TV Review: “Doctor Who” Season 2 Gets Off to an Exciting Start with “The Robot Revolution”
The Doctor is back for another season of adventures through time and space, and this time, he’s got a new companion with him. Joining Ncuti Gatwa in the TARDIS this season is Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra. Eagle-eyed fans may remember Varada for playing Mundy Flynn in last season’s “Boom" – which is a fact that will come into play throughout the season.
Season 2, or Series 15 since Doctor Who came back in 2005, gets off to a rollicking start with “The Robot Revolution" which is immediately a better season opener than last year’s “Space Babies." We’re introduced to Belinda by way of a flashback, where her old boyfriend gives her a diploma naming a star after her. Cut to 17 years later, and Belinda (having seemingly not aged a day) ends up being kidnapped by the titular robots. Having not even met Belinda yet, the Doctor embarks on an epic intergalactic quest to get his new friend back home to Earth.
The script for “The Robot Revolution" is a clever one from showrunner Russell T Davies, and a strong way to open the season. He seemingly takes a page from the playbook of former showrunner Steven Moffat by creating a time-filled plot that cleverly gets teased and unraveled by the end. Notably, the episode takes on a darker tone than some of the lighter fare we saw last season, which is hopefully a sign of things to come for the rest of the season.
As is the norm at this point, Ncuti Gatwa is in fine form as the Time Lord – displaying wit, cunning resources, and emotional highs. But the standout of the story to me is Varada Sethu as Belinda, who immediately makes herself a likeable, yet very different companion to Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). Belinda is not afraid to speak her mind, already questioning the Doctor and not wanting to be one of his “little projects." Belinda is perhaps just as heroic as the Doctor here, and Varada plays it perfectly. I can’t wait to see more of the duo’s chemistry and how the season-long arc of the Doctor trying to get Belinda home plays out.
I’m not shy in expressing my disappointment over the big finale to Season 1, but after a solid Christmas special and a pretty spectacular opening, I’m very excited for the future of my favorite show. There’s seven more stories to come this season, with many coming from first-time writers to the show. Check back each week following every episode’s release for my recaps of them.
Doctor Who will premiere on Saturday, April 12th at 12 a.m. PDT / 3 a.m. EDT on Disney+, where available, and will be exclusively accessible on the BBC and BBC iPlayer in the UK.