The chemistry between the Doctor and Rogue is a joy to watch, and feels so natural throughout. I love how they bounce off each other, and I am genuinely moved at the end as they become separated.

I would genuinely love to see more of them together.

The Chulder are also really interesting, cosplaying aliens is such a fun idea which has plenty of potential for stories. They're used so well, and the story setting is so well realised and beautiful.

Rewatched 2025-04-08 (⭐⭐⭐½)

Love, love, love. This episode has become my favourite rewatch. Ncuti and Jonathan have amazing chemistry and I really hope this is just the start of Rogue’s story!

I'm absolutely a sucker for fun romp episodes, and this is one heck of a fun romp episode. The chemistry between Gatwa and Groff is great, the period costuming and setting is so much fun. Villains based around cosplay? The Kylie Minogue dancing is an all-time funny moment in show history. Bring back Rogue!

Rogue was alright.  There's parts I enjoyed quite a bit, such as the sets, scenery, costumes, and setting.  I wasn't a huge fan of the classical music covers of pop songs until I learned this was a Bridgerton thing, at which point I could appreciate it a bit more for fully evoking that show here.  Unfortunately, I don't know or care anything about that show.  It kind of still works though.  I feel aware of Ruby's love for the show and can appreciate it as an outsider.

The politicking around the ball and the plotting with the aliens felt really shallow though.  The bird aliens came across as kind of dumb and very boring but they might be one of the cooler looking aliens we've ever seen, at least.  That make-up felt very impressive. I like how their motivation was that they were just messing around for fun.  That chaotic energy was interesting but it feels like the story doesn't really use it for anything - the aliens just sort of fade out of this story and production doesn't really go anywhere with them.

The character of Rogue was intriguing and I like his relationship with the Doctor, but pushing him out of the story at the ending felt shallow and quite frankly, since we haven't seen him since, feels like incredibly weak pay-off to everything this episode was building up to. It's a memorable episode, it is cool how RTD is embracing the "all Doctors are canon" mentality by showing the Shalka Doctor, but that doesn't make for a good story on its own.

SMASHING

I enjoyed the episode a lot and thought Rouge and the Doctor were adorable. I didn’t love the villains of this one I think it was just the word cosplay it was a little goofy

The first time I saw this it I felt is was quite possbily the worst episode of Doctor Who I'd ever seen, so I wasn't looking forward to it second time around.

The Doctor and Ruby arrive in the early 1800's and attend a dance, not that they know the duchess. All is not well as, not only is a bounty hunter at the scene so are body changing aliens.

Brigerton is mentioned a few times - not something Ive seen, I can only assume its on the same level as Sense And Sensibility, not that know anthing of that either. So as you may guess this isn't an epsiode set at a time and place that excites me.

One of the main plot points is the Doctor falling for the bounty hunter, Rogue. The Doctor and romance is not a new thing. The first Doctor inadvertanly got engaged in the Aztecs, but given its something the character has always shyed away from, even as recently as the Thirteenth Doctor who couldn't commit to a relationship with Yaz. Its really out of place (and character) to for to be here. Personally I don't care for the companions and relationships. Its not what I watch the program for, and there are plenty of other places/series to enjoy it.

We see the Doctor crying once again, and it undermines the value and point of doing it. I said in response on a forum, that if he'd been in the Three Doctors it would have been 'Scarecrow' 'Fancypants' 'Cry Baby". The aliens themselves are slightly comical, not necessarily a bad thing but they are one dimentional and forgettable. Though Indira Varma plays the main one who you may remember from Torchwood.

The redeeming aspects of this story are when the Doctor corrects Rogue when he calls him 'Doc'. It always annoyed me with Graham calling the 13th 'Doc' when its something The Doctor has never liked. Also there is a moment where we see the faces of most of the other Doctors, including the Fugitive Doctor and the Richard E Grant 'Shalka' Doctor its a nice surprise, and it raises some questions.

This series does remind me of the first series of Torchwood, very contrasting episodes that almost don't feel part of the same body of work. So maybe the next series will settle down, and as I've said before, that might be without me, sadly.

