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<\/a><\/div>\nTwo years ago, Russell T. Davies called out Kate Herron, showrunner of Loki, as not making her show queer enough. Her response, upon helming Rogue<\/i>, was to more than live up to the billing and make Doctor Who<\/i> openly queer and openly gay more than it\u2019s been under the entire Chibnall, and arguably, parts of the Moffat era as well \u2013 by introducing us to Jonathan Groff\u2019s dashing, loveable bounty hunter Rogue, who boasts charisma to rival Jack Harkness without the problematic casting of John Barrowman, who led to Eccleston\u2019s departure in Series 1. The setting for Rogue and The Doctor to meet is a 1813 Duchess\u2019s Party, bringing to mind Bridgerton<\/i>, which obviously, Ruby\u2019s a fan \u2013 but so too are the alien cosplayers invading the party and replacing members of the party with their own race \u2013 determined to have a real-life roleplaying game.\n<\/p>\n It’s pretty fun and tackles the themes of cosplay and fanfiction strongly by inserting yourself into the narrative. Doctor Who<\/i> has been all about grand themes; social media, abandonment, war capitalism, alien bogies, so naturally to see the aliens want to inhabit the roles of a lifetime and expand their empire giving them the opportunity to play war games and dictate their own history is fascinating, and it fits in with Herron\u2019s vision of Loki<\/i>, which very reasonably suggests that she should be a showrunner contender in the eras post Davies\u2019, especially now as we\u2019ve seen with the freedom and lack of constraints of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, been able to put her money where her mouth is. The charming nature of Rogue and The Doctor\u2019s instant affection for each other is made an immediate match thanks to Gatwa\u2019s phenomenal performance \u2013 his charisma and likeability embodies the role of The Doctor to a T, and delights in the callbacks to Willy Wonka and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory<\/i> when he shows Rogue the TARIDS it feels like a throwback to when 9 met Jack, but supercharged.\n<\/p>\n Rogue and The Doctor play up how much of a scandal their relationship would\u2019ve been in the 1800s and it\u2019s not lost on them both what it would mean for the rest of their fellow partiers, which include the Chuldur, and I really love how the Chulder were able to infiltrate the party, and how Ruby was able to trick them into thinking she was one of them for the wedding. But the trick worked too well; and The Doctor, rage-induced and mourning Ruby, who he thought was lost, creates a trap to send them into a hell for the rest of their lifespan. It\u2019s a pretty emotional moment as Ruby gets her big Russell T Davies \u201cI\u2019ll sacrifice myself to save the world\u201d character moment; and the flashbacks to The Doctor promising Ruby\u2019s mother to keep her safe added to his grief and anguish. So of course \u2013 this isn\u2019t where Ruby\u2019s going to die. It can\u2019t be! You get Rogue willing to sacrifice himself for her \u2013 I would\u2019ve liked a few more scenes with Rogue and Ruby to really drive that point home \u2013 but showing Rogue what Ruby means to The Doctor was effective enough, even in their short space of time. And now Rogue switches places with Ruby, but has a longer lifespan than the Chuldur, so there\u2019s a chance of a rescue at last.\n<\/p>\n Turning Camilla Aiko into a Chuldur was a fascinating twist, especially when Ruby was able to confide in her about her time-travelling from the future. It felt like such a series of great twists executed brilliantly after another \u2013 and there were some nods to the fandom too, with Richard E. Grant getting the chance to make his Doctor canon through the obligatory hologram reveal of all The Doctors in turn, the emphasis of course because it was always going to be, placed on Tennant\u2019s Doctor the most. And then there\u2019s \u201cSince we got the new boss\u201d in reference to Rogue getting more bounty hunter paperwork \u2013 and the terminology is almost too specific for it not to be the same one that Meep worked for. Perhaps next episode; the first of the two parters, we\u2019ll find out for sure?\n<\/p>\n I also like the little touches: Astrid Peth; having been played by Kylie Minogue, was such a fun callback. Of course, The Doctor\u2019s a stan. Kylie and Astrid exist in the same universe the same way Stephen Fry and his character in Spyfall<\/i> does. The music being played repeatedly by The Doctor brought out a side in Rogue that unlocks everything for them both \u2013 and it all cascades from there. It\u2019s kind of a testament to Doctor Who<\/i>\u2019s old-guard treatment however that this is the first episode since The Haunting of the Villa Diodati<\/i>, in 2020 \u2013 four years ago \u2013 that we\u2019ve had the first episode of Who that doesn\u2019t have some involvement from Chibnall, Davies or Moffatt \u2013 and new blood is very much welcome. I\u2019d love to have Alderton come back under this era as Diodati<\/i> has a similar vibe to Rogue<\/i> almost, a party in an historical setting going wrong \u2013 and very badly so.\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/a><\/div>\n