Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest – season two episode six recap

For an episode that started off like a joyfully camp romp into the sector of Eurovision, Juno Dawson grew to become in a script that actually had ice in its center, in simply the way in which the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) informed Kid (Freddie Fox) that the Time Lord now had ice in his hearts.

Doctor Who tales frequently characteristic alien invasions, conquest, destruction and the need for revenge, however they have got seldom so bleakly painted the choice to hold out a mass casualty terrorism tournament. That in flip provoked one of the crucial excessive reactions we’ve got ever observed from the lead personality.

It used to be all fairly an abrupt flip tonally, in an episode that felt a laugh however skinny for the hole act. It had a bigger ensemble forged to play with than every other tales this season, despite the fact that it used to be lucky that, separated, each the Doctor and Belinda (Varada Sethu) discovered themselves trapped with any individual who grew to become out to have technical experience operating bits of the distance station.

The episode tackled a number of giant topics directly – the rapacious capitalist exploitation of a planet to reap a product, broadly held dismissive and racist attitudes to a whole species, the ache of Miriam-Teak Lee’s personality having to undergo mutilation with a purpose to are compatible in and take part in society, and the Doctor’s judgment that none of these items in flip may just justify the movements of any person with a “cold filthy heart” that simply loves to kill.

Before all that used to be the color rush of gazing the competition spread. Your mileage will have numerous right here relying on how giant keen on Eurovision you’re. Who can have guessed that Rylan would have greater than a short lived cameo? His self-deprecating character used to be best for the phase Dawson wrote for him, permitting him to roll with the jokes about his enamel and his profession.

But most likely the toughest factor to make plausible used to be that any of the alien interstellar contestants and their songs from the longer term have been as outlandish as probably the most creations we’ve got observed through the years on Earth at the actual tournament.

Sum it up in a single sentence?

What if Doctor Who did Eurovision in house, however in the course of a terrorist assault?

Life aboard the Tardis

Last season’s interactions between Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and the Doctor relied at the target market taking at face price that they’d change into easiest friends off-screen. The courting between Belinda and the Doctor has been a lot more convincing. She appeared in fact bowled over when she witnessed the Doctor going into rage mode for the primary time, and he used to be best in the long run held again when he noticed his movements mirrored in her expression.

And then there used to be Carole Ann Ford, who performed William Hartnell’s first Doctor’s granddaughter in 1963 within the display’s first actual episode, apparently on board the 15th Doctor’s Tardis. Last season had teased a go back for her, best to bait-and-switch the viewer that it used to be SUtekh no longer SUsan all of the clues were pointing to. But there Susan used to be. What can all of it imply?

Fear issue

The faceless robotic guards have been a vintage Doctor Who background trope, extras deployed to ship a little of firepower however no actual thrill. It used to be the Doctor who used to be via some distance probably the most horrifying factor right here. Gatwa has obviously had swagger, taste and air of mystery to hold off the lighter aspect of his personality, however right here for the primary time he used to be in point of fact in a position to flex being the oncoming hurricane, the Time Lord Victorious, the only factor you by no means installed a lure. In each his dialog with Kid over the video hyperlink, and the following prolonged torture scene, Gatwa handed this Doctorly personality check with flying colors.

Mysteries and questions

Is it studying an excessive amount of into the truth that ultimate week abruptly we noticed Poppy, the captain from Space Babies, and this week the product using the narrative used to be Poppy Honey? Probably. And there used to be pricey outdated Mrs Flood, actively surveilling our heroes and obviously readying to place her dastardly bigeneration plan into motion.

Deeper into the vortex

• Ford’s look gained’t have taken William Russell’s international document for longest hole between appearances as the similar personality in the similar display. She reprised her function as Susan in 1983’s The Five Doctors. Russell set the document when he seemed in The Power of the Doctor in 2022, 57 years after his personality, Ian Chesterton’s preliminary departure.

• The Rani, firstly performed via Kate O’Mara, first seemed as a renegade Time Lord in 1985’s The Mark of the Rani.

• When Archie Panjabi stated she used to be the particular article, she used to be echoing Tom Baker’s phrases in his 1974 debut tale, Robot, the place, newly-regenerated, he informed Harry Sullivan “You may be a doctor, but I’m the Doctor. The definite article, you might say.”

• In 2002, Sylvester McCoy’s Doctor and Bonnie Langford’s Mel visited the Intergalactic Song Contest in an expanded media audio journey referred to as Bang-Bang-a-Boom!

• Graham Norton were given to ship the inside track of Earth’s destruction in hologram structure. He has up to now made no longer one however two unscheduled Doctor Who appearances. First, a BBC One sound error added a cheering crowd and his scorching mic voice to the disturbing opening of Rose in 2005. Second, an overlaid cool animated film promo of him generated 5,000 lawsuits for ruining the cliffhanger of The Time of Angels in 2010. He were given exterminated for it.

Next time

Wish World is already upon us, phase one of the crucial season finale. See then you definitely!