"Dot and Bubble" is a Surprisingly Dark Reminder That 'Doctor Who' Isn't Always a Fairytale

Doctor Who is a show that is aspirational at its heart. Travel hopefully; never cruel or cowardly, and above all, be kind. Because of this, it's easy to assume that the stories it tells are always happy ones and that everything turns out alright in the end. The good guys triumph, and the evil ones are defeated; essential lessons are learned, new friends are made, and The Doctor shows up just in time to save the day. He forever changes those he interacts with for the better, set on a path to become the best versions of themselves, no matter how many mistakes they've made in the past. But, as anyone familiar with the Brothers Grimm can tell you, even the most seemingly magical stories can have unexpected teeth.

Such is the case with "Dot and Bubble," a disturbing installment that's as much about the monsters inside its characters as the literal ones trying to eat them. An hour that feels as much like Black Mirror as it does Doctor Who, the episode is a scathing rebuke of everything from celebrity culture and society's obsession with social media to classism and marginalization. It's also the second episode in as many weeks in which the Doctor only appears in a minimal capacity, an intriguing choice for a season so heavily hyped as a fresh introduction to the franchise for new viewers.

Granted, the Doctor has more screen time than in last week's "73 Yards," and Fifteen's final scene is so powerful that it almost makes you forget that so little of this hour is actually about his character. (Star Ncuti Gatwa has that single perfect tear thing down, is what I'm saying.) But "Dot and Bubble" is perhaps best considered as a rare example of the limits of the Doctor's influence, and how even his best intentions can be smashed on the rocks of the worst of human nature.