S01.E06 (BBC/D+): Rogue

[DanaK]

Premiering June 8 at midnight Saturday in the UK streaming on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ internationally (in the U.S. that would be 7pm EDT Friday evening) and then broadcast on BBC One at 18:45pm (6:45pm) UK time

Synopsis: The Doctor and Ruby land in 1813, where guests at a duchess’s party are being murdered and a mysterious bounty hunter called Rogue is about to change the Doctor’s life forever.

Writer: Kate Herron, Briony Redman

Director: Ben Chessell

Runtime: 44 minutes

Full production listing https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00204dk

Edited June 1 by DanaK

[DanaK]

Trailer

 

[DanaK]

First look images 

https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/doctorwho-rogues1e6-flpics

[DanaK]

Sneak peek

 

[NeenerNeener]

I didn't realize that Disney owns the rights to  Willie Wonka.

And I guess this means we'll never see John Barrowman as Jack Harkness on this version, since the Doctor has a new boyfriend.

 

ETA: ok, this one was pretty good too. The homage to Bridgerton was a hoot (pun intended, since the aliens were space owls).

Edited June 8 by NeenerNeener

[giovannif7]

After watching and thoroughly enjoying Rogue, I'm feeling a foreboding sense of sadness over the vitriolic blowback that is sure to follow the connection forged in this episode. I thank RTD, the actors and writers, and the whole Doctor Who team for their work - this means so much to so many of us. #RepresentationMatters

[DanaK]

This was a lot of fun and quite enjoyable. Ncuti and Jonathan had good chemistry and their interactions in both their ships were fun. I give it an 8 out of 10

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, NeenerNeener said:

And I guess this means we'll never see John Barrowman as Jack Harkness on this version, since the Doctor has a new boyfriend.

I would LOVE to see the adventures of Captain Jack and Rogue!

[dankesean]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

I would LOVE to see the adventures of Captain Jack and Rogue!

...throw River in there for extra kicks.

[tv-talk]

Why is RTD destroying the character like this? He's making a show that might be ok on its own but isnt Doctor Who. This episode was on one hand enjoyable enough as a random sci-fi show but just complete trash as Doctor Who. I swear it's like he's trying to annoy people who are lifelong fans.

edit- also, we just followed up 2 Doctor lite episodes with a Companion-lite episode. The result is nothing building at all, the pace here is as if there were going to be 15-20 episodes but there are only 8. Not good.

Edited June 8 by tv-talk

[Makai]

I loved that. Definitely not perfect but enjoyable and so pretty. I thought they telegraphed Rogue’s ending but that’s a minor quibble. Cosplaying shapeshifters as the villain made me laugh. 

If I could change one thing about this season (other than adding more episodes) it would be to change the episode order. This feels like an episode that should have come sooner.

I’m sure the anachronistic music will bother many but it made me smile. 

4 hours ago, NeenerNeener said:

I didn't realize that Disney owns the rights to  Willie Wonka.

They don’t. Netflix owns the Roald Dahl catalogue and BMI owns Pure Imagination. 

4 hours ago, giovannif7 said:

After watching and thoroughly enjoying Rogue, I'm feeling a foreboding sense of sadness over the vitriolic blowback that is sure to follow the connection forged in this episode. I thank RTD, the actors and writers, and the whole Doctor Who team for their work - this means so much to so many of us. #RepresentationMatters

Yes. The comparisons to Jack are natural and I love how that archetype has evolved in Who. But I hate that I had a sense of dread of what is certain to come. 

Edited June 8 by Makai

[Chyromaniac]

Personally I thought this episode felt like a quintessential modern era historical story.  It had neat costumes and scenery, lots of anachronistic commentary, the companion treating history like it’s a TV show, crazy aliens (also doing pop culture stuff), and a big dramatic ending.  The only real nitpick I have is them using the “aliens learn about Earth culture from TV signals” bit, when Bridgerton is on Netflix.  Also, they should’ve been Parrot people instead of random birds.  And I don’t know how someone can own polyhedral dice, but need to have cosplay explained to them.

But those are minor issues- for all the other stuff mentioned above, I thought this came together really nicely.  Plus, we had some great guest stars- despite my species quibble, I thought the Chuldur makeups were fine, and the performances were campy fun.  Rogue is an interesting addition to the show- I assume this relationship will be revisited eventually.  And hey- another lovelorn Rogue on a Disney+ show.  I thought Ruby was doing fine exploring on her own - and  I liked the payoff of the “battle mode” joke with her earrings at the end.

