"The moment we cast Ncuti, everyone said to me: oh, my God, what's it going to be like when he goes into the past? Because a black Doctor's going to face such racism. You sit there going, what about now? Why do you think racism's only in the past, when you look at what's happening in the world?" -- Russell T Davies, talking about this episode
The problem with Davies' line of thinking is that racism on the level he thinks it exists TRULY only exists in the past. The vast majority of people aren't racist anymore; it's a very loud minority on both sides of the aisle that are, and even they will get bred out of the gene pool soon enough.
@@BrysonSirbaugh Yep. Caught me completely off-guard. And then I sat there and examined WHY it caught me off-guard. How I managed to miss all the warning signs - because there were warning signs. It made me stop and think. Which is exactly what he wanted to accomplish. Honestly, I think it's genius - it shoves one issue straight into your face (social media bad) and completely distracts you from the other, more important one. Just like how Lindy's social media distracts her from the horrors happening around her.
Ricky being so Doctor-coded but white is definitely intentional. Lindy happily accepted his help when she was downright offensive to Doc from the very beginning. There are so many micro-aggressions in basically every scene (micro in a loose sense of the word, at this point). I was stunned by all of the ending, but the only part that surprised me was hearing the man with the long hair use such strong colonizer language about their trip to the outside
Also, i´ve seen a lot of people who are saying we shouldn´t be sad for Ricky bc he was probably a racist too. But that´s part of the tragedy, we never got to find out. The fact that there exists a possibility that even the best of us could have some form of prejudice is chilling, and also sad.
@@colemacgrath2005the closest he got to racism the whole time was just saying "you don't have to tell me what a pulse code is", which... is a stretch to call a microaggression. So as far as we know, not racist 👍
@@littleredrurithey were all white in "dot and bubble" social midia and she said they could not travel with the doctor, not the doctor AND Ruby. the problem was the doctor being there
A secondary theme: these bubble kids were all spouting off about supporting each other and positive vibes, but as soon as things went bad we’re willing to throw each other under the bus to get ahead. Even the pioneer guys first thought was to be leader, seeking power in the group dynamic. They have no skills, no group identity, no sense of community. I’d be surprised if they lasted a month in the wilderness.
No sir - Brewster Cavendish. He's been surviving on his own merits since 'C'. He will make a good brutal tribal chief. They can survive, but their lives will not be pleasant or comfortable.
@@Kryojenix Brewster seems to be a bit older than the brats, its possible that he is one of the workers maintaining finetime bubble, but that could also mean the list is grouped, like "Citizens" "Workers" "Police", the AI did got rid of the police first it seems, there is no way the entire police corps's names starts with A. Maybe the workers are last to make sure that the AI was still running until the last human. And brewster being there may mean he saved himself without warning others.
I like the choice of Ruby being the first one to realise what was going on over the Doctor. She is from our world and she has black family members. The Doctor until now has mostly been a white presenting men and he has had poc companions before. The Doctor is a time lorde so he sees himself as above it all to the point that he can come off as apathetic towards some of the characters struggles more specifically when they are in a historical period and their companion is poc. Ofcourse during the Capaldi Era(12th Doctor) where we get the famous The Doctor punches a racist scene in defense of Bill(Black women) and i always took it as the doctor realising the way he had dealt with it in the past wasnt exactly the best. This is the first time the doctor has dealt with it personally and i also love them doing it in a futuristic setting rather then a historical one(which still can happen in the future)
That's part of the beauty and tragedy of the moment. This is the moment the Doctor realizes the white privilege he's had for thousands of years is gone. Race is such an inconsequential thing to Time Lords, but this is the first time in his memory that the appearance of one of his incarnations is a hindrance to him saving the day. It's my head cannon that at some point, he goes to his previous black companions and apologizes for not truly understanding the risk he was taking by putting them in the racist environments that he did.
@@soundgal_sine_qua_non The 13th Doctor dealt with sexism, but she still managed to save the day despite side characters deeming her as inferior and calling her a witch
I like all the hints in the episode that make the ending reveal natural. The Doctor is still willing to save them even in the face of prejudice, he is the bigger person, but ultimately he cannot convince them. It is one of those episodes where the Doctor and their companion cannot save what has happened in this society: Everyone Dies.
Reminds me of the "voyage of the damned" episode, where 10 had an interaction with one of the people he saved told him something along the lines of: "if you can control who lives or who dies, thar makes you a monster". Id like to think thats one of the reasons why he goes on and save people even if they didnt want the Doctor's help
@r00ni37 I feel like this was a bigger blow for the Doctor, considering they had companions of colour (Martha, Bill, Yaz, Ryan) and they all got treated like shit in the history episodes (Human Nature, Rosa, Thin Ice) and the Doctors at the time didn't really care too much (apart from Capaldi, who sucker punched a racist), and now for the first time in maybe a million years he has a different skin colour. The Doctor must've been thinking: so this is what it feels.....
@@MatthewCYN15 that's a good point! This is like a new perspective for the Doctor. Also, one of the Doctor's main "weapon" is his charisma, being able to talk and convince others. This episode literally took that away from him, and we saw how frustrated and distraught he was.
It's so incredible that it clearly takes The Doctor longer than Ruby to realize EXACTLY what's happening, because he's never really faced Racism before, he's so used to simply jumping into any situation and as he said to Martha so many years ago "Walking around like you own the place"
Also because Ruby has black family members - so she would absolutely have experienced microaggressions before. She would've seen her mother and grandmother deal with them, would've heard stories from her grandmother about far WORSE racism. The Doctor, by comparison, has always seemed a little blind to what poc experience - like how Martha develops a lot of resentment about Ten stranding them both in a period of history where she's a glorified slave, potentially forever, and he doesn't seem to ever realise why that was a horrible decision.
What I find super interesting about this episode is that, for the first time I can recall in the history of Doctor Who, it revolves around a character with few, if any, redeeming qualities. Protagonists in this show tend to be presented as clever and compassionate, but not this one. However, because this is the character we're following, and she's in immediate danger we kind of put that to the side to see just how things unfold. How many times have we watched a show or movie where a flawed, maybe even pathetic character, has an arc that turns them into a hero? But right about the time it feels like there is going to be a moment of character growth, or at the very least she will be cemented as a sympathetic character... Bam! She betrays someone she idolizes just to save her own skin then basically shrugs it off. Follow that up with weirdly ignoring the Doctor and Ruby, as we get the scene to dispel any doubt that this character we've been presented with is, to use the parlance of our time, _just_ _the_ _worst._
Indeed, simply calling them "racist" is going very light on them. Lindy mentioned that it was the Doctor's "duty" to save her, and that the Doctor would be "punished" for his insolence. She mentions that screen-to-screen contact is barely acceptable, but face-to-face is completely unacceptable. So, think about it, they have rules about this. So there were black people on the home world. And that last rule is, if you think about it, the definition of segregation / Apartheid - blacks sit at the back of the bus, whites at the front and never the twain shall meet. Face-to-face contact is unacceptable. Lindy says that "of course" it was the Doctor's "duty" to save and protect her, and when black people disobey the rules, they get "punished". Work it out. They've not just racists. They are SLAVE MASTERS. Slavery was clearly still actively going on, back on the home world. Racial slavery is not abolished on this world. From Lindy's words, there is segregation - no physical interaction or mixing - and black people are made to "serve" white people - and they get punished if they don't. In fact, they're basically Nazis. Because, after the ending, everyone's gone back and noticed there were no white people. But, like, who else wasn't there? Did you see any gay or trans people? Did you see any disabled people? (And, remember, the episode is written by RTD, who is a gay man. There's no way that "he just forgot" to put any diversity into the casting. It's not there, because these people don't allow it.) It's not spelt out, but the clues are all there. These people are slave-owning neo-Nazis. Also, it's referred to as "Space Love Island" more than once. Everyone there is 18 to 27 years of age. They only have 2 hours work, then the rest is "play". "Finetime" is a breeding farm for the richest - the most elite and Aryan - of their race. To cultivate the "pure breeds". They're not just racists. They're so much worse than just that.
