Off To A Rocky Start? | Church on Ruby Road Review and Analysis
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Doctor Who has finally returned to its festive traditions with the brand new Christmas special The Church on Ruby Road. This rollercoaster adventure sees the new 15th Doctor Ncuti Gatwa burst into the life of new companion Ruby Sunday as they fight goblins. But is it good? And does it softly reboot the show the way it was clearly intended to do? Well, as always, that's what I'm here to find out!
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wild guess : Ruby's mom is CLARA OSWALD... yep. So much phenotypes in their visage alone
My theory: In the time that it took Ruby to get downstairs, Mr. Flood and Fifteen went on a series of increasingly epic adventures across time and space. Hence why she now knows what a TARDIS is and the Doctor has changed his clothes.
That would be brilliant :D
So the exact same theory than with the 9th doctor, lmao
This is the kind of comment RTD was hoping someone would write, so he could get ideas 😂
Love that theory, it's a very Doctor thing to do
Pond, River, Flood. She's River Song
i disagree about the doctor interacting with ruby’s mother. i immediately thought it was extremely telling of his character and shows that he learned he can’t play with time like that anymore. he has grown from the time lord victorious mindset and is more curious and genuinely excited. i kept thinking his doctor is so bright eyed and bushy tailed
exactly what I instantly thought
Interestingly I had a different take away from that scene. To me, it felt less like him deciding not to play with time, and more like him realising that he’s not sure if *he* wants to know the truth of his own parentage. It felt like this moment of him seeing that he could solve this mystery for his companion, then realising that, if the tables were turned, he wouldn’t want someone to tell him where he’s from.
I don’t know, that’s just my interpretation, and whatever the truth ends up being, I still really liked the moment.
Also the moment from The Pilot where Capaldi goes back in time to get Bill some pictures of her Mother. He's done things like that before, but it's far more bittersweet to see him make an internal judgement and be responsible in the way that 15 was in this episode.
Same here, I definitely think he was contemplating going after her, and if that was a younger version of himself there like 10 or 11 he probably would have. But it was clear to me in that moment he’s obviously learnt his lesson and is now more stricter with himself on things like that
I actually read it as him deciding that neither him nor Ruby needs to know who their parents are. They are who they are without needing to know that.
My read on the doctor not running after Ruby's (preumed) mother was just contemplating the consequences of meddling in this and deciding it was better left alone, personally? Ncuti seemed to have a pretty torn expression during these scenes. Perhaps just concern that talking to the mother may change the events he quite literally just slayed the goblin king to protect.
I took it as the Doctor respecting the choice of the mother to stay anonymous despite wanting to help Ruby.
it truly shows his growth as a being as well! in the past, i could picture 9, 10, 11, and even 12 to immediately interact with ruby’s mother! but due to his experiences that have happened between 13 and 14(ESPECIALLY), he has finally realized and understood that, yes he is very powerful but instead of acting on a whim and using said power, sometimes he must take a step back.
I was just going to post this conjecture, @KAIJUCHOMPS, but you've beaten me to it, and expressed it better than I probably would have done.
I immediatly thought that it was a fixed point in time and the doctor could feel it
I am positive we are eventually going to find out who Ruby's mother is.
My first thought is Mrs. Flood, but that might be too convenient.
I actually kind of like the gloves. With the amount of times the doctor has been left hanging with companions, it’s about time imo.
the doctors been hanging and climbing stuff for YEARS so obviously he would do something to make it easier
I don’t mind the hanging-on aspect of the gloves at all, personally. It’s the reverse setting that doesn’t really work for me.
@@coruscantaok but he completely burnt the shit out of them when using that setting. They spark and crackle. I would not be surprised if we don’t see them for a while - or ever - because he fucked them up as soon as they were introduced. A very doctor thing imo - invent gadget for specific purpose, gadget is overpowered, overuse gadget, break gadget irreparably.
Also… the gloves are a part of his cleverness and ingenuity… he INVENTED them
@@charlielangford8062 I absolutely love when the doctor makes some device out of garbage and toothpaste for one specific scenario.
I really don’t like how this is supposed to be a sci-fi show, but the doctor can’t have or use specific gadgets other than the sonic(unless it’s completely useless or extremely underpowered).
Honestly, the singing makes sense to me. They're in a space of magic and spoken words of power, the goblins seemingly feed on the power itself and the power that comes off the king when he feeds. Why wouldn't they be held in place and able to be manipulated by the use of further words and magic?
i thought the same thing!! with beings such as the goblins who rely on coincidences and luck, singing could possibly throw them off.
Also they’re pirates. pirates song on their ships all the time.
*Very* Good Point! 🌟
Yet Ruby had no comment on it afterwards?
@@Mark73 she didn't really have much to say about the anti gravity gloves or the very existence of goblins, either. The writers didn't exactly bog down the pace with much exposition, once the action started.
Argue the Goblins "feasting on Coincidence" is a function of the plot to further the connections between The Doctor and Ruby in a manner visible to the audience (The whole scene setting up the Crack in the Sunday Family flat having them list more coincidences between Ruby, Lulu, and The Doctor as the storm outside grows more violent, leading to the coincidences being so strong that it empowers the Goblins to be able to tear through time to get to Baby Ruby), so the Goblins lacking much character is to service the connections between Ruby and The Doctor imho which I feel giving The Goblins a lot of character focus may detract from that element.
As for The Doctor killing the Goblins...to be fair, he did give them a chance to flee (and thought they did flee at first before realizing what they actually did). So they did break his "second chance" rule, he gave them the opportunity to flee, they were given the mechanical method to flee, but instead they used it to go back in time and eat Ruby.
So, while violent, it *is* following the established rules of engagement The Doctor follows for new creatures/enemies he encounters.
