![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivverFirst episodes of the new season, and of the new Doctor! Okay, yes, technically, "The Church on Ruby Road" is the first episode of both the new season and the new Doctor, but though it did feed into season arc, it really didn't give us much about the new Doctor, as it was mostly about Ruby.
Anyway, whatever. Reviews below, and spoilers, of course. I should note, I've seen both episodes twice now. We watched the two, then went back and watched "The Church on Ruby Road", and then rewatched the two.
I'll admit, I wasn't that fond of "Space Babies" when I first watched it. It was fun enough, but nothing special. I'm really not fond of babies/children in most things because most of the time, they're there simply for feels or for comedy, or, in the case of Doctor Who, something that the Doctor doesn't know how to deal with; they don't actually contribute to the story. On second watch, though, I enjoyed it a lot more, perhaps because I knew what was going on and wasn't in a perpetual state of "Okay, now what cute/funny baby-related thing is going to happen next?" I could see that the babies, especially Poppy and Eric, were actual distinct characters and not just distractions.
It still honestly was just a fun episode, but that's exactly what was needed, an episode that shows how fun this show can be while also introducing the Doctor, since this is really the episode that's going to sell the Disney+ audience on the show. As such, I can excuse the extra exposition here, since that audience needs to know certain bits of the Doctor's background. I will note, though, that the exposition was expertly delivered, as conversations between Ruby and the Doctor, rather than a speech.
The delight here was seeing the Doctor clearly for the first time. He's full of life, excited to see new things, and open with his companion (at least as open as he can be). Joyful, playful - I loved his insistence on saying "space babies" and his repeated intentional scaring of the babies with the mention of the Bogeyman (and his mischievous smile at their screams). (In the novelization of "The Giggle",James Goss the Toymaker describes Fifteen as "born laughing", and he nailed it.) This Doctor is, as always, compassionate, but unusually, he's not afraid to show it. (And he cries a lot - at least four separate instances of tears across the two episodes.) But it's also obvious that his ebullient demeanor masks that he's always watching, always thinking, and always vigilant.
We also get more insight into Ruby. Though she's the same age as Rose when she traveled with Nine, she's much more mature and confident, even if she's just as unsure of where her life is going to go. She's excited to travel with the Doctor and see the universe, but she's not impetuous and reckless. She feels passionate and real. I don't know who the last companion was who had both qualities - almost all of the modern DW companions have been larger than life, and those that weren't didn't have a passion that defined them. I'd also like to say here that Millie Gibson is an impressive actress, especially considering that she is actually only nineteen (possibly even eighteen when this was filmed).
The story wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking. It did what it was supposed to do: take us on a wild ride while showing us who the Doctor and Ruby were. One thing that I did appreciate was the atmosphere of surreality, which is something that, if you've read my reviews before, I really enjoy in DW. I want to see more unreal worlds like "Paradise Towers", "The Happiness Patrol", "Gridlock". The idea of a space station run by six-year-olds stuck in baby bodies, under the supervision of a computer Nan-I quite tickled me. And a fast monster! Another shivver-checkbox!
The Doctor battles the elemental force of music? Could the show target me more directly? I loved this episode! From the first moment, where the Doctor hears Ruby's suggestion and goes, "That... is... BRILLIANT! Why didn't I ever think of that?" (Or close enough anyway; don't have the transcript.) And when the Beatles started playing, the Doctor and Ruby exchanged the same looks my husband and I were.
RTD said that this season would be delving into fantasy, and this is probably what he meant; elemental forces like the Toymaker and Maestro are definitely on the fantasy side of things. These forces are inscrutable, until you realize that they really only view the universe through the lens of their own domain. The Toymaker only saw games and play; nothing else mattered to him. Maestro only saw music, and their goal - to own all music and eliminate it from the universe so that they could hear the music of the spheres - was entirely in line with who they were. Humans (and Time Lords) barely registered as beings to them; they were only annoyances that kept stealing what was rightfully theirs. Despite appearing entirely chaotic, Maestro behaved according to their defined rules, and in the end, were defeated through those rules.