I loved this episode, the bigotry aspect was chilling to me as I wasn't expecting it, but thinking back it seems obvious. All the little things that add up, the instant swiping and look of disgust at seeing the Doctor, saying she didn't realise he was the same guy when he popped up again later etc. Bigotry has always come up in question when the Doctor has taken companions who are from minority/marginalised groups to the past in areas where it was a lot more common (still an issue now but we've progressed somewhat). For example, Martha experienced racism with the Human Nature/Family of Blood story. It's good that they have shown it occasionally as it's an important issue to address but obviously it wouldn't be a pleasant experience to watch characters go through bigotry every episode, so I think that's a good way to do it despite it not being as frequent as it would be in real life, but it is great to have a whole episode about it like this one. They've even addressed how times have changed since the show was created when the 1st Doctor talked with the 12th and the 1st said misogynistic things in front of him. It was so sad to see the Doctor reacting to Lindy and her friends rejecting his help just because he's black. Ncuti nailed the Doctor's essence as a character so well, he went through such a range of emotions. The bemusement, the frustration, the hopelessness. The anger at how they let their stupid prejudices essentially kill them. And Ruby's reaction too, it was a brilliant episode
The delusion that it IS frequent in real life is just that, a delusion. Maybe fifty years ago it'd be widespread, sure, but the vast majority of people have been non- or anti-racist since at LEAST the 90s. It's just a loud minority of people who are racist at this point, and they'll be bred out of the gene pool soon enough.
That first sentence really struck me. Because yeah, it felt like it came out of nowhere. But it didn't. And that really made me sit down and think about MY white privilege. Because I brushed off every single microaggression. I didn't even notice. It was right in front of me, and I didn't see it. Makes me wonder what else I miss.
The scream that ncuti let out broke my heart. As a white person I will never really understand this pain in the same way, but as a queer person the "don't interact, you might get contaminated" kind of rejection is something I relate to. But this episode also made me aware of my own "bubble" so to speak, because when watching it with my sister and parents, it was very unexpected to hear that my parents didn't really notice that this episode was about racism until I explained it. They didn't even notice that Finetime was exclusively white people, and they explained the ending thinking it was because the Doctor was a stranger. I think I will be talking about this episode a lot for the upcoming days...
Same! It's going to stick with me for a while. The other I've seen is people saying they wanted to see some outright some consequences for the Finetime crew because of how irredeemable they were, but I actually like that the ending was quite banal in a way. We can almost guarantee they won't make it because they're hopeless but they believe being rich and white means they'll always make it. There were no real consequence for being a terrible person, but unfortunately that's what we see in real life all the time - the confidence and the lack of consequence. Good people can live or die and people full of prejudices can live or die. It's been wild watching RUclips reviews for this episode because everyone who I've seen give it a negative review or say it was a weak episode are for the most part the cis straight white male fans and honestly i think that speaks to the heart of the episode in a lot of ways. They miss all of the micro aggressions in the lead up and feel like the ending was a huge twist. What happened with Ricky was the twist for me (not altogether unexpected given how vapid she was, but how callous she was revealed to be was a twist) but the racist reveal was more like ah yep so I wasn't reading more into the situation than was there - it was all always there right from him being marked as a threat and Ruby wasn't despite dialing in the same way/ from the same place. So watching this reactions has felt real for the way some people just can't see microagressions and systematic racism in real life. For the people who have faced micro aggressions themselves (both lgbt and poc) who I've seen react or review don't seem nearly as shocked by the reveal.
@@dogblessamerica I feel like it might also be him realizing for the first time that this could continue to be a problem in certain timezones/worlds. We haven't seen him go into the past beyond the 60's this regeneration - Imagine any of the tennant or capaldi victorian era episodes, but with the added layer of racism to deal with.
I think part of why RTD can write a script like this is both his empathy and understand of real world race issues, and his own personal experiences with discrimination as a particularly openly queer man, too
Thank you! This was a really unusual episode, I thought it was great. The Finetime people being so invested in their own prejudice that they'd rather risk their own lives than look outside it was so realistic, sadly.
I like to think the slugs are an allegory for the working class. Where if the working class begins to do the bare minimum, the aristocracy cannot benefit from their labour and are thus 'consumed'.
Let's petition RTD to make an mini episode that lets us see Lindy and the rest of the future Hitler youths get eating by the slugs ( who i now see as cute and cuddly by comparison.)
Let’s not! He’s ruined Doctor who, let’s not him the idea to write the spin off of a horrible chapter… it’s like asking him to write a spin off of Love and Monsters…
@@murky1608 yes, crazy how in a war zone a land mine would be a big issue. In Dot and bubble the main danger isn’t stepping on things it’s about people being eaten because they intentionally blind themselves to the obvious (like racists do) 73 yards starts with the doctor walking into something but Ruby spends the rest of the episode doing something on her own
You've very quickly become my favorite channel reacting to Doctor Who. I saw your community post saying this video would be up soon and gasped, I was super excited to see your reaction. This was a rollercoaster of an episode and the performances were soldi throughout. This season has been an absolute blast and I'm very glad it's got a big audience of people.
One thing to note is that the finale scene was Ncuti's first shot for this series. His first time in front of the camera as lead of the series, and he nailed it!
Humans are smart and adaptable… but these kids have no sense of community. No idea of sacrifice for the whole. If they could work together maybe they could survive, but they’ll all be trampling over each other. A week… two… at most.
this was an insanely well-done episode, with so many hints as to what the “actual” issue was going to be, using the “social media bad” idea as a red herring. the ending made me tear up. i think it was also smart to make almost all of the characters look so openly lgbt, as 1. the lgbt diversity helped to distract almost from the lack of racial diversity, and 2. it is saying: just because you are queer, that does not exempt you from being racist. i think it was really well made :)
Sir, it was racism. That was the dark turn, she blocked the doctor and when he came back thought it was someone else because she thought we all looked alike.
How do you know this wasn’t a racially diverse group? Maybe the different races on this planet are all white, although easily distinguished by each other. But to an Earthling or a Gallifreyan they all look alike.
Their imminent deaths do little to cushion the blow, and an amazing reveal so subtly done most don't realize it's primarily racial rather than financial, white Ruby is listened to and accepted during the ep but not the Doctor.
The writing on this one was so damn good. Been a fan of this show since I was a kid in the 1980's & this may be the first time where by the end I was full on cheering for the flesh eating monsters. While the Space Babies episode wasn't to my taste this season is 100% showing the full range of what this show can be. Glad your sharing your first time experiences with us sir!
Also a fan since the 1980's, and I fully agree. Only felled sad for Ricky, wished they at least could save him as he seemed 'save-able' but I also liked the hard ending,.. as this is life. This season is so enjoyable for me to watch.
I love all the give aways of the twist in this episode too. The talk about how the don't let "just anyone" in the city. Sure, she mentioned it was the rich but you never see a single non-white person on a screen, not a ONE. She even says "I thought I blocked you, I mean you all look the same" or later "he'll be punished and I'm so looking forward to it" - the sad part is, I'm willing to bet Ricky wouldn't have had any of that had he survived.
It was implied that there are dangerous animals outside the city. I'm surprised all of them managed to get into the boat without at least one of them drowning. They're going to start dying fast.
the thing is, there might have been some like Ricky, who might, might still have been worth saving. I think it's no coincidence that they had Ricky talk about turning off the bubble and experiencing life outside of it. (even if it made him a bit of an outsider in his own society) But those few still died because of the behavior of the rest of them.
@@liliaeth Gothic Paul was also the only one from Linsdy group who seemed to be concerned about the disapearence of some of them Also, his nickname is a hint that he also was some kind of anti conformist, a bit like Ricky
This episode was mind-blowing. The entire time I felt guilty as I just wanted her to get eaten. That feeling became far worse once she needed a man to walk 🤢. That last scene tho I would would have been screaming as a campanion "we cant let these people repopulate", thrown that dot right onto the boat while yelling dot on. What an emotional eposode.
That's kind of different. Sat Navs and GPS are used to navigate to a place that you don't know how to get to. If a driver needs a Sat Nav to drive 5 minutes away to a place they drive to often, they shouldn't be on the road.
love your reactions and your fresh eyes on Doctor Who. i'm almost jealous, because whovians like us know almost every episode and whole quotes by heart, we don't get to "experience" it anymore. i hope that once this season is finished, you'll go back and watch Doctor who starting 2005 (and not the black and white sixties ones) it's called "series 1" and not season. i can't wait for you to discover it.
