So, get this: the Doctor is on his way to take back the nurse but they actually can't, on the grounds that the TARDIS cannot reach May 24th, 2025. They have to find another way to get there, which means getting the TARDIS hooked to May 24th - with a few stops to triangulate. And the first place in which they can get hooked is... *drumroll* 1952! And in 1952 there's this creepy cinema that is actually kind of-haunted by something that's actually the god of light, Lux, but was originally a cartoon called Mr. Ring-a-Ding. The Doctor and the nurse manage to defeat Lux and bring back the people it (he? they?) had turned into celluloid filmroll, and they get aboard the TARDIS.

It gives monster-of-the-week vibes. It gives slightly-creepy-horror-movie vibes, in the beginning. It's got casual racism that is not at all casual, actually, treated with Davies' usual bulldozer-in-the-china-shop subtlety, which may be exactly what we needed - unlike Al from last episode. Let's be honest here, Russel T. Davies' social commentary is not exactly wrapped in paper, it shows, and it's pretty damn good (though it does not top _Dot and Bubble_). It's got a tear-inducing scene in which the boy who was gone finds his mother again, and the warm welcome of the diner's cashier (I cried. I'm objectively an emotional person). It's got weird cartoons, a very creepy cartoon and Doctor Who fans as characters.

I absolutely loved it.

Look, was it predictable? Yes. My little brother, whom I use the account, wrote down what was about to happen and didn't get anything wrong. Was it objectively a monster-of-the week episode with allusions to the bigger plot? Also yes. I actually laughed when I saw how Lux came to existence - I mean, really? A moonlight beam went on the film roll? A bit on-the-nose, and something more out of a fantasy movie, but Doctor Who's been playing with the codes of its genre for the last seasons and it plays out quite well.

But of course I'm avoiding the subject - namely, the actual critic.

The relationship between Belinda and the Doctor is evolving, and it's wonderful! I honestly love Belinda's little quips (this "Ridiculous" was particularly perfect) and their mutual insecurity. The moment of vulnerability while in-cartoon was honestly impressive - though maybe a bit less emotional from the fact that, you know, they were cartoons. As always, Varada Sethu and Ncuti Gatwa are impeccable - and the period costumes are just chef's kiss. The TARDIS sequence was well-done and Tommy Lee's mother was simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming - as usual in _Doctor Who_, I'd say. In terms of new-viewer accessibility, this episode actually explained way better than the last who the Doctor is.

As for the technic… well, _Doctor Who_ is Disney, now, and that shows. Not only because the episodes are obviously expensive, with really good special effects (last episode had a Star Wars-esque aesthetic that I did _not_ discuss enough in my review) but also because they are actually working with Disney's tradition of animation (at this point I feel like I should say I have no experience or knowledge whatsoever about animation). Mr. Ring-a-Ding was really fun to see alongside human characters: it made me think of Jeff Smith's Bones, in a way, but only in aesthetic. Turning Belinda and the Doctor into cartoons was actually genius: they gave off clear Scooby-Doo aesthetic, at least when in 2D. The play with TV and cinema codes, such as rolling the filmroll by themselves and breaking-not-breaking the fourth wall was rather brilliant. Expected, maybe, but I feel like a series that's been running since 1963 has a right to be predictable, when it's well done. Otherwise, of course, the series' producers and writers are ritualistically beheaded and their heads are meat for Whovians' sandwiches.

Speaking of which, the Whovian characters were a delight. Though the scene may have taken a bit out of the plot (as I've seen written in several other reviews, with which I agree), it was a nice homage to the fans and I feel like we came back into the episode rather easily, though of course that's just my opinion. I especially loved the little snippet at the end (very Marvel of them, but also sweet, so I'll let that pass). Lux's death (can we even talk about a death?) was well done, too: it's strange to feel for an evil fifties cartoon character, but I did feel for him (it?) - might be my love for space, but I can't say I didn't empathize with the absolute love for the light and the want to see the stars. The religious commentary was - not exactly strange, but unexpected.

Overall a fun episode, in full _Doctor Who_ spirit, with a little foreshadowing for the episodes to come - I really hope Mrs. Flood is not another wordplay on River Song/Melody Pond, and the first of my brother's predictions was "we're not done with the gods" (maybe not in these exact terms but you see what I mean), which was absolutely right and makes me hope we're not having _yet another god_ for this season's Big Baddie. Seeing what a rollercoaster this season's episodes have been (although, yes, there are only two episodes out if we don't count the Christmas Special), I have hope for next week's! Speaking of which, it's nice to see that though this season only has eight episodes, the writers do not make all of them meaningful and necessary for the season's plot (which is sadly a tendency these days for short-number episodes seasons). The characters can just go to the cinema in 1952, face racism and fight a giant cartoonish monster. And that, my friends, should be the moral of this overly-long review.

Pip-pip!

Signing off,

In Great Need Of An Actual Alias.