[tkc]

So which regeneration is this one, between One and Four?

It looks a lot like Richard E. Grant, who played Classic Loki on Rogue writer Kate Herron’s Loki series.

Glorious purpose!

Also, a shame we didn’t get some singing out of Jonathan Groff… “You’ll Be Back” (aka The Regeneration Song), “Time Lords are Better Than People”, etc!

Edited June 8 by tkc

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, tkc said:

So which regeneration is this one, between One and Four?

It looks a lot like Richard E. Grant, who played Classic Loki on Rogue writer Kate Herron’s Loki series.

Glorious purpose!

Also, a shame we didn’t some singing out of Jonathan Groff… “You’ll Be Back” (aka The Regeneration Song), “Time Lords are Better Than People”, etc!

Per another board, that was indeed Grant, from Scream of the Shalka apparently (ETA: also reportedly confirmed by showrunner Davies on Instagram)

Edited June 8 by DanaK

[Enigma X]

I did not expect to like Rogue when he first appeared, but I fell in love with him very quickly. I want more Rogue.

[NeenerNeener]

8 hours ago, Makai said:

They don’t. Netflix owns the Roald Dahl catalogue and BMI owns Pure Imagination. 

If Disney is paying for music for some of these episodes that explains some of the difference in production costs between Disney Who and previous iterations. Not all of it, but I'll bet it's not a trivial amount. Gatwa singing "Pure Imagination" was a wow moment for me. Totally unexpected but really fitting in the moment.

[Nialla]

14 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I would LOVE to see the adventures of Captain Jack and Rogue!

I'm not sure if I could handle it, but I'm certainly willing to try.

[Starchild]

Not sure how to feel about the amped up flirtatiousness of this Doctor. Even with his wife River he wasn't this overtly sexual, he was barely romantic.

Yeah I get that the bigeneration and the emotional healing 14 did (will do?) somehow made its way through timey-wimey means to 15, allowing him to be more emotionally mature and open. And that's probably why he's so much more joyful and life-affirming now than he's been since, I don't know, 4, maybe?

So OK there's story reasons why the Doctor is like this now. But it still feels weird to me. Gotta get used to it.

That being said, the romance with Rogue was really sweet. Fast..., but sweet. They worked really well off each other.

The birdlike Childhur family was ridiculous, and it never felt like they could destroy the whole world, but the dried-husk bodies they left behind were creepy.

[bybrandy]

Wacky theory?  
 

Rogue is a regenerated River. 
 

he says I travelled with them and we had a lot of fun then one day came and they were gone. 
 

One day the night at the Singing Towers of Darillium.  

[Kite]

On 6/8/2024 at 1:21 PM, tv-talk said:

Why is RTD destroying the character like this?

Wow, that's a pretty full on opinion, I'm sorry you're not enjoying the show, not worth continuing? What is it about the character this episode that was "destroyed" for you? Most people don't seem to have noticed. 

[Llywela]

4 hours ago, Starchild said:

Not sure how to feel about the amped up flirtatiousness of this Doctor. Even with his wife River he wasn't this overtly sexual, he was barely romantic.

Yeah I get that the bigeneration and the emotional healing 14 did (will do?) somehow made its way through timey-wimey means to 15, allowing him to be more emotionally mature and open. And that's probably why he's so much more joyful and life-affirming now than he's been since, I don't know, 4, maybe?

I just chalk it all up to every Doctor having his own unique personality. They are always the same person at the core, but different personality traits become dominant with each new regeneration. With this one, flirtation and romance have come to the fore. I'm sure it will pass with future regenerations.

I sat through this whole episode knowing that the house they were filming in looked familiar but unable to figure out why. I've got it now. Tredegar House! It isn't far from me, I've been there many times, no wonder it looked familiar!

[Affogato]

Who is the extra Doctor?

i enjoyed Ruby saving herself with the battle mode earrings, after being given a hurried clue.  I have never watched Bridgerton, although I’ve read Austen and Holt. They certainly seemed unfazed by the weirdness. 

