REACTION | Doctor Who S14 E5 "Dot and Bubble" | S1 E5

This is my reaction and thoughts about episode five of Doctor Who season one (or fourteen)!
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next, and I hope you'll stick around to see it with me!
I don't currently have any Patreon like popular reaction channels have, but if you could leave a like and/or a comment to show your support, I'd really appreciate it!
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:04 Thoughts so far
00:31 Expectations
01:01 Don't Forget to Like, Comment, & Subscribe
01:27 Reaction
19:09 Initial thoughts, takeaways
19:46 Lindy's turnaround
20:14 Ricky September
21:14 Susan Twist
22:44 How'd they get there?
23:30 The Doctor's Frustration
24:09 RIP Ricky...
24:18 Felt Isolated
25:00 Today's Technology
25:31 What did you think?
25:42 Outro, next time...
#DoctorWho #14x5

[@spamsir]

Yeah, the racism went way over my head the first time watching through. 😅 I didn't even realize until I was already uploading and was looking under the DoctorWhoSpoilers hashtag on Twitter (which kind of blew my mind). But it explains the micro aggressions that didn't make sense to me, like her attitude about Ruby and the Doctor being in the same room. I remember thinking, "why does that matter??", but I was distracted by the whole Susan Twist bit, which was probably at least somewhat intentional to keep that final reveal more shocking. Obviously, there were more, but that's the example that really made me think, "huh?" during the episode. Also, I enjoyed seeing people refer to the monsters as "eat the rich" monsters and praising them as the real heroes of the episode. Got a good chuckle out of me lol. Edit: Now I've seen some of the comments about the episode on the Doctor Who subreddit, and It's comforting to know that I'm not the only one that totally missed the racism on the first watchthrough. I'm still blown away at the writing for this episode.

[@braytechexoscience2790]

Does look like your perception filter might be broken a little

[@BenjiYag]

Even Russel said the episode is supposed to make you not realise to make you self reflect and understand why you might of not realised and understand perspective matters. So I wouldn't worry about missing it I only realised literally at the end then rewatching I was like everything makes sense and the little Easter eggs and dialogue means a bit Different

[@etiennelemons]

Rewatch it! And count the micro aggressions…. It’s more than the lack of black people in the episode. She called the Dr stupid, dumb, a criminal… She didn’t recognize him the second time she saw him because she thought they all looked the same. She literally called the police on him! The amount of casual racism that goes unnoticed on the first watch is insane.

[@stefanashley]

Hey I am not sure how but you seem to have missed the point at the end. It was a statement about his race not about them being too spoilt or prideful. The episode everyone she interacted with was white. Also throughout there were little hints and things she said against the doctor that hinted at that outcome. Otherwise, great reaction as always.

[@linkjourney422]

To be fair when I first watched this episode I didn’t catch on to the racism that was being displayed, I thought that the main reason was because The Doctor was poor and not because he was Black. and I think that was intentional. Ultimately this story is about Prejudice, and how being in a said bubble filled with Prejudice will be the downfall of humanity. It was powerful stuff that was woven magnificently into the plot.

[@ThePonderer]

I think that’s the episode’s fault more than it is his. The language in that final scene is more coy and vague than it needed to be.

[@littlemissmello]

​@@ThePondererthey're English, the racism will also be polite and covert. The fact that she was willing to listen to ruby and ricky but not the doctor, that she didn't realize the doctor was the same as earlier and just went "you all look the same" and was shocked and betrayed by them being in the same room, and most blatantly the friend calling his tardis "voodoo" which is just a real world dog whistle. I suspected it earlier already but it was definitely confirmed 100% when she called him "sir" like it was a slur, peak English racism. And on a meta level, doctor who has been hiring Black and brown actors for everything, also historical ones where people complain about historical accuracies. But for this episode there was no one, not a single one. Only the most hitler youth looking white people. That's not an accident. Doctor Who and BBC have diversity cordinators, it's not just a coincedence. If you needed any confirmation, that should be enough.

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

@@ThePonderer Early on maybe, the Voodoo line was not coy at all. And even if it was it isn't a flaw with the episode. The point of the episode is that if we allowed ourselves to be distracted from the Racism in Finetime then we all need to put down our bubbles and look outside them. And I'll freely admit that it took me until the Voodoo line to realize it. That I only recognized the racism that had been present in every interaction between Lindy and the Doctor means I need to continue working on my awareness of the issue.

[@Jim_The_Fish]

I watched this whole episode and only realized it was about racism after the credits finished rolling. I had to rewatch to make sure I was right.

[@4884nat]

Honestly, I think the fact the racism went over a lot of heads proves a really important point. As white privileged people we wouldn’t see it, we haven’t experienced it, it’s never a regular part of our lives, ignorance is bliss. We are still a big part of the problem even when we really don’t want to be. They touched on this in a way, Ruby realised before the doctor, the doctor had spent so long as a white person that it took a while to realise what was happening.

[@elaine_of_shalott6587]

Exactly, I realized it in retrospect at the "voodoo" line since that is such a racially loaded word and it started to register. But it does make you reflect and realize that maybe you are already in the bubble and need to learn to lower it and look outside of it. If they'd been any more heavy handed that point would have been lost.

