After much waiting and speculation, we finally have the first outing for the new Fifteenth Doctor Ncuti Gatwa and his new companion Ruby Sunday. And what a doozy!
We open with Ruby being left on the doorstep of a church by a mysterious, unnamed woman (who will undoubtedly be revealed before the end of this series) and adopted into a foster family. Twenty some years later, she meets the Doctor who is dancing at a club and seems to know more about her than he lets on- he does have a tendency to snoop into his companion's history.
Soon, the episodes of bad luck Ruby has been having are revealed to be the work of evil, child-eating goblins (don't ask) who pilot a large wooden airship. The Doctor and Ruby think they have defeated them, but the Doctor soon realizes the goblins have sent them into an alternate timeline when Ruby's foster mother no longer remembers her. With some timey wimey business (and the new sonic screwdriver, which now resembles a large cell phone or small shoe) Ruby is saved and leaves with the Doctor in his TARDIS, watched by a strange neighbor Mrs. Flood who seems to know of the existence of time travelers....somehow.
The new Doctor positively shines in this romp, radiating a joy and unencumbered sense of fun that has been sorely missing from the series for a long time. This is a flirty, active, saucy Doctor who has finally come to terms with his past (it is hard to imagine any of the previous Doctors being as emotionally direct and honest with Ruby as he is in this episode) and his trauma, due to the Fourteenth Doctor's retirement.
Ruby seems to be a perfect match for Fifteen, a young, fun-loving girl who is looking for excitement and adventure. Paring the companions to one down from three in the Jodie era streamlines the show and quickens the pace.
After the soft reboot given in the David Tennant specials answered many of the questions left unresolved, a whole new set of questions have arisen, like: Who is Ruby's Mother? Who is Mrs. Flood, really? Who is The Boss mentioned in the specials, but who to this point remains unseen? And who are the minions that the Toymaker said were coming?
The answers are so far unknown, but come spring we'll all have fun finding out, as the trailer for the first full season for Fifteen shows (the episode where they meet the Beatles at Abbey Road looks incredible). This was clearly a transitional episode with some goofy elements (I could have done without the whole musical number) but the energy brought by the new Doctor makes it a very strong episode. Out of 10: 9.3
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