And on the note of the gloves. Kinda think they may be a one-off? They seemed to be shorting out when The Doctor seemingly pushed them to the limit at the end there (He did say only 3% power left after they fled the Goblin Ship). So, he probably burnt them out by using them to pull the Goblin Ship down on the Church. But Davies could prove me wrong there and have them show up again/him getting a new pair/fixing them.
That's my reading as well. The Goblins are more akin to the role of Weevil's from Torchwood, which in Everything Changes also written by Russell T. Davies are used to demonstrate how aliens are traveling through space-time through the rift ending up in Cardiff. Now it's creatures of myth and legend manifesting in reality itself cause the barriers of the universe's rules have been lifted, which in a way functions as the new rift for this era on a grander scale that'll be the running theme that binds the spin-offs same way as the rift binded Torchwood to Doctor Who as well as Sarah Jane Adventures. Goblins aren't really schemers of anything they've just been washed up into this reality for whatever reason.
The plot of Church on Ruby Road is the coincidences surrounding Ruby and The Doctor which have arisen as a result of myth in addition to magic becoming intertwined. With The Doctor having to relearn what he thought he knew regards to logic or physics in combination with him no longer knowing where he's actually from - having that shared aspect of being an orphan with Ruby Sunday. Also coincidentally Ruby's not the only orphan who'll hang around this incarnation of The Doctor we've seen him with Mel too, so on top of everything else we appear to have a running theme of orphans finding company among each-other.
Plus, it’s entirely possible the Doctor was just trying to destroy the ship, not impale the Goblin King on the tip of the church l
@@jacobunderwood5206 Probably yet another coincidence. Also curious that the ship itself completely vanishes into thin air after that as if it never actually existed.
It was just a bad muppets episode
The gloves to me were more like the hastily cobbled together machines from 10’s era, where the Doctor has hashed some bits together to perform a task, rather than a new, frequently used tool like the psychic paper was. At least that’s what I’m hoping!
I think that's the case too, just a one off gadget
YESSS that was my first thought, I love the wacky weirdo inventions.
i thought this too yeah
it's a machine that goes ding!
@@Poyni I tend to stay away from hens, it’s not pretty when they blow.
I loved it. It felt like the kind of adventure 10 talked about having but we never saw. He was always talking about partying with someone or somerace but we literally never saw it. Seeing the Doctor chat up Cherry or dancing in the club felt like a side we knew about but never saw on screen.
I'm actually in awe of how great the monsters look with their practical/digital blend. It looked great with the meep, but the scale of the goblins is seriously impressive, easily some of the most lifelike monsters I've seen in television.
They have higher quality CGI in Nigerian B movies.
@@JockBlock-vd2ep Maybe, but I'm not talking about CGI.
they aren't "psychic gloves" they're smart gloves. and they're no different from any of the other weird devices that the doctor has used in one episode and then never again (like the "thing that went ding when there's stuff" in the 50th special)
or the "it goes ding when there's stuff" from Blink
the 50th was "ding...its a machine that goes...ding"
I don't know if Russel T. Davies had this in mind at all, but in Greek Orthodox tradition goblins are connected to Christmas. They come out on Christmas Eve and mess things up ( like bridges, houses etc) much like in the special. So in fact it remained very much in the spirit of the holidays! They do come from the bowels of the earth in folklore, so it was funny to see them living in the sky on an airship
If he'd known about that, he would have made mention of it. Probably with the implication that the Doctor learned about it during a long cold winter with Socrates.
Ohhhhh. I didn’t even know that. See that bumps the episode up for me
What does Sokrates have to do with that? @@zacmumblethunder7466
The gloves were a nice touch, considering how the 4th Doctor bit the big one. He learns from past mistakes.
The Goblins were a breath of fresh air after 3 years with The Daleks. (In, or around, New Years, I might add.)
I forgot about the timeless child so when 15 said he was abandoned I thought it was just him avoiding talking about Galifrey
It’s best forgotten.
Russel T should have left it out
One nitpick I have is that when Lulu is about to be fed to the goblin king Ruby seems a little blasé,you'd expect some more distress or urgency given the situation,especially since this is her first adventure.
Agree.. I didn't feel ever that there was any sense of real danger
This is a real thing in people with ADHD. When presented with a chaotic and stressful situation, we tend to switch into a very matter-of-fact and calm mode. It’s why a lot of careers recommended for people with ADHD are in the emergency services, disaster planning, or troubleshooting.
Not saying she has ADHD by the way. Just that it isn’t as uncommon a way for people to react to situations like that as you’d expect.
She goes along with the doctors plan and shes able to use that to keep the baby away. The lyrics she sings are obviously panicked. Rhyming "you" with "you" 3 seperate times. She doesnt have the same charisma as the doctor, she's obviously trying desperately to play along.
@@mudawott wouldn't you be panicking if you were told to sing in front of big blue scarry thing? Which is why Millie nails Ruby Sunday.
@@Bman-dr8hx one hundred percent shes doing a fantastic job at the part. Her panicking and fear come through even during absurdity. That was my point. Her singing doesnt diminish the fear her character is clearly feeling as she tries to keep these goblins entertained
One comment about your review...the Doctor not talking to the person who dropped Ruby off at the church was a sign of him respecting them. Respecting their decision to be anonymous and stuff. Thats how i took it.
Same here, if he found out who she is just to give the info to Ruby he would be invading her privacy, I find it very kind of him to not follow her
@@zoezerbrasilio2419 You can see he wanted to, he looked heartbroken that this happens, but he decides not to, she has made her choice and he can't interfere in it, let alone change it.
Yeah, it shows maturity. I think 9 and 10 would've run straight up to them, but 15 is (so far) much more cautious about messing with time
I think most people did surely.
Not to mention, he was in the room when Ruby talked about it with her mom and saw the moment they had. Ruby's real mother was right there already, she didn't need to know some random stranger from 19 years ago.