[@JackBarrugon]

There are a few clues to the racism. The initial dismissal of The Doctor but not Ruby, the indignation that they're in the same room, Lindy taking a while to realise The Doctor was the same person as before, Lindy commenting that he wasn't as stupid as he looked, and then the clinching parts at the end, with the Voodoo comment too. They did a good job hiding the overtness of the racism in a general rich kid hostility to outsiders, but it all comes out on a rewatch.

[@TomGallagherSuperboyBeyond]

Also the fact that she hates The Doctor immediately, but loves Ricky September. Who imo was acting extremely Doctorish the entire time she was with him. To the point that i wouldn't mind seeing that actor return, as The Doctor. But maybe in like 20 years. I get the feeling he'd been better as an older Doctor.

[@ugolomb]

Most of Lindy's micro-agressions (not all, but most) *could* be explained in ways other than racism. For instance, When Ruby first appears she acts very differently compared to the Doctor, she disguises herself as a Finetime employee, is more self-effacing and less in-your-face than the Doctor, etc.; so you could use *that* as an explanation on why Lindy was more receptive to her. This is probably intentional, RTD obviously didn't want us to pick on the racism too quickly. The flip side, though, is that even if each event *on its own* could be explained in some other way, the cumulative weight of all the incidents together still confirms that racism/supremacism is at the root of it all

[@steve8510]

Oh I wish it was just because he is poor

[@mayotango1317]

The ending where it is revealed that the entire Finetime society is made up of Bowlestrek and Nerdrotic subscribers was great and very realistic.

[@David-cg1lh]

A bold choice to directly copy their videos and comment sections directly into the script I must say.

[@mayotango1317]

@@David-cg1lh Is the sad and creepy true. And I love it.

[@David-cg1lh]

@@mayotango1317 haha they're so crymad

[@bombseel]

I heard this episode was filmed early, so the doctor and ruby not being there could be covid or could be Ncuti was still filming Sex Education at this time (which is why he wasn't really in the last episode)

[@jankreft6753]

This episode and 73 Yards where filmed at the same time. So Ncuti was still filming Sex Education and Milly was filming 73 Yards.

[@SKIP-yj3xp]

Do you remember the 12th Doctor's story "Thin Ice". He punched a racist in the face when he disrespected Bill.

[@ugolomb]

The Doctor knew about racism, all right, he was just never the direct target of human, skin-colour-based racism himself (well, perhaps he was, as the Fugitive Doctor, but he wouldn't have any memories of that). He *was* the direct target of anti-Time-Lord bigotry, but to be fair, he often felt a bit sympathetic about that, since he had actually agreed with many of the sentiments other species against his own, especially during the Time War. (The most obvious example of this is Cass in The Night of the Doctor, who preferred to die rather than accept a Time Lord's help)

[@user-dy5ku3gd7r]

There were soooo many overt and subtle signs of racism scattered throughout the episode: 1. Lindy was revolted and blocked the Doctor when he first appeared on her feed. 2. Lindy didnt block Ruby. She was more receptive to Ruby when she appeared on her feed. Lindy spoke to Ruby and believed her over the Doctor. 3. When the Doctor appeared for the second time on her feed, Lindy asked him if the monsters "have something to do with you" (she didnt ask Ruby this, just the Doctor) 4. Lindy told her groupcall to listen to the Doctor and that "i know this is wrong and after this is all over he will be so disciplined, i cant wait, and he doesn't look as atupid as he looks" (of course due to the color of his skin) 5. No person of color lived in Finetime 6. Lindy was shocked to learn that Ruby and the Doctor were in the same room together in such close proximity 7. Lindy told the Doctor "Didnt I block you? I knew it. I just thought you looked the same, but you're the same person I blocked. I was so right to hate you." (Implying all black people look the same) 8. When they met, Lindy told Ruby and the Doctor "Gosh, you two, this is strange." (meaning a white and black person working together) 9. And a few more microagressions towards the Doctor before they met in the final scene AND in the final scene where the racism got blatant.

[@LeveySaintil]

@spamsir It’s ok that you missed it. ❤️ That was kinda the point, I think. Those of the white phenotype may not pick up on it because they don’t experience it daily or are close with someone who does. It speaks to the idea that just because we are a "post-modern" society, we are post-racial too. That’s the meaning of being « woke », waking up the the reality of our very flawed society-At-Large

[@SKIP-yj3xp]

How many rogue A.I. movies are there now? It's seems the Government isn't concerned about this being a real possibility. They often start problems without considering the long-term effects.

[@keith.morgan]

I thought it was a great episode. Id imagine the doctor was so angry at the end because it's the first time he's come up against racism towards him personally because of the colour of his skin.

[@SNMG7664]

I recommend re-watching this episode. She is just non-stop awful to the Doctor the whole time. She blocks him immediately then only listens when Ruby talks. When he pops back up she couldn't even tell he was the same black guy because they all look the same to her. She asks if he is responsible for the monsters. She is very nearly appalled that the Doctor and Ruby are in the same room. She introduces him to the group chat by saying he isn't as "stupid as he looks" and is happy that he is going to get "disciplined" for talking to them all. Just all-around awful. I don't know how ya missed it! At the end she's even going on about how it is the Doctor's duty to save them. How screen-to-screen contact was just about acceptable, but being near each-other in person wasn't. They were all white supremacists lol.

[@Richard-se1de]

That was so trouble it's just getting worst and worst

[@donaldmaxwell3428]

reminded me of star wars ?

[@cernik9]

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