I spent a lot of story being bored and clock watching, its not for me, held little interest and not the show I've enjoyed all these years. It wasn't as bad as I remembered, but I suspect it'll be one I seldom view.

If Rogue isn't Jack Harkness I'll eat a shoe. Gay love can pierce through the veil of death and save the day <3

Maybe this would be 5 stars for me if I knew what Bridgerton was...? Alas, I'm habitually uncultured. What I do know is that this episode is great fun. Jonathan Groff was an unknown to me, but he is a revelation as Rogue, who immediately charmed me. I do hope that we'll get to see him again soon, as his blooming romance with the Doctor was pure delight for me.

As the story lives and dies on this relationship dynamic, the villains end up feeling curiously incidental. The Chuldur are... fine. They mostly look good, though it drove me crazy that their beaks weren't connected to their mouths in some way. For shame! (This is not a serious criticism.)

I thought Ruby's side plot was pretty good until her new friend ended up being a Chuldur. Nice twist, but a shame to lose what seemed like a potentially great character dynamic. The fake out where we're led to believe she died is classic RTD, though I'm not entirely sure why it's here.

Minor quibbles aside, I think this holds together as a solid to strong episode, and it may grow on me with time, especially after further appearances from Rogue. Please? Please?

holy s**t i love this

The Bridgerton episode is so good! So nice to finally have new writers since Legends of The Sea Devils (wich was cowriten with Chibs and it was horrible)

The Doctor dances and he's good at it. Rogue is a fine addition and likable character from start and the chemistry is top notch! I do think the Doctor fell in love too quickly, but I give it a pass cuz we already saw this happening before... plus New body, new personality!

The Chuldur were ok... definetly the weakest point of the episode, but cool concept.

And Ruby was just enjoying  herself, I would do the same if I was in an era of my favourite tv show!

Season One (Series 14); Episode Six - “Rogue” by Kate Herron and Briony Redman

Rogue was an… interesting episode. Was it a good episode? That remains to be seen but it was definitely fun. I mean, it was barely an episode of Doctor Who, more of a sci-fi infused Bridgerton, which, I know that they were going for, but they’re pretty different shows from each other. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Rogue but it really isn’t that great of an episode, not by a long shot. The best parts were fun but nothing that really stuck out at me or impressed me. However, it is probably the gayest episode of Doctor Who ever written, which certainly is fun.

The Doctor has taken Ruby to a 19th century ball to relive the likes of Bridgerton in style, but an enigmatic bounty hunter and aliens with their own kind of party in mind threaten to spoil the night.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

I hesitate to say I like Rogue. I enjoyed it, I was laughing out loud for most of it (I don’t know whether that was the intended effect) but mostly for the antics of the episode rather than any actual things it did critically. Most of my positives towards the story land in tone and character which is very fun. Ruby gets to shine here and I should probably mention how she’s probably my favourite thing this season. I genuinely love her as a companion, she feels like Series One Rose in a way combined with the wit and dynamics of Donna and I really can’t get behind people saying she’s underdeveloped (did they not see 73 Yards)? Also, we literally just came out of the Chibnall era, you should know what an underdeveloped companion looks like, we had four. Other than that, Rogue himself was… fine. He was fun and Groff plays him well; he’s not Jack, like he’s obviously trying to be but he’s a pretty enjoyable character even if I really don’t buy into the stuff between him and the Doctor but, then again, I don’t gel with any Doctor centric romance plot because I feel it directly contradicts with his character but we’ve already established 15 is barely like any of the other incarnations so I guess the writers can do whatever they want. Plus, it meant the episode was ridiculously gay, which was very fun (it’s June, baby!). Seriously, in every scene with Rogue and the Doctor, you could cut the sexual tension with a f**king knife. I found it funnier than anything but as the episode went on I realised I was actually meant to take it seriously which I just didn’t, because we’ve known these characters for all of two minutes and the episode never slows down.