Looked to me like the doctor was in the club not because he goes clubbing now, but because he was keeping an eye on ruby already
That was evident by the shot of him waiting silently at the entrance looking in.
The goblins were at the club, and it's obvious he was undercover there like 9 does in the epsiode 'Rose'.
Why not both?
@@keelanbarron928 exactly, he was there to keep an eye on her but also vibin
Also this is one of the youngest Tardis teams we have had for a while with Ncuti being 31 and Millie being 19 so I feel this is gonna bring I feel a newer fresher sparkier and more youthful energy back to the show. So I am very excited to see what's to come for this new series.
last nail in coffin....he's totally wrong for role. you need a serious masculine actor, not a stereotype
The Doctor has never been a "serious masculine" character though so, no.@@davedisanti1298
@@davedisanti1298go away.
He's masculine looking
No, he’s poncing around..can’t he at least act like a man
@@edwardvincentlaybournwalle4991 no they probably think its wrong bringing in a queer actor. 'the doctor, dancing in a kilt??? so stereotypically gay omg.'
personally i think its the most doctor-y thing ive ever heard based off the 13 previous seasons but to each their own i guess
i mean the doctors tardis isnt in its default design, so unless someone knows of the doctor, they wouldnt assume its a tardis.
But when mrs.flood saw the tardis appear/disappear, she realized it was infact, a tardis
yeah but only the second time
"Psychic Gloves?"
OH, you mean the Intelligent Gloves, because that's what they are called. I loved them, because 1) they hearken back to the days when the Doctor was an inventor who would use his INGENUITY and would cobble things together on the regular, and 2) Easy for kids to cosplay.
I'm with you when it comes to the new sonic, but you lost me when you harshed on the gloves.
EDIT: OOOOH and you harshed on the musical number too. Can't say I didn't see that coming.
Theory time: Miss Flood is the "One Who Waits." She's literally waiting for the Tardis throughout the episode. End of Theory.
I actually think this is not far off. I wouldn't be surprised if she is seen in the season finale
I think the problem with this new era is that it's being written in a way to appeal to the new generation, instead of to the ACTUAL fans
It's sad to see everyone so divided and having the past being thrown in the trash for this new type of doctor.
When Moffat gets called subtle, something has gone wrong.
Feels like the show is actually back on track. Instead of clinging to the past with Tennant, we’re finally moving forward with Gatwa.
Should have just not bothered with the Tennant stuff at all in my opinion - I really didn't feel like it added much in hindsight. Could have easily been a Gatwa episode with multi-Doctor elements by having 10 there, and made a proper 3 parter around the Toymaker rather than the disjointed mess of 3 distinct episodes like we got!
@@FrayRS Wholeheartedly agree!
Right. Getting on track with a gay black guy, having sex with other men. Right.
I think bringing back tennant helped bring back lapsed fans who haven't watched since Chibnall, like myself.
I do agree though that I would have just preferred 4 specials with Gatwa honestly, but I understand the decision.
@@ChickenNugNugz2 aggregate viewing figures seem to imply that the viewing figures were pretty weak, so I don't think as many fans came back as they were hoping, unfortunately!
How could even ask that question?
I mean really, it was the number 1 drama on BBC that night.
Only beat out by the King if you add all the channels he was on and Strictly.
I have been watching from 1970 and it was an awesome episode of Who.
Ncuti is killing it, I mean he is chewing through these scenes, Gibson is killing it too.
Not only is the King's Speech broadcast on three channels (arguably, we should divide the viewing figure by 3 to get a level playing-field) but, as it only lasts 10 minutes, it's not worth changing channels. So, it's less a case of people avidly tuning in, than one of the Speech just happening to be on the TV by default. I'll bet that many will have taken the opportunity to have toilet/tea-break while the King was on; that's certainly what we did in hour household.
Performed poorly in the overnights relative to the other new episodes, lower than Star Beast and WBY (The Tennant centric episodes), only higher than the Giggle (which is the other episode that featured the new shitter). People dipped when they realized a gay black dude would be playing the doctor lmao
@@YTACCification To say that it "performed poorly" is utter nonsense, and it did fine by modern TV standards. Whatever, you seem to be little more than a bigoted ignoramus by ANY standards.
@@YTACCification Actually, it's come out that the specials have done better than expected. Star Beast for instance beat out the ratings from Capaldi's christmas specials over the 28 day period which BBC monitors more than 7 days or even day 1 viewers.
And viewers for this special beat out nearly everything except the Kings Speech and Strictly and Doctor Who never beats out Strictly anyway, older people love the Dancing so it's always going to be more popular.
Ruby doesn't really react realistically to the situation she's in - when she first sees the goblins she acts like she's just seen something completely normal like a cat "did you just hiss at me" - is her first reaction. Then she immediately just jumps into the Tardis. If you compare this to how rose first reacted to the doctor/tardis, she was terrified and immediately tries to run away - as someone realistically would. She doesn't believe what she's seeing initially dismissing the autons as kids dressed up - the idea of aliens is just lunacy to her. In the second episode she questions her decision to go with the doctor and gets very overwhelmed and frightened. Ruby feels completely unrealistic atm.
Isn’t this the same universe that has seen multiple alien invasions by this point?
you're genuinely the first person online who seems to share any of my disappointment with the new companion. I'm sorry to say that I was so annoyed by her that I lost the will to continue with the series....
@@Gamelover254 this is a reboot - akin to rose, which is why I made the comparison.
@@clownbaby89 What I loved about the original RTD run was how realistic and down to earth the characters/companions were. This is what I was really looking forward to.. so I was terribly disappointed with ruby.
