This review was made possible by Popped receiving an advanced screener of the fourth episode of Doctor Who Season 2, titled “Lucky Day.”
This week’s Doctor Who delivers one of its boldest episodes yet, blending political paranoia, alien horror, and emotional payback in spectacular fashion. With UNIT caught in the crossfire and The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda (Varada Sethu) largely absent, the spotlight shifts to Kate Stewart (Jemma Redgrave), a grotesque Shreek, and the unravelling of Conrad’s (Jonah Hauer-King) deluded power trip. It’s a tense, cinematic ride that offers sharp commentary, satisfying character beats, and a villain takedown that feels genuinely earned.
Spoiler Warning – I’ll be going into full details surrounding the plot of Lucky Day – you have been warned!
Jonah Hauer-King’s Conrad Clark: A Compelling ‘Doctor Who’ Anti-Hero
The Doctor and Belinda return to Earth in the episode’s cold open — but not quite as expected. It’s New Year’s Day 2007, the same year The Master returns and Donna Noble meets the Doctor on Christmas Day. There, the TARDIS team encounters a young Conrad Clark, who’s about to have his very lucky day. Eighteen years later, Conrad is the host of “Lucky Day,” a podcast documenting his lifelong obsession with the TARDIS. His story feels like a spiritual successor to Series 2’s Love & Monsters, though mercifully without Abzorbaloffs or paving-slab romances.
The episode flashes back to Conrad’s first encounter with the Shreek, The Doctor, and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), returning for the first time since Empire of Death. When a Shreek marks him early on, the tension rises. Jonah Hauer-King impresses throughout, exuding charisma, particularly in his chemistry-filled scenes with Gibson. Having previously only seen him in The Little Mermaid (2023), I was intrigued by his casting, especially given early whispers that Conrad might be a recurring character.
It’s No “Lucky Day” For UNIT
When the story evolves, and we see Conrad and Ruby grow closer, we see them head to the countryside for a getaway, which ends up becoming a UNIT trap. At this point in the episode, I found it slightly underwhelming. Everything about Conrad at that point seems too polished, almost performative – we’re meant to assume Ruby has fallen head over heels for a guy she’s barely known, very similar to what happens to Anna in Frozen.
However, Jemma Redgrave delivers her strongest performance yet as Kate Stewart. Her climactic confrontation with Conrad is riveting. Typically a sidelined player despite her status, Kate is finally given a script that allows her to shine with strength, grit, and command. The big twist? Conrad is the mastermind behind “Think Tank,” an online conspiracy group. He lures UNIT to a countryside trap to “expose” them, staging an alien threat by dressing up his followers as Shreeks and livestreaming it all. He cruelly mocks Ruby, claiming he only pretended to like her to further his plan. His accusations — that UNIT wastes public money and hides behind its new, gleaming tower — hit surprisingly close to real-world critiques of institutional power. Kate’s moral outrage burns through the screen, especially when Conrad lashes out at Ruby and slanders the legacy of the Brigadier. Her decision to let the Shreek loose on him is both brutal and satisfying — a rare moment of vengeful justice in Doctor Who.
Jordan Lang and Online Misinformation
The episode also tackles online misinformation. Conrad’s popularity explodes after media personality Trinity Wells (Lachele Carl) defends him, sparking social media protests against UNIT. He appears on The One Show, accusing UNIT of fearmongering, and even leaks a list of their employees. There’s a clear metaphor here for grifters who twist public fears for profit — Conrad has 80,000 paid subscribers, owns three homes, and dodges tax. It’s satire, but chillingly believable.
The weakest element of the episode is the subplot involving Jordan Lang (Kareem Alexander), a UNIT analyst secretly feeding information to Conrad. From the moment he’s shown listening to Conrad’s podcast, it’s obvious he’s significant — a classic Chekhov’s gun. His betrayal feels too on-the-nose and undercooked. That said, his arc reflects how easily people can fall into echo chambers online — a timely and necessary theme. Just as The Legend of Ruby Sunday does, we’re introduced to someone new within the ranks at UNIT, and we spend way too much focus at times throughout the episode that there is a clear reason to assume this person will have significance later on.
