The Robot Revolution

The season opener could had been a catastrophe. Well my cat baled out early!

Showrunner RTD goes for a more conventional opener. Introducing Belinda Chandra as an overworked nurse in a hospital. Next she is the Queen of a planet as she is taken away by some robots.

Only in this planet, robots and humans once lived in harmony until the AI took over.

Luckily for Belinda, the Doctor is on hand as the planet's historian.

The episode contains a bit of everything. Timey wimey, a retro 1960s visual look. Those rockets were part Dan Dare and part Wallace and Gromit. Some word puzzles.

There was a nod to real world issues, the Doctor getting chided for taking DNA without permission.

There was even some fourth wall breaking from Mrs Flood.

It does look like the Doctor and Belinda could be a good match as they try to get to Earth, the long way round.

I personally don't get as excited by companions who are immediately ready for traversing time and space whilst possessing little concern for their own well-being when it comes to time traveling with a complete stranger.

Which is why I am deeply excited to see Bel's character in future episodes. I can't wait to watch how her and the Doctors dynamic evolves.

Without fail, Nucti has been so fun to watch as the Doctor. He brings so much to his character, causing me to harbor even greater respect for him as an actor.

The clothes Nucti is put into is everything I wish it to be and more.

From how I see it, Doctor Who is meant to be an escape from reality and a source of joy. This episode certainly accomplished that for me.

Exceptional casting, great and better dialogue, and some fun mystery surrounding the arc and how the realities are effected and in danger. The story is tight, pact with emotions left right and centre. The Doctor and Belinda showcasing some chemistry, a mix of anger, happiness, scaryness and confusion was portrayed brilliantly here. Because it didn't take much time on explaining, the things were taking centre stage and the acting was mostly superb throughout.

Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa shone bright as-well. Their chemistry as I said was Fantastic, their charm and charismatic performances lifts up a slightly Uneventful first-outing. But the quips and the energy they bounced off of each other Exceptionally well due to the bickering, the constant ideas, and the strange scenarios they were put through, and the acting was superb throughout. We already know she's a nurse, we know she acts tough and can do things alone, and we know she likes helping others and stands-up for herself. These character-traits have already been pushed through and that was amazing to see how developed she was.

Also, I gotta say, the space ship and the Robots were cool,classy and vibrant with a mixture of different colours. Whilst the history was great, the villains didn't give much offerings. But they were serviceable enough and entertained with their bright colors and mixture of emotions too made them interesting as a pose to a real threat. Which I did like a different approach, they'd like to just get things done, and dilly-daly back to their grounds. So, be cautious if you ever encounter one, you might see a surprise.

Mrs Flood bearly appeared, but her presence was creepy enough, I wonder how the Doctor couldn't notice her. And the time distortions was a nice and clever twist on the sci-fi genre. Space looked amazing, and seeing it made it warm and whimsical with nice effects and camera-play to lens in on the sky. And it be beautifully dark and crisp. Sort of gave it that mysterious vibe just like Mrs Flood. The ending climax also leads into the mystery and the first outing Is meant to get you hooked for the next chapter, and it certainly provided that, that's why it gets high marks and praise from me, as I was always om my toes expecting some nice corny dialogue and a few twists and turns.

I really did enjoy the pacing, the plot and the few twists. I liked seeing the final few minutes with the distortions. The chemistry also at the start could of been more drawn-out as it had a good emphasis on the story. And the real them was engaging to watch unfold. Props also which gave it the grade-up was the Trailer not spoiling much and offered a unique approach. Very, well-executed.

I'd give this episode an 8 out of 10 Because it mastered the wonder and optimism, and the arc looks interesting and entertaining with the 2 main-leads showing strong-character work with top-performances and amazing chemistry with a superbly well-rounded companion. Very intrigued, some decent enough villainous moments as-well. Very Good.

Season 2 is off with a bang. From the get-go, this was a thrill with every question of the series being set up and some surprises along the way.

Varada Sethu is glorious and comes out with some clever quips, smart takes and feels already more dimensional than other companions have felt in a full series. Her tonal shift is a conflicting watch, but that's what's keeping me on my toes.

Although the plot wasn't particularly inventive, it does remind me that this show is a family show and to be experienced as so. The vivid design, the colourful scenes, the wonder of it all is what makes this show special. If you're watching this episode in hopes of a horror sci-fi feel, I'm afraid you're not going to get it. If you're watching for some light, silly entertainment, you're getting a smash hit.

I will say, there were perhaps one too many familiarities with arcs seen in older seasons of the show, not even necessarily just RTD era level. I feel the scope of the show has grown exponentially and our head writer is going ham on that too scale-wise. Sometimes less is more, perhaps.

Despite this, 'The Robot Revolution' is still a fun escape from reality whilst still making an on-the-nose reference to our world as we know it. Don't stress though, it's nothing that'll distract from the story where Belinda truly is the one to watch.

If you enjoy the vibes of New Earth, this one is definitely for you. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's definitely worth checking out and it's a cracking introduction to the series.

This was a decent opener for this new season. The story is good, but it was not the best, just feel a little empty.

I have to say i find a little bit unrealistic how Miss Belinda is literally kidnapped for robots and she just accepts it somehow, like it's a normal thing.

I hope the next episode could surpass the expectations, this serie has an enormous potential.

The visuals were amazing, same quality as the first season and i certainly love that.

Really love the endings with that little "taste" for the upcoming episode.

To end this review; i felt like it was nothing new but it was still entertaining.

That's it.