It's not a reboot, they just rebrand it for season 1 so It's easier to get general audiences onboard.@@roro-mm7cc
I can already tell Gatwa is going to be one of my favorite Doctors, if not my favorite! I love the energy he brings and how fun he makes the character again after almost 2 decades of trauma and grieving for their past. It’s a shake-up the series sorely needed
Idk why there’s so much hate for the intelligent gloves? Everyone always says they want the doctor to use more gadgets and gizmos other than the sonic but the second he ever does everyone seems to hate it
Well he said the doctor should use "his intelligence save the day" so I'm guessing that maybe he just wants every episode to be resolved with a big speech!🤷 Since apparently it doesn't take intelligence to make these gadgets...
@@BEE-oz7yd Despite the fact big speeches have solved it in the past, it doesn't always happen but it does, some enemies can't be defeated with a speech. The Goblins wouldn't be beaten by words, they simply don't care.
while i dont hate them, and i think they make sense considering how many times the doctor has had to hold on for his life, i can sorta get why here. they just look cheap, without looking like an actual gizmo but just wool gloves with led lights underneath. its nice, its easy to cosplay, especially for kids which i think is extra nice. but visual-wise its just gloves, and its reasonable that not everyone would like that. compare that to some of the stuff 10 was whipping up, or 12 with his 2Dis.
and to add onto that, those gizmos were devices specifically created for the current adventure/mission they were on. ie. im seeing people using the thing that goes ding as an example, but even in the context of that special it was specifically created to detect zygons, which was 10's current adventure, and also why it was a one-time thing.
and while he did mention the psychic paper, i feel like that worked better as it isn't just a one-off for a general specific situation, but a tool that was like the sonic that was both supposed to intentionally blend in normally and is extremely useful for tons of situations, like infiltrating, keeping a low-profile, or receiving distress calls. it's like a detective-tool, though it is still admittedly a very huge exception.
so im guessing that people want gizmo-looking-gizmo's that were built to benefit the current adventure overall rather than cheap props that benefit a general situation. which i'd like to see as well, but im not bothered by the lack of it.
@@BEE-oz7yd well when he says he wants to use his intelligence to save the day, im *guessing* he means being in-the-moment problem solving or crafty, something we can see on-camera rather than using something that was pre-made off-camera? like 12's 2dis, or 10's management in voyage of the damned.
even in rose where this exact thing happened (anti-plastic, although that was a thing he got specifically for this situation), we still saw the doctor's intelligence with him using the plastic head, or just investigating the autons in general.
or in the empty child two-parter, we see him doing lots of detective-work (albeit intentionally shabby-work) with him solving the chula ship & the nanogenes, while also solving the case of who the empty child's mother was, which in result also displays him using his intelligence to save the day.
although it is a strange thing for him to say when the doctor has used a gadget to solve things plenty of times pre-gatwa, in the context he's talking about.
but to reply to your comment, it's less that making gizmo's doesn't show off his intelligence but speeches do, but moreso in-the-moment problem-solving that displays the doctor's intelligence. anyone can write a character who can whip up a gadget, but it doesn't make us buy that they're smart. them being smart and clever, active problem-solving, makes them feel smart, y'know?
@@tobitobi2003 but he is using delimited tools are available to him? The psychic lost with barely any charge on them and the ladder! He thinks fast and improvises! I think that's pretty smart!
I’d wondered if Mrs Flood could be Romana, as she’s one of the few characters who can be recast at a moment’s notice and would know full well what a TARDIS is.
I don't think so. The beginning of the episode, Mrs Flood seems like quite a different person than the one at the end of it, suggesting that either she was replaced or at least something major having happened in-between. Someone theorised that Mrs Flood and the Doctor went on an adventure in the time it took Ruby to come down from the flat, which I think would be absolutely hilarious.
That said, I would not mind Romana returning but I don't believe that will ever happen.
I agree @@rkah6187 to me she just broke the 4th wall and it was hilarious and clever tbh
@@zoezerbrasilio2419
According to RTD she is quite important.
My issue is that she didn’t recognize the tardis at first. I never watched the classic series, but from what I do know she would probably recognize the blue police box tardis.
She only recognized it as a tardis after it dematerized. Which would make sense if she was a different timelord.
@@eye-chan1711 I can understand that. From what I've heard of her, Romana does seem like the kind of person to play up a role, especially if it's related to the Doctor.
Imagine, if the Doctor can be attracted to Ruby by a string of coincidences and bad luck, then why couldn't _another_ Time Lord be drawn to her as well? Maybe she sets herself up as "that weird old lady next-door" to watch over Ruby and keep an eye out for the Doctor in case he comes along and occasionally entertains herself by needling her neighbours and stirring up drama.
Whilst I'm not saying it's at all _likely,_ it allow for the Doctor, in the wake of Gallifrey's destruction and the revelation of the Timeless Child, to have a Time Lord he can reconnect with and confide in. Because the Master killed everyone on Gallifrey, the Doctor hasn't had the chance to get some closure, similar to what the 11th Doctor wanted with the Time Lords he thought were on House in 'The Doctor's Wife'. I think he needs someone that's _truly_ his equal to talk things through with, and Romana would be the perfect candidate.
We're forgiving the goblin song. People need to acknowledge that Who Xmas specials are regularly way more goofy than the episodes that come after...
absolutely. i think it has to do with trust (particularly the lack of trust after the chibnall era) that christmas specials can be goofy af because of the show being somewhat grounded otherwise but we haven't gotten to see that yet. might age poorly if disney makes the rest as goofy as this, which would be awful, but i have enough trust in the writers not to do that until ive seen it myself
I loved the goblin song, and why wouldn’t the doctor sing in that situation? It distracted the goblin king long enough to save the baby
Yes to all of these comments!
It was also released before the special itself as a charity song for Children in Need, all profits the song generated went to CiN.
I loved the goblin song, especially when the Doctor and Ruby started singing.