The doctor is pretty unobservant, always stepping in the wrong thing. It is a bit overdone, unless it turns out to have a reason. 
 

 

[Affogato]

9 hours ago, Starchild said:

The birdlike Childhur family was ridiculous, and it never felt like they could destroy the whole world, but the dried-husk bodies they left behind were creepy.

Yeah, I think: who could stop them? It was a version of John Campbell’s The Thing (“Who Goes There”), but with those leftover body parts. Still, this group seemed immature and childish. Maybe the adults  would have returned home, and make them clean up,  and revoked their Tv privileges. 

Edited June 9 by Affogato

[DanaK]

1 hour ago, tv-talk said:

I dont like a sexualized Doctor, at all. I get that the Doctor changes in every regen, but I dont recall the Doctor ever noticing someone's appearance in a sexual way and certainly not kissing anyone.

I guess you missed David Tennant's 10th Doctor, Matt Smith's 11th Doctor, etc who did some kissing and ogling? I guess maybe you would write off Modern Who altogether and just stick with Classic Who. You aren't the first or likely the last fan who prefers the Doctor to be asexual or aromantic like in Classic Who; that's just not how Modern Who has done things I guess

Overnights for the episode: 2.11 million viewers and 4th for the night. #1 was The Wheel at 2.6 million viewers. So down only slightly from last week

[Starchild]

11 minutes ago, DanaK said:

I guess you missed David Tennant's 10th Doctor, Matt Smith's 11th Doctor, etc who did some kissing and ogling? I guess maybe you would write off Modern Who altogether and just stick with Classic Who. You aren't the first or likely the last fan who prefers the Doctor to be asexual or aromantic like in Classic Who; that's just not how Modern Who has done things I guess

Overnights for the episode: 2.11 million viewers and 4th for the night. #1 was The Wheel at 2.6 million viewers. So down only slightly from last week

I read in comments on a YT review (the guy hated this ep) that viewership for this season has tanked compared to previous seasons.

Is it true? I don't typically track that kind of thing because I watch what I want to watch regardless of whether other people like it or not.

Usually others don't, so paying attention to ratings would make me anxious that the show will soon be canceled (which happens to my shows more than I like).

[DanaK]

2 minutes ago, Starchild said:

I read in comments on a YT review (the guy hated this ep) that viewership for this season has tanked compared to previous seasons.

Is it true? I don't typically track that kind of thing because I watch what I want to watch regardless of whether other people like it or not.

Usually others don't, so paying attention to ratings would make me anxious that the show will soon be canceled (which happens to my shows more than I like).

The UK ratings are lower this season because it's Summer, which has lower viewership overall in the UK (and US), but it's still doing fine on the charts. Ratings in general for broadcast networks have gotten lower as the TV environment has fractured due to more choices. Don't worry about cancellation for now. Disney+'s contract for international distribution is for 2 seasons and they will likely make a decision for renewal of that contract maybe early next year according to the Mirror and the BBC will likely renew Who as well. I'd be more worried about what will happen to the BBC in a few years

[tv-talk]

1 hour ago, DanaK said:

I guess you missed David Tennant's 10th Doctor, Matt Smith's 11th Doctor, etc who did some kissing and ogling?

I dont recall that with Smith, the vibe I got there was more others interested in him but he not being responsive to it. Havent watched those in so long though, maybe I am misremembering. I did like Smith's Doctor very much. Probably in no small part because I was eventually fed up with 10th constant emo situation. It got old eventually though I get why he is such a popular Doctor.

So anyway- which episodes did I miss where the Doctor was making romantic/sexual comments about other characters and then kissing them? And then crying? I have definitely not seen every episode of modern Who but probably 85% of them- sounds like I missed a lot.

[DanaK]

4 minutes ago, tv-talk said:

I dont recall that with Smith, the vibe I got there was more others interested in him but he not being responsive to it. Havent watched those in so long though, maybe I am misremembering. I did like Smith's Doctor very much. Probably in no small part because I was eventually fed up with 10th constant emo situation. It got old eventually though I get why he is such a popular Doctor.

So anyway- which episodes did I miss where the Doctor was making romantic/sexual comments about other characters and then kissing them? And then crying? I have definitely not seen every episode of modern Who but probably 85% of them- sounds like I missed a lot.

