Summary
- Doctor Who season 14's time skip creates a frustrating plot hole, but can be explained by Rose Tyler's adventures.
- Ruby Sunday's delayed visit to an alien planet mirrors Rose Tyler's journey in Doctor Who.
- The accelerated relationship between the Doctor and Ruby feels rushed due to the time skip in season 14.
Warning: Spoilers for Doctor Who season 14
Doctor Who season 14 has already seemingly contradicted itself.
The current run of episodes has revolved around Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor teaming up with Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday for more adventures across time and space. So far, the pair have rescued a group of space babies from the Bogeyman, encountered the Beatles at Abbey Road Studios, and landed on a war-torn planet. However, the revelation of a six-month time jump means that the duo has also had many other adventures off-screen, which creates a plot hole. Thankfully, one of 's best companions holds the answer
Doctor Who Underlines Ruby Sunday's Rose Tyler Comparisons With 2 Massive 2005 Callbacks
Billie Piper's iconic Doctor Who character set the bar for future companions, and Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday shares many similarities.
Rose Proves Doctor Who Companions Can Go A Long Time Without Visiting An Alien Planet
She Went A Whole Season Without Seeing Another World
In season 14, episode 2, entitled "The Devil's Chord", it's revealed that, since first ing him at the start of the previous outing, Ruby has been traveling with the Doctor for six months. This fact alone is quite jarring, given that most companions' sophomore TARDIS trips usually follow directly after their first. It becomes even more problematic, however, when one considers that the following episode, "Boom," depicts Ruby's first visit to an alien planet. Nevertheless, it's not the first example of a companion going a long time without venturing to another world.
Rose Tyler didn't journey to another planet until "New Earth," the first episode of her second season. Until then, Rose ed the Doctor only for earth-based adventures, either historical ones or exploits set in the present day, or adventures set aboard space stations. In fact, Rose watched the Ninth Doctor regenerate into the Tenth Doctor before she so much as stepped foot on an alien world. While it seems unlikely that Ruby would go six months without being taken to another planet, Rose's time in the TARDIS demonstrates that it's certainly plausible.
"New Earth" and "The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit" are the only two televised Doctor Who stories that feature Rose Tyler visiting an alien world.
Doctor Who Season 14's Time Skip Still Feels Strange
It's Hard To Gauge The Dynamic Between The Doctor And Ruby
Though Rose's time as a companion might make the six-month time skip less of a plot whole, it doesn't stop it from feeling like a strange choice. After all, from the viewer's perspective, Ruby is a new character whose time with the Doctor has only just begun. However, in the context of the show, Ruby and the Doctor have known each other for quite some time. Overall, it creates confusion over whether they're supposed to be fresh acquaintances or good friends who have been through a lot together.
The time skip in season 14 means that the Doctor and Ruby's relationship feels rushed and as though the usual companion beats are being hit at an accelerated rate.
Previous Doctor/companion dynamics have taken the time to slowly build up the relationship between the show's two main characters. Historically, companions have been suspicious yet curious of the Doctor at first and learned to trust him over time. The time skip in season 14 means that the Doctor and Ruby's relationship feels rushed and as though the usual companion beats are being hit at an accelerated rate. Many have speculated that the time skip is a result of the season 14 episode order being reshuffled in post-production. Whatever the case, the time skip has robbed viewers of seeing the Doctor and Ruby's Doctor Who relationship flourish organically.
Doctor Who
- Release Date
- December 25, 2023
- Network
- BBC
- Directors
- Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
Cast
The Doctor
Millie GibsonRuby Sunday
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 2
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