I loved it to be honest. Obviously the specials were of a higher quality overall but i'm just so happy to see NEW stuff in the show that's actually interesting and well written!
One thing on the goblins, they actually look a lot like the ones from Pathfinder, who also sing a lot(Usially ending songs with "We be Goblins, you be food!") and quite often have a pirate aesthetic, with the goblin specific adventure for PF1 being set on a beached ship, and the goblins be wannnabe land pirates.
Wordle of Warcraft has goblin flying ships too, though those are lighter-than-air craft with a zeppelin-type balloon. The crew have something of a pirate style, but they don't sing!
I love musical numbers and even I feel like it was out of place in a doctor who episode. The spice girls one I could understand because the toymaker is just such a crazy and unhinged character after having lost to the the 1st doctor and especially since his powers and his ability to be beyond the rules of the DWho universe's physics allow him to do whatever he wants. This was just random
I'm excited for some of the episodes not written by RTD. RTD does a great job with the characters, but I RTD's plots get goofy so I look forward to different writers putting these characters in a cool plot like Moffat's episodes during RTD1 era
I think part of my issue with the ending is it’s another example of RTD creating really quick/convenient endings
You say that the 15th Doctor had charm wit and confidence, but to me, particularly for the first half of the episode, he just seemed rude, particularly to the policeman and the pram lady. Similarly with the way he appeared to Ruby in the nightclub, appearing, then disappearing again for no apparent reason.
I love the gloves. To me it’s entirely believable that a millennia-old being who scarcely sleeps and gets easily bored would tinker when their companion(s) du jour weren’t around and invent potentially useful items like “mavity” and friction canceling gloves that he then conveniently happened to have in his pocket but that did not work optimally when the polarity was reversed to increase gravity.
I cold hard agree about the sonic.
Also I love the moment of peace when Ruby stops to think and finally realises all the stuff the doctor said. We could have a really good companion on our hands here.
I'm sure Ncuti and Millie will stand out as a unique new Doctor and their new companion, but I can't help imagining the casual viewer just saying Davies is copying what he did in the first era of another Doctor with a short hair cut and a long brown coat or leather jacket (or in this case both) with a blonde companion. Either way I hope I can look back at Davies Era Two and say that he didn't pull too many elements from his first era as I've already seen a handful from the four specials of 2023.
To be honest. I think re-treading the old is better than more Chibnal Era new.
I hope RTD can be original in this era, but even if he's not, it'll at least be mediocre.
Gravity comes from the Latin "gravis" meaning weight. Mavity would come from "mavis" meaning thrush. (edited for spelling)
I thought this episode was a giant mess. First, the Doctor says the goblins are definitely not time travellers, then suddenly... they are! First the goblins act like gremlins, creating more trouble on Ruby's b-day to create more coincidences and bad luck for a tastier baby for the Goblin King, then suddenly... none of that matters, they just go back in time and snatch Ruby as a baby instead of the current newborn. (could've done that in the first place, d-uh!) And oh, did granny get her tea? I was in such suspense that she might not... no, I didn't care and it wasn't that funny because even though there's gremlins and goblins all through this episode, supposedly wreaking havoc and even killing people, none of them, not one goblin was able to prevent Granny from getting her tea. Why the heck do you have so many goblins if they can't even accomplish that? There were too many plot holes to think about. When this episode started I thought for a second, "are they rehashing the 'Rose' episode?" Ruby/Rose? Rose-->Ruby (coincidence?: No.) At the end, I thought "I wish they just re-hashed the 'Rose' episode" it would have been a better start... Honestly, I have never liked any of the Doctors on their debut show. It always takes me a few episodes to get to like any of them, but man.. I don't know if bringing back Russell T. Davies was a good idea. Good video, though, as always😀!
He explains why he doesn't consider them time travelers. Within that explanation, there's no contradiction.
@@karlrovey if they can go back in time, they're time travellers. Either the Doctor is just wrong in his assessment, or the writers wrote themselves into a corner and decided to change it. Maybe the Doctor is wrong, but in recent years the writing has been sloppy, so....
@@gabriel38g He doesn't consider them time travelers even though they move through time. This is because they more or less just drift through time relying on something (coincidence, bad luck) to pull them in. He didn't deny that they "time travel" in that sense. He just thinks that isn't worthy of being considered a time traveler.
@@karlrovey They should hire you on the show to just explain all their "loopholes". 😄
Yeah I really disliked this episode, hope future episodes are better
As Christmas episodes go, this was rubbish. Ncuti has a lot stacked against him. If this is anything to go by, we're looking at Chibnall esque writing, with iffy special effects and flat characters.
I'm open to seeing Davis unravel all of his extra stories over the series, but I have zero expectations.
Ncuti needs all the luck in the universe to save him from only getting one series out of viewers.
If this was a reboot then it didn’t work. Disjointed, not christmasy at all, and felt a bit cartoonish at times. The goblins dont make grest villans either, they're barely in it, and when they do appear there's no explanation or menace to them. Its not the worst, but its not the best either.
It was more Christmasy than a lot of previous Christmas specials
@@ThetaSigma-vu1sk Really? Such as?
@@blueknight07 What's Christmasy about the Runaway Bride? Or the Voyage of the Damned? The Husbands of River Song? The Return of Doctor Mysterio? Twice Upon a Time?
@@ThetaSigma-vu1sk I'd argue Runaway Bride was a lot more christmssy
22:43 *"The Aftermath of Brussell Sprouts"* The way Harbo said it, I could totally see being the title of an RTD episode or name of RTD companion or one-off character.
I think the one idea that the I disagree with is the idea the ending was anticlimactic. The gloves were at 3% and dying. He had literally one chance of getting that ship back down.
