- Ah, so we're dumping on social media this episode.
- "So, you're the rich kids!"
- "I think he's not as stupid as he looks." Nice.
- "That was your first hug?" I don't get many, either.
- "You're so good at walking." Yes, I am.
- "Homeworld Population Zero" Uh-oh.
- The bit with the Doctor and Ruby fangirling over Ricky September was funny.
- "Ricky September" is a stage name, isn't it? I bet his real name comes before "Pepper-Bean".
- "I think it's learnt to hate you." That does seem like it would be real easy.
- The way that Lindy sells Ricky out is colder than anything that I've ever seen a Dalek do.
- Instead of creating monsters to kill these people, the Dot should have just shut the internet down and let these peoples' own uselessness kill them.
- "Because you, sir, are not one of us." In one of the extras, RTD said that he wanted to do a story bout racism. but that he felt that setting it in the past would have been like pretending that racism didn't still exist in the present.
- "If you'll turn away, ladies, before you're contaminated." Imagine how different this story would be if it had been the Davison Doctor that showed up.
- The Doctor losing his sh*t at the end is some good acting on nthe part of Gatwa.
Overall: I thought that this was a pretty good story. The slow reveal that Lindy wasn't just a vapid idiot, but aslo a hateful vapid idiot was well handled.
Replies
Ah, so we're dumping on social media this episode.
Nothing wrong with that. Just last week my dental hygenist was gobsmacked when it came up that I don't have a cell phone.
The way that Lindy sells Ricky out is colder than anything that I've ever seen a Dalek do.
I kept waiting for the turning point when she redeems herself and it just never came.
"Because you, sir, are not one of us."
Oh! Because he's Black?
RTD said that he wanted to do a story bout racism.
The first time I saw it I assumed Lindy was referring to both the Doctor and Ruby (because they're not rich), but yeah, I see it now.
Nothing wrong with that.
I didn't say that there was.
Until they mentioned it in one of the extras, I didn't pick up on the fact that Lindy and her pals were all White. (Which may say something about me.) Think of how "diverse" the new show usually is, sometimes even in historically unlikely periods. Lindy and her pals could easily have been Thals from the old series.
I resisted getting a cellphone for a long time, but I had to get one when Ma was in the nursing home, and the staff had to be able to reach me ASAP at all times.
I didn't say that there was.
I didn't say you said there was.
I didn't pick up on the fact that Lindy and her pals were all White.
I didn't pick up on it, either, but in my own defense, both times I was hyper-focused on how annoyingly "Gen-Z" they were. Actually, it did occur to me how easily she seemed to accept the Doctor, which may have caused me to miss the (now-that-it's-been-pointed-out-to-me) obvious point at the end.
It occurs to me that the scene where Lindy acts horrified when she realizes that the Doctor and Ruby were in the same room was a clue. If the Doctor had known beforehand that they were all White supremacists, he could have stayed "off-camera" and fed lines to the White-as-can-be Ruby, and possibly at least gotten them into the TARDIS and saved them despite themselves. He could have pre-set coordinates so all that Ruby would have to do is press a button to get the TARDIS somewhere safe, and he could stay out-of-sight the whole time.
On a side note, if the Dots had access to everyome's records, shouldn't they have already known that Ricky's real surname began with a "C"?
I didn't pick up on the "being in the same room" clue, either; I just assumed it was part of their insulated, insular society (although Lindy did "work" in a room with other people... at least she used to). Speaking of being the face of the Doctor, she is fulfilling the role of "companion" more than adequately, I think. She is already acting very much more like a co-equal partner than a sidekick. Regarding the Dots having access to everyone's records, it just depend on how deep they looked. They did confirm his birth name in the records, but I doubt they were much interested in their food source otherwise.
Oh, and not only did I miss the racism angle, I also missed the Susan Twist appearance (the first time through, anyway).
I keep wanting to call this episode "Bubble & Squeak."
It would be interesting to return to this planet in 20-30 years to see how the "space seed" planted in this episode has grown.
I'd be astonished if any of them were alive in 20 years' time.
I'd be surprised if Lindy was, but she's got to be the worst of the lot. (She's got to be... I hope she is.) But Ricky was part of that society, too. Maybe there are some others like him. and maybe (maybe) Lindy does finally redeem herself.