Doctor Who Recap: What’s Schwup, Doc?

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Taking another swing at it: Ncuti Gatwa returns for the second season of “Doctor Who” on Disney+ following an array of adventures that ranged from battling infant snot to leading the god of death’s dog-walking last year. In this installment, he is accompanied by nurse and hesitant new companion Belinda Chandra, portrayed by Varada Sethu (who we previously saw engaged in a holy war on a battlefield filled with AI ambulances). This episode does an admirable job developing Belinda as a captivating character, leaving me eager to explore more of her and her complex relationship with Fifteen. However, the overall storyline and tone of the episode seem somewhat jumbled in the final moments. Ready to dive in? Let’s do it!

The episode’s narrative subtly explores the theme of gender from the onset, as we are introduced to Alan who expresses disagreement with his girlfriend over being labeled by marital status. It’s somewhat puzzling why Miss Belinda Chandra finds herself attracted to him, given that most of what he says seems questionable. However, he surprises her by buying a star for her birthday, which she considers the most thoughtful gesture anyone has ever made for her.

Seventeen years on, Belinda finds herself employed as a nurse at a hospital, frequently crossing paths with doctors; she playfully dismisses any hints that one is seeking her out. Inadvertently, a doctor causes a blackout throughout the building while trying to locate her, but fails. Apart from discovering her housemates aren’t particularly fond of her, we learn little about Belinda’s past before robots arrive in her yard, sent from the star Alan had gifted her. This token is enough proof for them that she’s their rightful queen. After they ruthlessly eliminate a neighbor’s cat, Belinda consents to their abduction. Mrs. Flood cryptically comments, “You haven’t seen me yet,” a statement that may well apply to the newly arrived Doctor, who appears preoccupied with yelling at the sky. In the spaceship, a distressed Belinda clarifies to the robots that Alan purchased the star, not her. Shortly following this revelation, both Belinda and the Doctor experience a recurring malfunction, with the Doctor hot on their trail in the TARDIS.

Upon arriving at Missbelindachandra One, a planetary system believed to have been named after Belinda, she discovers that robots have usurped control and demand marriage with her. Despite their sophisticated capabilities to construct Missbelindachandrabombs and govern the populace, they strangely miss every ninth word spoken. This could be likened to a vulnerability in their artificial intelligence, perhaps an “AI-Achilles heel”. Before Belinda’s arrival, the Doctor had already reached the planet six months earlier and rose through ranks to become Historian. He uses this opportunity to educate her while instigating a small rebellion. A fellow rebel named Sasha 55 expresses her faith in the Doctor’s abilities, and he vows to escort her among the stars once the crisis is resolved. In keeping with the conventions of the Who-verse, Sasha 55 meets an untimely demise shortly after.

In the secret lair of the rebels, the Doctor momentarily stops, thinking back to Belinda’s companion resembling “Boom”. He recalls her remark, “Doctors always let the nurses handle the tough tasks,” as she prepares to aid the wounded. Considering the traditional roles associated with these occupations, it appears that there may have been other men capable of treating Belinda more respectfully, much like Alan.

The Doctor clarifies that he was trailing Belinda as someone hinted she held significance. Due to complications involving time, he’s vague about providing further details. However, he does share that they both encountered a peculiar event while traveling, which he describes as a “schwup.” This incident occurred because the boundary between this world and Earth has been unpredictably shifting through time. This is why he arrived before her, and it also explains how the AI possesses an identical star certificate to Belinda’s, despite her original one being with her since birth. The robots likely obtained the certificate in the future, then “schwupped” so far back that the document became a legendary artifact of the planet. This loop allows the same item to exist concurrently.

A character named Manny harbors bitterness over the loss of life due to Belinda, as he believes she isn’t responsible. However, as robots persistently attack (with Manny simmering below), she reconsiders her stance. When the Doctor devises a plan to burrow into memory banks in search of explanations for the abrupt cessation of peaceful coexistence between humans and robots, Belinda chooses a robot designed to polish as a decoy to lure the robots towards her. With determination, she declares, “I’m Belinda Chandra, and it’s high time I step up.” She is optimistic that once she completes the welding/wedding ceremony, she’ll be able to guide the machine towards harmony.

Prior to her departure, Belinda instructs the robots not to address her as “Miss,” a title she disliked. This action prompts the AI Generator to reveal Alan, who was actually transported back in time by the robots when Belinda called his name on the rocket. Intriguingly, it was Alan who initiated the robot uprising 10 years later.