Kate isn’t trying to steal the TARDIS or do anything shady. But she LOVES moving it on him to mess with him. She’s like your mom putting your phone next to herself so you have no choice but to get in range enough to be asked if you cleaned your room.
The musical cue as the boat of fascists pulls away is interesting to me, it sounds like a quote from a song Murray Gold wrote for season 6 or 7, but it could also just be Gold going back to a familiar grand sound. If it is a nod to that song though I think it adds to the sense that the Doctor is waking up to parts of reality he hasn't had to deal with personally before.
The Doctor wants to protect everyone, I mean there's an OG episode where he had a chance to destroy the dalek before they could be unleashed and he chose not to. So to put that actually succeed in saving that many people only for them to turn their back and chose to rather die than except his help just because of what he looked like had to be one of the hardest things the Doctor had to experience. The only other time something similar happened was during that short that took place during the time war where the woman refused to allow him to save her because he was a Time Lord.
Everyone else has commented most of my thoughts on this episode. The one that hasn't been addressed is minor, but the Whovian in me has to throw out any detail I notice that doesn't make sense (in case it's part of the bigger mystery) At the end, Brewster Cavendish is still alive though his last name should have already gotten him killed a long time ago
We know that changing you name makes the slugs leave you alone. Ricky Septembers real name is with C as well. So Cavendish could have also done the same and decides to revert when beginning his new life
This episode was one big middle finger to the “Not My Doctor” people. You have a problem with a her or black or gay Doctor, but we all know you’d let him save you. Then true to your nature you’d go right back to being a monster. Yeah we see you.
LOL, slugs things are one of the least scariest monsters in Doctor Who universe. DW has so many scary monsters that we, the veteran whovians, are desensitized to most normal horrors.
Am I the only one who noticed that The Doctor said the dot was a powerful antigrav... and not a powerful antimav... Is that because it's only called mavity on Earth and it's still called gravity everywhere else in the universe or was this just a writing error or is it an important clue about what is to come?
This is just like real life when people get into car wrecks from using cell phones. where i work people wont even look up from their phones to see where the bathroom is they just ask.
I think people prematurely judged this new who calling it woke and what not I think it’s been totally awesome so far. It would be cool if Ruby Sunday was Clara’s daughter after all she was shredded into Doctor who’s time stream in each of his lives saving him in one way or another. I love the jabs they are taking at social media.
It makes complete sense that Ruby would more quickly have the attitude of "there's no helping these people" because, even though she's white herself, her mother is Black. The Doctor has been around for a *long* time but this is the first time they've presented as anything other than white, so this is the first time they've had racism directed *at them*. So in this one area, even though she can't experience it in the same way, Ruby is actually more experienced than the Doctor.
People poking fun at the Doctor for being a know it all has always been a running joke in the series so you don't even really notice what she's saying until the very end.
So many times in the history of the show, a companion has implored the Doctor to save people. And so many times he's had to run away so as not to rip a hole in the fabric of time and space by disrupting things. Other times: "I can save someone. Or anyone" (Fires of Pompeii). But most of the time he can't. Now the tables are turned: he can't save people because *they* don't want it.
I enjoyed the gag that she couldn't even walk normally without the tech...some people crash cars because they rely slavishly on sat navs. If you watch he making of documentary that accompanies this episode, RTD muses how long it would take viewers to clock the fact that they're all white. I enjoyed the ' some of us get eaten' line which I'm sure was a play on word like 'Eton' the famous school for wealthy parents to send their kids to.
Some things you say, makes me laugh when you said that about the telescope outside the tardis to make sure there’s nothing there in classic in the past he actually has a monitor in the where he can see outside the tardis and determine whether or not it is safe to go outsideyou really should watch it from 2005 because this is technically season 14 of the new
I'm curious, because I'm black as well. When Lindy rejected the offer from the doctor and "explained" why I immediately thought it was race. Do you agree or do you think it was another reason?
If you try to work out the plot of a doctor who these days your head would explode, I gave up trying to work out 73 yards by Thursday. Dot and Bubble 🫧 I was hoping the slugs would win at the end 😂
Feel like I need to show the ending of this episode whenever im trying to explain to people my views on people with very opposing views to me. People often don’t understand what I mean when I say I find things some people say abhorrent but will defend to the death their right to hold those opinions. The Doctor didn’t care what they thought of him. He just wanted to save them.
pls breathe :) if you let him finish this season first, i bet he will start 2005 after ;) i agree with you though; i think it would be a joy to watch his reactions to NuWho
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how I believe each Doctor would handle this situation at the end of the episode: I saw a comment about “how would the other Doctors react” words to that effect, enjoy!. **9th Doctor:** He would call them all stupid and plead for them to travel in the TARDIS. Ultimately, he would leave them to their fate, respecting their choice. He would say something like “oh so you’re gonna go out into vast unknown and pick up where your ancestors left off? You couldn’t even change a light bulb without that DOT trying to help you”. **10th & 14th Doctor:** He would use his sonic screwdriver to disable the boat's engine, forcing the survivors to board the TARDIS. Once they’re on board, he'd display a look of disappointment, silently questioning humanity's shallowness. When dropping them off, the TARDIS doors would close, leaving Lindy and the Doctor's faces framed as the credits roll. Da dun dun, da dun dun, etc. **11th Doctor:** He would try to reason with them, breaking down their flawed worldview. The Doctor would surmise that Ricky was too famous and had a real name and that Lindy left him to die. Just like Ricky the Doctor and Ruby was considered outcast. The Doctor would say "If that’s how you want it to be, so be it, but I hope you see the universe for what it truly is." Feeling hopeless, he'd let them go on the boat but the people on the boat would see Lindy for what she truly is. **12th Doctor:** He would mock them and eventually disable the boat with his sonic screwdriver. He would wait it out until the monsters came to attack. The Doctor wouldn’t just go until his unanswered questions were answered. He wouldn’t get any closure but would say “where did these creatures come from. why are the things eating everybody and going through names like a phone book. Why you? Why any of you for that matter makes you so special? They attacked your home world yes but why? Creatures attack for two reasons. (A) they are threatened so they lash back and defend or (B) and I like option (B) you just look yummy! so please tell me why are you and your ignorance so important hmm” Lindy says “I don’t know! and I don’t care!” The Doctor replies “fat lot of good you are… that goes for all of you… and I was so nice to you, too nice…” he then powers the boat back up and receives a reluctant, meaningful thank you from Lindy. Ruby would say “you can’t just leave them here” the Doctor would tell Ruby “THEY… already did”. **13th Doctor:** Sympathizing with their losses, she’d say, "I know what it feels like to be the last of your kind," but would ultimately leave them to their fate, similar to the 9th Doctor. **15th Doctor:** Was enraged by their ignorance, the same ignorance that they have had their entire lives, living in a literal bubble and would find some humour in the irony. Knowing he can’t save everybody he respects their own destiny much like he respects the 14th Doctors for choosing to stay on Earth. He’s at peace with the outcome, even if he didn’t like it. We see this in the episode so good job. 