TL;DR – It generally hits the right chord, with a villain who commits to the note, and a Doctor who is ready to conduct

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

Doctor Who Review –

When they first announced this first season, the one episode they focused on was the one where we get to run into The Beatles. It has been everywhere, and they have been dropping songs and images to the lead-up. So, I am relieved that we got to dive into this episode in the first batch, along with Space Babies.

So to set the scene, in 1925, Mr Timothy Drake (Jeremy Limb) is showing a student, Henry Arbinger (Kit Rakusen), the joys of the piano when the conversation leads to the ‘Devil’s Chord’, which is just a fancy name for a tri-tone, but was banned less it let the devil enter the room. Not that anyone takes that seriously, but not until someone starts knocking from the piano case and the devil, well, a demon, well, something called Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) bursts forth. Well, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) asked Ruby (Millie Gibson) where she wanted to go, and she has only one place in mind: Abby Row, 1965, to see The Beatles record their first album, and the Doctor is there to oblige. Insert obligatory crosswalk photo here. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

Now, much like Batman, Doctor Who has a habit of only being as good as his enemies, and well, today’s is memorable, if nothing else. Jinkx Monsoon is chewing every bit of scenery, taking up every inch of the screen, and exploding into every frame. It is a tight line to walk, being an incredibly camp but also incredibly dangerous, and they nail it. They have a presence that can come up against The Doctor and be comparable to Ncuti Gatwa’s energy. You need this for The Doctor’s first response to hide to feel like it makes sense. Though along with Space Babies, this is two episodes in a row where The Doctor ran.

Interestingly, this was probably the most meta episode I have seen in a while. That first wink to the camera and break of the fourth wall is the first hint that things are about to get weird, which is then followed up with the Maestro playing the Doctor Who theme on the piano, transitioning to opening titles music and then to jukebox recording in the TARDIS. But this also is not the most meta thing in the episode. Hello, Murry Gold playing Murry Gold. I am not sure I would like it if the show would stay in this sort of space all the time, but a visit was pleasant.

It also links to The Giggle, with how they twisted and shaped the reality of the world. I think using literal musical notes as a weapon was a profoundly silly addition, but it worked in the context. Then, there was the fun of everyone getting dressed up in the 60s gear, which also lets us know that the TARDIS not only has an extensive costume room but also a hair salon. All the exploration of music was fun, but for an episode all about The Beatles, they don’t appear much in the episode at all.  

In the end, do we recommend Doctor Who: The Devil’s Chord? Look, I think I could recommend this for the performances alone. Ncuti has the perfect energy for The Doctor and brings it into every scene, Millie is fantastic as the companion keeping The Doctor in check, and take a bow, Jinkx Monsoon, for all your chaotic energy you brought here.   

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Doctor Who
Directed by – Ben Chessell
Written by – Russell T Davies
Production/Distribution Companies – BBC Studios, Badwolf & Disney+
Starring – Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson with Jinkx Monsoon, George Caple, Chris Mason, Jeremy Limb & Kit Rakusen and Ed White, Philip Davies, James Hoyles, Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Simon Jason-Smith, Murray Gold, Shirley Ballas & Johannes Radebe