Also I think it's pretty fun that the doctor relies more on gadgets than just the sonic screwdriver!
well we know he was going to succeed, they weren't going to kill off the main companion they made a million teasers for before the season actually began. it was anti-climactic in that it didn't feel like believable stakes, nor did they take the time for us to actually believe this could be a possibility (which is what great doctor who stories have done previously, ie at the top of my head. dalek, father's day, the series 1 finale), it was instead stakes that we were supposed to buy for the sake of the story, style over substance stuff.
so (for me at least) it was moreso the ending was anti-climactic because the stakes felt artificial, if that makes sense. entertaining, but hollow.
for me, the ending being anticlimactic was more to do with the Goblins not being as much of a threat as they were made out to be in the teasers *and* in those final moments. throughout the episode they were mostly minor nuisances with a few moments of genuine danger, so the doctor seemingly thinking there was no possible way to save ruby at that moment just seemed... off. if the goblins had been more of a serious threat throughout the episode, then i'd agree that the ending was stressful in the best way
I already prefer the new doctor over most of Jodie Whittaker’s era so have high hopes for the future
So do I
Jodie Whittaker didn’t stand a chance , not with those scripts 🤢
Actually, even Jodie is better than this idiot
@@_MyNameIsAJ_ I am 5... times wiser than both RTD2 and Chibnall combined
Agreed
Lots to like here! Ncuti and Ruby have great chemistry. I like that he’s more carefree. I like that he got to wear a kilt as a nod to his home. I thought his interactions with Ruby’s family were sweet.
Like that he and Ruby can bond over being “foundlings” (If they have to keep that.)
Ruby is sweet and smart but the mystery around her family is less compelling than it could be since she has a loving family and a sunny attitude to being not well off (Queen of the Sky.). If she never finds out she’s still fine.
At least at this stage. We’ll see her more but I hope she gets to be more then cheerful and up for anything. Not a bad start though.
I will say it is a good special. I really do like Ncuti Gatwa as the 15th Doctor, and he made an impression and I love his Doctor. I also do like Mille Gibson as Ruby Sunday, and she is such a sweet person, and she has a good backstory. I really do like Ncuit and Mille's chemistry together and they are great together. I do have theories like I think Mrs. Flood could be the Rani and I think Ruby's parents are from the future and I think Ruby and Mrs. Flood are pawns in Fenric's game.
In a recent documentary about Russell T Davies we do see him bring one of his friends on set of the new series and the creature that was in the Unleashed clip was there but blurred out (but obviously we now know its that lizard like creature). In the documentary he did call it "the bogeyman".
in my opinion the doctor singing don't bother me only because we know the doctor always uses his words to distract his villains but he knew that talking wasn't going to work so to distract them he starts singing and boasting on how is going to stop them because before he sings he does talk but then he makes a face of like he realised talking isn't gong to work so he sang to me its very dr like but might not be everyone's cuppa tea
i hope we have more dark episodes planned for season 2 /series 15 with people furious about aliens with leak images about that
I still think you can't beat The Eleventh Hour as the best jumping on point for new viewers, it's just that good.
I'm glad he's getting back on the track. He puts a lot of time into his craft.
So he pulls the ship down and kills the gobblin king in the most painful way possible. Not very Dr. A being that hates guns.
I really like the gloves and I'm confused about why people also don't?? Like it fixes and helps a problem that the doctor is constantly dealing with, hanging off of high things!! They're simplistic and very doctor whoian. They aren't the type of thing to like instantly defeat anyone but a tool thats got a very explicit powerset that actually is on the same level as his other gadgets.
Thank you for giving a well balanced critique of the episode. Overall I am optimistic. I think it shows that Russel can still create characters that are interesting and we care about, and he is not afraid to experiment and try new things. I have had a Doctor Who musical since Big Finish did the one with Bill Odie and Colin Baker……
I've never been a fan of the Christmas specials - especially as an introduction to a new doctor and/or companion. I'd rather just have one or two more regular episodes. This one was okay aside from the (very silly) goblins. But the chemistry is fantastic! Russell Davies has always been stronger on characters than plot (IMO). Nice review!
I think the gloves were introduced to fix a potential problem later in the episode, when The Doctor catches Ruby as she falls from the ship she would have been injured under normal circumstances. It's a good moment both visually and dramatically and I think the writers decided that setting up a weight-distributing gadget earlier on was enough of a fun thing and would also allow them to keep in the final big rescue
The song and dance with the goblins....feels like a jumping the shark moment.
I enjoyed this episode a lot and like in all realness I have had one of the worst Christmases ever. I was working Xmas day and also while most people get chocolate or booze or pyjamas or fuzzy socks for Christmas, the big man in the red suit gave me a throat infection so this episodes really cheered me up and gave me a boost.
100% agree. That us not a sonic screwdriver. That is a button pad with lights and sounds *batteries not included. On sale now for 9.99
50.99*
I enjoyed it. It has left me feeling optimistic for the future of the series. Just a few comments though:
They missed a golden opportunity to actually kill Davina McCall,
The gloves were introduced simply to use the word "mavity" again,
Obviously the Doctor couldn't find out who Ruby's mother was because it would affect her whole timeline and we'd only just seen what her absence from her adoptive family would do.
Mrs Flood is Ruby's real mother and not necessarily human.
Those are my thoughts. It left me feeling good.
In fairness the new Sonic Screwdriver reminds more of a futuristic Swissarmy knife. Don’t know why
This episode sadly suffers from being a bridge episode between the specials and the fresh start of s14.
I am of the opinion that kids don't need soft reboots to understand. I remember watching JP in Planet of Spiders as my first DW memory aged 6. What followed thereafter was just me enjoying and being working it out as I grew up and explored the show via DW weekly from issue 1.
I have only just rewatched PoS on the Whoniverse since I was 6 and I remembered more than I thought.
