I was intially quite pleased with how this wasn't as camp as I was expecting it to be (the prospect didn't particularly excite me), but instead I got what feels like the complete opposite.

I feel like it's old news to complain about the Doctor being violent, especially when they've outright directly lead to the deaths of people in previous episodes (such as Kerblam, or Dinosaurs on a Spaceship) or even just killed people (Hell Bent). But there was something different about this. Overall I felt like this season's attempt of giving 15 "dark moments", like what he said to Conrad in Lucky Day, have felt... empty? Not necessary, and sort of edgy for the sake of it? But this episode has taken it way too far. The Doctor standing above someone, hearing them scream in pain while shocking them again and again and again. It felt so incredibly wrong. And the attempt to "address" it near the end just was not enough. I felt little remorse from the Doctor, and everyone around him didn't seem to care too much either. "Triggered" is a perfectly fine word, but not for this. This man was torturing someone. This same person who extended their hand out to Davros, responsible for inumerable attrocities, lost the plot and decided to torture this genocide survivor? I mean, what a perfect opportunity, from one genocide survivor to another, to explain a better way of expressing his anger that wouldn't result in Kid doing the same as was done to him. I mean for cyring out loud, the emotion such a scene would draw from Ncuti himself! To come from Ncuti, whose family ran away from the Rwandan genocide; such a moment would feel so impactful. But no. So sorry not sorry, it just made me uncomfortable and it sadly overshadows the rest of the episode for me.

And what's this episode's messaging? Be more like Cora: be ashamed of who you are, hide yourself away, work in a system and for organisations that hate you, because eventually you may get an opportunity to show yourself. Otherwise, if you're angry about these people who caused the genocide of your homeworld then clearly you seek violence and only wish to murder people. What's the reason for this false dichotomy? Show that people can rightly express their anger without killing people! Show protests! It's the right way to feel! All this showed was: if you're angry, you're wrong. I mean, what will happen now? Was the corporation supporting the contest shut down? Or is Cora just going to keep singing at these events? Funded by the genociders of her homeworld? We once saw 12 instigate the downfall of space capitalism, explaining that the results of their actions caused it. But we don't even so much as get a short explanation of any resolution to the tragedy that caused this episode's events in the first place. Well I guess the two extremists were apprehended so job done! Guh-huh. Actually baffling.

On the surface, the very surface, this episode could be fun. It had genuinely funny moments. And the surprises are ones I'm not going to forget. I realise I'm just not touching on much else in this episode such as music, acting etc. But I just can't be bothered simply, this has left a bad taste in my mouth.