TL;DR – This is one of those stories that shows you why getting authenticity into your production matters.

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

Doctor Who Review –

There have been a lot of debates about what constitutes authenticity in the world. Should actors be playing certain roles or not? Should writers be writing characters or not? It is a wild discussion full of interesting points, bad actors, and all the hallmarks or the bitterness of modern culture discussions. However, today’s episode of Doctor Who might give us an insight into what authenticity means.  

So, to set the scene, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Miss Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) have arrived in Lagos, Nijeria, in 2019. Partly to make use of the of its tech industry, but also to visit an old friend, Omo Esosa (Sule Rimi). But when he arrives at the barber, he finds all the clientele on missing posters. Inside, everyone is still there but someone new is running the place, but the vibes are off, and soon the door is locked behind them and the TARDIS started to freak out and the house began to shake. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Overall, I am not a complete fan of the main narrative, which is a wild thing to say with all that set up I just did. However, stay with me here, and let me explain. Conceptionally, a villain that has made a spaceship that is powered by stories to get to some location is a fine idea. A barber shop that is both in Nigeria and in outer space is a wonderful hallmark of science fiction. However, from a structural perspective, the ending didn’t come together for me, Belinda felt wasted, and the big reveals felt a bit forced.

Most episodes, that would have been enough to torpedo the episode for me, a good example of that from last season would be Boom. However, it didn’t happen this week because they took the time to get all the details, big and small, correct. There were those imaginative touches like depicting the stories on the walls of the barber in a wonderful style. So much so, that I wish they had committed to the whole title sequence rather than just the first bit. You knew that they got the costumes right even before the credits showed the extensive advisors and experts. Also, for a show all about African hair, a subject that still plays out in real life, and also in the experiences of actors in the production of cinema. You need to consult with experts on that, and the show did.

All of these details give us the groundwork for a fascinating story, and for Ncuti to cut wild. He gets to show so much of his range this week and it brings so much of the story to life. Concern to wonder to anger and all in between. There is a real feeling of betrayal when he thinks that Omo has betrayed him for his own safety, that the one area of protection for him has been usurped. But then there is also a hint of selfishness from The Doctor because it is not like people had much of a choice. It helps give The Doctor, and Ncuti, more depth to play with, and it gave the perfect moment for a Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin) cameo. I still don’t know what it all means with that, but Doctor Who is one of those shows where you don’t really have to know all the deep lore, and if it is important, they will tell you, unless they want to just drop a random Space Babies cameo for no reason.     

In the end, do we recommend Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine? Yes, we would. While not every part of the narrative landed, it gave the space to let Ncuti really show just how good a doctor he can be. Have you watched Doctor Who yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

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 – Makalla McPherson
Written by – Inua Ellams
Production/Distribution Companies – BBC Studios, Badwolf & Disney+
Starring – Ncuti Gatwa & Varada Sethu with Sule Rimi, Ariyon Bakare, Michelle Asante, Anita Dobson & Jo Martin and Stefan Adegbola, Jordan Adene, Michael Balogun & Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps