Doctor Who: The Church on Ruby Road

[selenak]

In which we learn that RTD really really likes Labyrinth, and goes full in for the gloriously silly. You just bet he'd have gotten David Bowie to guest star if Bowie had been alive and available. Also? Still with the using of previous showrunner's new canon in a more emotionally resonating way than previous showrunner did.



Like I said: gloriously silly. Maybe you have to be in the mood, which I am, and I loved it. (And am amused the other thing our Welsh Overlord continues to do is include at least one thing to piss off a certain type. In this case: let the Doctor and Ruby first meet when he's dancing wearing a skirt, while she's hanging out with her friends, said friends including a trans person. ) Ruby getting along splendidly with her (adopted) mother and grandmother makes for a change in RTD mothers and daughters when introduced. (Okay, Martha and Francine did not have tension as such, it was more that Martha was used as the family mediator when everyone was arguing.) Instead, Ruby's one cloud on the horizon is that her curiosity about her bio parents is foiled by seemingly no a trace of her genes existing in the recorded data base, and in general, it seems RTD is going for a parallel with her mystery foundling origins and the Doctor's recently discovered adopted foundling status (that would be the element introduced by good old Chibnall that RTD is going for emotional continuity for - go figure, he's generally interested in (adult) families. (As opposed to the Moff, who is interestedin kids, different thing.) While the Christmas Special is by and large going for fun and whimsy, the one big angsty segment is when Ruby is temporarily erased from time by the goblins and her mother's previous wondering of how her life would have been without adopting Ruby is answered by going for maximum bleakness (she now doesn't connect to the children she fosters, she's convinced herself she's only doing fostering for the money, and she's disconnected from her own mother who in the prime timeline she has a close connection to, and all the other children whom Carla has given a good home to in the proper timeline also now have lost that. As an example of an emotional trigger effect with disastrous consequences, it's played absolutely straight in the midst of all the whimsy and gives the Doctor additional reason to be invested in Ruby's existence beyond the general.

Speaking of Ruby, so far she's sympathetic and appealing in a general companion way, but then, so was Clara for her first year with the (Eleventh) Doctor, and some of the other companions, too, early on. (It wasn't until Twelve showed up, imo, that Clara stepped out of generic companion-ness and became a very distinct personality, and also a favourite of mine.) I look forward to finding out more about her.

Mrs. Flood the mysterious neighbour: at first I wondered whether she's played by a former DW actress of old whom I didn't recognize, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm still thinking RTD will give the Master a break for some years, and she doesn't come across as Rani-like, but if she is a Gallifreyan, she might be the Meddling Monk (Nun?). Or she could be human but still a former foe/friend/associate, given she clearly knows who the Doctor and his TARDIS are. (If RTD wants to bring back Torchwood, she could one a former employee of Torchwood London, as opposed to Torchwood Cardiff, for example.)

In conclusion: I laughed and cheered at the big song and dance sequence with the goblins, and generally had a good time. Which as Duncan MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod would say is not a little thing to have in these dark days.

Comments

[profiterole_reads]

Yes, I wondered if Mrs Flood was an old companion or from UNIT or something like that. Though I suppose many people, especially in London, must know a little bit about the Doctor. We might also meet her younger self later on this season.

[selenak]

That's very true, we (and the Doctor) could have simply met her out of order.

[watervole]

I agree totally. It was good fun, and I'm really liking Gatwa as the Doctor.

I wasn't totally clear on what was causing all the coincidences/accidents, or whether one was supposed to cause the other.

I wonder if Ruby will turn out to be Gallifrayan... No traceable relatives...

I like that the Doctor respected her choice to give up her child by not chasing after her.

[selenak]

Mind you, the person putting the child in front of the church does not necessarily have to be the mother, but yes, in either case the Doctor treats it as not his mystery to solve. (I suppose if Ruby ever asks him, it's a different matter, but until then...)

[watervole]

I wonder if her mother is Missy...

[watervole]

Although the DNA test would probably have picked up on alien DNA...

