‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘Space Babies’ & ‘The Devil’s Chord’

5/11/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson as The Doctor and Ruby Sunday in Episode 1401 of ‘Doctor Who’ – ‘Space Babies’. (Photo Courtesy of Disney/BBC/Bad Wolf)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season 14 Premiere of ‘Doctor Who’. To revisit the 2023 Holiday Special, clickhere.

One thing that we can all agree upon, is that now and again… everyone just needs a fresh start. It could be from a career standpoint, or revolve our own personal habits, but one way or another… you just have to hit that reset button sometimes and try something new and this also applies to the world of entertainment. Because sometimes, there are franchises out there that get a little stale in nature and struggle because of it, and truly… the best thing to do in that instance is to find a way to shake things up and reset the franchise so that it can find a new and exciting direction, even if the story in question is designed for that kind of shakeup, as is the case with Doctor Who.

Because despite being able to switch out the Doctor through regeneration, giving rise a new actor and new adventures for them to take part in… the franchise has come under fire in the past few years. For being mythos heavy, for putting the Doctor through utter hell and trauma. Giving rise to a bit of an edgier and darker Doctor Who, the kind that left fans wondering if the franchise was going to move forward or be stuck in darkness and its own mythos. Which are valid criticisms, the kind that quite frankly, called for… a grand reset. Which is why the show has moved to a new network on Disney+, and why the man responsible for reinvention was brought back in to explore the moments that made the story great in the first place through the David Tennant, Fourteenth Doctor specials, before moving it forward in a bold new direction with the Fifteenth Doctor.

For this new iteration of Doctor Who, with Ncuti Gatwa at the helm of the TARDIS, really does refresh and reinvent the series, and for proof… just look at its two-episode, season fourteen premiere. Because these episodes truly accomplish some storytelling wonders. For instance, ‘Space Babies’, a tale that plunges the Doctor and his new companion, Ruby Sunday, into a faraway space station run by hyper intelligent infants… harkens back to some classic elements of the show. The bizarre aliens that more or less permeated the golden age of the show, alongside offering up the sense of fun and adventure that Davies established from the get-go, with something new thrown in the mix, a sense of the fantastical. Since the problem on this station is something far more unique than we’ve ever seen the series deal with, and that is extended to the second story, ‘The Devil’s Chord’.

Jinkx Monsoon as The Maestro in Episode 1402 of ‘Doctor Who’ – ‘The Devil’s Chord’. (Photo Courtesy of Disney/BBC/Bad Wolf)

Because the villain in that story, a being known as the Maestro, is eager to feed upon the joy that music brings us. Which we have to mention, does lead to some fun celebrity encounters for the Doctor and Ruby, science they meet some fine lads names John, Paul, George and Ringo. But while that is fun and amazing, it is the Maestro that matters most in this story. For this being is fantastical in every sense of the word and is driven by a need to feed off of the intangible and this being is as malevolent as they come and wants nothing more than destruction and suffering and harbors powers that are simply beyond comprehension. Giving rise to a true departure from the mythos. Which truly does inform us, that the series is moving into new territory.

Where the Cybermen, the Daleks, the Master, and so on and so forth, can take a break from terrorizing the Doctor. For these creatures from beyond, who serve a greater being, can instead wow us and take us on adventures that defy convention and tickle the imagination and that… is what the show truly needs. For an alien that go anywhere courtesy of the TARDIS, should encounter what we don’t understand and what we’ve never seen before, and the potential for that to finally happen, is endless and exciting. But while that does set the stage for a new dawn for the series, and offers endless excitment, this new season of storytelling still makes sure to harken back to its roots in ways that ensure that the show will never lose sight of what the fans truly love about traveling about time and space with the Doctor and his friends.

Because the mythos does still have a home here. Granted it is featured in a brief manner in these stories, but that is likely related to the fact that Mister Davies understands… those tuning in already know the backstory, so there’s no need to dive deep again, and those uninitiated, get enough to want to explore on their own. Not to mention, this new series makes a point to emphasize, the good that the Doctor stands for, and the wonder he finds in traveling the galaxy and seeing humanity and other beings at their best. For those elements are central to the series and offer important takeaways for us and well, all of these elements bring forth… an exciting season premiere. One that sets the stage for the unexpected. Since we haven’t a clue what awaits Ruby and the Doctor, and we haven’t a clue what the villain he’s facing wants or needs, and that truly compels us to continue the journey. To see what wonders await us in the vast emptiness of time and space. Until next time.

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