Warning: This post contains spoilers for Doctor Who Season 15, Episode 4

Doctor Who's "Lucky Day" has an incredible start to the episode, only to devolve into a lackluster entry to the longstanding legacy series. I'm all for politics in shows, and I think it's always been a part of the DNA of Doctor Who, but when it hijacks the story entirely, the show suffers. Doctor Who has always pushed boundaries, and it's a better show because of that, but it's also been smart about the way it includes these themes, which were displayed earlier in this season.

However, despite setting up an intriguing Doctor-lite episode which revisits Ruby Sunday a year after her time on the TARDIS, the episode discards this idea in favor of creating a villain who makes no sense, and has strong relations to groups that exist in real life. While these groups are certainly toxic and do not deserve praise, they don't belong in a sci-fi fantasy show that provides fun and escapism for the audience.

Ruby Sunday Receives A Disappointing Return To Doctor Who

Ruby Sunday's ending in season 14 was a frustrating twist, but overall, Millie Gibson's character was a wonderful addition to the show, and she had strong chemistry with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor. So, when the episode that sees her return presents no reunions between the two characters, it's already a little disappointing. However, Ruby has led strong Doctor-lite episodes before, as seen in "73 Yards," but this episode feels like something completely different.

In all honesty, this isn't actually my problem with the episode, it's the way it overhauls the story and makes no narrative sense.

Ruby Sunday's romance with Conrad Clark is a wonderful addition to the show, and the first half of the episode beautifully capitalizes on it. However, when Conrad reveals his true colors, the episode takes a decidedly political turn, establishing Conrad as the leader of a group of angry, repressed people who believe in conspiracies over reality and actively cause harm and endangerment to the people around them. In all honesty, this isn't actually my problem with the episode, it's the way it overhauls the story and makes no narrative sense.

Conrad is a hyper-radicalized public figure who has earned massive wealth from his political ideologies, though UNIT had no awareness of who he was, and by extension, Ruby was lured into his pretend podcast where he rationally and calmly discusses the Doctor and aliens. The idea that Conrad could fool everyone, after also attempting to get a job at UNIT, is laughable. Add to that the fact that he's had numerous first-hand witnesses of the Doctor, the TARDIS, and aliens, and it's downright absurd.

The Episode's Ideas Shouldn't Supersede Telling A Story That Makes Sense

Doctor Who is the perfect vehicle for exploring ideas that may be controversial, especially when those ideas are applied cleverly and consistently. Just two episodes before, this was handled beautifully in "Lux," when the show highlighted issues of racial discrimination in the 1950s. Likewise, earlier episodes address other issues, such as transgender rights, women's rights, and challenging chapters in history, even if it doesn't always strike the right balance.

Doctor Who is the perfect vehicle for exploring ideas that may be controversial, when those ideas are applied cleverly and in a way that is consistent.

Embracing these issues, raising awareness, and showcasing a positive response can be a powerful way for Doctor Who to connect with audiences. Unfortunately, "Lucky Day" poorly handles its message and is heavy-handed in its approach to making a point about individuals who "reject [other] realities." It moves too far in the other direction by having characters like Kate Lethbridge-Stewart fall from grace and set a ravenous alien monster on Conrad after he insults her father, all while she live-streams the brutal attack.

No one was right in this episode, but a lot of people were hurt. Ruby deserved better than to be used as a prop here, and Kate has been transformed into something more grotesque and disappointing, similar to Harriet Jones after she blew up the retreating Sycorax ship. It's frustrating to see this episode walk back on some of the tremendous success and growth that came about in this season of Doctor Who, but I believe the rest of the season can rectify this episode's issues.

Doctor Who season 15 continues with new episodes on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer each Saturday.