Doctor Who‘s Latest Story Was About the Power of Doctor Who Itself

As Doctor Who has, inch-by-inch, diversified the casting of its heroes, its willingness to tell stories directly influenced by those decisions has trailed a little behind. When Jodie Whittaker became the 13th Doctor, only a few of her stories ultimately engaged with what it meant that the Doctor now inhabited a female body. With the arrival of Ncuti Gatwa in the TARDIS last year, his debut season tackled his status as the first Black man and the first openly queer actor to play the Time Lord to… mixed success, especially on the former. But now, in the strongest episode of his sophomore season yet, we have a story that nails exploring the Doctor’s latest identity, because it allows itself the grace of being up front about engaging with that idea. Last season’s “Dot and Bubble” played with the notion of the Doctor’s racial identity by trapping him on a planet of white supremacists being eaten by giant slug monsters, but by saving that reveal for its closing scene as a gotcha for the Do ... Read full article.