‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

If there’s one experience we’ve all shared, in vastly different fashion, it is having an average day get flipped upside down by unexpected events. Sometimes such a thing comes about by way of wonderful news, such as finding out we’re in line for a promotion at work when we thought we were going nowhere, or we find out something important and uplifting we’ve been waiting for is finally going to become a reality in our lives. Or, on the flip side, a wild day comes about, thanks to tougher news. Such as finding out we’re no longer employed at work because our employer is going out of business, or that our car is going to need a ridiculous amount of repairs that we simply cannot afford right now, or an ugly phone call comes through that features some kind of heartbreaking news that leaves us in a place filled with sorrow. Granted these are fairly generalized examples, but the bottom line is that somehow, some way, we’ve experienced this.
 
But our experiences on this matter are special to our own lives and they only become shared when we choose to open up to others about it. But while we all have an idea of what people go through when an incredible day falls into our laps, is it possible to be surprised in a way we never thought possible? For example, what if that stunning phone call revealed that everything, we ever knew in our lives turned out to be a lie? How would we respond with that kind of information and more importantly, what would it mean for our future and whatever path we’ve tried to carve out for ourselves? Well these are questions that are best explored within the confines of fiction and thankfully, Doctor Who took a crack at them last night in absolutely stunning fashion. But it sure didn’t seem like this episode was going to shock us at first.
 
For ‘Fugitive of the Judoon’ started out like any other episode of the show. After all, we were introduced to a nice lady named Ruth, who enjoyed her self-employed career as a tour guide in Gloucester and when she wasn’t spouting facts about her fair city, she enjoyed the finer points of married life with her husband Lee. But as the theme of this story goes, you never know when any particular day is going to become something out of this world and well, that particular phrase took on new life for Ruth. For the Judoon arrived from the stars, and they were on the hunt for a fugitive hiding within the city. Thankfully, it wasn’t Ruth, since a quick scan of her absolved any particular concerns, but that comfort wasn’t extended to the outright love of her life.
 
Because Lee was quite nervous when it came to this surprise visit from space rhinos, and thankfully the Doctor and the rest of Team TARDIS were there to help everyone sort through this mess. Well actually… it was just the Doctor since the fam disappeared in the middle of this conundrum, and we will get to that in just a minute. Because the bigger problem at hand is that the Doc couldn’t figure out why the heck the Judoon were still in pursuit of Ruth and obsessed with her husband. A mystery that continued to deepen after a woman named Gax, killed Lee. Because the death of her husband, and a mysterious text message, allowed for Ruth to showcase some incredible fighting skills, the kind that drove the Judoon from the planet. Something that prompted the Doctor to dive deeper in regard to Ruth’s past in order to try and understand her true identity, and why someone went to great lengths to hide it.  

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​But while the Doc and her new friend headed off on a stroll down memory lane, Graham, Yaz and Ryan were trying to figure out why they were taken from Earth. For someone had transported them to the bridge of a starship in the midst of a firefight, and as it turns out, the person that did this was desperately trying to get ahold of the Doctor. And that’s why Captain Jack Harness used every tool as his fingertips to try and get the Doctor in front of him. Granted, he failed miserably at his goal. But he did at least reveal most of an important message to the fam, one they needed to take back to Thirteen post haste. For he let them know that she should beware the Lone Cyberman, and never give it what it wants because that would undo the fall of that awful species.
 
However, while now seems like a good time to freak out over the fact that Jack Harkness is back, we still have more twists and turns to navigate in this particular tale. For eventually, the Doc and Ruth made it back to the latter’s childhood homestead and well, what they found there was utterly stunning. For buried in the yard was a TARDIS, one that made it seem as though Ruth’s hidden memories would make her an enemy of the Doctor. But as it turns out, she was something that none of us ever expected… she IS the Doctor. Yeah, totally get it, confusing. But that was Ruth’s TARDIS and her identity was indeed confirmed by another Sonic Scan. But the big problem here, is that Ruth didn’t have any memory of Thirteen and vice versa, which meant these two never existed in the same timeline. And to complicate matters further, Gax is another Gallifreyan that popped up in this tale and well, all of these revelations left the Doctor in quite the funk.
 
Because this alternate Doctor was nothing like our own, she was happy to use force and the plot the murder of another living being without giving it a second thought and it was equally as incredible to see her actions make her a wanted criminal amongst her own people. For she was the fugitive in question after all, and this gritter iteration of herself, left our Doctor beside herself as she pondered upon her true nature. But thankfully, Team TARDIS was there to support their Doctor and remind her of the good she’s done in the universe and the trust she engenders in others and for the moment, she seems settled in her soul. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that a mission awaits them all, one that is probably related to everything that happened in this story, which quite frankly, changed the landscape of Series 12 in just about every way imaginable.
 
For it certainly seems as though whatever the Master uncovered about the Timeless Child has brought forth all kinds of complications. And there are strong implications that parallel timeless are now in play, and well, the Doctor is right. It really does seem as though something cosmic and powerful is happening here and our intrepid Time Lord is at the center of it. But in the here and now, it’s best we celebrate what turned out to be one amazing episode. Because this one really did throw all of us for a loop and holy cow, Captain Jack Harkness is back at last! How awesome is that!? But what matters more, is that the grand mystery involving the Doctor’s home world has re-taken the center stage and the incredible surprises present here are going to make the wait for the next chapter in the Doctor’s adventures, all the more painful. Until next time. 

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