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The Doctor and Ruby instruct Lindy and her friends to evacuate Finetime via conduits leading to an underground river. Lindy is surprised to realise that Ruby and Doctor are physically together and only belatedly recognises the Doctor from his earlier warning. Lindy views a message from her mother Penny, whom the Doctor and Ruby recognise, though from different places. Lindy is eventually aided in person by another resident, Ricky September, an [[influencer]] she idolises. He reveals that, unlike the other residents, he turns his bubble off regularly and can function without it. He discovers Homeworld has already been consumed by the slugs but lies to Lindy that all is fine.
The Doctor and Ruby instruct Lindy and her friends to evacuate Finetime via conduits leading to an underground river. Lindy is surprised to realise that Ruby and Doctor are physically together and only belatedly recognises the Doctor from his earlier warning. Lindy views a message from her mother Penny, whom the Doctor and Ruby recognise, though from different places. Lindy is eventually aided in person by another resident, Ricky September, an [[influencer]] she idolises. He reveals that, unlike the other residents, he turns his bubble off regularly and can function without it. He discovers Homeworld has already been consumed by the slugs but lies to Lindy that all is fine.


The Doctor realises that the slugs were created and bred within Finetime by the Dots, leading residents to their deaths in alphabetical order. Lindy finds herself no longer able to control her Dot, as it reveals its sentience and attacks them. When Lindy is cornered, she reveals Ricky's true surname is Coombes (and therefore comes earlier in the alphabet than her) and abandons him to be killed by the Dot. Lindy meets with the few remaining fleeing residents that the Doctor and Ruby rescued earlier and lies to them about what happened to Ricky. The Doctor offers to take them into the [[TARDIS]] to find them a new home, which they disdainfully refuse, implying that his appearance makes him [[Racism|inferior]]. He warns the survivors that they will die out there, as the Wild Woods are dangerous, and begs them to let him save them. They ignore him and launch their boat onto the river, and the Doctor angrily and tearfully leaves with Ruby.
The Doctor realises that the slugs were created and bred within Finetime by the Dots, leading residents to their deaths in [[alphabetical order]] by [[surname]]. Lindy finds herself no longer able to control her Dot, as it reveals its sentience and attacks them. When Lindy is cornered, she reveals Ricky's [[birth name]] was Richard Coombes (C preceding P in the [[English alphabet]]), and abandons him to be killed by the Dot. Lindy meets with the few remaining fleeing residents that the Doctor and Ruby rescued earlier and lies to them about what happened to Ricky. The Doctor offers to take them into the [[TARDIS]] to find them a new home, which they disdainfully refuse, implying that his appearance makes him [[Racism|inferior]]. He warns the survivors that they will die out there, as the Wild Woods are dangerous, and begs them to let him save them. They ignore him and launch their boat onto the river, and the Doctor angrily and tearfully leaves with Ruby.


== Production ==
== Production ==

Revision as of 13:23, 18 November 2024

309 – "Dot and Bubble"
Doctor Who episode
The text "Dot and Bubble" is centered horizontally and vertically in a rectangle. In the blurred background, there are similar squares with unidentifiable people in them.
Promotional title-card
Cast
Others
  • Callie Cooke – Lindy Pepper-Bean
  • Eilidh Loan – Cooper Mercy
  • Aldous Ciokajlo Squire – Harry Tendency
  • Niamh Lynch – Hoochy Pie
  • Millie Kent – Valerie Nook
  • Billy Brayshaw – Blake Very Blue
  • Pete MacHale – Gothic Paul
  • Max Boast – Dr Pee
  • Elloise Bennett – Rotterdam Twin 1
  • Olivia Bennett – Rotterdam Twin 2
  • Tom Rhys Harries – Ricky September
  • Jack Forsyth-Noble – Weatherman Will
  • Milo Callaghan – Alan K Sullivan
  • Susan Twist – Penny Pepper-Bean
  • Ellie-Grace Cashin – Suzie Pentecost
  • Jamie Barnard – Brewster Cavendish
Production
Directed byDylan Holmes Williams
Written byRussell T Davies
Script editorScott Handcock
Produced byVicki Delow
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
SeriesSeries 14
Running time43 minutes
First broadcast1 June 2024 (2024-06-01)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"73 Yards" 		Followed by →
"Rogue"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Dot and Bubble" is the fifth episode of the fourteenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was first broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2024 and released on Disney+ in the United States on 31 May. It was written by Russell T Davies, who originally pitched it for the sixth series, and directed by Dylan Holmes Williams.

