Actually, since you mention Rosa, one wonders if the time-travelling bigot in that ep might be from this society (perhaps before it went to hell, or maybe the vapid twats DO survive - folk like that always seem to, sadly)?
Spoilers Dot and Bubble grade and discussion thread
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The context made it muddled though. Because later on she’s weirded over hugging. Because even earlier, they had used Ruby pretending to be a survey support person to get a message in, friendly, rather than than the Doctor as brusque sys-admin. They outright presented a *lot* of stuff as another thing, and you can then go back and read it as racism — which can be clever, and can be a way of doing things in SF/Who — but *even the ending that makes the racism explicit* is designed to be possibly read as something else. Because the story isn’t doing anything with any of it, and the world building is paper thin which makes it make no sense.
Even Gothic Paul isn’t Gothic.
‘Why is this society racist? Why does this community have problems based on twentieth century stereotypes around ethnicity?’
‘Because the writer wants them to to make a point’
Even if they had done the old SF thing, Piece of the Action style, and had them literally be some weird colony-cult that based itself on an understanding of some old earth customs, like they are woodsboro Baptists in space (which ironically they basically are) and then presented that explicitly in dialogue, then it would have given some logic or reasoning.
The whole story was ultimately constructed to serve a gotcha at the end, which was… weak really.
He comes over as an authority figure, and ironically an older man (probably the tache) which is what he is presenting as. Ruby comes over with a deceit of being a survey, and ingratiates herself with a comment about her top.
If they hadn’t been so busy trying to camouflage the racism to have a gotcha at the end, it would have worked. It’s basically trying too hard to be clever. Or too hard to not be too offensive - even in the gotcha no-one actually mentions his skin colour. Why is that?
Real racists do that when they are worried about repercussions.
Because we never see the society, or have it explained, the only reason the hang their behaviour on is ‘homogenous group of white people automatically don’t like black people, to the point of preferring their own demise’ which is, frankly, bollocks.
edit: in fact the more I think of it, the more I think it just really highlights the limitations of one-and-done episodes. Because the things it would take to make this work properly require more breathing space than fifty or so minutes allow. The problem with ‘a twist at the end’ is that you don’t have time to actually deal with the ramifications of that, and when you treat what is a serious topic as fodder for that ‘Aha!’ moment, you’re gonna land in the bad kind of offensive pretty fast. Make ‘planet of woodsboro baptists’ into a mid way twist, and it gives you time to talk about how racism is a programmed and insidious thing. Especially when there’s a programmed baddie eating people unseen right there too.
If the Seventh Doctor had found out whole planet was full of racists, he would have let more of the slugs in if they couldn’t change their ways. But even his one-and-done baddies had more nuance than these paper cut outs.
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At first, I guessed that the Boomers back home, wanted to get rid of their children because they sucked, but I was wrong.
Absolute rubbish. Baby Boomer RTD (and yes, he just fits in the Baby Boomer age range) complaining about "the kids" being on their phones too much. Presumably while writing he realized that plot might not work for a whole episode so adds the "suicidally racist" angle to make it look like he has a message besides "those kids today". At least this writers terrible attempt at a racism episode didn't drag a real life historical figure/event into it.
Also another Doctor Lite episode, in a season where Ncuti has been basically the only good thing about almost every one of his episodes. Worst episode of the season so far, hopefully the last Doctor Lite episode.
Also another Doctor Lite episode, in a season where Ncuti has been basically the only good thing about almost every one of his episodes. Worst episode of the season so far, hopefully the last Doctor Lite episode.
I'll admit to missing what exactly was going on with the ending. I figured they were rejecting the Doctor's offer out of classism and being outsiders but not precisely connecting that it was specifically because he was black (and rich racists won't allow a black driver?). I'll chalk some of that up to the lens of white privilege on the part of this viewer but also that the show plays fast and loose with these things. Such things are only an issue when they want to make a specific point of it but other times we'll see the Doctor and his companions just take charge in all sorts of questionable times and situations. Telling Martha to just walk around like you own the place and not get called out on it. Or we'll see them change Isaac Newton and so on as if it's no big thing. Having their cake and eat it too.
Here's 2 leaps.
