Doctor Who: The Robot Revolution Review - 6 Ups & 5 Downs
A much less rocky start for Fifteen’s second run, in spite of the cliches we’ve come to expect…
We are back on screens! Doctor Who season two is now officially underway, though with seemingly little promotional fanfare this time around. The Robot Revolution is premiering to a rather bleak backdrop of rumours regarding the show’s future, with the next series yet to be greenlit and murmurings of Gatwa’s departure. This press has sadly overshadowed what little promo work was mustered to promote the second series, which, on the whole, is looking great from the trailers alone.
Does this episode help put these rumours to bed and reassure us that the ship is being steered away from the meteor shower? Not quite. Is it a vast improvement on last year's make-or-break opener, Space Babies? Thankfully, yes. Massively so.
In fact, in terms of RTD’s series openers in general, this definitely comes out relatively near the top. I could make a comment about that not being much of an achievement, but frankly, I’m just glad this series hasn’t kicked off with a total dud at time where it is under a lot of scrutiny. We, as a fanbase, are in need of a win right now, and this will do just fine.
As ever, we will dissect this episode using the tried and tested medium of breaking up our thoughts into ‘schwups’ and downs. In this climate of negativity sorrounding the show, let’s begin on a massive UP!
11. UP - Miss Belinda Chandra (Does It Have To Say Miss?)
I would like to start with what I believe is the biggest positive of this opener by some margin: Varada Sethu’s performance as Belinda Chandra.
Straight out of the gate, I’m a big fan of this character and, with no slight on Mille Gibson intended, I found myself warming to her a lot quicker than I did to Ruby. Belinda, with her NHS job and her house share complete with troublesome landlord and bickering roommates, feels relatable and real in a way most characters did not in the last series. This was something that was always one of RTD’s strengths in his first era and I’m glad to see is a skill that remains in his wheelhouse. I also think a big part of this is owing to Chandra’s performance too, helping to sell both her competence and her ‘so over this’ attitude.
My favourite scene in this whole episode was the brief moment where Fifteen hits Belinda with the technobabble and exposition and Belinda is not into it, caring far more about the fact that he was at her house, uninvited. “Am I six?” as a response to the phrase “Timey-wimey” was the line of the week for me. Great to see that Sethu has some solid comedic chops to match Gatwa.
I also enjoyed the scenes in which Belinda got to flex her skills as a nurse, and show off the skills she will bring to the TARDIS, as well as her natural fascination with the internal biology of both the MissBelindaChandrakind and The Doctor (also, the X-Ray blanket was neat). Speaking of the latter, it was a lot easier to buy into the chemistry between the Doctor and his companion this time too, and I’m very excited to see how these two play off each other as, presumably, their friendship starts to blossom.
I can’t move on before acknowledging that The Doctor instantly referring to Belinda as ‘Bel’ feeds unwelcome credence to a certain circulating theory regarding a couple of adventures from Flux, an as yet unborn child, and a RTD-style mash-up name. Please, please don’t do this, RTD. Let her be her own character.