The Well is the third episode of the new season of Doctor Who. It stars Ncuti Gatwa as The Doctor and Varada Sethu as Belinda.
Spoilers ahead!!
General Thoughts
The premise of The Well, of a crew trying to make contact with a mining base that has gone silent, is already great. It had a very creepy tone and was very mysterious. I liked the characters and their interactions, though Ncuti’s tears in this episode felt a little forced. I loved the reveal that the planet was Midnight, though I guessed it a the mention of the sun. Using the mercury that was mined as a mirror to free Aliss from the creature was clever too, since it was set up well.
Belinda going into nurse mode to try to help Aliss’ wounds without caring for possible alien danger makes me love her as a character more. Furthermore, I love how annoyed she is about being stuck on the planet after jumping down with the Doctor and the other crew. I think Belinda is becoming one of my favourite companions and I can’t wait to see more of her.
Disability and Accessibility
Firstly, Rose Ayling-Ellis was amazing as Aliss. Having her character be deaf added good representation and I like that it wasn’t Aliss’ defining trait. Aliss was deaf, but she also had a child she was worried about and wanted to go home to. She was also clearly shaken by what had happened to the other miners. While I can’t say if the representation was accurate, I know Rose Ayling-Ellis is deaf and I haven’t heard anything from other deaf people. Though, I would love to know the thoughts of anyone who is.
As for accessibility, I love how there were devices that projected holographic words for Aliss to read if people couldn’t sign. Also I love the mention of not knowing sign-language as a nurse was illegal in their culture. It also makes sense to me that the Doctor would just know sign language.
Overall Thoughts on The Well
Overall, I really enjoyed this episode and the call back to Midnight. The story was interesting and the cliffhanger leaves it open for this creature to cause chaos in a later episode. My only problem with it is that the lack of knowledge about humans and Earth would have been more mysterious and impactful if we hadn’t already seen Earth in pieces at the beginning of the first episode. I am curious about who the woman at the end was and why she knew about the Vindicator.
After only three episodes of this season, I think I am enjoying it far more that last season. As Doctor being basically absent for two episodes last season, I like how much more time we get to spend with the Doctor and Belinda. I can’t wait for the next episode!
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Want to read another of my blog posts about Doctor Who? Check out my thoughts on the last episode, Lux here.