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The Doctor and a woman of color who works in a hospital? That’ll never work! Written by showrunner Russell T. Davies, you might have heard of him for doing some work on ChuckleVision, Children’s Ward, Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!, The Second Coming, oh, and some small shows called Queer as Folk, Casanova, and this weird little show called Doctor Who. Never heard of it or him. While “The Robot Revolution” was directed by Peter Hoar, the director of The Umbrella Academy, Daredevil, Russell’s It’s a Sin, “A Good Man Goes to War,” and easily the best episode of The Last of Us from its one and only season (don’t @ me), “Long, Long Time.”

It’s only been a few months, and I’ll be honest, I’m with Steven Moffat on this one: Doctor Who should be on TV when it’s dark out there. Nonetheless, Russell is “falling back” on his tried and tested young woman who works in a hospital, joining The Doctor, and I can’t say that I hate it. With a returning cast of Ncuti Gatwa, Varada Sethu, and Anita Dobson, Varada is playing a different role, and I won’t mince words, I didn’t love her last time out. To me (no one), she does a lot of enunciating to hit “proper” received pronunciation.

Nonetheless, some White kid buys her new character, Belinda Chandra, that cheap bit of paper saying X star in the sky is named “Benton ‘…Jesus Christ!’ On Tyne” for the memes, but really isn’t. 17 years later she’s working as a nurse on night shift at a hospital, comes home, goes to bed, and has this weird nightmare where Greg Davies robots kick down her door, kill the neighbor’s cat, and kidnap her in the name of her becoming royalty. It’s fine, it’s cool, who says you need to go to work on Monday?

As usual, The Doctor is like a shadow to her initially, but unlike Martha, he’s not doing it for cheap tricks this time. Yeah, you can hold the “Well, actually” comments, it’s almost as if that was the joke. It’s still a bit wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey, with an actual reference to the line and calling it out, but not as convoluted as Moffat’s writing can often be. I’ll be honest, I’m on the fence with “The Robot Revolution.”

One episode in, and I somewhat enjoy Varada Sethu’s Belinda. She’s not as driven as Martha, but she’s also not attracted to the magical guy with two hearts who talks a little too fast. There are two or three moments throughout “The Robot Revolution“ where Sethu enunciates a bit too much, especially for growing up around Newcastle. However, I think what “puts me off” in those moments is that it sounds like someone who’s classically trained and is told to be very prim and proper. It isn’t Downton Abbey, you’re a 20-something (I think) in Doctor Who – act like it.

However, from what little we’ve seen of Miss Belinda Chandra before we head to Belinda 1 or whatever it was called, she’s a proper character. It isn’t “Oh, my mum’s a mystery box,” nor is it “Oh, save me, Doctor.” She’s capable and — something that would make every nurse I’ve met happy — she can absolutely do all the work needed. I’m tempted to say, can we keep this companion for a series (it’s not a season, Russell!)? Thus far, she’s got some agency, some sense of self, she’s assertive in what she wants, and I’m again dragged into mentioning the last few years of Who.

So after her shift at the hospital and 17 years after the dullest White boy to ever play the game, King Hydroflax’s minions boot down the back door. The whole time she’s protesting, they kill the neighbor’s cat, and she’s still protesting. Side note here: I’ve heard it could have been leaked who Mrs. Flood is, and I still can’t be bothered to look it up. Even on the ship to the star system named after her by Allan, she’s constantly ready to have a go at someone or something for taking her from her bed. Which is kind of like a gobby ginger we had 17 years ago as the companion.

I know, I shouldn’t be so heavily comparing and contrasting after just one episode, but this is every tool Russell (and Moffat) have used before. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing – the opposite, in fact. I think there is quite a lot to be said that is good and to the point. What I do think is a little off, however, is the central theme or idea of the episode. Belinda is kidnapped by these robots of a planet of her people, she’s the rightful leader, and all this, but it gets a bit messy later on.

Tantamount to general episode discussion, I’m not talking about major spoilers, but I do need to talk somewhat about it. These unnamed robots kidnap her, timey-wimey shwoopness, The Doctor has been on the planet for six months by the time Queen Miss Belinda Chandra arrives and has the situation explained to her, and we’re introduced to the great “AI Generator…” so we’re doing commentary on AI? No, that’s a misdirect. A misdirect that’s easy to pick up on if you’re paying attention, but no less messy.

The trouble with the misdirection is that it all feels a bit clumsy. Spending a lot of time trying to tell you how the misdirect isn’t one by hammering home that it is a programming issue for the robots, who can’t hear every 9th word. No, I’m maybe writing this two weeks ahead, but every 9th word or the first letter of paragraphs doesn’t spell out “Let’s Kill Hitler” or something. I can’t be bothered to do it or fight my editor on it. Nonetheless, it is a major plot point that programming and this bug in the system means neither the robots nor the “AI Generator” hear every 9th word.