👍 I’m intrigued to see this Doctor in more episodes like this. --- **Fun Alternatives:** **War Doctor:** He would land and simply move on without an episode. Hell he doesn’t even have a companion. The War Doctor just wouldn’t be here. If he was however and this took place before the **DAY OF THE DOCTOR:** he would echo the 2nd and 9th Doctors actions. From this episode he would seek out the 11th Doctor. (Insert timey wimey reason here 🤣 the War Doctor just wouldn’t of been travelling) **Fugitive Doctor:** She’d laugh at their predicament and brag that without her, they’d be doomed, provoking some to follow her into the TARDIS while others, like Lindy, still board the boat. **1st Doctor:** He’d "contaminate" them, by touching Lindy and a few others creating a divide. When confronted, he’d assert his right to intervene. “Young lady I have just saved your life and if you like it or not I have every right” leading to a conclusion similar to the 10th and 14th Doctor's. (Which is the same Doctor but whatever) **2nd Doctor:** Warning them of their lack of survival skills, he’d let them face the consequences, similar to the 9th Doctor and the War Doctor. **3rd Doctor:** Finding the irony in their situation similar to the 15th incarnation, he’d advise them that their hard-fought journey would be wasted due to their lack of survival skills. Eventually, he’d persuade them to board the TARDIS, expressing that humanity still has much to learn. The Doctor would say “Being on the outside looking in is sometimes the best cause of action to resolve a situation like this. If everybody has their head in the sand then nobody could look out for one another”. **4th Doctor:** He’d argue that despite their differences, they’re essentially the same and offer them a safer alternative in the TARDIS, mirroring the 3rd Doctor's outcome. “Sure we come from different… WAY different backgrounds. But would you rather be safe than be out there with those things? You didn’t know that those creatures was here when YOU was HERE Lindy and now that you can see TRULY see… open your eyes, would you want to take that risk?” He would then eat a jelly baby and then offer one to Lindy. Lindy would say “what’s this? 🤷” and be hesitant to take the jelly baby in front of everyone she knows. The Doctor would reply “someone trying to help”. **5th Doctor:** Reacting similarly to the 15th Doctor but with more restraint, he’d ultimately hint at wanting to follow them for answers. This would set up a dialogue-heavy part two episode, exploring themes of technology dependence and his own reliance on the TARDIS. “what am I without you hey?”. (It would be another 29 years before the Doctor calls the TARDIS “sexy”) **8th Doctor:** Shocked by their refusal, he’d call them childish and plead for them to reconsider. When Lindy rejects his help, he’d be left silently reflecting on how many others he has failed, pondering if he’s seen that face of distrust before. --- Okay, so I haven’t watched any episodes of the 6th or 7th Doctor, so I’m not sure how they would react. (One day I will binge those episodes) That's how I imagine each Doctor would handle the situation in that episode. If you’ve read this far, I hope you enjoyed it! --- Okay my rant, why not. For the episode itself I didn't pick up on the racist or microaggressive undertones that others are discussing. To me, Lindy's perception of Ricky as "smart" and therefore "dangerous" is more about her own insecurities. This is highlighted when she faces Ricky with the DOT, just like Ricky she was too smart for her own good. Lindy distrusts the Doctor and remains isolated in her own emotional bubble. This dichotomy of choosing the lesser of two evils is established from the start of the episode. Lindy's life is controlled by her concern over how others perceive her. She acts to protect herself, and if she were truly against Ricky for racist reasons, she would have exposed him when they first met by revealing she knew his real name. (Because Ricky isn’t like the rest of the people in her life, he hardly uses his bubble. Ricky comes across as someone who’s alone but through this disaster others can finally see him) Lindy idolises Ricky because everyone follows him and she wants to be like him. Throughout the episode, Lindy interacts with others based on her desire to maintain her image. She shows disdain when another girl asks, "Where has everyone gone? I need new friends." (Lindy looks slightly disgusted even listening to this woman) Lindy doesn't want to be an outcast because it would ruin her image, leading her to the same fate as Ricky. She dismisses Goth Paul because his behavior doesn't align with her reality. “Don’t care!” *swipes Goth Paul away* Alternatively, if the episode is about racism, it doesn't hold up logically. Lindy would only accept help from white people, excluding Goth Paul, the girl looking for friends, and Ruby, but not trust black people solely because of their race. This interpretation seems far-fetched. Lindy’s behavior towards the Doctor and Ruby isn't personal-it's about not caring for unfamiliar faces. She doesn’t know the Doctor at the start of the episode so she swipes right. She listens to Ruby because Ruby compliments Lindy’s outfit. Lindy calling her super popular friend is a survival mechanism to maintain her status. Because if Lindy’s friends are dead she’s considered to be a nobody or a looser. Hell she doesn’t even like poor people cause all of her friends are rich and she only knows rich people. In reality, Lindy's actions are about fitting in and being accepted, not racism. If the episode were about racism, wouldn't Ricky, a white character, have survived and advocated for everyone to listen to the Doctor? (They might not have listened because everyone is trapped in their own bubble) The racism or microaggression angle doesn't make sense. Lindy’s behavior is about preserving her image, shaped by her isolated, elitist upbringing. People interpret things based on their perspectives. I see a sci-fi show exploring broad themes about technology, communication, and human interaction. If someone views Lindy as racist, that's their interpretation. However, the Doctor’s reaction wasn't about racism; it was about people being unable to break free from their bubbles to see the world's beauty. Thanks for reading my rant. 😊
sorry, you missed the many, many precise references to racism from the first few seconds. At the end it is in your face with "voodoo", "not like him", "contaminate", "your kind", "control and own new land".
The slugs were the heroes of this story
Or the weapons to an unknown third-party, who is most likely at war with the Home world
so you are evil got it
I agree
@adamriley3030 if wanting those vacuous airhead to be eaten is wrong, I don't want to be right...😂
@@adamriley3030if thats what you wanna call it then yes
"The moment we cast Ncuti, everyone said to me: oh, my God, what's it going to be like when he goes into the past? Because a black Doctor's going to face such racism. You sit there going, what about now? Why do you think racism's only in the past, when you look at what's happening in the world?" -- Russell T Davies, talking about this episode
It was very smart to have the episode that addresses it happen in the near future. It completely blindsided me because I didn't expect it at all.
The problem with Davies' line of thinking is that racism on the level he thinks it exists TRULY only exists in the past. The vast majority of people aren't racist anymore; it's a very loud minority on both sides of the aisle that are, and even they will get bred out of the gene pool soon enough.
@@BrysonSirbaugh Yep. Caught me completely off-guard. And then I sat there and examined WHY it caught me off-guard. How I managed to miss all the warning signs - because there were warning signs.
It made me stop and think. Which is exactly what he wanted to accomplish. Honestly, I think it's genius - it shoves one issue straight into your face (social media bad) and completely distracts you from the other, more important one. Just like how Lindy's social media distracts her from the horrors happening around her.
Ricky being so Doctor-coded but white is definitely intentional. Lindy happily accepted his help when she was downright offensive to Doc from the very beginning. There are so many micro-aggressions in basically every scene (micro in a loose sense of the word, at this point). I was stunned by all of the ending, but the only part that surprised me was hearing the man with the long hair use such strong colonizer language about their trip to the outside
Also, i´ve seen a lot of people who are saying we shouldn´t be sad for Ricky bc he was probably a racist too. But that´s part of the tragedy, we never got to find out. The fact that there exists a possibility that even the best of us could have some form of prejudice is chilling, and also sad.
@@colemacgrath2005the closest he got to racism the whole time was just saying "you don't have to tell me what a pulse code is", which... is a stretch to call a microaggression. So as far as we know, not racist 👍
And if you noticed there was an instant block screen for the doctor but when ruby appeared there wasn’t even that option
@@littleredrurithey were all white in "dot and bubble" social midia and she said they could not travel with the doctor, not the doctor AND Ruby. the problem was the doctor being there
I think Ricky being a celebrity also has a lot to do with it.
A secondary theme: these bubble kids were all spouting off about supporting each other and positive vibes, but as soon as things went bad we’re willing to throw each other under the bus to get ahead. Even the pioneer guys first thought was to be leader, seeking power in the group dynamic. They have no skills, no group identity, no sense of community. I’d be surprised if they lasted a month in the wilderness.
A month is very generous.. i bet a day at most.. if they cannot even walk properly, they probably don't know how to swim or properly use that boat.
I’ll give it four days until the last one bites it. And then the planet can be pretty and peaceful again!
Yeah yeah - once they have to find the shore without GPS, they are sunk. They would drink any water without question - so sea water?
No sir - Brewster Cavendish. He's been surviving on his own merits since 'C'. He will make a good brutal tribal chief. They can survive, but their lives will not be pleasant or comfortable.
@@Kryojenix Brewster seems to be a bit older than the brats, its possible that he is one of the workers maintaining finetime bubble, but that could also mean the list is grouped, like "Citizens" "Workers" "Police", the AI did got rid of the police first it seems, there is no way the entire police corps's names starts with A. Maybe the workers are last to make sure that the AI was still running until the last human. And brewster being there may mean he saved himself without warning others.
