‘Doctor Who’ Season 1: “Dot And Bubble” Review

This review was made possible by advance screeners of Doctor Who Season 1, Episode 5, titled Dot and Bubble. Dot and Bubble premieres on Disney+ (excluding the UK) on May 31 and on BBC iPlayer on June 1. 

This week’s episode of Doctor Who, titled Dot and Bubble introduces audiences to the world of Finetime, a place which initially seems happy and harmonious, however, an awful terror is preying on the citizens. Can the Doctor and Ruby make them see the truth before it’s too late? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see in the latest “Doctor-lite” adjacent episode. It’s enjoyable, and creepy and does a wonderful job at commenting on a number of things wrong with today’s society!

As always, these pre-release reviews are spoiler-free, so fear not about having the events of Dot and Bubble being spoilt in any way!

A CLUTTER OF COLOUR AND SLUG SLIME

Now I am nowhere near the biggest professional when it comes to commenting on the visuals of some of the titles I watch, though I must admit the colour grading used throughout Dot and Bubble is an odd variation of the idea of vibrancy. A number of shots work really well whilst a lot end up looking as if your viewing of Doctor Who has been interrupted so you can take a colour blind test. Sure, you can tell the setting is other-worldly, though nothing can tell you it isn’t a Welsh University campus either, sadly. 

I think the episode’s VFX is incredibly strong, with the technical aesthetic of the Dot and Bubble being a core part of the episode’s narrative. It is very impressive how consistent it looks throughout, with tracking around Lindy Pepper-Bean’s head (played by Callie Cooke) looking seamless throughout. Some of the slugs look off, with their textures not matching their surroundings, which feels off given the production shot with real props for the alien creepers.

Dylan Holmes William’s direction proves worthwhile again with some really interesting decisions made regarding the composition of shots as well as the overall atmosphere built to create the bizarre world of Finetime. Crazy to put this side-by-side with 73 Yards and think they have the same director, but their stark differences work for each, I guess.

DOCTOR WHO MEETS BLACK MIRROR

In this week’s episode, two worlds collide… Doctor Who and Black Mirror, not in the literal sense, but a lot of the storytelling conventions and overall vibe from the episode feel as if they’ve been taken from Charlie Brooker’s drafts.

This is probably our clearest step into Black Mirror territory, which I love. I’m a huge fan of Charlie Brooker. He’s immensely brilliant. But there’s a little bit more freedom and Doctor Who madness in Dot and Bubble. There’s a sense of fun. And monsters in the middle of it… So although it’s Black Mirror-like, it’s more Doctor Who. It’s got the bones and the blood of our favourite show. I hoot a lot when I watch it.

Russell T Davies – Doctor Who Magazine #604

For me, it was really impressive to return to scenes that felt reminiscent of watching Doctor Who when I was younger towards the opening of the episode. Our first real encounter with the episode’s antagonists evoke that traditional behind-the-sofa nostalgic feeling, perfect for the very first time we see the creepy slugs.

However, the slugs become disappointing after more on-screen appearances. By the end of the episode, they are nowhere near as menacing or terrifying as they first appear. A number of villains from the show’s past come to mind, but I think the Slitheen are the closest thing we’ve had to the deflating presence same as the slugs. Dare I say we’ve just encountered the show’s latest “camp” villains? No, unfortunately.

Initially terrifying, their reveals as they escape their human-made flesh disguises evolve into silly, fart slapstick humour by the end of the two-part 2005 serial, which is what reciprocates from slugs. Perhaps the fact that their more intensive scenes are mostly presented through the digital world affects their eerieness, so I would have potentially loved to see a lot more of the episode’s horrific side more.

The idea that there’s a planet somewhere in which people’s conversations are maintained through a literal social bubble is incredibly fascinating and perfectly encapsulates what I fully expected Russell T Davies to bring to his new era of Doctor Who, and he does it really well…

SHOWRUNNER IS RUNNING AWAY WITH IT

The story itself isn’t even revolutionary and feels essentially simple, though that isn’t a negative thing especially when you compare it to last week’s complex timey-wimey plot. One major improvement found within Dot and Bubble is the fact that Russell T Davies improves on his previous outing with 73 Yards by providing us with an episode with a clear beginning, middle and end, thus erasing any rushed conclusions in comparison to last week’s hectic final 15 minutes.

Do not let the fact that this is the season’s shortest episode thus far put you off either! It felt so good watching this episode initially because of this structure, Tzvetan Todorov would certainly be proud of this one.

This week’s episode is very dialogue-heavy, mainly from Lindy Pepper-Bean, who is the “protagonist” as she makes her way through her day-to-day activities in Finetime. Cooke, the actor who plays Lindy, does a great episode of carrying the episode on her back for the most part, I think she meets the assignment of her role of Lindy perfectly and really conveys exactly what RTD intended when writing the character.

I did downplay some of the episode’s silliness with the slugs but there is a hilarious scene where Lindy is confronted with reality and ultimately crumbles at the pressure, walking into a lampost on two separate occasions – almost as funny as the jump cut to Ruby holding coats for Albion in 73 Yards.

I really enjoyed how the episode kicked off, with the threat of people vanishing and appearing offline until Lindy receives mysterious requests from two new people. It contains a great and bizarre assortment of character names which I found highly amusing, the likes of Dr Pee, Hoochy Pie and Gothic Paul (his actual name, and not a nickname!) all find themselves playing some part in the wider ongoing of the episode.

This is nowhere near the season’s best episode, however, the commentary proposed by Russell T Davies works really well, which was expected given the build-up to the episode partnered with the many mysterious elements at play. We didn’t have a good first look at the episode until the “Next Time” trailer on Saturday, and I think that’s a good thing.

A MINOR NOTE TO MURRAY GOLD

Dot and Bubble is full of music composed by veteran musician Murray Gold, though it is an arrangement of The Fifteenth’s Doctor’s theme from the final few episodes of the episode which will sit with me forever, not just for the performances from Millie Gibson and Ncuti Gatwa which carry it to the “Next Time” trailer, but just how powerful the score is and how much it resonated with me. I will not be forgetting that moment from this season for a long time. Shivers, it is so good.

His score in this week’s episode taps into the futuristic gimmick of Finetime whilst also giving us a really suspenseful undertone to carry the creepier scenes, especially when Lindy is coming face-to-face with the slugs. I think this is his best work since returning to the show.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Dot and Bubble really surprised me, I thought it was going to be a real let-down, however, its story and structure really allow the episode to run freely and tell a very interesting story about a very distinctive group of people. The similarities to Black Mirror work well but as mentioned, this is still good Doctor Who at the crux of everything. A very enjoyable episode, even if the antagonists feel flat at the end, though the intention of the ending has much more important implications than some silly slugs.

I can’t even get over just how good Ncuti and Millie are in the episode’s final act as everything reaches the absolute peak of craziness, just incredibly effective given their absent presence throughout. I do have wider commentary to share upon the release of the episode, Disney’s request for not mentioning certain elements of the plot is only getting bigger and bigger each week!

Doctor Who Season 1, Episode 5 “Dot and Bubble” releases on Disney+ (excluding the UK) on May 24 and BBC iPlayer on May 25. Check out the trailer below.