Maestro themself was glorious! (Yes, I looked it up, and "themself" is a word, archaic but coming back now that we have need of it.) People have been complaining that they were over-the-top and that Jinkx Monsoon chewed the scenery, but I thought they were perfect. This is a non-human, extra-dimensional personification of an emotional art - why shouldn't they be weird, stunning, and/or disturbing? Honestly, Doctor Who could use more actually alien aliens, with new, different personalities, cultures, and goals, rather than essentially human characters in prosthetics and makeup.
What really made the episode for me, though, was the battle and the eventual victory. Though the Doctor and Ruby were completely outclassed, they continued fighting and gain small victories that were ultimately overturned. That's one of my favorite things in DW, that push-and-pull between the Doctor and the villain, where you don't quite know who's going to actually win because the balance of power keeps shifting. And, in this particular case, the Doctor doesn't win. He doesn't magically turn out to have the musical genius necessary to defeat Maestro. That's left to John Lennon and Paul McCartney - and notice that it takes both of them to win, because it was the synergy between the two geniuses that rocketed the Beatles into the stratosphere.
Now, the musical number... I just kind of sat there staring. However, the second time through, it was fine. It's actually not as long as you might think it was. The first time, it was interminable. The second time, it was over long before I thought it would be. And if I'm looking for surrealism, well, here it is! But really, it's the celebration of the return of music, isn't it? The second time, I watched it and got to really feel that. I'm looking forward to finding out what other relevance it has.
And that's really the thing here: these two episodes, as well as the 60th and "The Church on Ruby Road", are weaving a longer narrative by feeding us constant cryptic clues, and it's fascinating! Yes, we already know that there's a mystery surrounding Ruby's birth and that's the driving force of the season, but there's still tons more going on and we don't know how it's all connected. Seeds that were planted earlier are continuing to develop while new things appear each episode, and we continue to get new info on they're all related.
My husband and I are keeping a list of clues and unanswered questions. Here are a few:
The thing is, we're talking about it! We're speculating! We're watching each episode looking for new clues to support or dash our theories! We are engaging with the show! We're not just waiting to see what happens next episode in order to get to the final reveal at the end of season of what's really up with Ruby - we're putting together a puzzle. This is gorgeous! This is fun! Omg, it's still three days until the next pair of episodes!
(Edit: Doing my own research on "Rhapsody in Blue"... It was composed in 1924, and both the Toymaker and Maestro entered the world in 1925, so perhaps the idea is that Maestro interrupted music and now that they were defeated, the rhapsody is now being allowed to complete (it was in the final passage in the episode). Also, the first performance of the rhapsody was in Aeolian Hall in NYC, and the aeolian mode was mentioned a few times in the episode. And, of course, there's the reference to blue, which is ubiquitous in DW.)
Anyway, whatever. Reviews below, and spoilers, of course. I should note, I've seen both episodes twice now. We watched the two, then went back and watched "The Church on Ruby Road", and then rewatched the two.
I'll admit, I wasn't that fond of "Space Babies" when I first watched it. It was fun enough, but nothing special. I'm really not fond of babies/children in most things because most of the time, they're there simply for feels or for comedy, or, in the case of Doctor Who, something that the Doctor doesn't know how to deal with; they don't actually contribute to the story. On second watch, though, I enjoyed it a lot more, perhaps because I knew what was going on and wasn't in a perpetual state of "Okay, now what cute/funny baby-related thing is going to happen next?" I could see that the babies, especially Poppy and Eric, were actual distinct characters and not just distractions.
