‘Doctor Who’ season 2’s premiere poses an interesting question about the Doctor that’s worth examining
The new season of Doctor Who is finally here, and the premiere episode was an explosive one. All hail Queen Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), a wonderfully pragmatic, self-sacrificing, kind, scrupulous, and reluctant new companion for the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa).
A lot is going on already, and this season is set to become even more bonkers with timey-wimey shenanigans, but one scene in Doctor Who’s season 2 (or season 15, whichever you prefer) premiere genuinely stood out to me.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 2, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution.”
After … well, everything happens with Belinda’s “incel” ex-boyfriend (her words, not mine), the distant planet of Missbelindachandra is saved from the evil AL and its robot overlords. Of course, to get home, Belinda must travel back to May 24th, 2025, on Earth with the Doctor in his TARDIS, and the usual character beats are repeated; she’s impressed by the inside being much larger than the outside, and the Doctor explains more about who he is and what he does. This time, however, he also explains that he met one of Belinda’s ancestors 3,000 years later, having swiftly compared her DNA to Mundy Flynn’s sample.
While most companions are in absolute awe of the Doctor’s infectious enthusiasm and his ability to take them to worlds and timelines unknown, Belinda is much more reluctant to join him on his trek across the stars. In that way, she reminds me a bit of Catherine Tate’s Donna Noble, who initially rejected Ten’s offer of travel before reuniting with him after her introductory Christmas special. Belinda’s reluctance is well-founded, however. Earlier in the episode, we discover that the Doctor had six months to befriend a woman named Sasha 55, who died during the uprising against the robots. The Doctor tries to convince Belinda that their meeting was meant to happen, and she responds rather icily.
“Like, this is destiny? Is that what you say to all the girls? Is that what you said to Sasha? She trusted you, and she died. You tested my DNA without even asking my permission. God, you’re dangerous.”
Of course, the Doctor immediately apologizes for taking Belinda’s DNA, and he looks visibly disturbed by her words. By this point, we, as the audience, know the Doctor better than Belinda does. We know he doesn’t do anything maliciously, but she still raises an interesting point. Despite his best intentions, is the Doctor dangerous? Especially for his companions?
On a practical level, we know traveling with the Doctor can be very dangerous. How many times have our favorite companions had a near-death experience? How many have become trapped somewhere they could never escape? They make their own choices, but at the same time, how is someone supposed to refuse a chance to travel the world, the galaxy, and all of time? How much choice do they genuinely have when faced with the reality of their comparatively mundane, day-to-day lives?
Belinda’s apprehension is quite refreshing. The Doctor is aware of his intentions, but those he meets aren’t. And they’re just supposed to trust him? Is his allure, his promise, actually the most dangerous thing about him?
It seems that Doctor Who season 2 is primed to explore Belinda’s theory further, as showrunner Russell T Davies and returning star Millie Gibson have both confirmed that Ruby Sunday’s Doctor Who season 2 episodes will deal with Ruby’s PTSD from traveling with the Doctor. Yes, the Doctor offers their companions the world, but what happens to them after that? Their lives are changed irrevocably, but is it for the better, or would they have been better off never knowing the Doctor at all? Would Sasha 55 still be alive?
We all love the Doctor, but there is always a massive imbalance of power between them and the people they’re traveling with. I’m all for Doctor Who digging a bit deeper into the lasting effects of the Doctor/Companion relationship. Bring it on!
New episodes of Doctor Who premiere on Saturdays on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and Disney+.
(featured image: BBC/Disney+)
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