With One Line, Doctor Who Hits Back Against Season 15’s Online Leaks

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 2, “Lux.”Doctor Who season 15, episode 2, “Lux,” continues the self-referential nature of Ncuti Gatwa’s time as the Fifteenth Doctor, and it does so during a scene that has already had its fourth wall well and truly shattered. The Doctor Who season 15 cast gains some interesting new cast members for one very interesting sequence in “Lux,” and it allows the show (and the Doctor) to essentially communicate with the show’s following. During this exchange, one of the trio of meta characters utters a line that acknowledges the spoilers that have leaked online.

The scene with the fans in “Lux” is a mind-bending experience. In an episode where the main villain is a new member of Doctor Who‘s Pantheon in the form of a cartoon character, it’s surprising that season 15’s second installment managed to get any trippier at all. While Alan Cumming’s Mr. Ring-a-Ding/Lux Imperator is a fascinating aspect of the episode, the Doctor Who fans who meet the Time Lord and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) quietly steal the show with how unusual their presence is.

Robyn directly admits to having read “Lux” spoilers

Doctor Who isn’t immune to spoilers appearing online before the episodes have aired. In fact, the show often makes a habit of announcing certain twists in advance, such as who will play the next Doctor while another actor is still in the role. However, many of the bigger storylines remain closely guarded until the time is right. Unfortunately, the surprise factor for Doctor Who season 15 has been compromised for those who know where to look, and showrunner Russell T. Davies references those leaks in “Lux.”

“I knew this would happen because it leaked online. #RIPDOCTORWHO.”

– Robyn in Doctor Who season 15, episode 2, “Lux.”

When the Doctor and Belinda emerge from the TV, Lizzie and Hassan are overwhelmed by their presence, after only ever knowing them as fictional characters. Robyn, on the other hand, isn’t surprised. Instead, she simply says she knew it was going to happen because of online leaks. I saw a few of these leaks by accident, but I didn’t know or trust how accurate they were, nor did I see anything about this weird scene in “Lux.” Maybe the information was available somewhere, but I think, here, Davies is essentially saying: “You didn’t know this was coming though, did you?”

It Feels Like Doctor Who Wants You To Be More Like Lizzie & Hassan

Robyn’s friends get to witness the big “Lux” twist as it was intended

As smug and negative as Lizzie behaves, she’s still a Doctor Who fan. However, she robbed herself of the joy of a left turn that would have been impossible to predict. Inversely, Lizzie and Hassan just seem thrilled to be along for the ride. As such, the show is quietly guiding viewers to engage with the show like them, not like Robyn. For those who haven’t connected with Doctor Who as much lately, it may be tempting to seek out spoilers to see what’s to come, but doing so only ruins any possibility of being caught off-guard.

Doctor Who

5/10

Release Date

December 25, 2023

Directors

Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie

Writers

Russell T. Davies, Dave Gibbons, Kate Herron, Steven Moffat

Franchise(s)

Doctor Who