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“ROBOT REVOLUTION: A SPARKLING SEASON TWO STARTER WITH A BITE BEHIND THE BOUNCE”

Robot Revolution kicks off Series Two with a bang—and more importantly, with confidence. It’s a vibrant, pacey, and charming reintroduction to the Fifteenth Doctor, and it works far better as a premiere than Space Babies ever did. Russell T Davies embraces the whimsical tone but underpins it with genuine emotional depth, sharp visuals, and just enough mystery to keep us hooked.

QUEEN OF THE ROBOTS? WELL, KIND OF…

The plot is as absurd as it is delightful: 21st-century nurse Belinda Chandra is abducted from her home by a gang of excitable robots who believe she’s their long-lost queen, all because of a star certificate gifted to her by an ex-boyfriend over a decade ago. It’s a daft premise, yes—but one played with enough wit and world-building to become something genuinely compelling.

What follows is a sci-fi romp through Missbelindachandraworld (yes, that’s really what they call it), complete with robot cults, civil war, time distortions, and a surprisingly dark twist involving a toxic ex who accidentally triggers a planetary revolution. It’s wild, but it works.

VISUALLY STRIKING, BRIMMING WITH STYLE

Production-wise, this is top-tier Doctor Who. The robots are toylike but expressive, reminiscent of Smile’s emoji-faced bots, with helpful visual icons that flash across their faces depending on mood or function. The environments are stunning—from the gleaming capital of Missbelindachandraville to the gritty tunnels and battle chambers beneath it.

Time distortion effects early on are particularly well done, and the trippy climax pushes the show’s visual language into bold new territory. Add in sharp editing, strong direction, and a killer score, and you’ve got an opener that looks (and sounds) better than ever.

A COMPELLING COMPANION: BELINDA ARRIVES FULLY FORMED

Belinda Chandra is instantly compelling—a nurse with a spine, a sharp tongue, and no patience for the Doctor’s usual nonsense. She calls him out when he oversteps, questions his fascination with her, and even challenges him when he takes her DNA without asking. She’s not starry-eyed; she’s practical, self-possessed, and more Tegan than Rose, which is exactly the right energy for a modern companion.

She’s not swept up in the romance of space-time travel—she just wants to go home. But when pushed into the chaos, she rises to the challenge, making tough calls and holding her ground. This isn’t a passive plus-one. This is someone who speaks for herself—and might just speak against the Doctor when needed.

NUCTI GATWA CONTINUES TO SHINE

Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor continues to dazzle: bouncy, brilliant, and bursting with warmth. There’s an intriguing undercurrent here too—he already knows Belinda’s name when they meet, having heard it from someone else. And when he spots her resemblance to Mundy Flynn from Boom, he starts putting pieces together. There’s clearly more going on here, and it’s nice to see the arc seeded so organically.

SCHWUPS AND SYNCHRONISATION

One of the more quietly clever elements is the timey-wimey gap between Earth and Missbelindachandraworld: only hours pass for Belinda, but six months for the Doctor. It’s described as a “schwup”—a delightfully RTD bit of invented jargon that also gives emotional weight to the Doctor’s waiting. This mismatch sets up an early sense of temporal imbalance that’s sure to pay off later.

THE ROBOT REVOLUTION: FUN, FATAL, AND FELINE-UNFRIENDLY

The robot uprising is amusing at first—complete with a BB-8-like Polish Polish Robot (adorable) and a whole vocabulary quirk where robots can’t hear every ninth word (a great sci-fi idea that becomes a vital plot point). But the comedy quickly turns to tragedy. These robots disintegrate a cat (why is it always the cat?) and wage a brutal war, believing themselves to be righteous.

The cause? A miscommunication sparked by Belinda’s ex-boyfriend, Alan, now a reclusive incel-turned-AI overlord calling himself the AI Generator. It’s a sharp turn into social commentary—Alan is both pathetic and dangerous, a man so obsessed with his own inadequacy that he builds a mythos around it and unleashes war. He’s a chillingly real villain, and the smoke-filled, lightning-crackling chamber he resides in adds an operatic flair to his twisted logic.

SOME TROPES REMAIN… BUT MOSTLY WORK

The twist—that “AI Generator” really stands for “Alan”—is one of those RTD red herrings that’s a little too on-the-nose. It’s not subtle, and viewers will likely clock it well in advance. Still, it fits the tone, and the emotional truth of Alan’s villainy is stronger than the twist itself.

THE WEAK LINKS? A FEW BACKGROUND PLAYERS

Not everything hits equally hard. Supporting characters like Sasha 55 (Evelyn Miller) and Manny (Max Parker) are likable but thinly drawn. Sasha dies before we really get to know her, and Manny’s distrust of Belinda never quite factors meaningfully into the plot. The robot voices, performed by Nick Briggs, are surprisingly fresh despite his ubiquity, but even they mostly serve as comic relief or cannon fodder.

THE FLOOD FACTOR RETURNS

And of course, we get a Mrs Flood sighting—this time as Belinda’s neighbour, watching her abduction from a distance. She breaks the fourth wall again before vanishing, setting up her now-confirmed appearances in every episode. Who is she? Still no idea, but the mystery continues to bubble intriguingly in the background.

A FINAL HOOK FOR THE FUTURE

The closing image is a stunner: the Eiffel Tower floating in space alongside the shattered remains of the Statue of Liberty, hinting at the series arc and the unresolved question—why can’t the Doctor return Belinda to May 24th, 2025? It’s a small, quiet mystery that’s likely to snowball into something massive, and it’s an excellent final sting.

📝VERDICT: 8/10

Robot Revolution is fun, confident, and bursting with imagination. It balances whimsy with emotional heft, introduces a winning new companion in Belinda Chandra, and continues to evolve Fifteen’s personality with warmth and mystery. It’s bold without being brash, clever without being convoluted, and stylish without sacrificing substance. A thrilling start to the season—and the best “Episode One” we’ve had in years.