Doctor Who – Series 2, Episode 4: Lucky Day

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Doctor Who – Series 2, Episode 4: Lucky Day

Slightly unusually, we’re away from home, so I’m watching this in our room at the Premier Inn, Wirral on day 3 of our ten-day getaway. The Internet has been a nightmare, but thankfully, I did manage to coax the iPlayer into action! I now know what ‘extreme buffering’ feels like! 🙁

So, we’ve reached Episode 4 – halfway through series 2 – and I’ve got to say, it’s all been better than I expected! It has (almost) renewed my faith in the series and I never thought I’d be writing that! It’s evident that the script-writers have ‘adjusted’ the Doctor’s personality – he now appears to be more self-assured and assertive (resulting in him crying significantly less – a characteristic that seemed quite unusual for our time-travelling hero in series 1). Additionally, story-wise, they have all been a lot stronger and more ‘Who-like’ – more ‘Blink‘, less ‘Space Babies, you could say.
Definitely ‘onwards and upwards’, then! 👍

Spoiler Alert (Mild)

Oh, as per usual, I won’t post this until 7.55pm, after tonight’s episode has aired. I’m not giving much away if you decide to read on…

Trailer

Synopsis

“Ruby Sunday faces life back on Earth without the Doctor. But when a dangerous new threat emerges,
can Ruby and UNIT save her new boyfriend, Conrad, from the terrifying Shreek?”

Any Good?

Well, after last week’s (re-appraised) top-notch episode, it’ll be difficult to beat Episode 2, but on the strength of these most recent much-improved storylines, it might do! 🙂 (I didn’t think I’d be writing that either!).

Tonight’s story begins in 2007 and after a brief appearance by the Doctor, it settles down into a rather predictable boy-meets-girl episode. It then became one of those occasional ‘Doctor-lite’ episodes where the Who character ‘tops and tails’ the story. Tonally, it turned out to be another tense episode (again!) this week and really should have been titled: ‘Let’s Do The Twist’ as it featured so many twists and turns in the plot, even I was kept guessing right up until the final seconds of this episode.

Elsewhere, it was good to see UNIT back in the story too, although you’d be forgiven for wondering in the early scenes how they play their part as this tale looks like a simple a love story. Nothing could be further from the truth, where the unfolding plot certainly tapped into current social trends, including the prominence of podcasts; social unrest; the Government at its worst; and an over-reliance on social media for the ‘truth’. How contemporary!

Boy, it’s a creepy one too, and very dark, especially once the mushy stuff is explained away – I’d give it an 8! In some ways, it felt more like a Torchwood episode than Who – but in my eyes, that’s no bad thing! Have patience, and don’t base your judgement just on the Act I – stick with it! Why? At around the 25-minute mark, there’s a massive swerve in the storyline that I guarantee you won’t see coming!

And from that point, those swerves kept on arriving! For a Whovian like me, who’s become pretty good at working out where a Who story is heading, tonight I was wrong-footed on about five separate occasions – excellent stuff! 👍. For once the ‘alien of the week’ seems less important than the conflict between the two lead characters, but if you’re counting – the called The Shreek.

For those of you wondering how the Doctor coped with TWO Companions – all is revealed tonight in the simplest of plot devices.

I’m sure this will be another of those yarns that sets the Internet on fire after tonight’s episode is aired. Sure, the ‘overall message’ is delivered with all the subtly of a sledgehammer, but I feel it worked. In summary then, one of the better Who episodes and a far cry from the c*** dealt out during the Chris Chibnall (Showrunner) era when Jodie Whittaker had to cope with such dire storylines!

One final point, and a key question these days for all Whovians: ‘Would I watch this one again?’ Answer: Yes, without a doubt (I think that’s three episodes in a row!) 🙂🙂👍. Could I ask a non-fan to watch this one without fear of confusion accompanied by a gazillion questions? Answer: Yes, I could!

Next Episode?

Next week’s is entitled: The Story & the Engine. I wonder if these episode improvements will continue? 🤔.

See you then! 🙂✍️