I like the choice of Ruby being the first one to realise what was going on over the Doctor. She is from our world and she has black family members.
The Doctor until now has mostly been a white presenting men and he has had poc companions before. The Doctor is a time lorde so he sees himself as above it all to the point that he can come off as apathetic towards some of the characters struggles more specifically when they are in a historical period and their companion is poc.
Ofcourse during the Capaldi Era(12th Doctor) where we get the famous The Doctor punches a racist scene in defense of Bill(Black women) and i always took it as the doctor realising the way he had dealt with it in the past wasnt exactly the best.
This is the first time the doctor has dealt with it personally and i also love them doing it in a futuristic setting rather then a historical one(which still can happen in the future)
Interesting that the Doctor is new to experiencing racism. As 10 says to Martha - just walk around like you own the place.
That's part of the beauty and tragedy of the moment. This is the moment the Doctor realizes the white privilege he's had for thousands of years is gone. Race is such an inconsequential thing to Time Lords, but this is the first time in his memory that the appearance of one of his incarnations is a hindrance to him saving the day. It's my head cannon that at some point, he goes to his previous black companions and apologizes for not truly understanding the risk he was taking by putting them in the racist environments that he did.
@@soundgal_sine_qua_non Yeah, I'd love to read a fanfic of him doing an Apology Tour to his black companions. That would be perfect.
@@soundgal_sine_qua_nonomg I would love to see that
@@soundgal_sine_qua_non if we get a past companion guest Star I think it should be Martha.
@@soundgal_sine_qua_non The 13th Doctor dealt with sexism, but she still managed to save the day despite side characters deeming her as inferior and calling her a witch
I like all the hints in the episode that make the ending reveal natural. The Doctor is still willing to save them even in the face of prejudice, he is the bigger person, but ultimately he cannot convince them. It is one of those episodes where the Doctor and their companion cannot save what has happened in this society: Everyone Dies.
And another lesson: Not everyone is worth saving.
The anti-moffat ending
"Just this once, Ruby. Everybody dies."
Reminds me of the "voyage of the damned" episode, where 10 had an interaction with one of the people he saved told him something along the lines of: "if you can control who lives or who dies, thar makes you a monster". Id like to think thats one of the reasons why he goes on and save people even if they didnt want the Doctor's help
@r00ni37 I feel like this was a bigger blow for the Doctor, considering they had companions of colour (Martha, Bill, Yaz, Ryan) and they all got treated like shit in the history episodes (Human Nature, Rosa, Thin Ice) and the Doctors at the time didn't really care too much (apart from Capaldi, who sucker punched a racist), and now for the first time in maybe a million years he has a different skin colour.
The Doctor must've been thinking: so this is what it feels.....
@@MatthewCYN15 that's a good point! This is like a new perspective for the Doctor. Also, one of the Doctor's main "weapon" is his charisma, being able to talk and convince others. This episode literally took that away from him, and we saw how frustrated and distraught he was.
It's so incredible that it clearly takes The Doctor longer than Ruby to realize EXACTLY what's happening, because he's never really faced Racism before, he's so used to simply jumping into any situation and as he said to Martha so many years ago "Walking around like you own the place"
Also because Ruby has black family members - so she would absolutely have experienced microaggressions before. She would've seen her mother and grandmother deal with them, would've heard stories from her grandmother about far WORSE racism. The Doctor, by comparison, has always seemed a little blind to what poc experience - like how Martha develops a lot of resentment about Ten stranding them both in a period of history where she's a glorified slave, potentially forever, and he doesn't seem to ever realise why that was a horrible decision.
What I find super interesting about this episode is that, for the first time I can recall in the history of Doctor Who, it revolves around a character with few, if any, redeeming qualities. Protagonists in this show tend to be presented as clever and compassionate, but not this one.
However, because this is the character we're following, and she's in immediate danger we kind of put that to the side to see just how things unfold. How many times have we watched a show or movie where a flawed, maybe even pathetic character, has an arc that turns them into a hero?
But right about the time it feels like there is going to be a moment of character growth, or at the very least she will be cemented as a sympathetic character... Bam! She betrays someone she idolizes just to save her own skin then basically shrugs it off. Follow that up with weirdly ignoring the Doctor and Ruby, as we get the scene to dispel any doubt that this character we've been presented with is, to use the parlance of our time, _just_ _the_ _worst._
It is fine to call Lindy and her group racist jerks. That is who they were. Lindy was awful.
She was a straight up sociopath.
More than just racist jerks. They are white supremacists.
Indeed, simply calling them "racist" is going very light on them.
Lindy mentioned that it was the Doctor's "duty" to save her, and that the Doctor would be "punished" for his insolence.
She mentions that screen-to-screen contact is barely acceptable, but face-to-face is completely unacceptable.
So, think about it, they have rules about this. So there were black people on the home world.
And that last rule is, if you think about it, the definition of segregation / Apartheid - blacks sit at the back of the bus, whites at the front and never the twain shall meet. Face-to-face contact is unacceptable.
Lindy says that "of course" it was the Doctor's "duty" to save and protect her, and when black people disobey the rules, they get "punished".
Work it out. They've not just racists. They are SLAVE MASTERS.
Slavery was clearly still actively going on, back on the home world. Racial slavery is not abolished on this world.
From Lindy's words, there is segregation - no physical interaction or mixing - and black people are made to "serve" white people - and they get punished if they don't.
In fact, they're basically Nazis. Because, after the ending, everyone's gone back and noticed there were no white people.
But, like, who else wasn't there?
Did you see any gay or trans people? Did you see any disabled people?
(And, remember, the episode is written by RTD, who is a gay man. There's no way that "he just forgot" to put any diversity into the casting. It's not there, because these people don't allow it.)
It's not spelt out, but the clues are all there. These people are slave-owning neo-Nazis.
Also, it's referred to as "Space Love Island" more than once. Everyone there is 18 to 27 years of age. They only have 2 hours work, then the rest is "play".
"Finetime" is a breeding farm for the richest - the most elite and Aryan - of their race. To cultivate the "pure breeds".
They're not just racists. They're so much worse than just that.
One great thing is that the 'slugs' are soooo classic Who.
Fax, such an interesting idea to have the main character be someone we hate, well unless a racist person watches the episode lol
@@Maxippo
Me *Looks at Netrodic, bowelsteak and others like them*
Yeah, I think we all know who this episode will piss off the most.
No fr that was my first thought
I wonder if the slugs are the native creatures of that world, and the AI just let them in...
@@idjles they were on Homeworld as well.
I don't think Russell bothered to fill in details into a lot of the events...
I loved this episode, the bigotry aspect was chilling to me as I wasn't expecting it, but thinking back it seems obvious. All the little things that add up, the instant swiping and look of disgust at seeing the Doctor, saying she didn't realise he was the same guy when he popped up again later etc. Bigotry has always come up in question when the Doctor has taken companions who are from minority/marginalised groups to the past in areas where it was a lot more common (still an issue now but we've progressed somewhat). For example, Martha experienced racism with the Human Nature/Family of Blood story. It's good that they have shown it occasionally as it's an important issue to address but obviously it wouldn't be a pleasant experience to watch characters go through bigotry every episode, so I think that's a good way to do it despite it not being as frequent as it would be in real life, but it is great to have a whole episode about it like this one. They've even addressed how times have changed since the show was created when the 1st Doctor talked with the 12th and the 1st said misogynistic things in front of him. It was so sad to see the Doctor reacting to Lindy and her friends rejecting his help just because he's black. Ncuti nailed the Doctor's essence as a character so well, he went through such a range of emotions. The bemusement, the frustration, the hopelessness. The anger at how they let their stupid prejudices essentially kill them. And Ruby's reaction too, it was a brilliant episode
The delusion that it IS frequent in real life is just that, a delusion. Maybe fifty years ago it'd be widespread, sure, but the vast majority of people have been non- or anti-racist since at LEAST the 90s. It's just a loud minority of people who are racist at this point, and they'll be bred out of the gene pool soon enough.
That first sentence really struck me. Because yeah, it felt like it came out of nowhere. But it didn't. And that really made me sit down and think about MY white privilege. Because I brushed off every single microaggression. I didn't even notice. It was right in front of me, and I didn't see it.
