If you talk to some, Doctor Who simply hasn’t been the same since Peter Capaldi and Steven Moffat left in 2017. Since then, dropping viewing figures — albeit with a universal shift in the way we consume television — and a decline in critical reception have seen the sci-fi series on shakier ground than ever before. Still, the return of Russell T. Davies to the helm and a big budget partnership with Disney looked to steady the ship, but certain metrics would lead you to believe that isn’t true.
For The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu), their currently airing Season 2 might be receiving top-tier critical ratings, but most would point to the show’s Rotten Tomatoes audience rating to prove it is “beyond repair” and requires cancellation. However, when looking closer at this score and the reviews that accompanied it, it seems the “anti-woke” brigade had added the timey-wimey series to their review bombing target list, especially considering only one episode had been released by the time audiences had brandished it with a 46% score.
Time, as The Doctor has often proven, can heal a multitude of wounds, with the consistent, undeniable quality of this current season across its four episodes to date helping to mend said score, proving that even review bombers aren’t immune to overwhelming universal opinion. Since the season opener, episodes like “Lux” and Episode 3, “The Well,” have raised the audience score to 57%, with that likely to continue its upward trajectory as word-of-mouth about the high quality of Season 2 continues.
‘Doctor Who’s Most Recent Episode Didn’t Really Feature Its Titular Protagonist
The ‘Doctor-lite’ episode is a phenomenon new to the modern era of Doctor Who, beginning with 2006’s “Love and Monsters” and perfected in 2007’s “Blink.” Last season, a story centered on Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), “73 Yards,” gave Gatwa a chance to finish filming Sex Education‘s final season, and, although he now travels time and space with new companion Belinda, Ruby returned once again to helm a ‘Doctor-lite’ episode in the most recent “Lucky Day.” Although the episode does feature glimpses of the titular Time Lord from different points in his fifteenth incarnation’s journey, the episode almost entirely uncovers the life of Ruby since her travels on the TARDIS, as well as her new romance with Jonah Hauer-King‘s Conrad. Add this to a taste of the UNIT spin-off still to come, and a strong ‘Doctor-lite’ episode was born.
The first four episodes of Doctor Who Season 2 are currently available on Disney+. For more updates on your favorite shows, stay tuned to Collider.