It seems I’ve already started talking about the negatives so I’ll just move onto them, and I have a lot. Objectively, I’d say Rogue probably rates around a 5 but because I had so much fun I bumped up the score a little, that being said, the script was kind of a hot mess in an oddly loveable way. It was way too fast, dropping us headfirst in media res, not allowing us to acclimatise to the setting or characters and continuing this season’s weird aversion to setting any scene in the new, flashy and very expensive TARDIS set. This also causes me to have very little interest in the relationships between the characters and makes me generally apathetic to the whole episode. The bird people were fine, I guess. They were too pantomime to threaten me and too unnecessarily over the top to make me enjoy the performances so it just lands in this cringy middle ground. Also, the logic in the episode rarely works out, it suffers from the trap of having useful miscellaneous space technology solve every problem, never outlining how it works so you can just shape it to fix any conundrum the characters find themselves in. 

Also, in regards to the climax, I really have to address how ridiculously stupid it is. Firstly, we get a glimpse of an emotional moment when the Doctor thinks Ruby is dead and that old friend Time Lord rage comes boiling to the surface, but within a scene it’s dropped for a different cliche problem, this time the Doctor finds out he’s accidently trapped Ruby (who turned mute for a whole two minutes) and has to kill her if he wants to stop the bird people. Another thing is the whole Ruby pretends to be a bird person bit; so Emily - also known as Aggressive Fan Lady - is one of the bird people and traps Ruby. Emily can’t’ve been a bird lady earlier in the episode, because her actions wouldn’t make sense, so she had to be taken over in a space of time when she ran off. In that case, why didn’t the bird lady who took her over join the hunt for the Doctor and Rogue, and instead steal a random woman’s body? Next, we see the electricity effect present when a bird person takes someone over, but Ruby got away and nobody got taken over, so why was it there? Third, Ruby’s earring saves the day, huzzah, promptly followed by her choosing, not to go find the Doctor, but instead join in on the bird wedding for no reason, acting so perfectly like one of the bird people (complete with weird head movements and feather sound effect) that not one of the family notice. Then, this magical stasis portal built to hold one person can suddenly hold six people, including Ruby, who decided not to let the Doctor know it was her before the trap got set off in the ample time she had to do so, before Rogue comes in, finishes his whole subplot with the Doctor whilst Ruby accepts death in the background and just pushes Ruby off and takes her place, something I guess you can do because if you don’t outline how a mechanic in your universe works, you can do whatever you want with it I guess. Sorry for the rant but that all really annoyed me and the logic here is present throughout the whole episode.

Rogue was a very fun episode and, if that’s what you look for in Doctor Who, then great, I could not think of a better episode for you. However, I enjoy something deeper in my episodes whether it’s from a narrative perspective, or the characters, or even just a really original idea, I want something special. Rogue is not that, it doesn’t even feel like the same show in a season of TV already massively tonally separated from its other series. I enjoyed it, but “like” would be a stretch - as you could probably tell from my needlessly long review (I’m really not living up to my username, am I?)

6/10

Pros:

+ Ridiculously camp fun that doesn’t get too grinding

+ Fun interactions between characters that makes them quickly likeable

+ Ruby really gets to shine here, her character’s in full force

+ Rogue was an enjoyable (albeit rather shallow) character akin to Jack or River

+ Very gay, which makes this a good episode for pride month

Cons:

- Paced horribly, never letting anything develop properly

- The bird people were so boring as antagonists I genuinely can’t remember what they were called (and I’m writing this review almost immediately after finishing the episode)

- Leaps through holes in logic almost constantly

- The climax is unbelievably stupid

- The romantic subplot between the Doctor and Rogue just did not land for me at all

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time!

“ROGUE: A COSPLAYING, HEARTBREAKING BLAST OF BRIDGERTON CHAOS”

The final standalone episode before the two-part finale, Rogue transports Fifteen and Ruby to the heart of a Bridgerton-inspired Regency romance—complete with dancing, drama, and deadly bird-like shapeshifters. It's a bold genre mash-up that leans fully into period costume, with a wickedly fun alien twist and one of the most heartfelt emotional arcs of the season. At once camp, clever and touching, it’s the kind of bold storytelling only Doctor Who can pull off.