Makes me wonder what else I miss.
The scream that ncuti let out broke my heart.
As a white person I will never really understand this pain in the same way, but as a queer person the "don't interact, you might get contaminated" kind of rejection is something I relate to. But this episode also made me aware of my own "bubble" so to speak, because when watching it with my sister and parents, it was very unexpected to hear that my parents didn't really notice that this episode was about racism until I explained it. They didn't even notice that Finetime was exclusively white people, and they explained the ending thinking it was because the Doctor was a stranger. I think I will be talking about this episode a lot for the upcoming days...
The scream was his heartache and disbelief at not being able to save them because of something so utterly stupid.
Same! It's going to stick with me for a while. The other I've seen is people saying they wanted to see some outright some consequences for the Finetime crew because of how irredeemable they were, but I actually like that the ending was quite banal in a way. We can almost guarantee they won't make it because they're hopeless but they believe being rich and white means they'll always make it. There were no real consequence for being a terrible person, but unfortunately that's what we see in real life all the time - the confidence and the lack of consequence. Good people can live or die and people full of prejudices can live or die.
It's been wild watching RUclips reviews for this episode because everyone who I've seen give it a negative review or say it was a weak episode are for the most part the cis straight white male fans and honestly i think that speaks to the heart of the episode in a lot of ways. They miss all of the micro aggressions in the lead up and feel like the ending was a huge twist. What happened with Ricky was the twist for me (not altogether unexpected given how vapid she was, but how callous she was revealed to be was a twist) but the racist reveal was more like ah yep so I wasn't reading more into the situation than was there - it was all always there right from him being marked as a threat and Ruby wasn't despite dialing in the same way/ from the same place. So watching this reactions has felt real for the way some people just can't see microagressions and systematic racism in real life. For the people who have faced micro aggressions themselves (both lgbt and poc) who I've seen react or review don't seem nearly as shocked by the reveal.
@@dogblessamerica I feel like it might also be him realizing for the first time that this could continue to be a problem in certain timezones/worlds. We haven't seen him go into the past beyond the 60's this regeneration - Imagine any of the tennant or capaldi victorian era episodes, but with the added layer of racism to deal with.
@@writeonshell yes, exactly
I think part of why RTD can write a script like this is both his empathy and understand of real world race issues, and his own personal experiences with discrimination as a particularly openly queer man, too
I'm surprised she was able to manage the stairs.
She was following Ricky.
A guide.
@@jeckjeck3119 Fair.
Thank you!
This was a really unusual episode, I thought it was great. The Finetime people being so invested in their own prejudice that they'd rather risk their own lives than look outside it was so realistic, sadly.
You know, i get why the machines wanted to kill them all with slug monsters.
I like to think the slugs are an allegory for the working class. Where if the working class begins to do the bare minimum, the aristocracy cannot benefit from their labour and are thus 'consumed'.
It’s like The Time Machine where the effete eloi are slaves of the morlocks. Also elements of Pleasantville and The Machine Stops.
literally "eat the rich"
Let's petition RTD to make an mini episode that lets us see Lindy and the rest of the future Hitler youths get eating by the slugs ( who i now see as cute and cuddly by comparison.)
Let’s not! He’s ruined Doctor who, let’s not him the idea to write the spin off of a horrible chapter… it’s like asking him to write a spin off of Love and Monsters…
@@jimenatruffa3009”ruined doctor who” and the last 3 episodes have been straight bangers
Just say you hate white people and move on
@@spacepenguins8939 Bangers where the primary danger is caused by... stepping on things and not walking properly. Uh huh.
@@murky1608 yes, crazy how in a war zone a land mine would be a big issue. In Dot and bubble the main danger isn’t stepping on things it’s about people being eaten because they intentionally blind themselves to the obvious (like racists do) 73 yards starts with the doctor walking into something but Ruby spends the rest of the episode doing something on her own
You've very quickly become my favorite channel reacting to Doctor Who. I saw your community post saying this video would be up soon and gasped, I was super excited to see your reaction. This was a rollercoaster of an episode and the performances were soldi throughout. This season has been an absolute blast and I'm very glad it's got a big audience of people.
One thing to note is that the finale scene was Ncuti's first shot for this series. His first time in front of the camera as lead of the series, and he nailed it!
I was rooting for the slugs.
you were absolutely on point with your gut feeling about kate last episode. She would probably still have tried to get the technology, ally or not.
I give them 10 minutes off the boat. At most.
Humans are smart and adaptable… but these kids have no sense of community. No idea of sacrifice for the whole. If they could work together maybe they could survive, but they’ll all be trampling over each other. A week… two… at most.
@@mattwho81they all also can’t seem to
work for more than 2 hours a day. They are screwed and they deserve it
this was an insanely well-done episode, with so many hints as to what the “actual” issue was going to be, using the “social media bad” idea as a red herring. the ending made me tear up.
i think it was also smart to make almost all of the characters look so openly lgbt, as 1. the lgbt diversity helped to distract almost from the lack of racial diversity, and 2. it is saying: just because you are queer, that does not exempt you from being racist. i think it was really well made :)
Sir, it was racism. That was the dark turn, she blocked the doctor and when he came back thought it was someone else because she thought we all looked alike.
How do you know this wasn’t a racially diverse group?
Maybe the different races on this planet are all white, although easily distinguished by each other. But to an Earthling or a Gallifreyan they all look alike.
Their imminent deaths do little to cushion the blow, and an amazing reveal so subtly done most don't realize it's primarily racial rather than financial, white Ruby is listened to and accepted during the ep but not the Doctor.
The final scene with ncuti was the first scene he shot apart from the bi-generation with david, he absolutely smashed it
I always look forward to your reactions to each episode. Great video as always!
Holy fuck, didn't expect to see you here
yoooo its the guy
eat the rich! slugs eat wasps 😁
Dear God, they're literally eating the rich, how did I not catch that first time around?
@@JamesNixon-b7p
RTD, you sneaky man.
Nice pun with WASP, too.
RTD, you sneaky man.
The writing on this one was so damn good. Been a fan of this show since I was a kid in the 1980's & this may be the first time where by the end I was full on cheering for the flesh eating monsters. While the Space Babies episode wasn't to my taste this season is 100% showing the full range of what this show can be. Glad your sharing your first time experiences with us sir!
Also a fan since the 1980's, and I fully agree.
Only felled sad for Ricky, wished they at least could save him as he seemed 'save-able' but I also liked the hard ending,.. as this is life. This season is so enjoyable for me to watch.
Everytime the doctor leaves the Tardis somewhere on Earth, Kate and UNIT go get it.
They never explained Midnight and is a top 5 episode!
Yeah, I had to go back and check after the end of the episode. Every single face in that bubble was very white. O.O
Beginning of episode: Back away!
End of episode: MOVE FORWARD!
😂
I love all the give aways of the twist in this episode too. The talk about how the don't let "just anyone" in the city. Sure, she mentioned it was the rich but you never see a single non-white person on a screen, not a ONE. She even says "I thought I blocked you, I mean you all look the same" or later "he'll be punished and I'm so looking forward to it" - the sad part is, I'm willing to bet Ricky wouldn't have had any of that had he survived.
16:34 to answer your question, i give them anything between 45 minutes to 3 hours.
Then canibalism.
It was implied that there are dangerous animals outside the city. I'm surprised all of them managed to get into the boat without at least one of them drowning.
They're going to start dying fast.
Those people had no redeeming qualities at all. The universe is well rid of them.
the thing is, there might have been some like Ricky, who might, might still have been worth saving. I think it's no coincidence that they had Ricky talk about turning off the bubble and experiencing life outside of it. (even if it made him a bit of an outsider in his own society) But those few still died because of the behavior of the rest of them.
@@liliaeth Gothic Paul was also the only one from Linsdy group who seemed to be concerned about the disapearence of some of them
Also, his nickname is a hint that he also was some kind of anti conformist, a bit like Ricky
This episode was mind-blowing. The entire time I felt guilty as I just wanted her to get eaten. That feeling became far worse once she needed a man to walk 🤢. That last scene tho I would would have been screaming as a campanion "we cant let these people repopulate", thrown that dot right onto the boat while yelling dot on. What an emotional eposode.
