REVIEW: ‘Doctor Who’ Season 1 Episode 6 — “Rogue”

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6,  “Rogue,” is part of the new, collaborative era between the BBC and Disney+. The latest episode is written by Kate Heron and Briony Redman and directed by Ben Chessell. Starring Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson, the Doctor and Ruby land at a 19th-century party filled with glitz and glamour. But it also contains gallant bounty hunters and murderous, shapeshifting aliens.

After two Doctor-Lite episodes, seeing Doctor Who return to its usual format is disconcerting. The Doctor and his companion land in a peculiar location together, discover an alien threat, and work towards /defeating it. The single location with the extravagant costumes creates the air of a classic murder mystery.

But the real tone of Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6 is based around scandal. There is no hiding that “Rogue” is if Doctor Who did Bridgerton. It’s in the dialogue and is admitted by executive producer Russell T. Davies in the behind-the-scenes series Doctor Who Unleashed. It taps into the raunchier, romantic air of the series, with a desire for gossip and pent-up sexual tension.

The Doctor meets someone who leads to some soul-scorching, with scintillating scenes of dance and suspense. The episode’s pacing is slow, drawing out every moment of the scenario. Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6 revels in emulating the drama, this time lacing it in with intergalactic imposters.

There are moments of serious tension and distress, with emotion routinely elevated. Ruby and the Doctor are both placed in severe danger. But where “73 Yards” and “Boom” have been technological and supernatural horror stories, Rogue returns the series to historical fiction.

The two heroes are back as a duo at the start of the episode, but they still spend a vast amount of time separated. After two episodes where he barely features, Gatwa gets a chance to shine again. This episode draws the best out of him. He has to be a brooding action star who can depict ferocity. But this is a tale about sincere emotion and sizzling chemistry. He finds that with Rogue, a bounty hunter played by Jonathan Groff.

The two spacemen flirt flagrantly and constantly, sharing the screen and radiating desire for each other. They battle and dance. The Doctor is a hopeless romantic, with David Tennant and Matt Smith both finding intimacy with women across time and space. But Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6 explores that same concept, instead using a man as the love interest. This adds to the scandal of the setting and is pivotal to the middle of the episode.

One of the most prominent and powerful moments is a private conversation between the Doctor and Rogue inside the TARDIS, during which both discuss the loss of loved ones. The dialogue is sensational, and the performances are exquisite, really drawing out the pain of the passages. This period feels extremely personal and raw like it is pouring straight from the heart of the writers themselves.

If the dialogue had a downside, some of the references felt forced and unusual. It is so obvious that Bridgerton is the inspiration, but the show’s name is repeated several times throughout the episode. Another reference, this time causing the discovery of Rogue’s name, again felt out of place and out of character.

Ruby is heavily present in Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6, discovering crucial elements of the murder mystery. She spends time with various supporting cast members, sniffing them out and forcing them into action. This includes Lord Barton (Paul Forman), the Duchess of Pemberton (Indira Varma), and Emily Beckett (Camilla Aiko). All three are spectacular at fitting in both sides of the setting. The etiquette of high society is straight out of a Jane Austen novel. But, when chaos erupts, and the cosmic components fall into place, they are screeching and dramatic.

The production of Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6 is fantastic. All filmed within a luscious stately home, “Rogue” is a triumph for the hair and makeup departments. Every character is in stunning outfits, especially Ruby and The Doctor. Then come the prosthetics for the monsters, once again all intricately created. Avian, birdlike creatures, the feathers are immaculate and look completely real, with a total redesign and unique look to every individual figure. The same can be said about dresses and jackets. There is not a copy in sight.

Whilst there is action, it primarily comes in the form of dance. Some of the most intense parts of the episode are all around the ballroom, bleeding with lust and sexuality. This was crafted with the help of Jack Murphy, the choreographer from Bridgerton. This details the recreation that Davies was hoping to achieve within this episode.

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6, “Rogue,” is delectably scandalous. It’s just as heart-pounding as any of the scarier episodes of Doctor Who, but the blood is pumping for a different reason. It’s a sizzling story with actors who know how to radiate chemistry. Both Groff and Gatwa dazzle in their roles, with the spotlight shining on them. It’s sexual and sensual all at the same time, unashamed to be flagrant with passion. And yet there is still sorrow and sadness tinged within the episode.

With Groff’s inclusion, the show demonstrates its ability to attract big hitters to its cast seriously. On the production level, this season of Doctor Who is among the most authentic, hardworking, and dedicated. There are never shortcuts. If it can be made real, there’s a crew who will move planets to make it so.

Doctor Who Season 1 Episode 6, “Rogue,” is available on BBCiPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ everywhere else.