I don't know about crying afterwards, but The 10th Doctor got romantic with and sometimes kissed a girl. He got randy with Elizabeth the first and I think was smooching her in Day of the Doctor. Did he not kiss Kylie Minogue's character in the "Voyage of the Damned" special? He certainly seemed attracted to her. He was very attracted to and kissed Reinette in "Girl in the Fireplace". He was pretty romantic with Rose, though I think he held back on kissing her though his human clone did. Their pairing seemed pretty popular with the audience at the time

[Affogato]

9 minutes ago, DanaK said:

I don't know about crying afterwards, but The 10th Doctor got romantic with and sometimes kissed a girl. He got randy with Elizabeth the first and I think was smooching her in Day of the Doctor. Did he not kiss Kylie Minogue's character in the "Voyage of the Damned" special? He certainly seemed attracted to her. He was very attracted to and kissed Reinette in "Girl in the Fireplace". He was pretty romantic with Rose, though I think he held back on kissing her though his human clone did. Their pairing seemed pretty popular with the audience at the 

10 minutes ago, DanaK said:

I don't know about crying afterwards, but The 10th Doctor got romantic with and sometimes kissed a girl. He got randy with Elizabeth the first and I think was smooching her in Day of the Doctor. Did he not kiss Kylie Minogue's character in the "Voyage of the Damned" special? He certainly seemed attracted to her. He was very attracted to and kissed Reinette in "Girl in the Fireplace". He was pretty romantic with Rose, though I think he held back on kissing her though his human clone did. Their pairing seemed pretty popular with the audience at the time

Yes, his platonic relationship with Donna was a breath of fresh air at the time. 

23 minutes ago, tv-talk said:

I dont recall that with Smith, the vibe I got there was more others interested in him but he not being responsive to it. Havent watched those in so long though, maybe I am misremembering. I did like Smith's Doctor very much. Probably in no small part because I was eventually fed up with 10th constant emo situation. It got old eventually though I get why he is such a popular Doctor.

So anyway- which episodes did I miss where the Doctor was making romantic/sexual comments about other characters and then kissing them? And then crying? I have definitely not seen every episode of modern Who but probably 85% of them- sounds like I missed a lot.

Eleven was a shmoopy Amy/Rory shipper. 

Edited June 9 by Affogato

[tv-talk]

I'm a bit foggy on the details but I thought that was a ploy to prove she was an alien and then it really was her and he had to marry her? Or was he actually attracted to her and romantically involved?

[Makai]

3 hours ago, DanaK said:

The UK ratings are lower this season because it's Summer, which has lower viewership overall in the UK (and US), but it's still doing fine on the charts. Ratings in general for broadcast networks have gotten lower as the TV environment has fractured due to more choices. Don't worry about cancellation for now. Disney+'s contract for international distribution is for 2 seasons and they will likely make a decision for renewal of that contract maybe early next year according to the Mirror and the BBC will likely renew Who as well. I'd be more worried about what will happen to the BBC in a few years

In addition to everything you said they changed the release strategy to adapt to declining tv ratings. The episodes are getting a midnight streaming release on the UK. 

Edited June 9 by Makai

[DanaK]

45 minutes ago, Makai said:

I addition to everything you said they changed the release strategy to adapt to declining tv ratings. The episodes are getting a midnight streaming release on the UK. 

Though I think it's going to take time for general viewers to realize that option is available to them for 18 hours before the Saturday evening broadcast on BBC One. The pre-broadcast numbers so far are low at around 150k or less, but there's time to grow. In general, the BBC has been releasing box sets or individual episodes of many of their series for years now before a series gets broadcast on BBC One, it was just time for it to happen to Who. I figured it would happen someday but I had thought it was still a few years away. But they aren't dropping whole season boxsets on iPlayer before a weekly broadcast on BBC One like they do some shows, just an episode weekly, though that could change in a few years

Edited June 9 by DanaK

[DoctorAtomic]

As soon as Indira Varma waltzed into the scene, I said, 'she better end up screaming or dead or both'. And I didn't have long to wait!

How nice to have an episode of Doctor Who with the Doctor in it!

I don't get why the scanner thought the Doctor was the shapeshifter, and then didn't. Or did Rogue think all the regenerations were people the shapeshifter shifted into? I don't quite follow how he changed his mind. 

