***Warning: Spoilers ahead!***
In my last “Lightspeed Log,” I wrote about my thoughts on the episodes of Doctor Who I’d watched thus far this season. Naively, I thought that plenty more stories involving Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor were ahead.
So I’m not exaggerating when I say I was absolutely shocked when news broke that Gatwa was saying goodbye to the TARDIS, and the Doctor was regenerating into none other than…Rose Tyler? What in the time-space continuum was going on here?
Obviously, I respect Gatwa’s choices and freedom as an actor, and if he was ready to depart the show and work on other projects, I can understand that. I really hope he didn’t feel pushed out of the role by cruel behavior from the fanbase, and that this was simply a case of conflicting schedules.
Still, as a fan I can’t help but mourn over what feels like a missed opportunity. “The Reality War” would have been a great finale for Gatwa’s third or fourth season as the Doctor; right now, his time in the TARDIS feels far too short.
I did appreciate that Gatwa’s Doctor went out with a smile, because his childlike joy and infectious energy were some of my favorite things about this Doctor. His goodbye message was truly lovely, and I hope Gatwa can look back fondly on his tenure.
As of right now, I really don’t know what to think about the regeneration of Rose Tyler. Rose Tyler is actually one of my favorite companions, and I did ‘ship’ her and the 10th Doctor pretty hard. But the ending of “The Reality War” felt a little too much like a stunt designed to generate fan conversation and social media buzz. Of course, we don’t even know if Billie Piper is actually going to be playing the Doctor. Maybe this is merely a brief plot twist, and Rose Tyler is returning for a short stint until another Doctor is cast.
Doctor Who is one of those shows where literally any wild subplot could work if written well enough, and I hope that the future of this show is still in good hands. Until we find out what happens next, I appreciate Ncuti Gatwa pulling me back into the fandom and bringing joy to the TARDIS.
Netflix’s Sirens is a perfectly twisty summer binge-watch
A spoiler-free review
I started watching Sirens based on the cast – primarily Milly Alcock, who was so great as the young Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon. And then I kept on watching because the twisty plot had me absolutely hooked.
Up until the last episode, you’re not really sure what sort of story this is. Is it a dark comedy about the ridiculously rich living swanky lives on the New England coastline? Is it a creepy crime drama involving an undercover cult? Are some of the scenes depicted actually happening to the characters, or is something trippy or supernatural going on? The show does answer all those questions – which I appreciated – but in a way I definitely didn’t expect.
The show stars Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock as Devon and Simone DeWitt, two estranged sisters with a traumatic past. Simone works as an assistant for Julianne Moore’s Kiki Kell, a charismatic socialite that Devon neither likes nor trusts. When Devon pays Simone an unexpected visit at Kiki’s posh island mansion, both sisters’ lives start to unravel.
I found the show’s characters to be endlessly fascinating; they are flawed and complex, and not everyone you like and trust turns out to be a good person. The show has a twist ending that feels both tragic and unavoidable, even though you want to yell at the characters to make better choices.
I’ve heard rumors of a second season, but I hope that isn’t the case. Although I really liked the show, adding more episodes would take away from the gut punch of the purposely unresolved ending.
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