Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution Review - 6 Ups & 5 Downs

It’s time to talk about that final act, because, as we’ve come to expect, that’s where this episode starts to buckle.

Am I thankful that this episode pivoted from the ‘Generative AI’ villain that was teased with all the subtlety of a Slitheen in a packed elevator? Yes. Though that doesn’t make the lazy attempt at commentary any better.

Instead, we get to talk about Russell’s take on incel culture. It’s (rightfully) a hot topic right now, with this airing so shortly after Netflix’s ‘Adolescence’, which is a phenomenal piece of not just television, but education. Naturally, Doctor Who was never going to be able to explore the depths of this theme to the same extent, but even so, this felt weak.

Incel culture is bad. This is the generally accepted stance, but I do feel that the show could have gone beyond this baseline just a little more. Instead of having Alan be turned into a power crazed lunatic because he played a video game, show us glimpses of the culture that led him down this path, and the dangers of it. There was enough screen time here to do something a little braver, and a little punchier, than what we got. This man wrote Turn Left, I know he can do better. It felt to me like this was written someone who didn’t have a great understanding of the pipeline to this sort of harmful thinking. A missed opportunity, on the whole, to hit an audience who are most at risk of this type of radicalisation.

On a lighter note, and speaking of doing better, we know Russell loves a bit of sub-par wordplay and I have to say “It’s not AI, it’s Al” might just be his worst yet. I wholeheartedly believe that RTD once misread the phrase Generative AI and built this entire episode around it. Viewers of this show have an above average tolerance for utter cheese, but this is a fromage too far.

At least Alan got the most out-of-pocket and grim character ending since Ursula turned into a paving slab.

“Polish, polish.”