From the very first scene, the Doctor and Ruby are already perfectly at home in this powder-puffed era, fanning themselves at a lavish costume ball, giggling over the dresses and soaking in the gossip. While Ruby’s path pulls her into the mystery of the Chuldur, the Doctor becomes increasingly fascinated—and romantically entangled—with the enigmatic time-traveller known as Rogue.

A DOCTOR IN LOVE: NCUTI'S SOFTEST MOMENT YET

The heart of this episode lies in the surprisingly romantic rapport between the Doctor and Rogue, played with irresistible charm by Jonathan Groff. Their flirtation is immediate and electric, brimming with witty banter and emotional vulnerability. There’s a real chemistry here, elevated by Ncuti Gatwa’s warm, emotionally open portrayal—this is the Fifteenth Doctor at his most sensual and soft. Rogue, meanwhile, is more than a match: clever, cautious, and just as enigmatic. The show plays deftly with expectations, initially framing him as a possible antagonist. The moment he holds the Doctor at gunpoint is classic Who ambiguity—but it’s clear from early on that there’s a connection neither of them can ignore.

The emotional high point comes aboard Rogue’s ship, where the Doctor annoys his captor by gleefully dancing to Kylie Minogue—perhaps the season’s most joyful sequence—before the mood turns tender. Rogue scans the Doctor’s memories, catching glimpses of past faces, including the long-abandoned Shalka Doctor, now cheekily nodded back into canon. It’s a scene that balances the playful and profound, moving swiftly from laugh-out-loud fun to revealing Rogue’s own tragic past. The quieter follow-up in the TARDIS gives the Doctor a chance to be a comforter and a confidant—rarely has a romantic subplot in Doctor Who felt so natural and earned.

THE CHULDUR: COSPLAY KILLERS WITH A TWIST

But this isn’t just a love story. There are aliens afoot—cosplaying, shapeshifting bird creatures known as the Chuldur, led by the ever-fabulous Indira Varma (Torchwood’s Suzie Costello) as the sinister Duchess. While the idea of shapeshifters is nothing new in Doctor Who, the Chuldur stand out thanks to their deliciously campy conceit: they’re a squabbling, roleplay-obsessed alien family who cosplay their favourite historical figures... and then kill the originals for accuracy. It’s peak RTD-era absurdity with a bite, echoing the Slitheen but with a sharper satirical edge.

Their plan? To infiltrate the upper echelons of British society, take over political leaders, and incite global war—just for a bit of fun. It's an enjoyably twisted take on cosplay culture and power fantasies, with the added absurdity of birds in bonnets sipping tea and plotting colonial conquest. While the Chuldur aren’t explored in too much depth until the final act, they offer a fun threat that fits perfectly into the episode’s over-the-top tone.

REGENCY DRAMA, KILLER COSTUMES, AND A FAKEOUT DEATH

Visually, Rogue is one of the most stunning episodes of the season. The costume work is sumptuous, the atmosphere rich and romantic, and the make-up design for the Chuldur—each one with a distinct look—is top-tier. It’s a rare Doctor Who historical that fully embraces the fantasy of its setting and takes just as much joy in the aesthetics as it does the storytelling.

Ruby doesn’t get much to do for the bulk of the episode, but when she does take centre stage—pretending to be a Chuldur and delivering a cracking fight scene—Millie Gibson shines. There's even a dramatic fakeout where Ruby is seemingly killed, sending the Doctor into a frenzy of grief and rage. It's a potent reminder of how much Fifteen fears failing his friends, as his devastation gives way to a darker, angrier side—one rarely seen in Gatwa’s portrayal so far.

A HEARTFELT GOODBYE: ROGUE'S BITTERSWEET ENDING

The climax delivers on both action and emotion. The Chuldur are unleashed, chaos erupts at the party, and our heroes must act fast. In a tragic twist, Rogue ultimately sacrifices himself, swapping places with Ruby to be banished to a mysterious other dimension. His fate is left deliberately ambiguous—gone, but not forgotten, and very much ready for a future return.

It’s a romantic, operatic finale to a whirlwind episode, landing the emotional beats with sincerity. The Rogue/Doctor bond, while formed quickly, feels utterly real thanks to how much time the episode invests in their connection. If we never see Rogue again, this ending works as a powerful standalone tragedy. But if he does return, it’ll be to cheers.

