Doctor Who: Fugitive of the Judoon

Doctor: 'You don't know me. Not a little bit.'

Okay, that the show is currently in the process of a savage course-correction, at this point seems irrefutable. This is not the show of last season, nor is it Chibnall's Who from eight years ago, this is now a full-on greatest hits show... and is both better and worse for it.

The return of Captain Jack and the Judoon were straight from the Russell T. Davies playbook—as was the Earth in jeopardy stuff, the alien invasion, and the Judoon poetry. ('Judoon platoon upon the moon.' - Smith and Jones.) The Judoon's return was something that I wasn't particularly excited to see—let's face it, who was bar perhaps RTD himself?—but I thought they worked well in a secondary capacity to Gat and the unfolding mystery surrounding Ruth.

And the appearance of an as-yet unexplained Doctor was pretty much Moffat 101. Materialising a character from seemingly nowhere, and making her existence appear virtually impossible is something the show used to do so well, and tonight hit with a force almost unthinkable under Chibnall. A show which plays with its own history, revisits it, and occasionally rewrites it, I'm all about: especially when done right. Whether Chibnall is capable of pulling off a satisfying explanation to this madness of his own making I'm less convinced of, but two weeks ago I wasn't sure he could tie his own shoelaces without garroting a puppy, so miracles can and do happen.

Whether the return of Captain Jack—or more accurately, the return of John Barrowman being John Barrrowman—amounts to anything worthwhile also remains an unknown. I'm genuinely curious as to whether Chibnall will tone down Jack's I-want-to-fuck-everything shtick to better suit the show's more PC narrative, or whether on seeing the Doctor the Captain will fall back into old habits. That's assuming we see him again this season. If this was just a one shot and done, it really will diminish the overall impact. And although generally pleased to see Captain Jack back, the way in which they introduced him not only felt redundant to the immediate story, but looked suspiciously like it'd been filmed in a deserted rave warehouse. A moment definitely richer in shock value than narrative value, but in a show where both are inexplicably thin on the ground, I'll take anything I can get.

Jo Martin on the other hand, brought us the dashing, strong, assertive Doctor that's been missing from the heart of the show ever since Chibnall took over. Although Thirteen was much improved playing alongside her mysterious alter ego—I think Jodie does better with the quieter, more reflective material—the new Doctor's presence and vibrant ensemble is really what stole the show. In many ways I found her a more convincing bad-ass than Hurt's War Doctor, who felt altogether too cute at times. Whether she's part of our Doctor's rich lineage, an impostor, or some alternate dimension Doctor, her appearance is hands-down the most interesting thing to happen to the show in years.

In fact, I wouldn't mind if Ruth accidentally threw Thirteen and Co. into a wormhole, and took over the show completely. Despite their limited screentime, I found both her and Lee infinitely more interesting than any of the current cast—proof if it were needed that you can establish interesting characters quickly and convincingly if you're willing to put in the work. Not that the current companions were given any such love. Again Larry, Curly and Moe were given virtually nothing to do save awkwardly populate the wide shots. There was even a hilarious moment where they were just sat on their arses, watching the Doctor work. At this point, it's as though the writers are deliberately trolling us. Even having Jack teleport them all aboard his ship served little purpose other than to set up the season finale.

Boring companions aside, was tonight's shake-up a step in the right direction?  Well, it certainly thrilled in places, elicited the odd guffaw, and gave me that feeling I used to get when Doctor Who was in its prime. But it also felt like something of a retread. Clearly Chibnall's stripped-down vision for the show didn't reinvigorate the franchise in the way the BBC were hoping, but stealing ideas and jokes from a more successful era doesn't feel like the way to go either. Personally, I'd prefer to see a unique vision which draws on the show's history without overtly repeating it, but I'll take the direction of the past two episodes over anything we got last season. This is how I thought Doctor Who would be under Chibnall; I'm just puzzled as to why it's taken us sixteen episodes to get here.

Other Thoughts:

—I confess, I don't really understand the logic of stripping the show of its historical baggage last season, and then swamping us with it this season. If it was too confusing for the viewer then, how is it any less so now?

—'You ask too many questions.' Again, a critique often thrown at the Doctor manifests in her own dialogue. Are they really so oblivious to the irony?

—The Judoon really hate knitting.

—Presumably Chibnall got a writing credit because of the Captain Jack stuff? If so, kudos to Vinay Patel for doing such a good job of bringing Ruth, Lee and All Ears Allan to life.

—Doctor Ruth! I really should have guessed earlier.

—Again the Doctor tells her companions that they don't know her. How about fixing the problem, rather than continually restating it?

Quotes:

Doctor: 'Look at you, and your platoon of Judoon near... that lagoon.'
Yaz: 'More a canal.'

Lee: 'You're in charge, right?'
Doctor: 'It's a very flat team structure.'

Doctor: 'The Doctor never uses weapons.'
Ruth: 'I know. Shut up!'

Graham: 'Not just mates. Family.'
Is this supposed to be character development? The Doctor calls them 'fam' back in week one, and Graham finally agrees?