I hate the new "sonic", looks pretty dated, like something that came from 2005
I’m sorry but I think the song works. The goblins are singing for their king and the doctor decides to sing to distract the goblins while the master rope unknots
I like musical theater and TLOTR/the Hobbit, so the goblin song was right up my alley
FINALLY! someone else that saw them pulling a red dwarf
Gatwa was exquisite off the bat, already feels very much like the Doctor
I just want to say a quick thank you for being pretty much the only not toxic reviewer of doctor who on youtube
check out Jessie Gender after Dark then
@jasonkennedy9143 the reactors are mostly good, but most reviewers fall into the "alt right good, progress and diversity bad" barrel
What I disliked most about this episode (or better the companion) was her being sassy or witty but not very active. She's up there on the roof, and the goblin hisses at her... and what does she do? Sass the goblin instead of going after the baby. I mean... they were tying the basket up and she just stood there being sassy and in the last moment she realised she should take the baby from them... 🤷♀️
I’m so glad I’m not the only one my one who hated the musical number/singing…. I thought I was going crazy! Apart from that I loved the episode
i feel like the 15th doctor has kinda been set up to fail in a way
hes been introduced at the tail end of a series of specials starring david tennant again, and was kinda set up as a "secondary doctor" for him, so its kinda hard to get attached when compared to the single most popular doctor on the planet
plus hes been given the objective worst sonic screwdriver, and has had by far the most controversial introduction as a character, not just for how ncuti looks (which isnt really a factor for most people but you know there are at least a few) but also because the way he was integrated into the story as this big event that very harshly divided fans
on top of that, the rebranding for this to be "season one" has harshly divided fans and has been generally deemed to be somewhat unnecessary kinda divides him from the rest of the cast and makes it seem like disney want this to be "their doctor", rather than holding to the legacy set by all the other doctors
(plus the numbering mess caused by the whole timeless child thing and also the bigeneration meaning that two doctors exist at once so they're both the 14th doctor??????)
Shouting down Rubys ‘mother’ would’ve been a very odd choice…
Agreed. If she'd have second guessed her plans to abandon her baby, it would have changed the future. That's not something he can just do without Ruby's permission. And he literally just saw how it affected her adopted mother to have her gone.
I didn’t mind the gloves initially, when they were just transferring mass into the glove, but I didn’t like the fact that suddenly they could make you heavier, since that contradicted the initial premise from ten minutes earlier, that they don’t change mass, just transferred it.
I didn't mind the gloves. Why wouldn't the Doctor have a one off gadget? It's like the machines that go ding.
I'm also not a fan of the sonic "screwdriver". I'm all for the Doctor having different sonic utilities, like the sonic sunglasses, but this is more of a sonic remote or sonic controller and IMO should be referred to as such.
One thing I noticed from the trailers which is just a tad jarring is the Doctor continously changing his look based on the time period. While I'd have no issue with companions doing that, having the Doctor deviate from their signature looks (or clothing in a similar style to it) is unfortunate.
My biggest fear coming out of this episode is that they're going to pull a Rose with Ruby, where Rose only went with the Doctor after she found out he could travel in time as well as space and wanted to go see Pete and meet/save him, I dread that Ruby only decided to run to the Doctor when she deduced he can travel in time and wants to meet her parent(s).
Same worry here.
i'm also worried that that's why ruby went with him - because we saw in the episode that she only joined him after making that connection - but rose herself said that her saving her dad was a spur-of-the-moment decision with no planning. still a bad decision, but not pre-planned.
i am worried that ruby's planning something like that though.
I love how we know episode 1 will go through the whole welcome speech and first travel but we kind of now itll be fresh
As much as I like your reviews, I'm going to heavily disagree with your take on the gloves.
These feel for me like a return to older, wiser and high brain-powered doctors who used their ingenuity to answer problems with their minds, not a sonic screwdriver. It reminds me of the 12th Doctor making up gadgets on the fly, as opposed to other doctors who might have used the Sonic screwdriver as an all-purpose gadget.
I would love it if RTD would commit to that aspect for the 15th Doctor, who sounds already promising.
Absolutely agreed on the Goblin Song. I don't mind a music number as long as it fits in the plot and doesn't feel forced. The Master or toymaker doing this sort of thing just to taunt the doctor makes perfect sense but the doctor and ruby just casually playing along like it's a game doesn't work. Also, the vocals of the song, while great, really don't sound like they're coming from the goblins at all? I'd have expected raspy, strange voices like during the abduction scene where one of them says "happy birthday" over the babyphone.
Glad I'm not the only one not into the Goblin Song. My wife and I were seriously cringing the whole time (she even wanted to just fast forward through it, but we watched it all since we were worried we might miss an important plot point. But we didn't. We should've just skipped the song).
I through the song was catchy, agreed with the voices not sounding like they came from the Goblins tho. Also I think The Doctor singing fit really well because he was using the song as a distraction to create an escape route which is a very Doctor thing to do
My household thought the episode was amazing. Great new dr. Great new companion. Simple story that was easy to grasp but quick to surprise. No complaints from us!
Weird that the goblin ship disappears and ruby conveniently falls into the doctor's arms
Very much...a coincidence.
@@chazo1367 holy shit
*Honest Thoughts:* Doctor Who has finally returned...
To do such a controversial move (both fanbase wise with adding fantasy and politics wise with the antisemetic origins of goblins) of including goblins in the show and then have then barely doing anything with them except from a musical number is such a wierd choice.
I really liked the gloves and I'll tell you why... Unlike most of the things that they do on Doctor Who that appear to be cash grabs for toys, they look like mittens that any kid would wear. So the first thing I thought when I saw them was that there's going to be a bunch of kids outside playing like they're Doctor Who, wearing their mittens. Because it's such a simple "toy" that they all already have. I thought it was kind of a gift to parents from RTD. (My kids are grown now. But it's funny how you think like this anyway, even though they're over 20.)
