Why I Didn't Like Rogue | Doctor Who Review & Analysis

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The Doctor immediately falling head over heals for a murderer who was prepared to kill a completely innocent man was extremely out of character.

I feel like The Doctor got hit with the idiot stick in this episode. He falls for a bounty hunter based on appearance alone, flirts with him instead of trying to escape the teleporter, hands over the Sonic and acts shocked when he doesn’t get it back, leaves Ruby alone several times, and didn’t think of simply pulling/shoving Ruby off the teleporter like Rogue did.

The doctor was quick to shut down Captain Jack's flirting in the past and was cautious about developing romantic feelings with companions (School Reunion). Here with Rogue things moved fast, at the speed of a hook up without time for a real emotional connection. Noticed as you did once again the doctor is passive in key moments as the story unfolds around him, and once again crying. Also in this series so far the Tardis interior hasn't been used a lot: why build such a big fancy set with the jukebox but then it seems nothing major was scheduled to happen there.

CAN YOU PLEASE DO THE TOP GEAR INTRO EVERY WEEK THAT WAS HILARIOUS

I think the main thing I’d disagree with you on is with the villains. Of course the Family of Blood is more dramatic and creepy, but I don’t think the Chuldur were aiming for that. Their overdramatic nature works so well with their cosplaying, and I think the season needed some levity after three more intense episodes in a row.

Honestly, the Doctor felt so out of character in this episode with how much he was crushing on Rogue. He fell for him based solely off appearance basically. Rogue actively tries to kill him and then one brief cutaway to Ruby later and the Doctor is immediately inviting him into the Tardis. He doesn't redeem himself for his actions until later in the episode and yet the Doctor instantly offers him to become a companion. All the Doctor knows is that he's willing to execute someone and that he finds him hot I guess and that's enough for the Doctor to instantly trust him.

I’m a huge DnD fan and I love history, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that this script felt like it could’ve been taken straight from wattpad. I wasn’t really a fan of this episode personally

If this midnight release schedule continues, I genuinely think Harbo will go insane and do a Ruby Sunday cosplay.

i feel like the way the doctor acts in this episode, leaving ruby on her own (after she died two episodes ago), following rogue around like a puppy and not having a single interesting idea to identify and get rid of the cosplayers (except hoping they werent more than 6 and pressing a few butons on the sonic), was like a slap to the face of long time fans of the show. i get that they're trying to build a new persona for the doctor, but so far he feels nothing more than a dude whose only interesting trait is to have a time machine. he doesnt do anything out of the ordinary to save the day or come up with a plan that you only figure out along with the other characters as it goes by. it's really telling to me, that the one episode i liked the most was the one where ruby was dealing with stuff on her own. we know nothing about ruby and she feels like a more interesting character than the many lives, thousand year alien with a complex time machine. this episode was just boring and felt very performative which i felt insulted by as an lgbtq person. it was rushed, the doctor and rogue had no chemistry, the threat did not feel like a threat at all and the setting relying so much on "omg its sooooo bridgerton" got very annoying very fast (and this comes from a person that actually really likes period dramas). overall i'm just very disappointed and bored. i just hope the finale is somewhat interesting to compensate.

I do agree with the doctor and rogue romance - but Thasmin wasn’t ’too subtle’. It genuinely wasn’t there until last minute - ask Chibnall. Before the specials, flux at a push, people were just seeing patterns in things that weren’t there.

I'm sick of seeing only the twee bridgerton esque side of History. Can't believe I'm saying this but this was something Chibnall did better. Give me the battle of Waterloo, the trenches of WW1, the black death etc.

This wasn't the Doctor, because the Doctor wouldn't fall in love at first sight, let alone swan off to flirt with someone whilst leaving a companion in potential danger.

Would have liked it to be more about Jane Austen than Bridgerton if we are in the Regency. The Doctor and even Ruby could have read Austen and Austen is eternal. There were people cosplaying at Regency-themed balls based on Austen before Bridgerton. Agree about shallow story and not like it seems like the period (obviously, I haven't been there -- or have I?), which isn't a new problem. Kept waiting to find out they weren't even in the Regency and everyone was LARPing.

This season should have been 10 episodes minimum and had a middle 2 parter based on contemporary earth to develop the characters and ground things in the middle. Would have helped the season's pacing I feel.

All this being said, the line where The Doctor asks how long the birds live and Rogue says 600 years. The moment where The Doctor says good in a form of seething rage, it was fantastic. More of that would be good

funniest part of this episode is at the end when Rogue tells the doctor to find him and Ruby’s like “damn we should go find that guy” and the doctor’s like “nahhh…”

I thought one out-of-place, especially dull piece of writing was when the Doctor asked Rogue about who he had lost, and Rogue replied with something like, "I had someone, we traveled together, but then, I lost them." And that was just it. It felt like placeholder text for something less vague.

The one weird thing is the Doctor mentions he always wanted to meet a shapeshifter. Which confused because the Zygons are shapeshifters and to an extent more capable because they can shapeshift into almost anything including humans, animals, I presume statues

At the end Rogue shouldve just shot the 5 owl people dead with his gun and The Doctor couldve turned the trap off. Honestly the teleporter is such a stupid execution device to begin with, but whatever I guess.