📝 VERDICT: 8/10

Rogue is one of the most unique and emotionally rich episodes of the season. It wears its heart on its ruffled Regency sleeve, balancing swooning romance with campy alien hijinks and laugh-out-loud moments. While the Chuldur plot takes a while to get going and some tension-building is delayed until the final act, the payoff is worth it. A lavish production, a fantastic guest turn from Jonathan Groff, and a deeper exploration of Fifteen’s emotional landscape make this a standout. It’s Doctor Who at its boldest and most sincere—and that final sacrifice lands like a punch to the hearts of fans everywhere.

Rogue did nothing much new for a Doctor Who story (compare it to something this series like The Devil's Chord or 73 Yards), but that doesn't mean it didn't do it well. I had an absolute blast watching it, Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson were brilliant as ever, and the character Rogue was wonderful. All around great fun

This episode is one I was really looking forward to, due to the involvement of Loki Season 1's director Kate Herron. Loki Season 1 is the closest the MCU has ever gotten to Doctor Who, and is a great piece of television, so there was clearly a lot of potential there for a great Doctor Who adventure. The resulting episode is about as brilliant as I had envisioned.

With the previous five episodes having been devoid of alien monsters, it's refreshing to have a story like Rogue that feels more like traditional Doctor Who. The Chudlhurs are a very fun concept, concerning extra-terrestrial bird people who simply just want to cosplay Bridgerton. It's not the kind of alien threat we have seen before, other than the fact they are shapeshifters, and they feel straight from the pages of RTD1.

Rogue himself is definitely the star attraction of this episode though, and Jonathan Groff is great in his first appearance. He displays plenty of chemistry with Ncuti Gatwa, and I wouldn't mind seeing him return (which probably will happen, given that Rogue asks the Doctor to 'find him'. Their romance all happens too fast, however. I have no issue with the Doctor developing feelings for a man, but the build-up is all very sudden, particularly as the episode all takes place within one night, and yet the Doctor is already prepared to spend the rest of his life travelling the universe with him.

The Susan Twist cameo is also disappointing. She doesn't really appear this week, other than as a portrait. I was expecting from the cast list that she'd be a talking portrait similar to the ones from Harry Potter, but she's just a basic portrait.

One thing I am glad to see is the Doctor continuing his trend of singing in a few episodes. Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory suits his Doctor very well, as he feels very much like a Gene Wilder Doctor. It makes me hope even more for a proper Doctor Who musical episode, like it had seemed we were going to get with The Devil's Chord before that episode released. Millie Gibson continues to shine as Ruby Sunday. Her enthusiasm for Bridgerton is very amusing throughout the episode, and she proves herself as more than capable to join the Doctor on his adventures, when she 'engages battle mode' with the psychic earrings against the Chuldhur who was going to kill her. I hope Ruby stays in the show beyond next year's series.

Overall, I'd rate Rogue a solid 8/10. It's a brilliant piece of traditional Doctor Who, with some unique monsters and great chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Jonathan Groff. It's just a shame that this week's Susan Twist appearance was so lacking.

What a lovely little story, the vibes are off-the-chart, hope they do find Rogue again, has some of the best pacing in the series so far.
9/10

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I was expecting. I felt it took a bit of time to get going but, when it did, I found it very funny. However, it still managed to be tense and exciting when it needed to be, keeping me interested throughout. The twists near the end were unexpected, but they worked well to keep the stakes high.

I think the art department and the costume and makeup departments have done yet another excellent job. The period clothing all looked great and the set looked the part as well. The prosthetics also looked really convincing in my opinion. I also have to comment on the dances which I think looked good and worked well. The third dance in particular was excellent. I also felt that the music was on point throughout.

Finally, Rogue is an excellent character and, without spoiling anything, I hope we see more of him. It’s a small thing but, as a D&D fan, I loved the reference to the game and would be interested to explore this aspect of the character further. In general, I think the character interacted with the Doctor really well and it would be really nice for him to become recurring, but we’ll have to wait and see.

Come with me

And you'll be

In a world of pure imagination

Take a look

And you'll see

Into your imagination