Over the next five minutes, an abundance of information is presented. Initially, we rewind to find that video-game enthusiast Alan was eager to amass power and create rules. His actions, including violence, don’t appear to be gender-selective; his first target for harm seems to be a man. Furthermore, we discover that Belinda ended their relationship following an extremely demeaning and misogynistic marriage proposal from Alan. In the current scenario, she accuses him of employing coercive control, a form of domestic abuse, on a global scale. The Doctor then discloses that Alan is currently struggling with his conscience as every ninth word he speaks reveals a plea for help and pain. However, his subsequent sequence of ninth words — “Belinda. Mine. Forever.” — suggests that he still views women as possessions. Belinda murmurs, “Planet of the incels.” It’s not unreasonable to expect Russell T Davies to delve deeper into the complexities of toxic masculinity in such a short time frame. Nevertheless, when the narrative only skims the surface of sexism and the manosphere, it becomes more challenging to fully convey the severity of the concept of a “planet of the incels.” The storyline then progresses by having the Doctor propose helping Alan by detaching the bio-links, and suggesting that Belinda should proceed with the marriage if she wishes to alleviate his ongoing anger.

Without dwelling too long on the profound thoughts stirred by the flashbacks and soliloquies, it’s crucial to address the impending danger now. The Doctor discards Belinda’s star certificate, which strangely attracts the attention of the polish robot, not bound by Alan’s control over the others. When Belinda touches her certificate to the one that Alan holds, a chain reaction of temporal distortion occurs, causing a disorienting sequence where Belinda and Alan seem to age and reverse their ages. The Doctor intervenes, rescuing Belinda and taking part of the blast’s force due to his Time Lord abilities. Before the time rift closes, it sends him on a journey through Belinda’s entire life; at one instance, he is seen cradling an infant Belinda in his arms.

In an unexpected twist, both The Doctor and Belinda remain unhurt, yet Alan transforms back into a sperm and egg cell. In a humorous moment, Alan is whisked away by the polish robot, to which The Doctor bids a fond farewell with a chuckle. As we transition back to lighter moments, the conversation between Belinda and The Doctor ensues, with Belinda expressing her astonishment at this place being “crazy”, to which The Doctor responds, “Absolutely, darling!” followed by an energetic kick. Upon retrieving his TARDIS from impound, The Doctor notes that these future robots will need the star certificate somehow, causing him to break into a dance of excitement for the chance to solve another mystery. The robots are planning repairs, Sasha 55 has a citadel named after her, and even Manny joins in sending Belinda off as Earth’s queen.

Belinda peeks inside the TARDIS for a moment before she recalls she needs to return to work. The Doctor explains that the TARDIS is a time-traveling vessel and mentions casually that he encountered one of her future relatives in the 51st century. He notices a striking resemblance, implying a possible connection. “Did you say something like that to Sasha?” Belinda queries, momentarily throwing him off. He acknowledges his lack of consent when scanning her DNA — she had requested permission earlier just to hear the sound of his heartbeats. “You’re reckless,” she asserts, and he offers an apology. He senses her distrust and reluctance towards travel, and proposes taking her home. However, they might not have a choice in the matter. The TARDIS seems repelled from May 24th, the day they departed, while en route back to Earth. The Doctor is puzzled about the cause and promises an alternate route home.

Initially, I’d have suggested rewinding to May 23rd and staying in the TARDIS for a day as a simple solution, but given that The Doctor and Belinda are in Miami, Florida during 1952 in the next episode, it seems a more intricate problem needs addressing. After the TARDIS disappears, we witness iconic landmarks like the Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, a calendar, and a star certificate drifting through space along with other debris. So, it appears our major season mystery has been set up – anyone have any theories?

Cut for Time (Lord)

Dear Russell T Davies (RTD), as a devoted cinephile, let me express my feelings candidly about the moment when the Doctor elucidated the “timey-wimey” concept and Belinda quipped, “Am I six?” In all honesty, it brought a hearty chuckle to this viewer’s heart. Keep delivering those witty, time-bending dialogues that make our hearts skip a beat!

* It’s still unclear who instructed the Doctor to search for Belinda. He mentioned that he couldn’t disclose this information due to timing constraints. Could it be a different character or a future version of himself that he’s referring to? I might have to sketch out a timeline to keep things straight if we introduce more temporal paradoxes.

As a dedicated fan, it struck a chord when the “Padam Padam” reference jogged my memory about Kylie Minogue’s appearance on Doctor Who. (“Voyage of the Damned,” if you will, let’s call it “Voyage of the Padam-stranded” for fun.) Remembering her character, Astrid Peth, being reduced to atoms by the Doctor was quite a heart-wrenching moment. I can’t help but hope she’s been exploring the cosmos and her travels have been less turbulent than his.

According to a recent interview, Mrs. Flood is set to feature in every episode of the current season on RTD. I can’t wait to catch a glimpse of her style in Miami!

As for Mrs. Flood, it appeared we shared a friendly neighborhood bond with Belinda. Could it be that Ruby Sunday dwells in the very same area, making her a fellow neighbor to Belinda too? I can’t help but wonder, what are the odds of two comrades residing on the same block?

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2025-04-12 17:54