After gunning down Jordan and storming through UNIT HQ, Conrad comes face-to-face with the newly released Shreek — and an enraged Kate Stewart. It’s striking to see a villain wielding a conventional firearm in Doctor Who, especially as he live-streams his violent rampage through the tower. In a moment of real tension, Kate raises her voice and physically places herself between Conrad’s gun and Ruby, whom he threatens. There’s something almost childlike about Conrad at times, which makes it all the more satisfying when he’s viciously attacked by the Shreek, losing an arm in the process. But Conrad seals his fate when he insults the Brigadier, provoking Kate into unleashing the Shreek with a cold, calculated fury. She notes that if the Doctor were present, they might have stopped her, but now, Conrad gets to witness what UNIT really protects the world from. What follows is a gripping and darkly enjoyable sequence, as the Shreek hunts Conrad through the facility. The shift from arrogance to pure terror is pitch-perfect, and Jonah Hauer-King does a fantastic job conveying Conrad’s panic and helplessness.
Millie Gibson Returns To ‘Doctor Who’
After a brief glimpse in Joy To The World, Ruby Sunday returns to the show and it’s a pleasure to have Millie Gibson back on screen. Ruby’s family returns to the Whoniverse once again. The absolutely hilarious Cherry Sunday (Angela Wynter) can be seen in her iPad era, stalking Conrad on Instagram and playing her games, living her life as best as she can – a lot more positive compared to when we last saw her, in a creepy interaction with the mysterious Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson), who we’ll discuss later. Her two mothers return, Carla Sunday (Michelle Greenridge) and Lousie Miller (Faye McKeever), though the latter is just there for means of existing, no actual development happens there sadly – she just shows up randomly, a bit like The Vlinx’s appearance, we’re just being reminded of its existence in this one.
We see Ruby handle life after leaving The Doctor, something that feels so rare now, especially given the deathly endings for a number of past companions – Bill, Clara, Amy and the rest, so it was a really strong angle for the episode. Pete McTighe, on his return to Doctor Who since the Chibnall Era’s Praxeus, delivers a strong episode and fills me with great hope ahead of The War Between The Land And Sea, expected to arrive during the Winter of this year. McTighe’s script offers a great insight into the consequences that follow leaving adventures in time and space behind, and really provides Ruby with some depth, which I feel has really benefitted her character, especially after the crux of her development was the reveal that she was named after a sign her mother pointed to.
Have You Met Belinda Chandra Yet?
The best moment comes at the end. With Conrad in prison, the TARDIS materialises around him. The Doctor delivers a cold, incisive monologue:
“Cowards like you, weaponising lies, taking people’s fears and making it currency… You are exhausting.”
Ncuti Gatwa is chillingly precise here – not angry, just done. Conrad laughs it off, calling it an “intervention,” but then he drops a major clue. “Have you met Belinda Chandra yet?” he asks — a callback to The Robot Revolution. The Doctor responds by “spoiling” Conrad’s future death, which Conrad angrily rejects. It’s an ominous exchange, teasing the season’s endgame: Wish World and The Reality War, with Conrad rejecting The Doctor’s reality and telling him to leave his world, words that could have huge implications. And then, Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson) — now revealed as a prison governor — breaks Conrad out. “It’s your lucky day,” she grins.
‘Doctor Who’ Season 2: “Lucky Day” — Final Thoughts
Lucky Day is a thrilling, layered Doctor-lite episode that weaves real-world issues: misinformation, online radicalisation, and disinformation campaigns into the Whoniverse in gripping fashion. Jemma Redgrave is at her best, Jonah Hauer-King delivers a scene-stealing performance, and Pete McTighe proves he’s a writer who truly understands Doctor Who‘s moral complexities.
Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 5, “The Story & The Engine” premieres on Disney+ worldwide and on BBC iPlayer in the UK on May 10 at 12am PT / 3am ET / 8am GMT.
The Review
"Lucky Day"
Lucky Day is a thrilling, layered Doctor-lite episode that weaves real-world issues: misinformation, online radicalisation, and disinformation campaigns into the Whoniverse in gripping fashion. Jemma Redgrave is at her best, Jonah Hauer-King delivers a scene-stealing performance, and Pete McTighe proves he's a writer who truly understands Doctor Who's moral complexities.