook the Doctor’s justified frustration and rage as poorly judged melodrama. The well paced and finely balanced script drip fed the micro-aggressions to us, and so perhaps even the Doctor was caught unawares. His anger is justified because he had saved a whole bunch - helped them to navigate out of the city, past the man trap slugs, shedding their bubbles, and dropping the dots, accessing codes and assembling - only to be defeated by the irrational prejudice that can fester in the heart of any society, if it is an echo-chamber that doesn't self-actualise and learn to question. I guess that there may be a feeling on your side of the Atlantic that the right to strike out and to tame nature is a God-given opportunity, and one that trumps wise counsel - whereas I feel that the unspoilt wilderness they are about to despoil would be better off without them, and they - better off on a developed planet with free education, and a Dr Pee.

[@theKtransmission]

Interesting take! Yes I think a lot of people disagree with me on that point, and I don’t begrudge anyone their opinion. I totally see how the story works intellectually, and I actually applaud the message. I just simply didn’t get pulled into the emotion of that moment for a variety of reasons that I honestly struggled to articulate when I wrote the script for this video. It just didn’t play right for me. As for the attitude of people on my side of the Atlantic, I can’t speak for everyone of course, but I personally have no illusions or pride in the concept of taming nature or pioneering new lands that don’t belong to me. I really think I’m just so sick of racists that my empathy for them in fictional form is non-existent, and their attitude made me not care about their chances in the woods. I’ve also seen a lot of media these days that has scenes where a black person falls all over themselves to protect some terrible white person, so I’m starting to get tired of that trope as well. I think at the end of the day my own dislike towards bigots removed the empathy from my heart towards those people, so the scene didn’t land for me. That’s probably not a good thing, but it is honest. It happens, not every emotional scene works for everyone. This is the best self-psychoanalysis I can provide as an explanation at the moment. I’ll more than likely revisit this in my season retrospective in a few weeks so maybe I’ll have some more refined ideas to impart then. Thanks for the thoughtful comment!

[@gavincurran3152]

Doctor cries again thus season is worst than the last. The writing is terrible

[@theKtransmission]

I liked some of this episode but yeah, this is the one where I got tired of the crying.