1. The murderer did not want to be outed as a murderer, so she used racism to get rid of the only person smart enough to figure that she is a murderer.
2. Having just murdered that pretty boy, Lindy was ashamed and guilty, and did not want to be saved or be rewarded with an easy way out, and could have been trying to kill herself in a really long winded super selfish way by staying planetside.
Hey!
If it really is racism and not classism or slavery, that means that there are rich black alien millennials on a nearby holiday planet in exactly the same pickle.
Wow! I really enjoyed that! Gave it a 9. My favorite of the season so far, nudging out Boom by a hair.
It definitely felt like a Black Mirror episode. The world RTD created was creepy as heck but you could buy into it happening. He really thought about the intricate details of how the world worked. And the dark twist at the end really added.
And, I loved how the Doctor cared so much that he was sad that he wasn't able to save them even though they were a group of bigots. They had been so deeply programmed by society and the Dot and Bubble system, there really was no way they'd break through that at the end. Tragic.
It definitely felt like a Black Mirror episode. The world RTD created was creepy as heck but you could buy into it happening. He really thought about the intricate details of how the world worked. And the dark twist at the end really added.
And, I loved how the Doctor cared so much that he was sad that he wasn't able to save them even though they were a group of bigots. They had been so deeply programmed by society and the Dot and Bubble system, there really was no way they'd break through that at the end. Tragic.
Agreed, there is more subtly in this story than recognized.
That was my first thought as well. Kind of like the planet they sent the phone sanitizers and other useless people to in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
What details of the way the world worked?
Started the companion show Doctor Who Unleashed.
.
It is just old fashioned racism, no matter what other alien institutionalism is built in, but not completely visible. This was Ncuti's first scene for the new series since he played catch with Tennant, the bit where he's screaming to Lindi to please come with him, please don't die. Which makes sense, since he has toned it down a lot since then, and when he says "This is the Tardis" it's like he's talking himself as much as the Disney Audience.
Just a few random thoughts:
It's not a slug, it's a bug. It has legs/feet and resembles a caterpillar more than anything. More importantly, it was created by an (AI) computer, so it's a computer bug.
Nobody steps on anything in this one... but there's a whole slap in the face plot about people not being able to walk without the device to tell them where to put their feet. And wasserface literally walks into a lamppost. There's definitely a theme.
As has been mentioned, this is the second episode with people expressing that they're not distressed by bereavement. In the gap since his first run, RTD lost his long time partner. He may have become a little more open to the idea that people find comfort and handle grief in different ways, and for some of them that involves a belief in an afterlife.
I couldn't help feeling this was part 2 of a three part story. We learned nothing about how the fake world was set up, or what it was actually doing. We are never told what happened to all the people on the homeworld - did the AI eat them too? How has an amoral society survived to this level of sophistication... or did it devolve to that under the influence of the AI? Then I really want to see whether they become something better out there in the world beyond... or they just all die?
If so, ultimately, this would be an episode where nothing happened: the Doctor saved a bunch of entitled white kids from one death only for them to choose a different one. I guess that would be a first for the show: people deliberately choosing not to be rescued, not for any high minded, altruistic reason but because they are small minded and bigoted.
And that might just be the biggest political comment so far all series.
It's not a slug, it's a bug. It has legs/feet and resembles a caterpillar more than anything. More importantly, it was created by an (AI) computer, so it's a computer bug.
Nobody steps on anything in this one... but there's a whole slap in the face plot about people not being able to walk without the device to tell them where to put their feet. And wasserface literally walks into a lamppost. There's definitely a theme.
As has been mentioned, this is the second episode with people expressing that they're not distressed by bereavement. In the gap since his first run, RTD lost his long time partner. He may have become a little more open to the idea that people find comfort and handle grief in different ways, and for some of them that involves a belief in an afterlife.
I couldn't help feeling this was part 2 of a three part story. We learned nothing about how the fake world was set up, or what it was actually doing. We are never told what happened to all the people on the homeworld - did the AI eat them too? How has an amoral society survived to this level of sophistication... or did it devolve to that under the influence of the AI? Then I really want to see whether they become something better out there in the world beyond... or they just all die?
