Recap of ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ (Spoiler Free):
The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) in ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ (Source: Disney+)
After Gatwa’s introduction in the third of the 60th anniversary Doctor Who specials ‘The Giggle’, Davies gives Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor a grand welcome in typical Doctor Who style a la a Christmas special. The special begins with a tale of a baby left on the steps of a church by a cloaked figure. The baby came to be adopted into a loving family, and would grow up to be Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) a young woman who lives with her adoptive family Michelle Greenidge (Carla Sunday) and Angela Wynter (Cherry Sunday). Ruby is shown to be searching for her birth parents on a TV program (think Finding Your Roots), but the interview is interrupted when an accident befalls the set. Soon she’s seen encountering accidents everywhere, including increasingly dramatic accidents that lead (unbeknownst to Ruby) to a near-death incident. Fortunately the Doctor is and has been nearby (living his best life if the dance scene is to be any indication), and he’s on to a threat to Ruby. Suddenly when the newest foster child, a newborn baby, in the Sunday household is kidnapped, Ruby and the Doctor’s world collides as they must work together to save the child.
Review of ‘The Church on Ruby Road’ (Spoiler Free):
Doctor Who – Christmas 2023 – Picture Shows: The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) (Lara Cornell/Bad Wolf/BBC Studios)
There’s been a lot of discussion whether Gatwa was given the short shrift by his introduction as the Doctor in the final Doctor Who special, sharing so much time with Tennant’s character, and while there’s some truth to that it was clear that even when not speaking Gatwa was stealing the show with his incredible presence in ‘The Church on Ruby Road’. For the first part of the episode we’re not even hearing Gatwa speaking, and we don’t often see him on screen; however, when we do he’s such a joy. Again the dancing scene alone – a clear indiciation to me we’re in Davies’ good hands – just highlights what a fun time we’ll have with Gatwa as the Doctor. Ruby seems to light up as well seeing his joy, and even though the stakes are high in this series as a baby’s life is on the line, it’s all treated with the levity of a campy Labyrinth style romp and not a darker episode.
Ultimately this was an excellent balance of tone, as Davies knew when to get serious and when to stay funny. Gremlins? Funny. Over-the-top. Great. That’s what made their song (not usually my taste as it’s humorous but still morbid) work in the episode. It’s also interesting that the baby’s life at threat isn’t what made the episode take its darkest turn, as it was instead the very serious conversation (reminscent of Tennant era Doctor dialogues) between the Doctor and Carla Sunday that really showed the show’s seriousness. Fortunately unlike some of the darkest episodes of Doctor Who we at least knew being a Christmas special it was unlikely to end on such a low note, and indeed Gatwa works on a Christmas miracle to help resolve all in the end. Though the repurcussions of his actions are sure to set the course for Gatwa’s first full season coming in 2024.
Of course I want to highlight Ruby’s introduction too, who as a companion feels most comparable to Clara Oswald, both with her youthfulness and her positive energy. Ruby’s curiosity is a driving factor for many companions, but it was fun seeing how it played out with even the Doctor questioning the impulsive actions that very much led to their working together. One imagines that having Ruby and Gatwa as the two young leads will surely lead to some high energy fun, and one wonders if their Gen-Z-ness will be imbued in the season as well. It’s always fun with Doctor Who to wonder what will come next, and that’s all the more true with a significant transition such as this with a new Doctor and companion.
Spoiler Discussion of ‘The Church on Ruby Road’:
Doctor Who – Christmas 2023 – Picture Shows: Michelle Greenidge (James Pardon/BBC Studios)
‘The Church on Ruby Road’ clearly setup a mystery behind Ruby’s own parentage, especially as the figure dropping off the baby is cloaked and hidden from view. Even the investigator appears to have failed to find Ruby’s parents, which while unheard of did seem unlikely. So there’s plenty of mystery ahead there.
Of course the greatest mystery, and one wonders if it’s the impact of either the Gremlins or the Doctor going back in time, is the neighbor Mrs. Flood’s recognition of the TARDIS. (Mrs. Flood is played byAnita Dobson.) Mrs. Flood was complaining early on in the episode about the police box blocking the sidewalk, but at the end of the episode her demeanor changed entirely as she even queried, “Never seen a TARDIS before?” Certainly there’s more questions than answers now, but it’s all the more reason to be excited for Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor.
(See the first teaser for Gatwa’s Season One as The Doctor in Doctor Who.)
