I’m So Excited That One Of My Favorite Sci-Fi Shows Is Back To Delivering Exciting Stories Again
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Doctor Who Season 15, Episode 2 Doctor Who
is back with a considerable step-up in fun and storytelling from Ncuti Gatwa’s premiere season. As the season gets underway, and the audience becomes more familiar with the Doctor’s new companion, “Lux” delivers a wonderful, complex story that provides fun, fear, and fantastic intrigue. And by far, the best part of this season is the relationship being formed between the Doctor (Gatwa) and the nurse (Varada Sethu).
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Doctor Who season 15 kicks off with a lackluster episode but promises better things to come as it establishes a new Doctor/companion dynamic.
“Lux” sees the Doctor and Belinda forced to go back in time after the pair failed to return to 2025. When they land in 1952, the pair stumble upon a terrible tragedy where a local picture house has been a source of trouble. The Doctor, unable to leave a mystery unsolved, inserts himself into the situation and quickly finds himself in deeper than he initially expected. The episode is fun, colorful, and introduces a terrifying cartoon character known as Mr Ring-a-Ding.
Doctor Who Season 15 Is Starting Strong
With Belinda introduced in the first episode, episode 2 shifts the focus to looking at the major building blocks of the season. Characters and moments tie together in such a way that it’s clear this is part of a bigger story. Compared directly with the first two episodes of the previous season, this season is much stronger, more coherent, and more fun overall. Gatwa is embracing the role and presenting more of his own unique identity as the Doctor, and as much as Ruby Sunday was a fun sidekick, her story fell off quickly. Belinda may be fresh in the TARDIS, but she is already making big waves.
The result is a cohesive, show-stopping, and thoroughly satisfying outing.
The episode highlights some interesting and awkward situations for the Doctor and Belinda, and the show navigates difficult topics with grace and extraordinary skill. Rather than hijack the episode, or feel like these details are being ignored, showrunner Russell T Davies has done an incredible job balancing its weight against that of the narrative in his writing for Doctor Who’s “Lux.” The result is a cohesive, show-stopping, and thoroughly satisfying outing.
The show also experiments with mediums, as teased in the Doctor Who episode’s trailer, with animation playing an important part of the episode. On top of the exploration of mediums, the episode has a stand-out moment that sees the Doctor step into a setting that he has never been privy to before, which is handled with elegance and fun. The humor, intensity, and intrigue are all in full effect throughout.
Doctor Who’s Stories Are Beginning To Feel A Little Too Big On The Inside
With Disney contributing to the budget for Doctor Who, ambitions are soaring for what each episode can do. This has led to incredible animation, special effects, and calling on more specialized talent. However, what is starting to shine through in the minor cracks is the fact that the 45-minute format is becoming increasingly suffocating for the series. While the story is satisfying, the acting is wonderful, and the elements come together in beautiful harmony, there is a sense that the story is rushing through the beats.
The Doctor shines bright, and his companion, Belinda, steps further into the spotlight.
In both episodes 1 and 2, season 15 has had strong narrative arcs, but some moments have not had the space to breathe. The episode finds quieter moments to make space for the epic sci-fi adventures, but too often, there are moments that are pivotal, occurring in a 10-second scene, with the following scene showing the resulting fallout. This is not necessarily a flaw or fault of the show, but the restrictions are certainly proving to be more of a nuisance with the larger budget and storytelling potential.
That said, the progress and trajectory of the series after the latest reboot is promising. “Lux” delivers an instantly classic outing with a terrifying villain and a meaningful story. The Doctor shines bright, and his companion, Belinda, steps further into the spotlight. Meanwhile, the rest of the season appears to have the stakes raised even further. Doctor Who is on the right track, and “Lux” goes a long way in making the show feel familiar and magical once again.
Doctor Who season 15 continues with new episodes on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer each Saturday.