If so, ultimately, this would be an episode where nothing happened: the Doctor saved a bunch of entitled white kids from one death only for them to choose a different one. I guess that would be a first for the show: people deliberately choosing not to be rescued, not for any high minded, altruistic reason but because they are small minded and bigoted.
And that might just be the biggest political comment so far all series.
Maybe I missed it and I did watch this at 4AM on a bad insomnia kick but I don't remember why they tried to save Lindy in particular. Was there a reason or was she as good as any?
Not only that but the one person that might've been worth saving was lost. It really was a loss, and as you say, maybe that was the point.
I gave this one a 9, so I've really enjoyed the last 3 episodes.
Whilst it was a little unsettling being thrown into the deep end without much to go on at the start of the episode, I was really drawn into the whole plight and was egging on Ms. Pepper to do what the Doctor says.
I was fascinated with the whole technology involved, with a blatant warning over overuse of social media. No matter how cool it looked during the episode.
Whilst it was a little unsettling being thrown into the deep end without much to go on at the start of the episode, I was really drawn into the whole plight and was egging on Ms. Pepper to do what the Doctor says.
I was fascinated with the whole technology involved, with a blatant warning over overuse of social media. No matter how cool it looked during the episode.
The social media bit seemed… underdone. There wasn’t any. No memes. No clips. No entertainment other than CBeebies presenter looking people talking at you. Nothing was actually happening that anyone was talking about other than the missing people on the contact list. There weren’t even any backgrounds to the people.
Everyone was simultaneously social media consumer and influencer. There was no commercial aspect to it anymore. It was just about raking in admiration somehow by everyone else. A circle jerk i believe is the term?
As a person who has been on the receiving end of more microaggressions than I can count, I noticed all of these, but initially assumed it was because the Doctor was seen as a rather serious "old person" (versus Ruby, who tried to fit in by e.g. praising Lindy's top) but in hindsight, it all makes sense.
Compare with the Stargate SG-1 episode "The Other Side", where I spotted the same twist at the 11 minute 30 second mark, just by the way René Auberjonois (playing the antagonist, Alar) said "Is he?" in response to Colonel O'Neill's assurance that Teal'c (who is black) was indeed part of his team. And this was barely after O'Neill first met Alar. (the twist was only explicitly revealed in-universe at the 35 minute 30 second mark)
To be fair to Callie Cooke (who did an incredible job playing an extremely unlikable character), Auberjonois was a far more experienced actor who somehow had an incredible ability to replicate microaggressions.
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That’s almost where we are now.
But it still needs… raw material. There might be x number of videos reacting to y number of other videos, but Disney, or The Middle East, or Sunak, or Trump, still has to exist to provide that spark. Heck, Air Fryers, the right way to make Tea, anything has to exist. These people make plans and talk about doing whatever they want outside of their two hours work, but only one does anything. Some of the ‘people’ shown are more likely to be AI constructs rather than people — Doctor Pee is basically a smart watch function. (Whilst the joke is funny, how do we go from not needing to urinate at all on waking to sudden fear response? Bodies don’t recycle and generate fluid that way.)
Basically it’s so very surface that frankly I noticed within minutes of the episode starting, and it just kept nagging at me. Ricky is a performer who, Tik Tok style, mimes to an old song. But it’s lacking… everything. There’s no sense of anything outside the bubble of what’s being shown in the episode, which makes it less convincing. It really jolts when The Doctor and Ruby are looking at Susan Twists episode appearance. They move as though they are in the virtual space of the bubble, but they are in (presumably) The Tardis. I try to hand wave that and the pastel backgrounds away as a virtualisation of the interface as we would use today, but it makes less sense. (As do the twins in the single bubble)
It comes over as… the modern equivalent of Adric’s Power Suit jaunt. A decision made to keep things cheap rather than realising what the thing is meant to be.
Moffat already did this story setting, in essence, with the emoji robots, and that made much more sense than it does here.
There’s a bunch of ideas with no linking connections or tissue… which is exactly what’s wrong with the bubble. There’s no sense of reality to any of it, within the narrative presented.
HA!
I predicted someone would say something like this back on November 17 2021. Here we are, a little over seven months since the Second RTD era officially started, and the pining for the "good old days" under Chibnall has begun.