I did like Ruby's plot in that she wasn't quite getting the women were all essentially property with no rights. It's easy to just say 'you don't need a man and can do what you want' when it's literally against the law. 

Gibson's face was *priceless* when the Doctor said 'plot twists' before Rogue caught on. Brilliant. The camera is basically on the Doctor and she's not quite in the shot. 

Why would the shapeshifters know the word 'cosplay'?

I was thinking Ruby being 'special' prevented her from the transfer, but I like the battle earrings and Poker Face better.

This show is quite good when the leads are actually in it. 

I don't like when the Doctor gets romantic with Companions because I see it as more a familial relationship, and the Companions basically put themselves in the care of the Doctor, so I didn't like 10 & Rose. I never minded the Doctor with the others, River, Elizabeth, etc. I thought Twelve and River were the best couple in terms of which version of the Doctor. 

The Doctor basically played the same guy for 900 years or so, and now up past 2000, but a lot of that was still as Eleven. Maybe the Doctor wants to experience more of what the universe has to offer now. Fourteen basically was the regeneration that was finally ready to move on.

Frankly, I've been ready to move on with the Doctor being the crux of the universe all the time, and prefer just enjoying some adventures saving a bunch of gossipy posh people at a party from cosplaying space owls all day. Of course, we have to deal with the whole Susan Twist affair at some point. 

You've got a fancy setting, the Doctor and Companion dressing up, some deaths and a little horror, dancing, some humor, monsters monstering around, great guest stars, wowing over the TARDIS, and earned emotional beats. That's what Doctor Who is all about. 

Groff seems to have chemistry with everyone whenever I see him on tv. That's too good an actor and a character for a one off. 

Edited June 9 by DoctorAtomic

[Kite]

17 hours ago, DanaK said:

The UK ratings are lower this season because it's Summer, which has lower viewership overall in the UK (and US), but it's still doing fine on the charts. Ratings in general for broadcast networks have gotten lower as the TV environment has fractured due to more choices. Don't worry about cancellation for now. Disney+'s contract for international distribution is for 2 seasons and they will likely make a decision for renewal of that contract maybe early next year according to the Mirror and the BBC will likely renew Who as well. I'd be more worried about what will happen to the BBC in a few years

Viewing patterns have really shifted, especially for younger audiences. I would be more interested in chart positions in the UK - does anyone have them? I know Flux rated VERY well in UK chart position including +28s but not absolute figures compared to previous series, showing how less and less people have been watching tv - but those that did chose Flux. Top watched story-based show across its run I think? So that's a good example of how statistics can be manipulated to say different things. 

In terms of Disney, Doctor Who is in the top ten streamed almost every day. Phenomenally well. The long-running narrative that its ratings are tanking is a fake one reliably propagated by right wing media who are desperately trying to prove "go woke go broke" and not really succeeding in convincing people except for suckers. 

Edited June 10 by Kite

[Kite]

16 hours ago, DanaK said:

I don't know about crying afterwards, but The 10th Doctor got romantic with and sometimes kissed a girl. He got randy with Elizabeth the first and I think was smooching her in Day of the Doctor. Did he not kiss Kylie Minogue's character in the "Voyage of the Damned" special? He certainly seemed attracted to her. He was very attracted to and kissed Reinette in "Girl in the Fireplace". He was pretty romantic with Rose, though I think he held back on kissing her though his human clone did. Their pairing seemed pretty popular with the audience at the time

All the times the Doctor has locked lips with someone is exhaustively detailed in this TARDIS wiki entry: https://tardis.wiki/wiki/Kiss (it's a lot)

I was one of those nerds Very Upset about the '96 tv movie kiss at the time, but ehhh I've largely gotten over it, the Doctor can have their fun, it's character development! At least it's not with an alternative timeline version of oneself like happened in Herron's Loki (though I don't think she was the one pushing that story). 

Edited June 10 by Kite

[DanaK]

2 hours ago, Kite said:

Viewing patterns have really shifted, especially for younger audiences. I would be more interested in chart positions in the UK - does anyone have them? I know Flux rated VERY well in UK chart position including +28s but not absolute figures compared to previous series, showing how less and less people have been watching tv - but those that did chose Flux. Top watched story-based show across its run I think? So that's a good example of how statistics can be manipulated to say different things. 

