A Review of the New Season of ‘Doctor Who’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as The Doctor and Ruby Sunday in ‘Doctor Who’.

One particular aspect of storytelling that is supremely difficult to achieve, especially in the world of television, is finding ways to keep a long-running story/franchise, fresh and inventive. Because routine can settle in, and the ideas can grow stale, and that is why only a handful of franchises out there have been able to pull off this particular feat, and even then… those shows encounter moments where people wonder if by chance the show in question is running out of steam. But of the many shows that work to keep their stories refreshing for years on end, only one has found the true answer to making that happen.
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Courtesy of the fact that Doctor Who more or less resets and reinvents itself now and again, in vastly differently ways. In part because its main character, the Time Lord known only as The Doctor, can regenerate their physical body into a new iteration of itself. Allowing for a new actor to take on the role and provide a fresh take on this old soul of a character. And that change, also benefits the showrunner and their writing staff. For now, they can try new things with the story and cater to the actor’s strengths and that has brought forth, sixty-plus years of amazing storytelling and moments and well… Doctor Who and its ability to pull this off, time, and time again (pun intended) is top of mind today… because it is about to debut its biggest reinvention to date.

For May 10, 2024, will see the show return to the airwaves on Disney+, with a new Doctor and a new season of storytelling that outright impresses and feels refreshing for a bevy of reasons. For in many ways, the arrival of the Fifteenth Doctor and their new companion, Ruby Sunday, feels like a hard reset for the franchise, one led by the man who brought the new era of Who to life, Russell T. Davies, and that reset is driven by way of some amazing writing for Russell and his team. Because the Doctor and Ruby go on refreshing and original adventures that are filled with wonder and awe, and that leads to amazing moments and amazing ideas that have never been seen in the history of the franchise, and the wonder of this new season doesn’t end there.  

Because it also does something that is rare for the saga, in that, it truly works to make the mythos that has surrounded the Doctor over the past nineteen years, less of a focus. In order to move the character in a new direction that is revitalizing and supremely positive. That’s not to say the Doctor was all darkness before, but they have seen some tough days and clearly, this new season is a chance to shed that pain and show us a healed character that once again is ready to explore the wonder of the universe, and this is welcome for certain. Because it injects a new sense of fun into the series and lets positive vibes permeate every single story, and it also doesn’t hurt, that this journey into awe is driven by way of some incredible acting.

For Ncuti Gatwa is a revelation as the Fifteenth Doctor, since he approaches the role with a childlike and joyous wonder that we’ve never seen present in the role, and he is wonderfully counterbalanced by Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday. Since she too is eager to see the universe and all of time and space and that feeds the joy present in the Fifteenth Doctor’s two hearts and well, in the end, this is simply a magnificent new way to reset the franchise and reintroduce the Doctor to the world. But the best news of all, is that you only have to wait a few more days to enjoy these new adventures. For Friday will bring the Doctor and his new companion back to the airwaves and it will be a true treat to geek out with all of you regarding the most refreshing iteration of this iconic franchise to date. Until next time.

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