It still honestly was just a fun episode, but that's exactly what was needed, an episode that shows how fun this show can be while also introducing the Doctor, since this is really the episode that's going to sell the Disney+ audience on the show. As such, I can excuse the extra exposition here, since that audience needs to know certain bits of the Doctor's background. I will note, though, that the exposition was expertly delivered, as conversations between Ruby and the Doctor, rather than a speech.
The delight here was seeing the Doctor clearly for the first time. He's full of life, excited to see new things, and open with his companion (at least as open as he can be). Joyful, playful - I loved his insistence on saying "space babies" and his repeated intentional scaring of the babies with the mention of the Bogeyman (and his mischievous smile at their screams). (In the novelization of "The Giggle",
We also get more insight into Ruby. Though she's the same age as Rose when she traveled with Nine, she's much more mature and confident, even if she's just as unsure of where her life is going to go. She's excited to travel with the Doctor and see the universe, but she's not impetuous and reckless. She feels passionate and real. I don't know who the last companion was who had both qualities - almost all of the modern DW companions have been larger than life, and those that weren't didn't have a passion that defined them. I'd also like to say here that Millie Gibson is an impressive actress, especially considering that she is actually only nineteen (possibly even eighteen when this was filmed).
The story wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking. It did what it was supposed to do: take us on a wild ride while showing us who the Doctor and Ruby were. One thing that I did appreciate was the atmosphere of surreality, which is something that, if you've read my reviews before, I really enjoy in DW. I want to see more unreal worlds like "Paradise Towers", "The Happiness Patrol", "Gridlock". The idea of a space station run by six-year-olds stuck in baby bodies, under the supervision of a computer Nan-I quite tickled me. And a fast monster! Another shivver-checkbox!
The Doctor battles the elemental force of music? Could the show target me more directly? I loved this episode! From the first moment, where the Doctor hears Ruby's suggestion and goes, "That... is... BRILLIANT! Why didn't I ever think of that?" (Or close enough anyway; don't have the transcript.) And when the Beatles started playing, the Doctor and Ruby exchanged the same looks my husband and I were.
RTD said that this season would be delving into fantasy, and this is probably what he meant; elemental forces like the Toymaker and Maestro are definitely on the fantasy side of things. These forces are inscrutable, until you realize that they really only view the universe through the lens of their own domain. The Toymaker only saw games and play; nothing else mattered to him. Maestro only saw music, and their goal - to own all music and eliminate it from the universe so that they could hear the music of the spheres - was entirely in line with who they were. Humans (and Time Lords) barely registered as beings to them; they were only annoyances that kept stealing what was rightfully theirs. Despite appearing entirely chaotic, Maestro behaved according to their defined rules, and in the end, were defeated through those rules.
Maestro themself was glorious! (Yes, I looked it up, and "themself" is a word, archaic but coming back now that we have need of it.) People have been complaining that they were over-the-top and that Jinkx Monsoon chewed the scenery, but I thought they were perfect. This is a non-human, extra-dimensional personification of an emotional art - why shouldn't they be weird, stunning, and/or disturbing? Honestly, Doctor Who could use more actually alien aliens, with new, different personalities, cultures, and goals, rather than essentially human characters in prosthetics and makeup.
What really made the episode for me, though, was the battle and the eventual victory. Though the Doctor and Ruby were completely outclassed, they continued fighting and gain small victories that were ultimately overturned. That's one of my favorite things in DW, that push-and-pull between the Doctor and the villain, where you don't quite know who's going to actually win because the balance of power keeps shifting. And, in this particular case, the Doctor doesn't win. He doesn't magically turn out to have the musical genius necessary to defeat Maestro. That's left to John Lennon and Paul McCartney - and notice that it takes both of them to win, because it was the synergy between the two geniuses that rocketed the Beatles into the stratosphere.
Now, the musical number... I just kind of sat there staring. However, the second time through, it was fine. It's actually not as long as you might think it was. The first time, it was interminable. The second time, it was over long before I thought it would be. And if I'm looking for surrealism, well, here it is! But really, it's the celebration of the return of music, isn't it? The second time, I watched it and got to really feel that. I'm looking forward to finding out what other relevance it has.
