‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘Orphan 55’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

You know, the more time I’ve had to ponder upon the two-part series twelve premiere of Doctor Who, the more I find myself quite curious about where this year’s episodes are headed thematically. Because ‘Spyfall’ was quite the bold venture, one filled with surprises and revelations that will hang heavily over the Doctor for quite some time, and I suppose what’s really had me curious about what those episodes had to offer, was whether or not the fate of Gallifrey and the lie involving the Time Child would take the center stage immediately, or if the series would give us a little bit of a break from such matters. And thankfully, the next episode of this storied franchise was kind enough to give us a fine idea of what this year’s stories are going to offer, in unique and fascinating fashion, of course.
 
Because at first glance it seemed as though ‘Orphan 55’ was going to take the storytelling into a vastly different direction since this episode started off in super lighthearted fashion. After all, we were privy to a little gag involving tentacled creatures in the midst of their mating season, and you can never go wrong with Graham being overjoyed at the prospect of getting in a little rest and relaxation time. And that infectious joy is what brought Team TARDIS to their seemingly pleasant destination this week; an intergalactic health spa that offered them an all-inclusive stay. Which made it seem as though everyone was going to go off and have a good time, except the Doctor, whom I honestly thought was going to get some alone time to ponder on the fate of her world.
 
But it didn’t take long for this story to suddenly shift gears and become something more. For the discovery of a funky and wormy virus in the infrastructure of this resort, prompted the Doctor to investigate why such a being would be present in a place that should be clean and free of any problems and that’s where things took quite the interesting turn. For while the Doctor dug into this mystery, a group of hideous creatures known as Dregs, launched an assault on the complex and just like that, our joyous episode turned into an action-packed nightmare. One filled to the brim with quick cuts and shadows moving in the corner and honestly, I have to admit, I was quite impressed with the fact that once again this series took the time to fuse genres as it only it can.
 
The bonus for me personally, is the sheer fact that this story chose to pepper in a little bit of the horror genre into this tale, since the Dregs were quite frankly terrifying in their appearance and their actions. Since these creatures wasted no time in killing the fine folks who came here for a little rest and relaxation and it was eerie to see human lives slowly fade from existence by way of a tracker in central control. But rather than completely devolve into a genuine horror story, the Doctor’s quick thinking helped to secure the resort from any further harm and that’s when her curiosity shifted. Because this perfect planet, with its endlessly wonderful views and peaceful nature, should have been devoid of deadly threats and that’s when a little surprise came into play. 

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For as it turns out, this lovely little spa was nothing more than a well-manufactured lie. One placed on a desolate world that was abandoned by its previous inhabitants due to its sheer toxicity. Which left it for the Dregs to inherit and they were clearly not good with sharing their claimed planet with others. Yet while everyone was happy and eager to leave this world behind, there was one slight complication in making that happen quickly. Because a kind and older gent named Benni was kidnapped by the creatures and was alive and mostly well in the environment beyond the resort’s perimeter. And that prompted the Doctor to put together a rescue party in order to bring dear Benni back to safety, and this bold decision led to one more surprise.
 
Because the Dregs were more than mindless and bloodthirsty killers, they were intelligent and cunning and were actually able to set up a trap for the rescue party, and shortly after they escaped said trap, the Doctor was able to figure out the history of this unfortunate and abandoned world while they were on the run, once she realized they were actually standing in an old subway station in Siberia. Which means this disgusting wasteland was Earth, and the Dregs were in essence, the future of humanity, thanks to the fallout of the current climate crisis, which led to war and devastation. And while the episode eventually ended in happy-ish fashion with Team TARDIS and some of the good folks of this resort escaping with their lives, the commentary here hung heavy.
 
For it was quite jarring to see our home as a complete and utter wasteland, one populated with mutations. And I appreciated the fact that the series tried to make climate change palatable in this manner and it really did do a fine job of reminding us, that it is up to us to band together and demand more of ourselves and those who can influence change, so that we can hopefully avoid outright catastrophe. If anything, it was just refreshing to see a modern science fiction story have something to say about this important matter and pull it off in bold and direct fashion. And I was also impressed with the fact that the story had a little more commentary to offer on the nature of the corporate world in 2020 and how it really doesn’t care about anything outside of profits.
 
But while commentary in this manner is nothing new to Doctor Who, since series eleven was filled with it, what matters more here is the structure of this episode, since it helped us to understand how series twelve is going to go. Because if the first three episodes are any indicator, we can now expect a far faster paced series. One that works to pack in as many big moments as possible, all while staying true to what makes this series so great and I’m honestly okay with all of this. Because that should make this season as fun as it can be and more importantly, these one-off tales should help build anticipation for the overall juicer plot. Because, one way or another, the mystery of the Time Child will find its way to the forefront of the story. But before that happens, we can take comfort in the fact that the series will work to entertain us in intelligent and intense fashion. Until next time. 

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