The walking without arrows thing is like people who can't drive without Sat Nav... we're not that faraway from this world already!
That's kind of different. Sat Navs and GPS are used to navigate to a place that you don't know how to get to. If a driver needs a Sat Nav to drive 5 minutes away to a place they drive to often, they shouldn't be on the road.
love your reactions and your fresh eyes on Doctor Who. i'm almost jealous, because whovians like us know almost every episode and whole quotes by heart, we don't get to "experience" it anymore.
i hope that once this season is finished, you'll go back and watch Doctor who starting 2005 (and not the black and white sixties ones)
it's called "series 1" and not season.
i can't wait for you to discover it.
It was an amazing episode. The hints were there, but that end reveal was a punch to the stomach. The slugs weren't the real monsters after all.
The audience gets it's alphabetical so far ahead of the characters.
Kate isn’t trying to steal the TARDIS or do anything shady. But she LOVES moving it on him to mess with him. She’s like your mom putting your phone next to herself so you have no choice but to get in range enough to be asked if you cleaned your room.
7:50 you really need a sofa to hide behind, bro! C'mon - it's tradition!
The ways she treats the doctor differently than ruby is so artfully sprinkled through the episode
It was in that final act that the people of Finetime revealed to be the real monsters of the episode.
The musical cue as the boat of fascists pulls away is interesting to me, it sounds like a quote from a song Murray Gold wrote for season 6 or 7, but it could also just be Gold going back to a familiar grand sound. If it is a nod to that song though I think it adds to the sense that the Doctor is waking up to parts of reality he hasn't had to deal with personally before.
The monsters were the personification of the phrase, "Eat the rich."
The Doctor wants to protect everyone, I mean there's an OG episode where he had a chance to destroy the dalek before they could be unleashed and he chose not to. So to put that actually succeed in saving that many people only for them to turn their back and chose to rather die than except his help just because of what he looked like had to be one of the hardest things the Doctor had to experience. The only other time something similar happened was during that short that took place during the time war where the woman refused to allow him to save her because he was a Time Lord.
Yep! Blatant racism. I felt The Doctor's pain.
so happy someone suggested your channel on tumblr, you look like a nice person, and it looks like you have videos on numerous tv shows i like
Thank you!🙏
Everyone else has commented most of my thoughts on this episode. The one that hasn't been addressed is minor, but the Whovian in me has to throw out any detail I notice that doesn't make sense (in case it's part of the bigger mystery) At the end, Brewster Cavendish is still alive though his last name should have already gotten him killed a long time ago
Yeah, I noticed that too!
I think it just implies that the doctor has been saving people for a little while and lindy and her group wasn't the first
We know that changing you name makes the slugs leave you alone. Ricky Septembers real name is with C as well. So Cavendish could have also done the same and decides to revert when beginning his new life
@@spacepenguins8939 I can see that. I love your brain!
the twist of them being racist is wild, but looking back on the rest of the episode, hits hard
This episode was one big middle finger to the “Not My Doctor” people.
You have a problem with a her or black or gay Doctor, but we all know you’d let him save you. Then true to your nature you’d go right back to being a monster.
Yeah we see you.
I didn’t care for the episode on my first watch (minus the ending), but after watching it again I like it a lot more
Probably survive about five minutes.
LOL, slugs things are one of the least scariest monsters in Doctor Who universe.
DW has so many scary monsters that we, the veteran whovians, are desensitized to most normal horrors.
Am I the only one who noticed that The Doctor said the dot was a powerful antigrav... and not a powerful antimav... Is that because it's only called mavity on Earth and it's still called gravity everywhere else in the universe or was this just a writing error or is it an important clue about what is to come?
I didn't notice that. good catch! I'll be watching to see if it comes up again
Been looking forward to watching this all day ❤
This is just like real life when people get into car wrecks from using cell phones. where i work people wont even look up from their phones to see where the bathroom is they just ask.
Really good story again this week, yes, how long will they survive without the Doctor ... ?
Due to their ignorance Lindy and her 'friends' wouldn't survive. Living their lives in a 'bubble', literally, they wouldn't have a clue
I think people prematurely judged this new who calling it woke and what not I think it’s been totally awesome so far. It would be cool if Ruby Sunday was Clara’s daughter after all she was shredded into Doctor who’s time stream in each of his lives saving him in one way or another. I love the jabs they are taking at social media.
It makes complete sense that Ruby would more quickly have the attitude of "there's no helping these people" because, even though she's white herself, her mother is Black. The Doctor has been around for a *long* time but this is the first time they've presented as anything other than white, so this is the first time they've had racism directed *at them*. So in this one area, even though she can't experience it in the same way, Ruby is actually more experienced than the Doctor.
2:58 - I like the way you think, m8! I'm now a follower...
Your reactions are the best 😂 I look forward to them every week now
I realised very quickly that finetime had no people of colour loool
amazing reactions, thanks so much for sharing them
0:58 bro was cooking
Those micro aggressions look a lot more like macro aggressions now that I’m watching it again
Team slug! Team slug!
Team slug and team AI
Is this why the Doctor spent so many thousands of years as a white man?
People poking fun at the Doctor for being a know it all has always been a running joke in the series so you don't even really notice what she's saying until the very end.
They took the phrase "eat the rich" literally. Hah!
So many times in the history of the show, a companion has implored the Doctor to save people. And so many times he's had to run away so as not to rip a hole in the fabric of time and space by disrupting things. Other times: "I can save someone. Or anyone" (Fires of Pompeii). But most of the time he can't. Now the tables are turned: he can't save people because *they* don't want it.
Oh come on the slugs are way more appealing than the bubble society.
It's been a while since Doctor Who made me hate someone.
People are their own worst punishments.
I enjoyed the gag that she couldn't even walk normally without the tech...some people crash cars because they rely slavishly on sat navs. If you watch he making of documentary that accompanies this episode, RTD muses how long it would take viewers to clock the fact that they're all white. I enjoyed the ' some of us get eaten' line which I'm sure was a play on word like 'Eton' the famous school for wealthy parents to send their kids to.
not the peering out with a telescope and measuring the yards 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
i love ur personality and vibes sm i just subscribed SO fast you’re so funny 😭😭😭😭😭
🙏
This doesnt have anything to do with this video, but you have a really soothing voice
love your channel
Fun reaction vid!
The ending scene really hit me in the gut
Only half-decent one got murdered.
It'd be really cool if maybe sometime in the Future the guy who played Ricky got to play the Doctor I think he'd be really good at it.
The Dot was right. Rewatching this via reaction makes me root for the dot and the slugs.
I want some of those characters to survive and become a villain group. I absolutely loved the way they made me hate them.
Some things you say, makes me laugh when you said that about the telescope outside the tardis to make sure there’s nothing there in classic in the past he actually has a monitor in the where he can see outside the tardis and determine whether or not it is safe to go outsideyou really should watch it from 2005 because this is technically season 14 of the new
Notice whenever she’s alone she hates herself?
Uh . . . but why don't you just give me the gift? I mean, I would be a little suspicious. Okay, on to the episode.
I'm curious, because I'm black as well. When Lindy rejected the offer from the doctor and "explained" why I immediately thought it was race. Do you agree or do you think it was another reason?
because they are TOTALLY alien, with green blood, and an xray would most likely reveal they do not even have bones???
If you try to work out the plot of a doctor who these days your head would explode, I gave up trying to work out 73 yards by Thursday. Dot and Bubble 🫧 I was hoping the slugs would win at the end 😂
Feel like I need to show the ending of this episode whenever im trying to explain to people my views on people with very opposing views to me. People often don’t understand what I mean when I say I find things some people say abhorrent but will defend to the death their right to hold those opinions. The Doctor didn’t care what they thought of him. He just wanted to save them.
Could ruby be jenny daughter or ruby might be Susan biological granddaughter?
#teamdot
Is that not the best dr who ever?
Week 5 of asking you to start the 2005 series, ITS MUCH DARKER AND BETTER
pls breathe :) if you let him finish this season first, i bet he will start 2005 after ;) i agree with you though; i think it would be a joy to watch his reactions to NuWho
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how I believe each Doctor would handle this situation at the end of the episode: I saw a comment about “how would the other Doctors react” words to that effect, enjoy!.
