Two episodes into Ncuti Gatwa\u2019s<\/a> reign as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who<\/a>, Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon<\/a>) has come to play.<\/p>\n As a new era of Doctor Who arrives, many of us will be refreshing iPlayer at midnight<\/a> to watch Space Babies<\/a>, a bizarre romp of a story, before clicking through, bleary-eyed but clamouring for more in the early hours of the morning, to The Devil\u2019s Chord.<\/p>\n Going in, we already know a lot about the episode \u2013 fresh from their first adventures together, the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) venture back in time to the 1960s to watch The Beatles<\/a> record their first album at the iconic Abbey Road. But things aren\u2019t quite right.<\/p>\n Enter Maestro<\/a>, a force of nature and an all-powerful godlike figure who\u2019s changing history \u2013 resulting in London once again becoming a battlefield for the Doctor as he attempts to save the future of humanity.<\/p>\n With war raging across London, and a foe that the Doctor seemingly has no way of taking down, it sounds like a classic Russell T Davies<\/a> tale \u2013 and it is for the most part.<\/p>\n Of course, with that big old Disney budget, it\u2019s shinier, flashier, and very palatable to fans coming to Doctor Who for the first time (although that\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t some glorious little references for seasoned Whovians).<\/p>\n Curiously, Davies recently referred to the episode as almost having no plot, \u201cjust some subplots\u201d and that\u2019s where some are likely to find fault with the episode. Story-wise, for better or for worse, it\u2019s incredibly simple \u2013 but that does leave room for some stellar performances.<\/p>\n We already know this but The Devil\u2019s Chord only secures it further; Gatwa is completely mesmerising as the Doctor.<\/p>\n Every single line is delivered with an energy that will make you feel like you\u2019re a child watching the show for the first time. His chemistry with the brilliant Gibson as Ruby Sunday is unbeatable. Every movement is intentional, and every grin, every laugh, and every monologue will have you ready to follow him into the TARDIS<\/a> for adventures across the universe at a moment\u2019s notice. Oh, and thanks to costume designer Pam Downe<\/a>, he looks absolutely sensational doing it.<\/p>\n But his isn\u2019t the only stand-out performance in The Devil\u2019s Chord and there\u2019s one that might just outshine him this time around.<\/p> More than a decade after Jinkx Monsoon first graced our screens in RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race, they\u2019ve done just about everything, continuing to hone their craft on Broadway and, oh, this is the role for them.<\/p>\n Maestro is a villain that feels like they could jump out of the screen and they\u2019re impossible to look away from. It\u2019s almost difficult to hate them because it\u2019s clear how much Monsoon relished bringing such a camp, theatrical and, in the best way, completely ridiculous villain to mainstream TV.<\/p>\n Is The Devil\u2019s Chord a perfect Doctor Who story? Absolutely not. But it\u2019s vivid, silly, gripping, and sees our brand new Doctor battle a larger than life villain across the streets of 1960s London. We could certainly be doing a lot worse.<\/p>\n![\"Ncuti](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/Ncuti-Millie-Doctor-Who-ba340ba.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Ncuti")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/Beatles-Doctor-Who-936681f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413\" "\\"Paul")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>![\"Ncuti](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/Ncuti-Gatwa-Doctor-Who-e9ee40e-3.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Ncuti")
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