In terms of Disney, Doctor Who is in the top ten streamed almost every day. Phenomenally well. The long-running narrative that its ratings are tanking is a fake one reliably propagated by right wing media who are desperately trying to prove "go woke go broke" and not really succeeding in convincing people except for suckers. 

FlixPatrol’s Disney ranking are suspect to me in that they are scraping info and applying some weird methodology to them to rank things. Disney+ itself doesn’t regularly release its numbers so we don’t fully know how Who is doing there and it’s not just about the pure streaming numbers with streamers. It’s also new accounts and how a show affects churn and who knows what else. We’ll know for sure if Disney is happy with the deal when they renew the deal (initially for the 60th specials and 2 seasons per the Mirror). We'll hopefully hear something by early next year per the Mirror

[baldryanr]

3 hours ago, Kite said:

I was one of those nerds Very Upset about the '96 tv movie kiss at the time, but ehhh I've largely gotten over it, the Doctor can have their fun, it's character development!

Isn't this always the case, though?  A certain subset of fans always gets upset when a new Doctor/showrunner takes over, complains about how the show isn't "real" Doctor Who, and eventually settles down or bows out until the next change.  Of course, these days some of them are happy to go on Youtube and post a video (with multiple all-cap words in the title so you know it's supposed to be important) to rant.

I do think this episode once again shows RTD loves to recycle his greatest hits.  Now we have Captain Jack 2.0.  The difference is Nine only had eyes for Rose, while Fifteen sees Ruby as a platonic friend and has no issues with considering someone else.

[gail56]

With regards to platonic friendships, I loved the running gag with Donna. A character would say something like, "The Doctor and his woman" in an episode, and they both would get these horrified looks on their faces.

"No, I"m not!" "No, she's not!!"

This episode was fun. Still loving this Doctor, and I think the ring that Rogue gave the Doctor will lead to him being found.

[DoctorAtomic]

4 hours ago, baldryanr said:

Isn't this always the case, though?  A certain subset of fans always gets upset when a new Doctor/showrunner takes over, complains about how the show isn't "real" Doctor Who, and eventually settles down or bows out until the next change.

The worst showrunner of Doctor Who is always the current showrunner.

I swear this is the only place where it's ok to just watch a show and like something about it. 

I'd give fans a bit of a pass on the Eight kiss because it's the first time it ever happened, so it's fair that it was a big deal. I think the half-human nonsense was far more egregious, and it seems we've corrected that anyway. 

I figure Rogue has to return; Groff was just too good. I don't know how the Doctor would find him, given how many dimensions he said there were. Unless Rogue can figure out how to contact him. 

[tennisgurl]

As a Bridgerton fan, I had a ton of fun with this one, I can totally see 14 and Ruby making popcorn and bringing it on the Tardis. I especially appreciated the modern songs done in a string quartet style, like Bridgerton always does, and "Emily" having a very Bridgerton style angry sexual tension scene in the library, complete with Ruby eating it up and gasping at appropriate moments like she's watching an episode. The bird aliens looked pretty good, silly but also kind of scary, and the whole idea of aliens becoming too obsessed with Earth TV to the point where they attack earth over it is a fun trope. Overall I really liked the episode, it was mostly a light hearted romp which was much needed after the last few episodes. 

RTD has been at the helm again for about three seconds and he's already created a brand new Captain Jack! The guy's name is literally Rogue, because I guess "Han Harkness" would be too on the nose even by RTD standards. I knew that he was doomed as soon as he and the Doctor started getting flirty, but it seems like there could be an opening for him to return. I hope he comes back, I really liked him and he and the Doctor had great chemistry right away. 

Gatwa really loved that one dramatic tear down his face, doesn't he? 

[ABay]

Best episode this season. 

I didn't even think about Jack until seeing it here. Groff is much better than Barrowman.

[Enigma X]

1 minute ago, ABay said:

I didn't even think about Jack until seeing it here. Groff is much better than Barrowman.

Way better!

[Kite]

14 hours ago, baldryanr said:

Isn't this always the case, though?  A certain subset of fans always gets upset when a new Doctor/showrunner takes over, complains about how the show isn't "real" Doctor Who, and eventually settles down or bows out until the next change. 