[kalypso]

My initial thought was that Mrs Flood might be the person who dropped off the baby, without her being the mother (as I wasn't getting a maternal vibe off her). But I rechecked the narrative voiceover, and it did seem to be saying that the hooded figure was the mother. I don't think it's remotely coincidental, however, that she's living a few doors down from Ruby.

I also wondered if Flood was connected to Pond and River, and whether RTD is going for a grand unified theory of everything that embraces key plot strands of Moffat and Chibnall.

[jesuswasbatman]

Anita Dobson, who plays Mrs Flood, is best known as an early major character in the BBC soap opera Eastenders, who famously attempted suicide at Christmas after her crooked and obnoxious husband told her he was divorcing her. (Eastenders has a notorious history of grim Christmas plotlines, which has been joked about at least once in RTD Who.)

I'm guessing that Ruby will turn out to be her own mother, and hoping against hope that Mrs Flood is a recast Barbara.

[selenak]

A recast Barbara would be lovely, I like your guess!

[unfeathered]

She's not well-spoken enough to be Barbara, though!

[greenwoodside]

Someone else on Dreamwidth said they found the new Doctor unsettling at first because he's so charismatic, young and cool. And then he did his "Lulu Belle! That's an amazing name!!!" line and they had a 'Thanks be to the immortal gods and RTD. He's still a dork!' moment of revelation. Which mirrored my reactions exactly.

Re Mrs Flood: my first thought -- given that RTD has cheerfully gone against expectations and embraced Chibnall-Who in his own way -- is whether he's sweeping in some Moffat-Who as well, with Mrs Flood being some form of River Song/Melody Pond.

[selenak]

I think the chances are good that RTD will do some overt embracing of Moffat-Who as well (I mean, other than the quick references in the Toymaker's villain monologue). Especially given that Moffat will write an episode for him this season, right? (Which I'm looking forward to. Moffat writing for RTD = Moffat at his best, without having to juggle an entire season.) Mrs. Flood as an incarnation of River would be intriguing, though requiring some explaing, since she went from the Mels-Form familiar to Amy and Rory to River and gave up all her regnerations to bring the Doctor back, but hey - the Doctor's backstory recently got retconned far more drastically.

[greenwoodside]

Ooh, that is good news re Moffat. I had no idea.

Yes, I think after kicking off his second run at Who with a bigeneration (and Mavity), any RTD handwavium re River will look like small fry in comparison.

I do like the name Mrs Flood for a mystery box character. It feels as if it could be meaningful on several levels.

[kore]

It was so fun! Ncuti Gatwa is just amazing.

[selenak]

He really was!

[kore]

I did think some of the plot was kinda goofy (language of knots? giant crack in the ceiling, again?) but "kinda goofy" is on brand for Who anyway, and I loved the more diverse elements like Fifteen in a kilt, Ruby's trans friend singing, her mum and the awesome grandma (she got that cup of tea!). T pointed out all the fairytale elements, which was like Eleven's run which we both really enjoyed, so I'm hopeful about that.

He was also really good at projecting a sunny confident disposition (this doctor has SWAGGER) and then letting a really different side flash through, again like Smith, and I enjoyed that -- and his cheeriness was great, like "I wish I was named Lulubelle!"

[ffutures]

When I realised who was playing Mrs Flood I initially thought that this might be a shout-out to the 1993 Children in Need special which was a Doctor Who / East Enders crossover. Unfortunately her character left the series a couple of years earlier and wasn't in the episode. I do like the idea of her being River, but I'm not sure how that could be made to work. And I was not a huge fan of The Silence who would probably be the villains in that case.

Nice to see that there's going to be a Beatles-related episode in the new series. I doubt it'll be much like my Torchwood / Help crossover ...A Little Help From My Friends, but you never know your luck...

[selenak]

Indeed you don't, and I very much look forward to it in any case!

[unfeathered]

it seems RTD is going for a parallel with her mystery foundling origins and the Doctor's recently discovered adopted foundling status (that would be the element introduced by good old Chibnall that RTD is going for emotional continuity for - go figure, he's generally interested in (adult) families. (As opposed to the Moff, who is interestedin kids, different thing.)

That's a REALLY interesting observation! I'm mainly just relieved that RTD found anything to expand upon and make the whole Timeless Child thing worthwhile!