The Church on Ruby Road

✅70% = Good! = Recommended!

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

THE ONE WITH THE GOBLIN SONG!

I don’t like the new title sequence; it’s too rushed and a bit messy (at least that strange zoom-in effect on the TARDIS), and the logo reveal animation looks like a PowerPoint effect. I like the colours and the animation, though. Murray Gold’s new rendition of the theme tune is a grower.

This is a fun introduction to the new Doctor, the new companion, and the new era of Doctor Who, with just enough holiday spirit to feel like a Christmas special, but not so much that it hampers the set-up of the upcoming series. The entire foundling/adoption theme that runs through the episode is heartwarming (and easily the best aspect of the episode), and the script naturally gets through all the basics of the show to ease in new viewers.

Ncuti Gatwa is bubbling with energy, joy, and flair from the word go. He might not feel like the Doctor yet, but he is definitely comfortable in the role and boldly makes the character his own. Gatwa finally captures the essence of the Doctor in the scene inside the goblin ship, where the Doctor and Ruby are tied up. Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday is the story's focal point, and RTD does a great job of establishing her personality and family, with Gibson wonderfully bringing out her different sides.

Ruby’s mother and grandmother are lovely people who I love to learn more about in future episodes. But the most intriguing character is Mrs. Flood, who goes from your typical nosy neighbour to an enigmatic character by the time the end credits roll, and I cannot wait to find out who she really is.

The goblins are cute and pesky monsters, though very underdeveloped and underused. The Goblin King serves as the primary antagonist, appearing sparingly before his or her or its gruesome demise.

The production design certainly has a Disney fantasy feel, but the goblin design and the ship set are pretty good. Gold's incidental music is jolly, and the Goblin Song is undoubtedly a catchy tune with pretty bleak lyrics (even if it feels weird to have the Doctor and Ruby actually sing in the episode).

While it sets up potential timey-wimey mysteries for future episodes, the entire episode has that whimsical, family-friendly fairy tale feel that RTD has been hinting at; it doesn't quite feel like the sci-fi we're used to, and we might need to get used to this new tone going forward. The episode flows well, though, and moves every aspect of the plot along nicely without feeling too rushed.

Despite its overwhelmingly lighthearted tone, there are also surprisingly bleak moments, such as the Christmas tree murdering Davina McCall or the Doctor technically impaling the Goblin King. The latter part of the episode amps up the tension and tightens the atmosphere as Ruby suddenly disappears from time.

I simply love the final few moments, where Ruby puts two and two together to realise who and what the Doctor is, and then runs after him into the TARDIS.

 

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RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

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I love how this new Doctor seems to be a tinkerer, having already invented new intelligent gloves.

The new Doctor speaks rope. That seems like a language that would be good to know in real life!

 

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FINAL THOUGHTS:

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Doctor Who brings back the Christmas special with a new Doctor, a whimsical fantasy tone, and a newfound energy, setting up the show's new era.

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I've been putting off this review for a while. Not because of any animosity towards the episode - far from it, as you can tell from my review score (9/10), I enjoyed Church on Ruby Road quite a bit. Because there is a lot to unpack though, I've wanted to do this review justice and give it some time and thought.

The more thought and consideration I've given to this introductory episode, the more I liked it. Based on the buzz around the new season and what we've gotten from the 2023 specials, Doctor Who seems to be moving in a more musical direction and I am here for it. The Goblin Song was a lot of fun and played nicely with the whole probability-bending nature of the Goblins. I love the clear inspiration they took from the Gremlins too and think production did a great job at making the Goblins seem fun while preserving a sense of stakes and adventure.

I also really liked our characters and story, by and large. The Doctor seems in tip-top form and Ncuti Gatwa is already rapidly shaping up to be one of the all-time best Doctors. He has this energy to him that easily matches Matt Smith and David Tennant, while I think he has the depth to get real serious and powerful when the situation calls for it. The scene where he jumps up on the ladder is so fun and a great expression of the tone Church on Ruby Road is going for.

On the other hand, Millie came across as comparatively weaker. I can't tell you a lot about her character other than her basic history growing up as an abandoned child who was eventually adopted. That history is interesting but doesn't tell us a lot about Ruby Sunday's personality. It also left me thinking a lot about the actor and all the stories that have come out concerning the sense of class divide in British society leading to a disproportionate amount of British performers and artists being tied to wealth. It's a problem in most of the world, to be clear, but it is interesting. I'm not sure what Gibson's background is specifically but from what I have read of her it is safe to say she was offered opportunities others simply weren't. It's not her fault but it is interesting to contrast her with Gatwa, who was born in Rawanda and his family fled the genocide there, and grew up queer in a way that left him often ostracized thanks to his background and sexuality. It's an inspiring story that I think naturally bleeds into his performance in a way that feels a little lacking compared to Gibson, unfortunately.

I'll tell you who wasn't lacking though, and that is the character of Carla Sunday. Her story is genuinely inspiring as a mother to so many foster children, and I found the sequence where that gets erased by Ruby's disappearance really striking. I hope we see more of Carla because she is just great and kind of the anchor to this whole episode. I have to say this all made for a pretty thoughtful story overall. I think all my thoughts around poverty and class in the UK actually correspond well to the content of the story itself. Carla has lived a challenging life and is far from the top in society but might also represents the best a person can be, actively making the world around her a better place for children with nothing who have often experienced horrible things.

My grandmother fostered children so I always have a weakness for these kinds of stories and characters. Nevertheless, I do think The Church on Ruby Road was a great episode, a beautiful start to a new era of Doctor Who, and a bit underrated compared to the overall scores currently given for this episode. I do feel as though I've had nothing but mostly good things to say about Russell T Davies' return to Who. It's left me thinking that at my core I am a Doctor Who fan. I don't expect the world out of this franchise and can usually enjoy even lacklustre content. It really shows to me just how bad Chibnall was that he so rarely hit the bare minimum of quality a story needs to be enjoyed, but these RTD stories really help to remind me just how weak those stories were in comparison. I am excited and optimistic for the next series because of all this.

Doctor Who: The Gatwa Years - Christmas Special 2023

The Fifteenth Doctor era starts rather well, with a fun special, and the introduction of Ruby, loving her already. Loving how her and the Doctor bond over the fact they're both orphans. I'm curious though who Mrs. Flood is...