XPost: rec.arts.drwho   
   From: blueshirt@indigo.news   
      
   "Lucky Day" is this season's Doctor-lite episode and without the   
   Doctor around it becomes a chapter in the "Adventures of Ruby   
   Sunday"... which basically means, it's companion soap opera   
   time; Ruby gets a boyfriend (Conrad), her Mum(s) and Gran are   
   happy for her and all is looking rosy as the two of them head   
   off for a weekend away in the country. Conrad even carries   
   Ruby's bag for her when they get off the bus. A nice looking guy   
   and a gentleman too. What could possibly go wrong?   
      
      
   [SPOILERS]   
      
      
   Yes, we all knew that Conrad was going to be a bit of a   
   bastard... Poor Ruby. As if being an ex-companion of the Doctor   
   wasn't traumatic enough for her whilst she tries to adapt back   
   to a normal life in London without the Doctor, now she goes and   
   falls for a hot guy that was only faking his interest in her.   
   Ain't life a bitch baby?! The moral of the story is, beware of   
   toxic masculinity... it'll only lead you astray!   
      
   Oh, and beware of fake news too... we all know about that one   
   don't we? So never believe what they tell you. It's all a   
   conspiracy! #DemandTheTruth   
      
   "Lucky day" was almost an epilogue to last season by using Ruby   
   and not the current companion, as well as being a [kind of]   
   prequel setting up "The War Between the Land and the Sea" (Also   
   being co-written by Peter McTighe, who wrote this episode.) as   
   the UNIT crew - Kate Stewart, Col Ibrahim and Shirley-Anne, will   
   be featuring in that. I'm sure the line about Mel being away in   
   Sydney to deal with "something in the harbour" was there for a   
   reason too...   
      
   I'm not even sure why we still get Doctor-lite episodes when   
   "Doctor Who" seasons only have eight episodes now... it seems a   
   bit of a waste to sideline the Doctor once a season now. It   
   might have worked with "Blink" but that was part of a thirteen   
   episode season. Now, eight episodes - usually seven stories -   
   just isn't enough of a season to minimise the Doctor's role, IMO.   
      
   Some minor points of note; Conrad knows of Belinda Chandra, the   
   Doctor DIDN'T cry in this episode, Mrs Flood refers to herself   
   as The Governor, and with her big bunch of keys is probably   
   going to let Conrad out of jail... so it's possible the cad will   
   be back later in the season. (I'd have just let the alien eat   
   him, but that might have been a bit much for the BBC... "Doctor   
   Who" is a family friendly show after all.)   
      
   Overall "Lucky Day" was a good enough story once it got going,   
   but in "Doctor Who" I want to see the Doctor and his actions   
   drive the story... the tail shouldn't wag the dog. So I say,   
   less social commentary, more Doctor!!!   
      
   So my rating for "Lucky Day" is 6/10...   
      
   --- SoupGate-DOS v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)