Let me be clear, I was in online fandom (rec.arts.drwho on usenet...), and virtually NO ONE liked the movie. The kiss was almost universally despised (although Moffat was on that forum and maybe he liked it haha) and NO ONE liked the half-human stuff. And there was a general feeling of disappointment because while good Doctor, the movie quality sucked. Everyone was there in fandom because they grew up with it, hoping the movie would help bring it back after being cancelled and comparing to that yardstick. It sold out to the Americans culturally because of their money and didn't satisfy them either. I did the sensible thing for a young person with other things to do and forgot about the show again. When the show came back in 2005 you got new fans coming in and a lot of enthusiasm and joy. Moaning from the corner and a whole lot of homophobia and sexism but that dropped off over time as those fans realised they either better get with the programme or do something else*. Unfortunately these days we have right wing culture warriors algorithmically boosted.

*Well most of them! There's a hilariously memorable fan still moaning vigorously on twxtter today who was 1. informally paid in merch in the 80s to advise the show on how to bog it down in canon and get no one watching except nerds 2. largely responsible for the cringiest song in creation to try uncancel the show 3. heavily rumoured to be the inspiration for character Victor Kennedy 4. once told by RTD at a presser to "Fuck Off". 

Edited June 11 by Kite

[Eulipian 5k]

Why is considered a "companion lite"episode? The Doctor and the companion often go on separate places in an adventure, "look at you ,off on your own and still alive" was 13's greeting to Yaz; and that was a 3 companion episode. It's the Doctor's show, he should get primary screen and narrative time.

[Affogato]

6 hours ago, Eulipian 5k said:

Why is considered a "companion lite"episode? The Doctor and the companion often go on separate places in an adventure, "look at you ,off on your own and still alive" was 13's greeting to Yaz; and that was a 3 companion episode. It's the Doctor's show, he should get primary screen and narrative time.

You could also say it is the companion’s show. They are the relatable eyes through which we see the doctor, the tardis and the wonders of the universes. 

[DoctorAtomic]

I do think the Doctor is the main character, but this episode struck a good balance. I prefer the Doctor to be a major character on Doctor Who though. I don't really like Doctor-Lite episodes, but I can live with Companion-Lite episodes. 

Blink being the exception to the rule, and the Doctor was technically in the episode. 

[lovett1979]

I think what we are missing (at least, what I am missing) is the Doctor and companion being TOGETHER and just interacting. We used to have scenes in the TARDIS at the beginning of each episode, then they'd arrive in the spot for that week's adventures, set out on them, and either stick together or be separated into their own adventures. Yes, there was the occasional Doctor-light episode featuring either a new character or the current companion or a companion-light episode, but those were generally after the "couple" had been established through both conversation and their adventures together.

For whatever reason(s), this season has sorely lacked that kind of relationship-building.

Church on Ruby Road - They don't even meet until 20 minutes into the episode

Space Babies - mostly together

Devil's Chord - mostly together

Boom - Ruby is unconscious for 1/3 of the episode

73 Yards - Doctor only in very beginning and very end

Dot and Bubble - Even when Ruby and the Doctor are there, they are not really speaking with each other

Rogue - Separate adventures

With only 2 episodes left, even if they're together most of the time in them, I'd say that about 3 and 2/3 episodes out of the 9 lack that relationship, which is a third of the whole season! If it was 3 and 2/3 episodes out of a 12/13 episode season, like we used to get, it might not seems so glaringly missing.

[Lantern7]

Fun episode. Even if you’re put off by Rogue essentially being Capt. Jack 2.0 (not to mention the second would-be companion to perish as in many weeks), the social-climbing, shape-shifting alien owls take the edge off.

I am annoyed that the Doctor fell for Ruby’s cosplay. You’d think that in his sorrow for his perished companion, he’d check for a body. Also, I’m getting the criticism of him crying too much. In his defense, though, Rogue was one in a trillion. Also, the guy did excel in being gobsmacked by the TARDIS. He took it to another level.

[DanaK]

7-day consolidated numbers for Rogue: 3.52 million viewers, 14th for the week, both numbers up from last week's episode

[Pattycake2]

Liked the episode, but I kept thinking that since the Doctor had the sonic and Rogue had a weapon, why didn’t they simply stun the birds, lay them in a pile, and ship them off.  To me, it seems like the sonic is less powerful than it used to be.  And why does the Doctor need to use a key to enter the Tardis?