this post was submitted on 03 May 2025
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Wow, that was a bold, twisty episode. So much so, the story felt a bit convoluted: if Conrad and Ruby's relationship had been seeded as a subplot over a few episodes maybe it would have worked better?
I did appreciate the midway turn, heartbreaking as it was. Conrad being such a tryhard up to that point was starting to grate, and it actually felt like a relief that it was an act he put on. Not that I prefer the face behind the mask, but them's the knocks.
The commentary on "do your own research", fact resistant online personalities cut hard. This is the Years and years Russell T Davies writing that also bubbled under the surface of "The giggle". [Edit: I only realised hours later that the episode is written by Pete McThighe... A worthy improvement over "Kerblam" and "Praxeus"]
It was also good to see how it works out (or in this case, doesn't) having a secretive defense organisation with a huge shiny tower in the middle of London. In our media environment, some idiot with a webcam is going to ask all the wrong questions about it and spread conclusions based on conjecture.
In this context, Kate Stewart's reaction felt justified in the moment, but you have to ask yourself how streaming that to the world improved UNIT's public standing... She did reveal herself as an authoritarian, if a compassionate one at that, and it should give us pause as viewers.
I did like the scenes with Ruby's homefront matriarchy — Cherry is MVP in any episode she appears in! — and I would just like to see more of that brought-together family relation to ground Ruby more? But I'm happy with what we got, if I got my way this could have become another full Ruby season... and I do prefer the Belinda version we have instead.
The Doctor's appearances were scarce but meaningful to me. We needed to see Ruby and UNIT without him, but also to acknowledge that he isn't always coming to the rescue. That last scene with an entirely unrepenting Conrad showed the limits of even the Doctor's ability to talk his way out of a situation.
What can you do when compassion and empathy simply bounces off the person you're trying to reach? That is a very real and current question, and I'm sort of glad that the show didn't try to answer that neatly for the sake of a feelgood ending.
Quick notes I jotted down while watching:
Oh, the harbour — that spot Between the Land And the Sea, you say? Mel is confirmed for that spinoff then, I suppose.
Ouch! It was nice knowing you, random extra who is suddenly named. You may have been a conspiratorial nutjob mole, but nice all the same.
That's one big question from the season opener answered, then. It was Conrad who (in a bit of a bootstrap paradox) set the Doctor on Belinda's trail. All things considered, it's a bit odd that the Doctor didn't make the connection when they met a Conrad in 2007. Let's see if we get to revisit any of that toward the finale.
The thing that worked really well for me is that I was naturally inclined not to trust him from the start - I have seen an episode of television before, after all - but they seeded just enough misdirection through Conrad's "desire" to be like the Doctor (which carried through to the promotional interviews) to retain some surprise in the reveal.
As much as I think Belinda has been a step up from Ruby, it was very nice to see the whole family again.
It managed to handle things very deftly, while still being very blunt in its messaging (which I don't think is a bad thing). Honestly, coming off of an election in Canada less than a week ago, the whole thing kind of turned my stomach. Really visceral stuff. I can see this being an episode that I return to throughout the week, and I might have more thoughts to share later on.
One thing I really appreciated was the ambiguity of Kate, and how far she's willing to go when the Doctor's not around. They have a fine line to walk in the department, but I think they did it really well here.
One thing I don't appreciate is the inconsistent handling of UNIT over the years. They've got helicarriers, then they're gone, then they're back, then their budget has been slashed, now they're back again...I really hope this episode (and the upcoming spinoff) marks a final commitment to keeping them around as a player. We don't need to see them repeatedly destroyed and resurrected like some kind of Gallifrey.
Oof, yeah. It does hit home, doesn't it? As I understand it, your election ended less terrible than could be expected, though? But we are going to struggle through this polarised climate for a good while yet, I'm afraid.
Yeah, the outcome was...acceptable, under the circumstances.
Additional Thought The First: if Conrad and his group return in the finale, it could give a very different meaning to "The Reality War"...
Oh, also — if you're entering a facility with a chest-mounted GoPro to expose what goes on in there? Don't cover the camera every time you raise your weapon, moron.
I may not know much about weapons, but I've seen enough found footage films to know that entire livestream was a waste of time.
Totally fair...though competence isn't what one expects from the right-wing reactionaries.
Ha, maybe not. But his influence was entirely based on his media savvy, so I'd think producing watchable video would be in that toolkit.