**9th Doctor:** He would call them all stupid and plead for them to travel in the TARDIS. Ultimately, he would leave them to their fate, respecting their choice. He would say something like “oh so you’re gonna go out into vast unknown and pick up where your ancestors left off? You couldn’t even change a light bulb without that DOT trying to help you”.
**10th & 14th Doctor:** He would use his sonic screwdriver to disable the boat's engine, forcing the survivors to board the TARDIS. Once they’re on board, he'd display a look of disappointment, silently questioning humanity's shallowness. When dropping them off, the TARDIS doors would close, leaving Lindy and the Doctor's faces framed as the credits roll. Da dun dun, da dun dun, etc.
**11th Doctor:** He would try to reason with them, breaking down their flawed worldview. The Doctor would surmise that Ricky was too famous and had a real name and that Lindy left him to die. Just like Ricky the Doctor and Ruby was considered outcast. The Doctor would say "If that’s how you want it to be, so be it, but I hope you see the universe for what it truly is." Feeling hopeless, he'd let them go on the boat but the people on the boat would see Lindy for what she truly is.
**12th Doctor:** He would mock them and eventually disable the boat with his sonic screwdriver. He would wait it out until the monsters came to attack. The Doctor wouldn’t just go until his unanswered questions were answered. He wouldn’t get any closure but would say “where did these creatures come from. why are the things eating everybody and going through names like a phone book. Why you? Why any of you for that matter makes you so special? They attacked your home world yes but why? Creatures attack for two reasons. (A) they are threatened so they lash back and defend or (B) and I like option (B) you just look yummy! so please tell me why are you and your ignorance so important hmm” Lindy says “I don’t know! and I don’t care!” The Doctor replies “fat lot of good you are… that goes for all of you… and I was so nice to you, too nice…” he then powers the boat back up and receives a reluctant, meaningful thank you from Lindy. Ruby would say “you can’t just leave them here” the Doctor would tell Ruby “THEY… already did”.
**13th Doctor:** Sympathizing with their losses, she’d say, "I know what it feels like to be the last of your kind," but would ultimately leave them to their fate, similar to the 9th Doctor.
**15th Doctor:** Was enraged by their ignorance, the same ignorance that they have had their entire lives, living in a literal bubble and would find some humour in the irony. Knowing he can’t save everybody he respects their own destiny much like he respects the 14th Doctors for choosing to stay on Earth. He’s at peace with the outcome, even if he didn’t like it. We see this in the episode so good job. 👍 I’m intrigued to see this Doctor in more episodes like this.
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**Fun Alternatives:**
**War Doctor:** He would land and simply move on without an episode. Hell he doesn’t even have a companion. The War Doctor just wouldn’t be here. If he was however and this took place before the **DAY OF THE DOCTOR:** he would echo the 2nd and 9th Doctors actions. From this episode he would seek out the 11th Doctor. (Insert timey wimey reason here 🤣 the War Doctor just wouldn’t of been travelling)
**Fugitive Doctor:** She’d laugh at their predicament and brag that without her, they’d be doomed, provoking some to follow her into the TARDIS while others, like Lindy, still board the boat.
**1st Doctor:** He’d "contaminate" them, by touching Lindy and a few others creating a divide. When confronted, he’d assert his right to intervene. “Young lady I have just saved your life and if you like it or not I have every right” leading to a conclusion similar to the 10th and 14th Doctor's. (Which is the same Doctor but whatever)
**2nd Doctor:** Warning them of their lack of survival skills, he’d let them face the consequences, similar to the 9th Doctor and the War Doctor.
**3rd Doctor:** Finding the irony in their situation similar to the 15th incarnation, he’d advise them that their hard-fought journey would be wasted due to their lack of survival skills. Eventually, he’d persuade them to board the TARDIS, expressing that humanity still has much to learn. The Doctor would say “Being on the outside looking in is sometimes the best cause of action to resolve a situation like this. If everybody has their head in the sand then nobody could look out for one another”.
**4th Doctor:** He’d argue that despite their differences, they’re essentially the same and offer them a safer alternative in the TARDIS, mirroring the 3rd Doctor's outcome. “Sure we come from different… WAY different backgrounds. But would you rather be safe than be out there with those things? You didn’t know that those creatures was here when YOU was HERE Lindy and now that you can see TRULY see… open your eyes, would you want to take that risk?” He would then eat a jelly baby and then offer one to Lindy. Lindy would say “what’s this? 🤷” and be hesitant to take the jelly baby in front of everyone she knows. The Doctor would reply “someone trying to help”.
**5th Doctor:** Reacting similarly to the 15th Doctor but with more restraint, he’d ultimately hint at wanting to follow them for answers. This would set up a dialogue-heavy part two episode, exploring themes of technology dependence and his own reliance on the TARDIS. “what am I without you hey?”. (It would be another 29 years before the Doctor calls the TARDIS “sexy”)
**8th Doctor:** Shocked by their refusal, he’d call them childish and plead for them to reconsider. When Lindy rejects his help, he’d be left silently reflecting on how many others he has failed, pondering if he’s seen that face of distrust before.
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Okay, so I haven’t watched any episodes of the 6th or 7th Doctor, so I’m not sure how they would react. (One day I will binge those episodes)
That's how I imagine each Doctor would handle the situation in that episode. If you’ve read this far, I hope you enjoyed it!
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Okay my rant, why not.
For the episode itself I didn't pick up on the racist or microaggressive undertones that others are discussing. To me, Lindy's perception of Ricky as "smart" and therefore "dangerous" is more about her own insecurities. This is highlighted when she faces Ricky with the DOT, just like Ricky she was too smart for her own good. Lindy distrusts the Doctor and remains isolated in her own emotional bubble. This dichotomy of choosing the lesser of two evils is established from the start of the episode. Lindy's life is controlled by her concern over how others perceive her. She acts to protect herself, and if she were truly against Ricky for racist reasons, she would have exposed him when they first met by revealing she knew his real name. (Because Ricky isn’t like the rest of the people in her life, he hardly uses his bubble. Ricky comes across as someone who’s alone but through this disaster others can finally see him) Lindy idolises Ricky because everyone follows him and she wants to be like him.
Throughout the episode, Lindy interacts with others based on her desire to maintain her image. She shows disdain when another girl asks, "Where has everyone gone? I need new friends." (Lindy looks slightly disgusted even listening to this woman) Lindy doesn't want to be an outcast because it would ruin her image, leading her to the same fate as Ricky. She dismisses Goth Paul because his behavior doesn't align with her reality. “Don’t care!” *swipes Goth Paul away*
Alternatively, if the episode is about racism, it doesn't hold up logically. Lindy would only accept help from white people, excluding Goth Paul, the girl looking for friends, and Ruby, but not trust black people solely because of their race. This interpretation seems far-fetched. Lindy’s behavior towards the Doctor and Ruby isn't personal-it's about not caring for unfamiliar faces. She doesn’t know the Doctor at the start of the episode so she swipes right. She listens to Ruby because Ruby compliments Lindy’s outfit. Lindy calling her super popular friend is a survival mechanism to maintain her status. Because if Lindy’s friends are dead she’s considered to be a nobody or a looser. Hell she doesn’t even like poor people cause all of her friends are rich and she only knows rich people.
In reality, Lindy's actions are about fitting in and being accepted, not racism. If the episode were about racism, wouldn't Ricky, a white character, have survived and advocated for everyone to listen to the Doctor? (They might not have listened because everyone is trapped in their own bubble) The racism or microaggression angle doesn't make sense. Lindy’s behavior is about preserving her image, shaped by her isolated, elitist upbringing.
People interpret things based on their perspectives. I see a sci-fi show exploring broad themes about technology, communication, and human interaction. If someone views Lindy as racist, that's their interpretation. However, the Doctor’s reaction wasn't about racism; it was about people being unable to break free from their bubbles to see the world's beauty.
Thanks for reading my rant.
😊
sorry, you missed the many, many precise references to racism from the first few seconds. At the end it is in your face with "voodoo", "not like him", "contaminate", "your kind", "control and own new land".
Heavy-handed-- and racist-- rubbish.