REVIEW: ‘Doctor Who’ Season 1 Episode 5 — “Dot And Bubble”

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 5, “Dot and Bubble,” is part of the new, collaborative era between the BBC and Disney+. Written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Dylan Holmes Williams. The episode occurs in Finetown, seemingly a utopia where everyone is addicted to the Dot. This device projects a bubble around your head containing all their “friends” and interests. But outside, in the real world, monsters are tearing Finetown apart.

The episode has a plot that starts with the illusion of positivity but gets dark very quickly. The social commentary is quite literally in your face, and that establishes the world of the utopia. Heads are stuck in a bubble containing screens of all of the main character’s friends. All of them. All the time. Doing whatever they like. Think all of Facebook at once. It’s overly sweet and cheerful, with the danger outside hidden away and ignored. The plot moves quickly, establishing all the rules within a few minutes, allowing the finer details to be expanded upon.

Davies’ social commentary on the abundance and reliance on social media and electronic devices is clear and obvious. Those within Finetime are entirely absorbed and focused on their bubble, barely seeing anyone around them. And, like the narrative, that commentary is a smokescreen for everything else happening. There’s an alien invasion, brutal murders, and a disturbing society as well.

Despite the pretty lights and influencers, Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 5 “Dot and Bubble” is an all-out horror movie. It’s frightening, unsettling, and expertly written. It all leads to a terrifying ending that is cruel, brutal, and ruthless. It’s not a complete flip of the tone, but the episode changes from dark and cynical to downright pitch-black. It is perhaps possible to see parts of it coming, but not in the severity that it actually lands with. It’s s gut-punch that left me numb whilst watching the remainder of the episode.

What occurs in this episode is an episode format known as “Doctor-Lite” due to the relative absence of the sci-fi show’s protagonist. For most of Dot and Bubble, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby (Millie Gibson) only appear on screens, invading the bubble of one Lindy Pepper-Bean. This is who the episode focuses on, with every shot including Lindy somehow. Callie Cooke delivers an incredible performance. She plays a character who is irritating and difficult to like from the beginning.

Narcissistic and annoying, Lindy is incapable of doing anything for herself. She is close to impossible to like. She’s hypocritical, preaching about kindness while being incredibly rude and nasty to others. Despite this, the audience is supposed to follow her, seeing her try to survive while her other friends are eaten. Cooke spends so much of this episode entirely on her own. It is impressive that she keeps talking in a conversational tone and maintains that energy while isolated.

And yet, as the episode progresses, it can be easy to become sympathetic towards her, blending pity with genuine concern. She’s pathetic and terrified, but her desire for hope is endearing, especially when she finds a love interest. Cooke gives Lindy a posh voice that spits out Davies’ script with an insipid arrogance. The final moment scene eliminates that sympathy. It generates feelings towards a character almost unrecognisable from anyone else in Doctor Who. It may even instil guilt for feeling any goodwill towards her.

Even though he has not been in it for long, Gatwa shines in his on-screen moments. The final scene is the only time he is face to face with the woman he’s spent so long trying to save. He delivers a phenomenal performance filled with power and pain. The surprise and anger he feels mirror that of the audience, but the Time Lord demonstrates far more kindness and compassion than what is expected. This was Gatwa’s first day on set of the entire series, with a complicated scene to shoot. And yet he excels.

It’s not just the delivery of lines that is sensational; it’s also the physical aspect. Towards the end, out of fury, helplessness, and desperation, The Doctor descends into nonverbal tirades, revealing how he feels more succinctly than any words could ever convey. It demonstrates the necessity of the Doctor dominating any scene. Similar to “Boom,” the acting in this season is worthy of a stageplay.

The production of the episode is spectacular. The usage of practical sets, props, and creatures is backed up brilliantly by CGI, with the difference often being imperceptible. Finetime and the episode is bright, strengthening the faux positivity theme. The design of the Dot and the bubble are crucial to the episode’s premise. It fully encases the head of the user, blocking their view of everything else. The chaos of all of the screens is pertinent and profound. At points, the noise threatens to overwhelm, another part of Davies’ overall plan.

The camera gets very close to Lindy from within the bubble, forcing Cooke to act with more specificity and amplifying the intensity of the horror. The monsters of the episode, giant intergalactic slugs, are superbly created. Where some are computer generated, others have been painstakingly crafted and controlled by puppetters.

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 5 is Doctor-Lite but has everything else. With The Doctor and Ruby on the periphery of the action, this episode could comfortably be a standalone story outside of the BBC show. Cooke’s performance would be more than enough to carry the plot, as would the heavy themes that suggest a future that isn’t too far removed from the present day. The acting of many involved in this episode is unbelievable, and the budget from Dinsye elevated the production values. The episode is a true modern horror story. The technological elements and the depressing ending are closer to the war chest of Charlie Brooker, not Russell T. Davies.

The most important talking point is the ending. It’s one of the most profound, startling, and perhaps upsetting in Doctor Who history. It’s an example of Davies’ mature storytelling that has occurred multiple times this season. The subject matter and the darkness of it don’t feel like a typical Doctor Who episode. It was bleak and haunting, ruthless in its execution. Davies does not dampen any of it for a young audience. The conclusion, combined with a main character that is so reviled, are examples of how the show can never be considered predictable, and each episode brings something different to its legacy.

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 5,”Dot and Bubble,” is available on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ everywhere else.