In the episode, the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson), attempt to save the city of Finetime from human-eating slugs, primarily by communicating with Lindy Pepper-Bean (Callie Cooke) through social media.

The episode features themes of the effects of social media on society, racism, and elitism and has been compared by Davies and critics to the anthology series Black Mirror. The episode received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Lindy Pepper-Bean lives in the city of Finetime, populated by white, wealthy young adults from nearby Homeworld and shielded from the dangerous Wild Woods surrounding it. They live through a social media interface, a literal bubble projected around their heads by floating "Dots", robots that also direct their movements. Lindy is unconcerned that several of her friends are missing and she blocks the Doctor when he tries to send her a warning. Ruby then appears in Lindy's bubble and coaxes her into dropping her bubble. Lindy sees giant slug-like creatures eating some residents but ignoring her and others.

The Doctor and Ruby instruct Lindy and her friends to evacuate Finetime via conduits leading to an underground river. Lindy is surprised to realise that Ruby and Doctor are physically together and only belatedly recognises the Doctor from his earlier warning. Lindy views a message from her mother Penny, whom the Doctor and Ruby recognise, though from different places. Lindy is eventually aided in person by another resident, Ricky September, an influencer she idolises. He reveals that, unlike the other residents, he turns his bubble off regularly and can function without it. He discovers Homeworld has already been consumed by the slugs but lies to Lindy that all is fine.

The Doctor realises that the slugs were created and bred within Finetime by the Dots, leading residents to their deaths in alphabetical order by surname. Lindy finds herself no longer able to control her Dot, as it reveals its sentience and attacks them. When Lindy is cornered, she reveals Ricky's birth name was Richard Coombes (C preceding P in the English alphabet), and abandons him to be killed by the Dot. Lindy meets with the few remaining fleeing residents that the Doctor and Ruby rescued earlier and lies to them about what happened to Ricky. The Doctor offers to take them into the TARDIS to find them a new home, which they disdainfully refuse, implying that his appearance makes him inferior. He warns the survivors that they will die out there, as the Wild Woods are dangerous, and begs them to let him save them. They ignore him and launch their boat onto the river, and the Doctor angrily and tearfully leaves with Ruby.

Production

Development

The episode was written by showrunner Russell T Davies.[1] He initially conceptualised the idea in 2009 when the upcoming showrunner Steven Moffat asked Davies to return to the programme after his initial departure and write an episode for the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) and his companion Amy Pond (Karen Gillan).[2] Davies ultimately pitched the episode to Moffat in April 2010 for the sixth series, but it was scrapped due to the budget constraints that the heavy visual effects would have required.[3] Following a co-production deal with Disney that began in 2023 and allowed for an increased budget,[4] the episode was finally able to be produced.[3] Working titles for the episode included "irl" and "Monsters, Monsters Everywhere".[2] The episode explored the reliance of Generation Z on social media[5][6] while featuring underlying themes of racism and elitism. The Finetime residents' rejection of the Doctor in the final scene has been widely interpreted as due to his race, a notion confirmed by Davies as intentional.[7] Davies compared the episode to Black Mirror but with more freedom;[8] several critics also noted the similarities in tone and premise.[9][10][11] Screen Rant 's Brennan Klein likened the premise to the episodes "Fifteen Million Merits" (2011) and "Nosedive" (2016).[12]

Filming

A large multi-story brick building on a university campus.
Swansea University Bay Campus
A lock used for boat navigation with a low level of water near Cardiff Bay.
Cardiff Bay Barrage
Swansea University Bay Campus and the Cardiff Bay Barrage were used as the primary filming locations for the episode.

