Rogue is the sixth episode in the latest series of Doctor Who. It stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, Millie Gibson as Ruby Sunday and Jonathon Groff as Rogue.
Spoilers ahead!!
General Thoughts
This is the most average Doctor Who episode of the season. It follows the standard plot of aliens are causing problems, they have to fix it. What do I like about this episode? A lot. The performances were great, the setting and costumes were great. It does feel very Bridgerton, though it was mentioned maybe one too many times. Even the music is reminiscent of how it is in Bridgerton.
I love the ideas of aliens ‘cosplaying’ and enjoying the fun and scandal. Personally, I think they should have called it LARPing instead, since the Chuldur are acting alongside dressing up as people. While I did have a few issues with this episode, it was just so much fun after having Doctor-light episodes and episodes that were trying to be so different from the usual.
Rogue (Character)
Jonathan Groff as Rogue was amazing. He has a bit of the swagger of Captain Jack and I enjoyed his performance as Rogue. Rogue is a bit nerdy, since he got his name from D&D, and clearly has some complexity that Captain Jack only got in Torchwood.
The flirting with the Doctor was fun, and I loved how the ‘scandalous’ part went down with Rogue proposing to the Doctor. I love the bits of romance between Rogue and the Doctor and I hope that the Doctor goes to find him at some point. It would be a shame not to invite Jonathan Groff back, even just for occasional episodes in future seasons.
Issues with Rogue
My main issue with this episode is how Ruby Sunday survived her encounter with a Chuldur. The clip we saw after Ruby discovered her friend was a Chuldur showed the lightning effect that meant a Chuldur had killed someone and copied their form. When we finally see the fight between Ruby and the Chuldur, there is no lightning. I like the idea of the earrings having a Battle Mode, just not the obvious lightning mistake. It’s not even misleading, it’s just false as it doesn’t happen later.
Queerness in Doctor Who
To the people complaining about Rogue and the Doctor kiss, have they not been paying attention to the rest of New Who? Queer characters have been everywhere since the reboot in 2005. Captain Jack, Jenny Flint, Vastra, Clara, Bill and Yasmin are just a few of them. Spin-offs have also had their fair share of queer characters, including most of the main Torchwood cast, Charlie and Matteusz from Class and even Luke from Sarah Jane Adventures was intended to have a boyfriend in Season 5.
Even for older characters like Tegan, Nyssa and Ace have been implied to be queer or had queer relationships in material outside of the show. The actors for the Second Doctor and Jamie were affectionate (rumoured to be because of a producer). Queerness has always been a part of Doctor Who, even if it was accidental or just implied due to broadcasting restrictions.
Personally, I love how open Doctor Who is about being queer. There isn’t much attention drawn to the specifics and how different it is, it’s just part of life.
Overall Thoughts on Rogue
While this is a standard Doctor Who episode in terms of plot, the character of Rogue is probably what makes this my favourite episode of the season so far. Plus, there is always a chance that the Doctor can go and find Rogue in a future episode.
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Want to read another of my blog posts about Doctor Who? Check out my thoughts on Dot and Bubble here.