And I hope they were doing that- And I hope the kids who never saw representation of people that look like them before were doing it with excitement that *they* felt like they were part of Doctor Who now, too.
Edit: speech to text is not always very accurate. Cleaned up my text.
Yeah, RTD said that this is the exact reason he went with simple woollen gloves. Originally, he was going to have something much more sci fi
@@ThetaSigma-vu1sk Also the reason Capaldi got the Sonic Sunglasses and less expensive looking outfit stuff like the hoodie, it's all cheaper and poorer kids can easily dress as him without needing to get a suit made for them or paying money for a Sonic Screwdriver toy when a pair of black sunglasses are like £2 or £3.
I felt the pacing was a bit off, but overall it was okay if not good. My issue so far is that we never really got a Ncuti focused post regeneration episode. Giggle was still a Tenant focused episode and Church on Ruby Road was more focused on introducing Ruby. I love Ncuti's portrayal and just wanted to see him transition into confidently being in the role. That's to say I'm still salty Jodie didn't just regenerate to him and he wasn't the Doctor for all of the 60th Anniversary (either him or Jodie should have lead the 60th with better writing; not a Tenant nostalgia bait). My other issue is just my concern with RTD being back in general. This episode felt a LOT like the series one opener Rose and Ruby feels a lot like Rose. It's too early to tell, but I just worry about Ncuti's era feeling like a tiresome repeat. Aside from Giggle, the specials left a lot to be desired. I'm just worried (possibly overly) because Ncuti is the most excited I've ever been for a new Doctor (Peter Capaldi is still my favorite, but he grew on me; Ncuti immediately stole my heart and I really want him to become my second favorite at least).
i think its notable that ruby is much more fun and bubbly, where as rose and much of the og rtd era was gritty.
ruby seems more...idk fun? less serious.
and less of an asshole if im honest
@@Gemma-Majoranthis is a good point, rose was introduced as a normal person who was trapped in a dull life, her first scene is getting up at 7am and groaning she has to go to work, then a panning shot of London showing she's one face out of a million.
Her story early on was breaking out of that with 9 and exploring, leading to conflict with mickey, her jealousy of Sarah Jane, etc. Ruby feels much happier with her life, and I think that framing helps distinguish her a lot from rose
They were never going to "give" Jodie the 60th anniversary with RTD in charge, god knows he wanted a complete break from the absolute mess of the Chibnall era.
@@TPH250290 not sure I agree with that given he's chose to reference both the Flux and Timeless child with the episodes he's wrote so far, he seems like he's trying to do what chibnall didn't and have his plotlines actually... affect the doctor
For me pacing was off, because episode should be normal lenght instead of special lenght.
I hated "10th is 14th Doctor" before specials, but had some hope in this, which was uterelly destroyed by specials themselvs (for me the 2 of 3 episodes felt more like fanfic than real stories).
And I also agree that it was more "meet the Ruby" instead of "meet the Doctor" episode.
I think thats the makn problem with this Doctor, he has no more baggage. No more trauma, no more issues to fix. Technically hes a complete character. There's not much to be done to develop him anymore.
Its like later series of sitcoms where the developed characters become either boring or parodies of their former selves, because the negative traits that gave us laughs are all gone.
Same goes for Ruby, genuinely, she seems like a pretty stable character. Despite being a foundling, she has a loving supporting family, a secure and fun friend group, hobbies she enjoys, even after getting the phone call from Davina she doesn't really care too long about hwr parents not being found because she is well loved and cared for. She has everything she wants, so why does she go travel with the Doctor. What are her motives, what does the character want, and what does the character need.
Maybe we'll focus on more sci-fi techy stuff and be done with the soap drama .
I'm glad whichever direction it takes
RTD confirmed a while ago that the Doctor having no baggage won't last long. He's going about it differently. With the 9th Doctor, we had the aftermath of his trauma and watched him get better. I think with the 15th Doctor, we're going to witness the trauma happening to him.
If we’re taking a step towards fantasy, does that mean tha the Genie 4th doctor scarf could make its live action debut/return
i really loved this episode, it feels exciting and fresh, ncuti and millie give off an amazing and captivating energy that i havent felt from who in a very long time
I think the gloves are cool, and the Doctor is already a super hero. He can't be killed, and he destroys the most powerful aliens and monsters in the Universe.
The gloves are rlly cool that’s like criticising the physic paper or sonic screwdriver when they were first invented.
I agree with harbo it was a mixed bag
personally, it’s my first Dr. Who experience and it’s pretty good
For me it was a normal doctor who Christmas special…not amazing but decent like most of the others. My biggest gripe is surprisingly the music which isn’t bad but it was just way too loud in some places and I couldn’t hear the dialogue, the dialogue also felt abit wierd I can’t put my finger on it but yh, that’s it really.
[Edit]
I think the problem with the dialogue was the way Ruby barely seemed to be startled by the goblins and all of the crazy stuff that was happening and on top of that the way her family barely seemed fazed by the doctors presence. There were moments where it just didn’t feel natural.
i think it’s unlikely the gloves will be used more than just this episode to be honest.
So the Doctor is a guy in a leather jacket, with a female companion who is dyed blonde with black eyebrows?
Well, I'm glad Davies is keeping things original...
About 20-22 years ago, I read a dissection of a script that had a similar scene to the framing device used here. The author of the article described the devuce of having a character being interviewed as a worn out and hackneyed way of delivering exposition. It had, even back then, become the ultimate violation of the "show don't tell" rule of scriptwriting.
I think there is something missing from the 15th Doctor. I don't think we have seen this version get angry, I know we need to wait for the next series, but time will tell.
Yeah I’m worried that now that they’ve gotten rid of his grief and trauma that he won’t have the opportunity to really show off the darker side of the Doctor that a lot of us have become accustomed to.