It’s not about AI, it’s about incels and the horrible controlling nature of that whole “incel culture.” I won’t say that’s not something Doctor Who should be tackling, it absolutely should be, but the way it is tackled here is little more than saying, “You’re stupid and you should go away.” The point of Doctor Who, even when it is talking about racism and general “phobias,” which I have a problem with the etymology and use of, is that the problem is faced head-on. It is explained/shown as stupid, and then dealt with. Here, it’s an example of “being explained is the misdirect” then it is quickly dealt with.

There isn’t the “this is why it is stupid.” By the way, this is difficult to talk about without spoiling it, so just know that I’m trying here. Watching the first half of “The Robot Revolution,” there is nothing particularly incel-centric about it (that slaps you in the face repeatedly) other than a socially awkward young White guy, which the show has had hundreds of. Adam from Series 1 was socially awkward. It’s the flashback and need to literally say that it’s an incel problem when little directly up to that point was entirely leading there.

It’s also my problem with the editing, too. When the 9th-word thing is introduced, there is enough of an emphasis on which words to pay attention to, and then we get a quick montage of the very words we’d just heard formed into a sentence. It doesn’t make me feel clever as a viewer, it makes me wonder how dumb Russell thinks everyone watching is. It’s the same with this incel problem, it’s fine to leave that in the viewer’s head to think that, but as a writer, you don’t need the, “Aren’t I so smart for being able to tell a story about how horrible these people are?”

Incels and AI might be used as the phrases, but it’s not really an episode about either of those. “The Robot Revolution” isn’t really about anything other than introducing Belinda while using some narrative framing of control and buggy programming. The idea of doing an episode about either of those things is fine, maybe not right after Adolescence, but still. They are topics worth covering, though they need to be focused on. This wasn’t an episode that had that focus, it was about Belinda.

The look, the feel, and the overall takeaway from the episode is that it’s a good episode, comparatively akin to Russell’s first run. However, despite the ideas like the medical blanket and Belinda being a nurse that’s amazed at the alien physiology being cool and well done, the “aren’t incels horrible people?” feels more like a dig at the incels and incel-like to get them to go away rather than think about their actions.

Visually, it’s a pretty good episode. I like Belinda, and I like some of the comedy in her pushing back, but that ending puts me off wanting to watch it too soon again. Think of it like the Series 4 problems, Atmos and the bees are disappearing are clearly comments on climate change, but there is enough in-world to make it part of that world’s problem. The bees were going back to their home planet, for example. It doesn’t obfuscate the actual message, but it doesn’t feel like someone is clanging dustbin lids together while marching down the street.

There is a good 65-75% of the episode that’s fun, interesting, and doing some good. It’s probably one of the best first-in-a-series episodes we’ve gotten in 10 years. If we go back to Series 8, “Deep Breath” was alright, “The Pilot” was disinterestedly waving your hand in the air, “The Woman Who Fell to Earth” is easily one of Chibnall’s best episodes ever, and ignoring specials, the only episodes beyond those are awful and “Space Babies.” Is it a “Heaven Sent?” Hell no, but it’s not Flux either.

It has some heart, but much like that first moment when the Doctor is checking the computer, some of that heart is flatlining unnecessarily. I have my gripes with it, but I feel like I’m running around in circles here. Beyond the incel-AI plot point, the things that bother me are Russell trying to recapture that Bad Wolf thing with Mrs. Flood and The Doctor’s use of the screwdriver in the hospital. On the latter, I get that it’s supposed to be about intro whimsy, but I instantly called that doing that has killed someone because he wipes out an entire hospital’s power.

The only other thing that annoys me is something I’ve kind of already mentioned, but I can’t confirm that’s entirely the reason. Be it editing in terms of video or editing of the script, someone needs a stern talking-to about telling a full story. It isn’t a spoiler to say that in the end the Doctor and Belinda end up in possession of the TARDIS, but it’s the fact that she says, “So this is your TARDIS?” when up to that point Ncuti only said, “Robots impounded my spaceship.”

Maybe it’s a deleted scene so we can hammer home the 9th words in one specific scene, or I’ll be calling for the job of script editor. It’s a really stupid mistake that stands out instantly. If it’s not a mistake, then I’m confused why it would be in there without explanation. Though that’s all more of a technical issue that I have, rather than being tired of Anita Dobson appearing in every episode or an odd character moment for the Doctor.

Ultimately, there are gripes to be had with “The Robot Revolution,” but it is generally likable and probably one of the best episodes we’ve had in a long, long time. I’m enjoying Varada Sethu’s Belinda much more than I thought I would, but that’s probably because she isn’t playing an antagonist who is over-enunciating now. I like the robots, the supporting cast could have been better/more fleshed out, and there is enough to make me want more of a proper adventure. I’m more than happy with “The Robot Revolution” after all this time.

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Doctor Who "The Robot Revolution"

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• One of the best series openers in years.
• Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra.
• The "polish, polish" bot reminds me of the "Roger, Roger" droids.

Cons

• Shonky editing.
• I don't care who/what Mrs Flood is.
• It's not a diploma, can someone sort that?