The episode was directed by Dylan Holmes Williams[13] and was the second episode of the fourteenth series to be produced, though the final shot of the episode was the very first scene to be filmed by Gatwa for the fourteenth series.[14] It was filmed in the series' first production block along with the previous episode, "73 Yards".[15] Filming took place in December 2022 and January 2023; locations included the Cardiff Bay Barrage and Swansea University Bay Campus in Wales.[15][16][17] Because the weather on set was unpredictable, Jack Forsyth-Noble filmed multiple fictional weather forecasts for the episode as Weatherman Will. Millennium FX designed the slug creatures, which took three people to operate during filming.[18]

Casting

Similar to the previous episode, Ncuti Gatwa was still filming Sex Education when the episode began production, limiting his availability, but he still had a larger presence than he held in "73 Yards".[19][20] The episode instead focused on Callie Cooke as Lindy Pepper-Bean.[19] Tom Rhys Harries appeared in the episode as Ricky September.[21] Similar to other episodes of the series, Susan Twist guest-starred as another seemingly disparate character, this time as Penny Pepper-Bean.[22] The remainder of the guest cast included Eilidh Loan, Aldous Ciokajlo Squire, and Niamh Lynch, among others.[23][24] Only white actors were cast in the guest roles due to the episode's theme of racism; Davies was unsure when or if viewers would notice the lack of diversity before the final scene.[14]

Broadcast and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)93%[25]
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Rating)7.6/10[25]
Review scores
SourceRating
Digital Spy[26]
Empire[27]
Evening Standard[28]
i[29]
IGN5/10[30]
Radio Times[31]
The Independent[32]
Total Film[19]
Vulture[11]

Broadcast

"Dot and Bubble" was first released in the United Kingdom on BBC iPlayer on 1 June 2024 followed by a broadcast on BBC One later in the day.[33] Disney+ released the episode simultaneously in the United States on 31 May.[34] Disney also handled international distribution of the episode outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland.[35]

Ratings

The UK broadcast of "Dot and Bubble" brought in overnight viewing figures of 2.12 million.[36] The episode was viewed by 3.38 million viewers when accounting for 7-day ratings, the lowest viewing figure since the first episode of Battlefield (1989), which received 3.1 million viewers. It was the twenty-fourth most watched programme of the week[37] and was the highest-viewed in both its time slot and the day overall.[38]

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "A withering treatment of the terminally online with slithering monsters thrown in for good measure, "Dot and Bubble" is another memorable adventure for The Doctor."[25]

Total Film writer Will Salmon compared the virtual aspect of the episode to media productions during COVID-19 as well as the dystopian aspect to that of "Gridlock" (2007). Cooke's performance in the episode was praised by Salmon for expressing the "vulnerability" and "complexity" of her character.[19] Den of Geek's Stefan Mohamed wrote about comparisons between the episode and Black Mirror beyond just the plot and saying the two are also similar with their production design.[10] Authoring a review for The Independent, Ed Power described the episode as a crossover between Black Mirror and a David Attenborough documentary.[32]

Writing for Digital Spy, Rebecca Cook felt that the episode was worse than the previous two episodes, "73 Yards" and "Boom", criticising Davies' writing of Generation Z dialogue. Cook said she was interested in what the episode would have looked like prior to the Disney co-production.[26] Cook later said that the episode helped her identify a trend of disappointing villains throughout the series.[39] Morgan Jeffery, reviewing the episode for Radio Times, stated the episode "feels like a victim of its own ambition", believing that it had an "abundance of ideas" but "overextends itself" in the process. Jeffery however, also commended Cooke's acting as well as that of Gatwa, despite his limited screen time, and described the episode as "undeniably fascinating."[31] IGN writer Robert Anderson spoke similarly of the episode and believed it would have been better if Gatwa and Gibson had had more screen time.[30]

Mohamed also felt that the underlying racism shown by characters in "Dot and Bubble" was the most important part of the episode but wished for such matters to be raised by a non-white writer in the future.[10] Isobel Lewis with The New York Times furthered this point explaining that a character referred to the TARDIS as "Voodoo", which has been used as a racial slur.[40]

