Warning: Spoilers ahead for Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, "The Robot Revolution."Doctor Who season 14 cast, the run itself had some questionable moments.

Doctor Who season 15's story revolves around the concept of Gatwa's character taking Belinda home, but the task of returning his begrudging new companion to Earth is surprisingly difficult. Doctor Who season 15, episode 1, "The Robot Revolution," establishes this premise brilliantly while also serving as a self-contained pilot episode for Belinda's introduction. It's a fun ride with flashes of darkness, and far better than its 2024 counterpart.

"The Robot Revolution" Is A Much Better First Episode Than Doctor Who Season 14's "Space Babies"

Belinda Chandra's debut sures Ruby Sunday's first outer space adventure

After Gatwa's surprise introduction at the end of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials in 2023, I was even more on board with his version of the Doctor once I'd seen him in action in "The Church in Ruby Road" on Christmas Day that same year. Sadly, I felt very let down by his next appearance. Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, "Space Babies," was comfortably the worst episode of its run, which is very unfortunate when it's the installment that was trying to set the tone for the season ahead. Thankfully, "The Robot Revolution" didn't suffer the same fate.

"The Robot Revolution" reminded me of the kind of inventive story from the mid/late-2000s - albeit with updated visuals.

"The Robot Revolution" is more similar to "The Church on Ruby Road," as it fits the time-honored formula of showing the Doctor meeting a new companion and then starting their travels in the TARDIS. So, just as I enjoyed being introduced to Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday for the first time in the 2023 Christmas special, Belinda's debut in "The Robot Revolution" was also very rewarding. "Space Babies" felt more like a mid-season filler episode, whereas "The Robot Revolution" reminded me of the kind of inventive story from the mid/late-2000s - albeit with updated visuals.

Why "Space Babies" Was Doctor Who Season 14's Weakest Episode

The installment couldn't decide whether it wanted to be funny or scary

On paper, the premise for "Space Babies" seems like it would make for a pretty good episode. It wasn't completely without merit, but how it was executed made it feel like no one could quite settle on what kind of tone it should adopt. I'm not against a Doctor Who episode splitting its time between comedy and drama, as the show has proven to be very good at it in the past. However, "Space Babies" zipped between both genres too quickly and even tried to do them simultaneously at times.

Of course, I couldn't talk about "Space Babies" without also mentioning its unorthodox villain. A bogeyman made of actual human snot sounds like the kind of Doctor Who bad guy who would only appear in a lighthearted parody, which makes the fact that it's established as official canon incredibly bizarre. It's fine to do this sort of thing, but it was one of the biggest victims of the episode's attempt to be funny and serious at the same time. Plus, I never expected the show to try and elicit sympathy for a walking pile of mucus.

"The Robot Revolution" Shows Promise For The Rest Of Doctor Who Season 15

Gatwa's second run of episodes is set up to be thrilling

"Space Babies" made me concerned about the rest of Doctor Who season 14 and what it would be like. Thankfully, it turned out to be a pretty good run after the premiere. Because "The Robot Revolution" was so well done, I don't have the same worries about season 15. Instead, I'm more focused on the intentional narrative threads that the ending of "The Robot Revolution" left dangling, which is often what the first episode in a season of television should do - especially when it has a high-concept premise like Doctor Who.

"The Robot Revolution" has a complex timeline, engaging characters, and a surprise villain twist that doesn't involve snot. It can sometimes feel like a box-ticking exercise to make sure every Doctor Who episode has these elements, but they don't always need them. Instead, the season 15 opener was well-appraised as requiring many of the show's hallmarks, which makes me hopeful that the rest of the Doctor Who episodes will also be balanced and well-rounded.