REVIEW: ‘Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2’ — “Lux”

Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2, titled “Lux,” is written by Russell T Davies and directed by Amanda Brotchie. The episode stars Ncuti Gatwa, Varada Sethu, Linus Roache and Alan Cumming. The Doctor and new companion Belinda land in 1952 Miami, unable to return to Belinda’s time, and find a cinema with doors chained shut. Inside lies a great evil hidden in the body of a 2D cartoon.

Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 taps into a storyline that has been a constant since the beginning of Gatwa’s entry into the series as the Doctor. That isn’t clear in the early stages, right up until the villain is revealed. For a while, a terrific, tense mystery is created, with a quiet atmosphere and dedication to getting home. The Doctor and Belinda are blocked from going back to the exact point where they left, resisted by an unknown force. But they are soon drawn to the cinema by curiosity and a sense of duty to help. Inside is a caretaker wracked with grief and a cartoon that comes to life. Then the story becomes a “Mad God” episode.

Lux, the cartoon, is a member of the Pantheon, who are incredibly powerful but insane gods with complete control over a force or other concept. Music, Death, and Games have all been represented by a god, with an intriguing choice for Lux made by Davies. The Mad Gods bring a sense of dread and drama, elevating the stakes because the level of villain is just so enormously powerful. The Doctor is going toe-to-toe with gods, creatures from beyond the universe and close to immortal. From the introduction of Lux, the pace is ramped up, and the battle becomes electric.

Within Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 is a story of cartoons, cinema and Hollywood, delighting in exploring these formats with a sci-fi twist. Once Lux’s cartoon form is revealed, the episode becomes creative and more meta than Doctor Who has ever been. It reshapes and remodels the whole world. Doctor and Belinda are placed in an unfamiliar realm, becoming more animated (literally).

Animation and adventure come to life in Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2.

The existence of a cartoon character in the real world sows seeds of possibilities, opening the door for weirdness and putting the fourth wall at serious risk of breaking. That is taken to an extreme that boggles the mind. It’s the most world-breaking storyline ever attempted by Davies or any other Doctor Who writer. It’s a little gimmicky and not usually the kind of thing that this show would explore. But it is adapted well and executed superbly. It’s exciting, funny, and meaningful and has weight within the story. The ending is choreographed by the characters in hilarious fashion, and yet it still pays off brilliantly.

This new partnership is tested in many ways, and the audience gets the chance to see the relationship between Belinda Chandra and The Doctor. Davies’ devotion to diversity and telling stories about the disadvantaged returns in Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2. The Doctor and Belinda are the first time that the Time Lord/companion duo have both been people of color, and that creates difficult but necessary conversations and realizations.

When they travel to the past, the pair will face adversity and challenges purely because of the color of their skin. Davies is not only aware of that but ready to address it. He doesn’t even have to go far into the past for friction to begin. All it takes is 1950s America for there to be segregated spaces. However, other sins of the past link directly to the old Hollywood aspect of the episode. The other one gets close to home for Davies and subjects he is passionate about, with Rock Hudson’s name in front of the cinema for the whole episode.

Gatwa is a sensational Doctor and performer. He can dance around the scene and be bombastic and fabulous. But he shows depth (a key feature of Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 in more ways than one) when needed. Once he realizes that the cartoon man is not the lovable creature that he appears to be, the Doctor’s face falls, and he turns terrified. He can question himself and the actions he takes. He can be loving and gentle but formidable as well.

The new Time Lord/companion partnership is tested heavily in this outing.

Belinda is still new, yet Sethu has already demonstrated why she is a terrific actress. The dialogue is sometimes clunky, especially at the start of Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2. There are the customary early development stages, where Belinda talks about her family and worries about returning to them. But it later becomes clear that the clunkiness is done on purpose. Davies places a particular emphasis on characters actually being characters in this episode, and the technical aspects of storytelling and production become key elements within the dialogue.

The other characters and performances in the episode are terrific, too. The only other human inside the cinema is Mr Pye, the caretaker who has a much more sinister role to play. Linus Roache plays the role superbly. He’s nervous, timid, and heartbroken. Through Pye, a devastating love story occurs in the background of Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2. It’s melancholy and gut-wrenching and makes Pye a tragic figure.

Ultimately, Pye aids Lux, who appears as Mr Ring-A-Ding, an entirely two-dimensional cartoon character. He’s unnerving and frightening even when being cheerful. At the outset, he is presented like a classic Looney Tunes character. But something is bubbling underneath that is sinister and horrifying when realized. Even when being friendly and welcoming, his energy is unsettling. Alan Cumming’s voice acting gives the character real gravitas. He has the positive and noisy exuberance that figures like Bugs Bunny have, but laced within it is a monstrous undertone.

The effects of Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 call for something different from the production crew. For the first time, the team leant into something not being real. It falls to animators and cartoonists to create Mr Ring-A-Ding. The effectiveness is mind-boggling, sold by both the actors’ reactions and the immense skill of those bringing Lux to life. He has an amazing placement in the real world, climbing out of screens and moving up stairs. These animators include Neil Boyle, who worked on Who Framed Roger Rabbit. That influence is evident. The cartoon element doesn’t look cheap at all.

Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 goes meta once the world goes full animation.

There is so much fun to be had in the camerawork and acting, selling the meta aspects of Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2. The characters play with the frame, the camera and the audience. They look into the camera, touch the lens, and do many more things to experiment with depth and perception. Everything in the show is genuine, with a focus on authenticity. The costumes look incredible, especially the simply sensational dress worn by Sethu. It’s so bright and stunning and looks terrific on screen. The set has been entirely created and built, with immaculate levels of detail.

Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 is not afraid to experiment. This episode tries unusual and unique things within the Doctor Who Universe. It’s never tried to get this close to the audience before. It has many similarities to Season 1 Episode 2. Where that “Mad God” episode explored musical history, this one celebrates cinema, film and animation. There are influences from Looney Tunes, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and other animation stalwarts, adapted into the world’s biggest sci-fi show.

Whilst parts may come across as silly or even a bridge too far, Doctor Who is always devoted to authenticity. The crew and cast are the finest in the industry, and every decision is justified and worth exploring. Having fun and telling stories comes first; they all care about what they’re creating, and that shows in Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2.

Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2 is available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and Disney+ everywhere else.

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