Doctor Who (2023) 1×5 Reaction

5 thoughts on "Doctor Who (2023) 1×5 Reaction"

1. * * * S P O I L E R S * * *
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   00:25 Everyone in Finetime is white, fair-haired, blue-eyed. (Aryan)
   01:05 Gothic Paul, the least Aryan-looking, has the lowest subscriber count.
   02:05 Ncuti’s first appearance in Finetime is tagged as an “Unsolicited Request.”
   02:09 Lindy immediately looks disgusted and quickly blocks Ncuti.
   05:00 Ruby’s first appearance in Finetime is NOT tagged as an “Unsolicited Request.”
   05:08 Lindy is only annoyed with Ruby and “slides” her away but does not block her.
   09:25 Lindy does not associate Ruby with the creatures.
   10:15 On Ncuti’s reappearance, Lindy asks if he has something to do with the creatures.
   12:00 Lindy is antagonistic toward Ncuti, “I hate you!”
   16:40 Ncuti (and Ruby) can not enter the city.
   17:45 Lindy is disturbed that Ncuti and Ruby are in the same room.
   18:05 Lindy realizes Ncuti is not someone else who “looks the same.”
   19:55 Lindy is again antagonistic toward Ncuti.
   20:10 Lindy “can’t wait” for Ncuti to be “disciplined” for breaking into Finetime.
   20:20 Lindy declares Ncuti to be “not as stupid as he looks.”
   26:55 Lindy declares Ncuti to be “horrible” and “rude.”
   28:40 Ricky, the sole good Facetimer, is not disgusted by or disrespectful to Ncuti.
   34:00 Lindy does not greet Ncuti or Ruby and diverts her gaze.
   36:30 Lindy “supposes” she should thank Ncuti and Ruby.
   38:20 Lindy is dismayed at the idea of travelling with Ncuti.
   39:10 Lindy declares Ncuti to be “not one of us.”
   39:15 Lindy to Ncuti: “It was your duty to save me, obviously.”
   39:20 Lindy to Ncuti: “Screen contact is just about acceptable; in-person contact is not.”
   39:27 Hoochy Pie to Ncuti: “You have a magic box? That’s voodoo.”
   39:27 Hoochy Pie to Ncuti: “God-given duty to maintain the ‘standards’ of Finetime. Forever.”
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   The Antifa Slugs were so well rendered. They are some of the best-looking creatures in Doctor Who to date!

   1. Also the whole thing about trying to colonize another planet felt very Manifest Destiny

   2. Good markers for hints of what’s going on. I didn’t really notice the racism until the last time the bubble was up and I said, “Waitaminute, there’s no people of color there. Mmmaybe it’s a coincidence?” Then when she meets the Doctor and Ruby in-person and how she treats him and says “It’s your duty to save me, obviously.” I was like “Ah, so it’s not JUST about rich entitled kids. It’s rich entitled white kids.” All the interactions before could be just categorized as vapid rich entitled people and it’s pretty humorous, but they do make their views more explicit at the end. This episode definitely gets better the more you think back on it. It was very entertaining before, but at the end and thinking back on all the stuff, wow.

      1. From the beginning, I noticed the lack of diversity among the people on Facetime. That was a clear red flag that lingered in my mind. However, I tried to ignore the subsequent incidents, thinking I was being too sensitive and reading too much into things. But when Lindy said, “I thought you just looked the same,” I couldn’t just brush that off. I think when you’ve spent as many decades in skin like mine, you become very adept at recognizing certain patterns, and it becomes a daily challenge to remind yourself to give people the benefit of the doubt, else be continually frustrated.

   3. Something I missed, but others have highlighted in comments elsewhere, is that Ricky September plays a white surrogate for The Doctor. In the absence of The Doctor, Ricky fills that role as Lindy’s saviour, rescuing her from the Slugs, shielding her from the tragedy on Homeworld, reassuring her that she is safe with him, and risking his own life in her defence. Lindy’s reaction to and attitude toward Ricky as The Doctor’s substitute can be contrasted to her treatment of Ncuti, thought this is muddied by her adoration for Ricky as a super-influencer.