Doctor Who simply wrapped up its two-part finale. It started final week with the intriguing idea of a backwards world, the place our queer Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) was married to companion Belinda (Varada Sethtu) in a blueprint nuclear household family, together with Poppy (Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps), the daughter they by no means had, and no reminiscences of their time-travelling adventures.
However because the thriller began to unravel, all of the qualities that made the scenario compelling fell aside – and this sums up my expertise with the trajectory of two key characters: companion Belinda Chandra and antagonist Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson).
Each had been launched with mysterious origins and complicated dynamics. Followers had speculated for weeks how their motivations would conflict with the Doctor, however it turned out that these indicators of promise had been nothing greater than a dangling carrot.
Spoilers for Doctor Who season 15
Mrs Flood’s construct-up was an entire waste
All of us now know that Mrs Flood is a villain from Traditional Who: The Rani. Properly… not THE Rani, A Rani. Put merely, Mrs. Flood was instantly knocked down a peg by being instantly changed with the true Rani (Archie Panjabi) through the bi-era scene through the Interstellar Music Contest episode.
BBC/Disney/Unhealthy Wolf Studios
Understand that Flood was first launched throughout Fifteen’s debut again in Christmas 2023. She broke the fourth wall, one thing hardly ever seen in Doctor Who, and continued to pop up ominously all through Gatwa’s tenure.
Throughout that point, followers have speculated about her true id, with some getting it spot on. Sadly, the groundbreaking reveal I anticipated from the present was extra of a whimper than a bang.
This was tacked on as an underwhelming submit-credit scene, with extremely flat dialogue – even the background music felt low cost for one thing that was meant to be monumental and stunning.
From there on, Dobson was merely second fiddle to Panjabi. She was fairly actually waved out of the room, and even at one level advised to go make a sandwich for another person, quite than plotting and scheming (sure, actually).
It appeared that Flood was getting agitated along with her different half’s remedy, and I believed this may result in an attention-grabbing conflict between the two Ranis, however that by no means went anyplace both. As a substitute, Panjabi’s Rani acquired devoured up by the unique timelord Omega in all his horrendous CGI glory, whereas Flood simply teleported away.
I’m nonetheless baffled by the necessity for two Ranis within the first place – aside from to remind audiences that bi-era is a factor. Dobson could as nicely haven’t been there, and to have an actress as nicely-identified and achieved as she is to be kicked to the curb on this vogue is an actual disservice.
I do wish to give Panjabi credit score for bringing the depraved campness that the Rani is thought for, however the writing didn’t do that antagonist justice. We had been thrown new twists each couple of minutes that overshadowed a villain that Fifteen’s total run had been constructing in direction of.
But when Mrs Flood’s writing is unhealthy, then the ultimate ending for Belinda is really unforgivable.
BBC Studios/Unhealthy Wolf/James Pardon
Belinda grew to become nothing greater than a tradwife
In episode one, Belinda captured everybody’s consideration.
Right here’s a companion who isn’t afraid to query the Doctor’s assumptions that each particular person he meets is joyful to go on an journey. Right here’s somebody who values her work as a nurse, who is aware of her duties and wouldn’t shirk them for something, even when she’s on a completely completely different planet.
At occasions, she went towards the Doctor’s orders throughout adventures. She was a problem.
She talks continuously of her mother and father, how fearful they should be whereas she was away. And we’ve seen how prolonged household performs into the storylines of companions earlier than – take Jackie Tyler, Wilfred Mott and Carla Sunday as only a few examples. I used to be intrigued to satisfy them and see what they manufactured from the time-travelling alien who had basically stolen their daughter away.
BBC Studios/Unhealthy Wolf/James Pardon
As we entered the ultimate two episodes, all these dimensions appeared to be forgotten. In Want World, we noticed that in Conrad’s utopia, Belinda was now a keep-at-dwelling mum to Poppy (Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps), and married to ‘John Smith’, AKA The Doctor.
How laughable, I believed on the time. Belinda is a younger, bold lady who desires extra from her life. I trusted that the story would finally reveal Poppy to be a mirage, or one thing extra difficult like The Timeless Little one, a controversial plot from Whittaker’s period of Who.
However no. Belinda was apparently at all times destined to be only a mum to Poppy, and nothing extra.
Now, there’s nothing fallacious with transitioning somebody’s story into parenthood. We’ve seen Doctor Who deal with this kind of plot earlier than with Amy Pond and Melody. Motherhood grew to become an extension of who she was, however she nonetheless retained the feisty persona that all of us liked her for.
The issue right here is that this growth for Belinda got here from nowhere, and each different high quality that made her complicated within the first place was fully demoted in favour of this baby-formed plot machine – nearly all of her dialogue was complaining to different characters about saving Poppy.
Belinda was fairly actually locked in a field with Poppy (and I imply actually, there was even a shot of her standing in silence in UNIT HQ, trapped) whereas all the opposite characters went on to save lots of the day, together with final season’s companion, Ruby. Once more, no disrespect to Millie Gibson, however why doesn’t the present star of the present get to shine?
The disappointing ‘Belinda field’ in motion
BBC Studios/Unhealthy Wolf/Dan Fearon
Poppy finally disappeared, and I believed that lastly Belinda may be free – I noticed her former persona start to reemerge. However as quickly as Fifteen realised there was an opportunity they may save this baby, a toddler that at this level Belinda didn’t even bear in mind because of the universe shifting, her persona flipped proper again to solely caring about Poppy.
The final interplay between the Doctor and Belinda was the ultimate nail within the coffin. Poppy had been miraculously introduced into existence, and whereas the Doctor was not her father (that honour was given to some random ex that we by no means noticed), Belinda was nonetheless her mom.
The universe was rewritten to make it appear as if each resolution Belinda made was as a result of she needed to get dwelling to Poppy, and that takes away a lot of her depth. Plus, the present by no means gave any indication of her eager to be a mom, or some other clue that this was the path the plot was heading.
We acquired a short cameo from Belinda’s mom, whom we’d heard a lot about earlier within the season. However but once more, this interplay was centred round Poppy. She by no means advised her mother and father the reality about her time-travelling adventures, and we by no means even acquired to satisfy Belinda’s father onscreen.
It felt just like the plot was dashing forward to get to the ultimate stunning scene and simply coping with Belinda as shortly as attainable.
James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Unhealthy Wolf
And what a destiny she’s left with. At the beginning of the season, she was questioning the ethics of the Doctor scanning her physique just about with out her consent. However now, she’s fully fantastic and dandy with basically being pressured into turning into a single mom, whereas the unique father (the Doctor) swans off to pastures new? That’s one step too far for this author.
I wish to keep longing for the way forward for Doctor Who, however this finale was a multitude, with Belinda and the Rani getting the brunt of the influence. Perhaps it was right down to solely having eight episodes to inform a plot arc, or the uncertainty of Gatwa’s future (and that of the present typically) brought about some upheavals within the writers’ room.
Regardless of the causes, I hope Doctor Who learns from these errors. For a present that has been breaking boundaries relating to illustration on display screen, each these feminine characters deserved higher than stereotypical gender tropes, corresponding to turning into ‘only a mom’ and being ordered to go and make a sandwich.
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