'Doctor Who's' Ncuti Gatwa Era Begins with "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord"

After a three-part 60th anniversary celebration that gave us back an old Doctor and a holiday special that introduced a new one, Doctor Who is finally back on our screens with its first proper full season in several years. (No, whatever "Flux" was does not count.) Led by once and now-current showrunner Russell T. Davies, this premiere — which is Season 1, Season 14, or Season 40 depending on who you're asking — is new beginning in many ways, with the arrival of Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa and companion Millie Gibson, an influx of Disney+ money and a serious recommitment to the sense of perennial adventure, wide-eyed wonder, and deliberate optimism that has defined the franchise for so long. 

In a second unexpected twist, this new era of Doctor Who is launching with two new episodes rather than just one. The decision makes sense once you've seen them both: "Space Babies" and "The Devil's Chord" are very different episodes thematically and tonally speaking, ostensibly meant to illustrate the breadth of stories we'll get to see this season. 

One is a pure camp romp featuring literal talking babies, poop jokes, and a scary monster in the basement of a space station called the Bogeyman. The other is a lore-heavy historical that features everything from The Beatles and a godlike new villain to callbacks to the Toymaker's appearance in the 60th-anniversary and deliberate hints that the Doctor's new companion may be more than she seems. But while its chaotic energy can undoubtedly feel overwhelming, it's impossible to ignore that this return is fun, and the sparkling chemistry between its two leads is enough to paper over the rough spots (of which there are a few). 

Though the Christmas special, "The Church on Ruby Road," was technically the first episode of Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor era and featured his introduction to new companion Ruby Sunday, "Space Babies" marks the pair's inaugural trip through time and space. We get all the standard New Doctor/New Companion classics, including Ruby marveling at the impossible physical dimensions of the TARDIS and Fifteen running down the basics of time travel, his own identity, and why he runs around in a blue 1960s police box. 

Since Season 14 will likely serve as an entry point for a lot of new viewers — there's a reason Disney+ is so eager to rebrand this as Season 1, after all — the episode keeps the exposition quick and light, relying on the immediately obvious bond between Gatwa and Gibson to give the briskly paced episodes an emotional grounding they might not have otherwise. Curious and compassionate by turns, Ruby and the Doctor have a gleefully frenetic energy about them as they race about the cosmos, finding delight in almost everything they encounter. The two are having so much fun together that it's virtually impossible not to have a good time watching them, even when they are the best part of whatever's happening on screen. 

Admittedly, as season openers go, "Space Babies" is a strange choice. It's a smaller-scale story than we tend to find in these sorts of episodes, especially such a heavily hyped one that's kicking off a new era of the show in this way. The hour is peak Doctor Who zaniness, the sort of bonkers installment that usually arrives midseason after we've had some time to settle into the characters and take their stories seriously. Quite frankly, it's a less-than-ideal way to introduce viewers to this franchise because it's so weird that it's almost offputting at times. (Or, at least, to newcomers who don't know this is somehow just the way Doctor Who rolls.)

The premise is relatively ridiculous: Fifteen and Ruby arrive on a space station turned baby farm full of abandoned toddlers who have somehow grown in intelligence but stagnated in physical and emotional development. They're being menaced by a monster in the basement called the Bogeyman, who is like nothing the Doctor's ever seen. There are moments where this hour feels like the children's show Doctor Who technically is supposed to be, from jokes involving various forms of bodily effluvia to over-the-top slapstick comedy. (Also, I can't be the only one slightly unnerved by the creepy way the space babies look when they talk.)

But despite its bizarre plot, "Space Babies" does an excellent job highlighting the thematic elements that make Doctor Who special — and are more critical than ever in an era fronted by the first Black queer man to play the famous Time Lord. It is a story of acceptance, and like many fairytale-tinged stories, it's one with a moral, which I suspect will reverberate through the season: Everyone, no matter how scary or different, is unique and worth saving, and it is often what makes us different that makes us the most powerful. 

The story manages to indirectly touch on everything from refugee immigration to forced birth to the ways society refuses to support the children it insists must be born. But more importantly, it firmly plants a flag of acceptance and tolerance. It is slightly more strident in its progressive politics, but that is perhaps to be expected, given Davies and Gatwa's involvement, both of whom have been outspoken about the foundational principles of hope, inclusion, and diversity at the heart of the franchise. But it doesn't make the message any less lovely or necessary. 

"The Devil's Chord" fairs better, as the second episode showcases a version of Doctor Who at its most whimsical and wild. The Doctor and Ruby travel back to 1963 Liverpool, ostensibly to see the Beatles record at Abbey Road Studios, only to discover that music — all music, everywhere — is gone, thanks to the interference of a powerful supernatural being known as Maestro. Maestro is a child of the Toymaker, a member of a group of larger-than-life, outside-of-time villains; one can only imagine what else is waiting in the wings. I can't be the only person who would give a whole lot for Maetro to meet the Master, is what I'm saying.

RuPaul's Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon's guest turn as this particular villain has been hyped for months, and she doesn't disappoint. Her Maestro is extra in every sense of the word, a larger-than-life figure who feels almost too big for the single episode in which she appears. Deliciously over-the-top and uber-performative in the best way, Monsoon brings a shot of campy adrenaline into every scene she's in and manages to be genuinely unnerving opposite Gatwa's Doctor in ways that hint at exciting things to come for the rest of the season. 

Davies makes the most of Doctor Who's expanded budget. "The Devil's Chord" has gorgeous and creative visual effects. The shot of Ruby held aloft and trapped in Maestro's musical chords, for example, is legitimately beautiful. Also, the Doctor's reaction to Maestro's existence — genuine fear — is fascinating. As the franchise takes tentative steps into more fantasy-influenced stories like "Space Babies" and the goblin-powered "Church on Ruby Road," it's comforting to see Doctor Who hasn't forgotten how to pull off the traditional sci-fi barnburner that's reminiscent of the kind of story this genre does best. 

Unfortunately, despite the hype around the subject matter, the Beatles' involvement in "The Devil's Chord" can only be called perfunctory. I like the idea that John and Paul saved all of music (and the world) as much as anybody. But this take on the Fab Four is incredibly bland, and this story could have been built around any influential musical artist. (It's a bit sad that we wasted Abbey Road on this, to be honest!)

The most controversial element in these two episodes will likely be the new companion, Ruby. Her character is warm and charming, but there's more than a whiff of the "Impossible Girl" about her. While the mystery of her parents' identity may end up being a satisfying season-long arc, a la Davies' original "Bad Wolf" story, well, we've been to this well many times in recent seasons. What was wrong with letting Ruby — like Donna, Martha, and Rose before her — be an ordinary woman having an extraordinary adventure? 

However, though there are occasional stumbles in these first two episodes, it's hard to feel anything but pure joy at Doctor Who's return. A lot of that has to do with Gatwa, whose incandescent smile and irrepressible charm make this a Doctor who's easy to want to go on adventures with. And, even though, in many ways, Ruby and Fifteen are initially connected by loss, they both see the joy in the world around them, and their shared amazement over the wonders that are possible in it epitomizes everything this show is meant to be about. Plus, it's about time someone realized the TARDIS has a virtually limitless wardrobe.

Doctor Who Season 14 streams new episodes on Friday evenings on Disney+ in the U.S. and at midnight on Saturday mornings in the U.K.