References

  1. ^ Flook, Ray (30 May 2024). "Doctor Who Ep. 5 "Dot and Bubble" Preview: Guess Who Gets Doc-Blocked?". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b Hibbs, James (25 May 2024). "Dot and Bubble is Doctor Who's "clearest step into Black Mirror" says showrunner". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 28 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b Mellor, Louisa (25 May 2024). "Doctor Who Is About to Take its "Clearest Step into Black Mirror Territory"". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  4. ^ Griffin, Louise (23 November 2023). "Chris Chibnall: Doctor Who's new budget will be "massive leap forward"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 4 January 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  5. ^ Cook, Rebecca (31 May 2024). "Doctor Who's episode release schedule for Ncuti Gatwa's first season". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  6. ^ Belam, Martin (1 June 2024). "Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble – season one episode five recap". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. ^ Multiple sources:
  8. ^ Seddon, Dan (25 May 2024). "Doctor Who boss teases that next episode is "step into Black Mirror territory"". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  9. ^ Rivera, Joshua (31 May 2024). "Doctor Who goes full Black Mirror only to set up its most shocking twist". Polygon. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Mohamed, Stefan (31 May 2024). "Doctor Who Series 14 Episode 5 Review: Dot and Bubble". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  11. ^ a b Zhan, Jennifer (31 May 2024). "Doctor Who Recap: Hate to Burst Your Bubble". Vulture. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  12. ^ Klein, Brennan (30 May 2024). "The Doctor Is Blocked On Social Media In New Doctor Who "Dot And Bubble" Clip". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  13. ^ Outlaw, Kofi (1 April 2024). "Doctor Who Season 1 New Trailer, Episode Titles Released". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  14. ^ a b Davies, Russell T (1 June 2024). "Dot and Bubble". Doctor Who: Unleashed. BBC Three. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  15. ^ a b Laford, Andrea (16 January 2023). "Doctor Who filming with Aneurin Barnard at Cardiff City Stadium". CultBox. Archived from the original on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  16. ^ Jamshidian, Harry (21 December 2023). "Doctor Who shoots scenes of the new series in Penarth". Penarth Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  17. ^ Laford, Andrea (4 January 2023). "Doctor Who filming with new monster at Swansea Bay Campus". Cultbox. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  18. ^ Behind the Scenes – Dot and Bubble – Doctor Who (Behind the scenes featurette). BBC. 1 June 2024. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d Salmon, Will (27 May 2024). "Doctor Who season 1, episode 5 review: "'Dot and Bubble' is like a family-friendly Black Mirror"". GamesRadar+. Future US. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  20. ^ Williams, K-CI (10 May 2024). "Doctor Who Stars Ncuti Gatwa & Millie Gibson Talk 2024 Show, Doctor History, and More". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  21. ^ Craig, David (28 May 2024). "Doctor Who star Callie Cooke: 'I'm obsessed with David Tennant'". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  22. ^ Harp, Justin (22 May 2024). "Doctor Who reveals new Susan Twist role in upcoming episode". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  23. ^ Harp, Justin (22 May 2024). "Doctor Who reveals new Susan Twist role in upcoming episode". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 26 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  24. ^ Cremona, Patrick (31 May 2024). "Meet the cast of Doctor Who – Dot and Bubble". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  25. ^ a b c "Doctor Who: Season 1, Episode 5". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  26. ^ a b Cook, Rebecca (28 May 2024). "Doctor Who's Dot and Bubble continues a discouraging season trend". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  27. ^ "Doctor Who: 'Dot And Bubble'". Empire. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  28. ^ Jessop, Vicky (1 June 2024). "Doctor Who, Dot and Bubble review: the show takes a bleak Black Mirror turn". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  29. ^ Kelly, Stephen (31 May 2024). "Ncuti Gatwa deserves better than Dot and Bubble's lazy race twist". inews.co.uk. Archived from the original on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  30. ^ a b Anderson, Robert (31 May 2024). "Doctor Who Season 1, Episode 6 – "Dot and Bubble" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  31. ^ a b Jeffery, Morgan (27 May 2024). "Doctor Who - Dot and Bubble review: Black Mirror-like episode is ambitious to a fault". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  32. ^ a b Power, Ed (1 June 2024). "Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble review – Russell T Davies goes all Black Mirror". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  33. ^ Craig, David (22 May 2024). "Doctor Who air time confirmed for Dot and Bubble on BBC One". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  34. ^ Mecuri, Monica (30 April 2024). "Here's What's New To Disney Plus In May 2024—Including 'Doctor Who'". Forbes. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  35. ^ Knight, Lewis; Griffin, Louise (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who season 14: Release date, trailers, episodes and latest news". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Doctor Who: Dot & Bubble Overnight Ratings Revealed". TVZoneUK. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  37. ^ "Doctor Who Guide: Ratings Guide". Doctor Who News. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  38. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (27 May 2024). "Doctor Who - Dot and Bubble review: Black Mirror-like episode is ambitious to a fault". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  39. ^ Cook, Rebecca (1 June 2024). "Doctor Who just showed what the real problem is this season". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  40. ^ Lewis, Isobel (31 May 2024). "'Doctor Who' Episode 5 Recap: Bursting the Bubble". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
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