And that's really the thing here: these two episodes, as well as the 60th and "The Church on Ruby Road", are weaving a longer narrative by feeding us constant cryptic clues, and it's fascinating! Yes, we already know that there's a mystery surrounding Ruby's birth and that's the driving force of the season, but there's still tons more going on and we don't know how it's all connected. Seeds that were planted earlier are continuing to develop while new things appear each episode, and we continue to get new info on they're all related.
My husband and I are keeping a list of clues and unanswered questions. Here are a few:
- Mavity, of course
- Who is Mrs Flood?
- Who is Susan Twist's character and why is she always there? (Related to the fan theory about Susan returning this season?)
- Why did the TARDIS make that weird sound?
- Is it significant that the dominant music after Maestro was defeated was "Rhapsody in Blue"?
- Is it significant that the Harbinger is now in 1963?
- The number of fourth wall breaks, by not only the Toymaker and Maestro, but also by the Doctor!
The thing is, we're talking about it! We're speculating! We're watching each episode looking for new clues to support or dash our theories! We are engaging with the show! We're not just waiting to see what happens next episode in order to get to the final reveal at the end of season of what's really up with Ruby - we're putting together a puzzle. This is gorgeous! This is fun! Omg, it's still three days until the next pair of episodes!
(Edit: Doing my own research on "Rhapsody in Blue"... It was composed in 1924, and both the Toymaker and Maestro entered the world in 1925, so perhaps the idea is that Maestro interrupted music and now that they were defeated, the rhapsody is now being allowed to complete (it was in the final passage in the episode). Also, the first performance of the rhapsody was in Aeolian Hall in NYC, and the aeolian mode was mentioned a few times in the episode. And, of course, there's the reference to blue, which is ubiquitous in DW.)
no subject
Date: 2024-05-14 10:44 pm (UTC)That title. That's a little hard to take seriously. a day ago, 2!Mom and I were browsing some movies on streaming and a bunch of them had B-Movie like titles. (A dinosaur one, a shark one, at least one zombie one). To me, that's what "space babies" sounds like.
But it was a fun episode. I agree about Poppy and Eric actually being characters. And I love The Doctor and Ruby's dynamic so far. I am definitely here to find out more about her story. My only real complaint is the Bogeyman. when they reveal what it actually is made of, I was saying "You're not" more than once. Ewww!!
I saw a comment on FB when Disney+ was promoting the show where someone was describing this Doctor as being "reborn" without having any of the guilt or pain of the Time Wars on him anymore. I can see that.
Fun fact- I think the premiere managed to break D+. Because the same day I saw a bunch of people saying the app wasn't working. :P
no subject
Date: 2024-05-18 08:20 pm (UTC)This one had (to me) more of a plot and felt more put together. Maestro is over the top but in a villain way, like Ursula in The Little Mermaid.
It's strange that since the episode had to do with the Beatles and Abbey Road that they couldn't use any actual Beatles songs, but it is what it is. :shrug: I am still curious and anxious to know what the story is for Ruby, since here we get the "song inside her" which sounds like carolers. And the mention of the One Who Waits makes me think it's going to factor in somehow.
That ending. Yes, I was warned (?) and knew it was coming ; but my reaction was "Catchy!" and once it ended was more like "Well, that just happened." I can see the why it didn't work for everyone, it feels like a Dance Party Ending (like in animated movies)
no subject
Date: 2024-05-19 12:44 pm (UTC)( “ And when the Beatles started playing, the Doctor and Ruby exchanged the same looks my husband and I were. “ ) Yeah, that was a groan worthy bit of songwriting. I wasn’t sure if I was meant to laugh or go 😳.
And I feel like I was ‘meant’ to know who Cilla was or why the lady with the tea mentioned The Wicked Lady? No, those went past me.