What an odd episode; the optics of this one are botched at best.

UNIT, a heavily militarized organization that mirrors real-world military and police, was simply not the correct vehicle to tell this story. In-universe, it makes sense! Because aliens are real, and they are a threat—thus the right wing conspiracists are pushing the agenda that aliens are not real. But as a viewer, it was quite uncomfortable to be expected to immediately and easily side with the armed military organization that literally was pointing guns at unarmed people in a village. Kate’s decision at the end was an attempt to add a bit of challenge to the expected audience reaction (siding with UNIT and Ruby) by offering a moral quandry: should Kate kill this man? That was one of the better parts of the episode, and my favorite Kate moment in the show (this is actually the only episode where I’ve actively enjoyed her presence). That was a genuinely interesting beat in the story, and I wonder what the end result of that scene would have been had Conrad not been livestreaming. However, that single scene does not outweigh the poorly thought-out delivery of the story as a whole.

I did, however, love the character work in this one. The depth and texture given to Ruby was excellent. Her explicitly bringing up PTSD, and having those feelings and reactions be clear and obvious in the choices she makes, was really refreshing to see. I appreciate when the Doctor’s impact on past companions (and others) is brought to the forefront; it really makes the story and characters feel more tangible. Millie’s performance was great as always, too.

I also loved the Doctor’s speech at the end of the episode, absolutely one of 15’s best moments for me. Ncuti has been shining this season, really hitting his stride in this role—which is why I am disappointed that this was the third Doctor-lite episode in his currently short run. But he was incredible for the few minutes he was onscreen in this one.

Overall, there’s a decent amount to like about Lucky Day, but its muddled messaging and the bad taste of its optics sours the experience.