Spoilers for “The Robot Revolution.”
The beginning of any season of Doctor Who holds significant importance, especially when a new co-star is introduced. “The Robot Revolution” has the challenging task of making us fall in love with Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), while also attracting new fans and retaining existing ones. This is particularly crucial since it’s the second of two series funded by Disney, indicating that its success is essential for continued financial support.
We commence “17 years ago” with Belinda Chandra gazing at the stars alongside her boyfriend, Alan Budd (Jonny Green). Their teenage outing is noticeably awkward, as Alan attempts to win Belinda’s affection by gifting her a star adoption certificate. Fast forward to 2025, and Belinda is now a nurse at a bustling London hospital, where the Doctor is currently on her trail.
As Belinda settles in for the night, we notice her star ownership certificate proudly displayed on her wall. However, she’s abruptly woken by a fleet of retro-futuristic ‘50s robots housed in a Tintin rocket, intent on abducting both her and the certificate. The Doctor arrives just in time to watch the rocket ascend, leading us to the opening credits.
The certificate was no joke gift; indeed, she is the queen of the planet BelindaChandra, inhabited by its residents — BelindaChandrians (I’ll simply refer to them as humans from this point). The Doctor pursues them in the TARDIS, but both the rocket and the TARDIS become ensnared in a vaguely defined time fissure. Upon her arrival, Belinda meets the human Sasha55, who informs her that the robots are in control, having violently overthrown the populace a decade earlier.
“Oh, this is reminiscent of Jupiter Ascending,” I noted.
Belinda is escorted to a throne room, where she learns that she must merge with the planet’s malevolent ruling supercomputer, the AI Generator. This ominous entity, adorned with skull motifs and Tesla coils, plans to bond with Belinda. An animated presentation showcases her grim fate, illustrating how she would be ensnared in machine parts and reduced to a mindless cyborg.
“Oh, that’s reminiscent of the eerily disturbing segment from Superman III,” I scribbled.
Who has been lurking in the shadows throughout this scene? It’s the Doctor, now assuming the role of Planetary Historian. (Due to the time fissure, he found himself here six months prior to the rocket’s arrival, after the robots seized the TARDIS, and has been collaborating with the rebellion. He even has a new companion named Sasha55, whom he plans to take to the stars once the situation is resolved.) He informs Belinda that the robots cannot hear every ninth word spoken and conveys a coded message indicating that he and the rebellion are there to rescue her. In the chaos that ensues, Sasha55 is vaporized, eliciting a moment of brief horror and grief from the Doctor.
The surviving rebels, along with a small Roomba bot tasked with cleaning Queen Belinda’s path…
“Oh, similar to the cleaning robot M-O from Wall-E,” I noted.
… manage to escape to a teleporter. Following this, the Doctor disables the Roomba to prevent the robots from tracking them and then gives the bot a kiss as an apology. The episode then pauses to allow the Doctor and Belinda to engage for the first time. The Doctor was informed of Belinda’s predicament by someone from her future, but to avoid confusing the timelines, he cannot elaborate.
The time fracture that ensnared both vessels has resulted in various time-related anomalies, such as the robots possessing Belinda’s star certificate. Strangely enough, it’s not merely a copy; it’s the very same item from a different point in time, leaving everyone puzzled about how and why they possess it. Much like Ruby Sunday before her, Belinda is savvy enough to recognize that two identical objects from different points in time cannot coexist in the same space without potentially causing catastrophic consequences.
“Oh, akin to Timecop!,” I scribbled.
With injured individuals at the base, Belinda quickly shifts into nurse mode, gathering IVs and tending to patients. She takes command swiftly, showing no tolerance for any condescension directed at her when the Doctor hints that some “timey-wimey” phenomena may be occurring. She adamantly refuses to let anyone else fight her battles, determined to seize control of the narrative in whatever way necessary. Consequently, she stealthily reactivates the Roomba and offers herself to the robots in exchange for sparing the rebels’ lives.
Belinda and the Doctor are brought to meet the AI Generator, which turns out to be… the AL Generator. When Belinda was initially captured by the robots, she mentioned her ex, Alan, having purchased the certificate; thus, they set out to abduct him as well. However, the time fracture caused Alan to arrive a decade earlier, merging with the machine (transforming him into a creepy cyborg) and triggering the robot uprising.
Despite this revelation, Belinda willingly considers sacrificing herself until she spots Alan clutching his version of the star certificate. She decides to Timecop the two certificates together, leading to a massive timey-wimey explosion that only the Doctor can pull her from. While Belinda is ultimately saved, the Doctor notes that he is now entwined with her timestream. Alan, on the other hand, has been reduced to a sperm on the floor, which the Roomba swiftly mops up.
After reuniting with the TARDIS, the Doctor scans Belinda and reveals he’s previously met her descendant — Mundy Flynn (also Varada Sethu) from last season’s “Boom.” Although Belinda may be curious about how someone so far removed may resemble her, she opts not to delve into that mystery. Instead, she expresses anger towards the Doctor for scanning her without her consent and for treating her as if she’s merely a puzzle to be deciphered.
Having witnessed Sasha55’s demise, she realizes that accompanying the Doctor is perilous and desires a return to May 24, 2025. However, the TARDIS refuses to land on present-day Earth, and even the Cloister Bell sounds a dire warning. Upon opening the TARDIS doors, they find themselves gazing at empty space before the Doctor opts to take her home “the long way round.”
As the ship vanishes, a series of objects begin to drift into view: a wrecked black cab, the twisted remnants of the Eiffel Tower, Belinda’s star adoption certificate, and a calendar displaying all of May with the 25th conspicuously crossed out. Uh-oh.
It's a lot to get through in such a short episode
Like much of the Disney-era Who, “The Robot Revolution” feels overloaded to the point of bursting. On one hand, nothing outstays its welcome; on the other, it feels as though the show is hastily racing through a movie’s worth of plot. Grasping the stakes is challenging due to the hurried pace, resulting in more exposition than action. We’re informed that the planet lies under the cruel dominion of an evil overlord, yet the visual representation involves nothing more than little red ships attacking buildings in digital matte paintings. Although we’re told Alan is untrustworthy, we only truly see that aspect of him after his villainous role is unveiled. The Doctor is mentioned to be following instructions from a figure in his future, but it would have been beneficial to have some of this depicted visually.
Davies played a crucial role in resurrecting Doctor Who and establishing the cultural phenomenon it has become under his stewardship. His legacy within the show’s history is assured. However, even so, his Disney-era series seem heavily influenced by the style of his successor, Steven Moffat. “The Robot Revolution” incorporates a macguffin hidden within an ordinary object, features a split narrative, and introduces time-bending antics. While it’s not that Moffat owns these concepts, one can sense Davies attempting to adapt his more character-driven, casual style into something more complex. A skeptic might speculate that Davies is responding to his absence from Doctor Who Magazine’s most recent ranking of the series’ best episodes, in which Moffat holds five credits.
In fact, it would not surprise me if the slightly frenetic and disjointed nature of this script is intentionally crafted to set the groundwork for the remainder of the season. Nevertheless, there is an palpable tension as it strives for a narrative framework that doesn’t fully coalesce.
If the script is the least impressive aspect of the episode, then the production design must be regarded as the standout feature. The retro-futuristic robots evoke a nostalgic visual reminiscent of a bright red Ford Thunderbird or Chevy Bel Air, while the cleaning robot clearly draws inspiration from a VW Beetle. It’s an impressively humanistic aesthetic that I wish today’s robovac manufacturers would emulate.
Behind the scenes
Doctor Who has long been a stable source of speculation, primarily due to the frequently precarious tenure of its lead roles. It’s common for rumors regarding the lead’s potential departure to circulate, given that actors typically stay for three to four years. Recently, there have been multiple reports suggesting that Ncuti Gatwa has either already left the show or is on the verge of doing so. Moreover, many sources claim the BBC and Disney are withholding approval for new episodes until they assess this season’s performance. Additionally, the BBC reports that budget cuts and inflation have resulted in a £1 billion (approximately $1.3 billion) decline in its budget in real terms since 2010. When asked directly about the future of the series during an interview with the BBC’s youth-focused news program, Newsround, Russell T. Davies chose to give ambiguous answers that implied the show may be facing a hiatus.
This is relevant in light of the scene where Belinda overcomes Alan using the certificate, and the Doctor rescues her. He mentions that she required a Time Lord to withstand the overwhelming energy emitted when she merged the papers. The Doctor then grimaces as if overwhelmed by pain but quickly dismisses it and appears fine for the rest of the episode. Longtime fans will note that absorbing significant energy from the time vortex was the cause of death for Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor back in 2005. Alongside his decision to depart, of course.
Mrs. Flood Corner
It appears that Mrs. Flood has a penchant for becoming neighbors with whoever serves as this year’s companion. While being abducted, she calls out to her neighbor to contact the police and express her love to her parents. As the rocket launches, she informs the audience that we haven’t yet seen her and retreats indoors to avoid encountering the Doctor, who rushes out in pursuit.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/doctor-who-the-robot-revolution-review-meet-belinda-chandra-190054697.html?src=rss
