Warning: Spoilers ahead forDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution.“Doctor Whoseason 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution,” brings in Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra to replace Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday as the Fifteenth Doctor’s primary companion due to the latter’s departure at theend ofDoctor Whoseason 14- and showrunner Russell T. Davies has made one part of their respective backstories pretty much identical.Ruby made her debut in 2023’s “The Church on Ruby Road,“and went on to appear inevery episode ofDoctor Whoseason 14. However, it was her first canonical encounter with the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) that’s most relevant here.
Belinda is actually Sethu’s second character on the show, after initially appearing as Mundy Flynn as part ofDoctor Whoseason 14’s cast- alongside Gatwa and Gibson in episode 3, “Boom.” Theconnection between Belinda and Mundyis lightly addressed in “The Robot Revolution,” but not fully resolved. This particular mystery is not what connects Belinda to Ruby, but something that happens to Sethu’s character in “The Robot Revolution” is eerily familiar.
The Fifteenth Doctor Held Both Ruby & Belinda When They Were Babies
Gatwa’s character travels into Belinda’s past in “The Robot Revolution”
When Fifteen saves Belinda by absorbing the paradox energy near theend ofDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 1, the biggest side effect is Gatwa’s character retroactively appearing throughout Belinda’s timeline. This is proven by a shot ofFifteen holding Belinda as a baby- which is something he also did with Ruby. After being left on the doorstep of a church on Christmas Eve in the 2023 special,Fifteen is forced to step in and rescue Baby Ruby from the Goblins.
It’s a little unusual that two consecutive companions have both gone through such a specific thing.
This means that the first time Ruby ever encountered the Doctor, she was so young that she doesn’t even remember it. This is now also true for the Doctor’s season 15 companion. Considering this had never happened inDoctor Who’s classic eraor the post-2005 revival episodes, it’s a little unusual that two consecutive companions have both gone through such a specific thing. It remains to be seen if this is just a coincidence, or whether T. Davies plans to draw focus to both instances and connect them.
Is Belinda’s Mysterious Role In Doctor Who Season 15 Too Similar To Ruby’s In Season 14?
It could be too soon after the let-down of Ruby’s disappointing exit
Just as there were with Ruby, there are several unanswered questions when it comes to Belinda’s backstory. Both women stray from being typical companions, as their enigmatic natures tend to pull focus toward them and away from the Doctor. These storylines are great when they’re well executed, butBelinda’s arc arguably has two things working against it. The first is that it may be too soon to have another mysterious companion like Ruby, and the second is that the twist that revealed theidentity of Ruby’s motherended up being incredibly underwhelming.
What needs unveiling about Belinda differs from the questions that hung over Ruby, soDavies is giving himself room to improve upon the shortcomings of Gibson’s season 14 arc. I probably would have preferred a less enigmatic successor to Ruby, but I do actually really like the fact that the show is teasing its intention of turningDoctor Who’s long-running rope of re-using the same actor for more than one character into a more high-concept storyline.
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“The Story and the Engine”
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