Lucky Day - a review based on first impressions:

I place great value in the title of an episode. The connotations, ideas and imagination spurred from a combination of words is often far in excess compared to what the episode results; perhaps the mark of a strong storyline is an episode that least diminishes away from its potential. “Lucky Day” suggests this could be a pivotal, fairly friendly good episode of Series 15, a rarer enjoyable well-crafted piece of entertainment. Well, to that end it is rather, and elsewhere, less than it strives.

The now-expected traditional “Doctor-lite” episode, Lucky Day focuses on Ruby Sunday, the companion from the previous series, rather unexpectedly. The Doctor is hardly in it, but very alike to Love & Monsters, in his absence can one sense the power of his presence. One may easily draw such comparisons (also to 73 Yards last year, especially with the pub crawling activities present in both). The entire episode basically revolves around Ms. Sunday and her new boyfriend, Conrad, a name somehow incredibly fitting to his character. It is apparent fairly early on that Conrad must be the antagonist, since there is little room elsewhere to which the plot may manoeuvre, reducing the surprise of the occasion. Perhaps this predictability adds to the overall themes of the story, concerning the uprising of people in opposition to the common view, the more challenging, anti-consensus populous, just like the conning, radical Conrad. For all one may say and infer from the simple story, there is little else going on here, meaning if one is not drawn in by the plot and characters, there isn’t much to consider or praise. The episode is more magnetised to analysis and discussion than producing an exciting, interesting piece of escapist fiction.

The aliens themselves, when they have little time to feature, reminded me of those from the film “Attack the Block” (featuring Jodie Whittaker), except using a different colour, red instead of blue. The Shreeks differ, however, in being worthy of even less time considering them, for they appear emblematic of any Doctor Who monster - Cybermen, Daleks, Ice Warriors, Shreeks, any threat terrorising the land, seen as a fiction to the general population. This idea was set forth clearly back in Series 1, World War Three, with the “hoax” newspaper article. Such themes were very heavy in the following years, such as the Master commenting on the invasions in Series 3. One gathers RTD must have had quite a hand in developing this concept, or inspired, since those old episodes are now over two decades old. Ruby being escorted in a car is another similar call-back. I quite liked seeing such beats in the story, cutting to news programmes, seeing Trinity Wells, even if it does strike in the usual self-indulgent, distracting manner. One suspects that lift shot from Series 1 and 2 could have been re-used here, too. At least there was a variety of setting and pacing, even virtually, more than can be said for the preceding episode. In the rapid montage, as well as the naturally dynamic relationship between Ms. Sunday and the surnameless Conrad, a fun momentum builds, which I enjoyed.

Much as with some recent efforts from the Revived Series, such as Praxeus, this episode has a very definitive theme that less distracts from the story, more-so grows from it, and takes it over entirely, which produces the same positive boon as in a caterpillar when a parasitoid wasp intervenes (for more information, see The Ark in Space). Exploring this idea could prove insightful, making one question the reality of UNIT, whether the aliens are real, perhaps suggesting that many stories in Doctor Who act in a fictitious meta-narrative, unreliably set-up stories. This may push some motivation towards the inexplicable dates of the UNIT stories, set in some unestablished paradoxical time around the “near future” of the ‘70s, ‘80s and beyond.

But Lucky Day does little to really dig into these themes. It presents ideas most topical to this time, about denying reality, yet by presenting these anti-establishment views as wholly misguided and leading to evil, is unlikely to really convince anyone of anything, good or bad, about how to think. The Doctor himself shows up at the end to scold Conrad, and basically inform the audience of the lesson - the notion that the Time Lord can effectively appear at will and know basically everything indicates his vast comprehension beyond humanity; adding to that his simple click that makes the TARDIS disappear, as if it, too, were but a fantasy, shows his true abilities above humanity. This last scene simplifies the story too much, makes the “lesson” of the parable all-too evident, ironically denying much thought besides its idea as the “good” option. It appears utterly reduced in power as old Mrs. Flood returns to free Conrad, although one could argue gains a greater realism in allowing him to live on free, really was just a feeble decision, tying into the series’ tedious mystery as a whole rather than letting this narrative to reach its conclusion.

Much like 73 Yards, this incarnation of the Doctor is insistent on enabling any life, even those who disagree with his ideas of the universe, to live (and even prosper? Sadly no one says “I deny this reality”, like in The Deadly Assassin). One simply wishes for one of the “old” Doctors, and may happily imagine Tom Baker’s brief interaction, rather like his treatment of Scorby in The Seeds of Doom, or better yet, Conrad, meet Colin Baker and a coincidentally-placed acid bath. The Doctor’s assertion that Conrad is “exhausting” and “choke(s) our bandwidth” is completely contemptible and laughable, in total defiance of the whole concept of the Doctor being above humanity and just sounds ridiculously absurd, as if he’s just irritated at this conniving little man. Attempting to raise our morality a step towards the deistic heights of perfection, in combination with complaining about “bandwidth” size, is a brave choice; it takes courage to write the words that totally undo a story’s purpose and power in seconds, but Pete McTighe pulled it off.

The author himself can be seen regularly stating his own love of the Classic Series in non-specific ways, on the Behind the Sofa features. Lucky Day fits rather well with the idea of what a man as he would write - an attempt to be challenging and provocative, while continuously repeating the same looping notions that refuse any thought against themselves. A half-witted satire. As the thematic aspect’s shadow looms throughout, the plot falters to accommodate: UNIT just happen to have a Shreek right next to the main office, which just so happens to only be hunting Conrad, and doesn’t care about or attack anyone else. All aspects must correlate in contrivance to prove what McTighe wants the world to be; perhaps it is impossible to not be hypocritical when attempting a story of this kind. Having Conrad beg for forgiveness was completely unrealistic; then it transpires he was lying and the Shreek bites his arm, which amuses briefly but reveals how irrelevant the Shreek really are in the story. At least in using them for costumes in his fake invasion, a kind of reference was made to The Rescue, and the “Think Tank” is reminiscent of Robot.

Lucky Day entertained, more-so as it preceded, and much more-so than last week, gaining momentum as it gathered the puzzle pieces, but by its end, with the plot crumbling into dust, the Shreek made irrelevant and even the Doctor incapable of ever acting tough, just a pathetic shell of his former self, the episode falls apart, leaving a broken jigsaw of an empty painting frame.