Get your fans at the ready and prepare your dance cards \u2013 it\u2019s time for Doctor Who<\/a> to go Rogue<\/a> with its new Regency episode.<\/p>\n Written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman<\/a>, Rogue follows the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa<\/a>) and Ruby (Millie Gibson<\/a>) to the Regency era, where they\u2019re living out their ballroom dreams at the beautiful home of the Duchess of Pemberton (Indira Varma<\/a>).<\/p>\n Of course, it\u2019s an absolutely beautiful episode visually, with actual Bridgerton<\/a> choreographer Jack Murphy stepping on board to give the episode that undeniable feel of the Ton. Cue a glorious ballroom dance, a risky chat in a library with a lady fearing for her honour and a few declarations of \u201cYou cad!\u201d, and we\u2019ve got ourselves an episode of Doctor Who Does Bridgerton.<\/p>\n There\u2019s dancing! There are duels! There\u2019s dishonour! But, of course, in true Doctor Who fashion, there are also monsters lurking around every corner\u2026<\/p>\n So, when the Doctor and Ruby discover a drained corpse in the shrubbery and a mysterious bounty hunter by the name of Rogue (Jonathan Groff)<\/a>, who seems very nonplussed by all the death happening around him, it becomes clear that not everything is as dazzling as it may first appear.<\/p>\n Rogue is a huge tonal change from Dot and Bubble<\/a> and 73 Yards<\/a>, and is better for it \u2013 it\u2019s exactly what you\u2019d want from a fun Regency romp in Doctor Who, while providing a genuine sense of danger. It has its silly and laugh-out-loud moments (largely as a result of Gatwa\u2019s glorious line delivery) without compromising too much on its story.<\/p>\n As always, the casting is a coup. After Gatwa\u2019s Doctor was largely sidelined in the last two episodes, he\u2019s back at the helm in Rogue, sharing the spotlight with Groff.<\/p>\n There\u2019s only so much we can say about how the episode plays out for the pair, but it\u2019s safe to say it\u2019s always a treat when the Doctor meets his match \u2013 and Rogue certainly lives up to that. Quick-witted and enigmatic, Rogue won\u2019t be a character anyone will forget in a hurry.<\/p>\n We also get to see much more of the Doctor\u2019s mischievous and spontaneous side, and it\u2019s a joy to see Gatwa back where he belongs as the main star of the episode after a couple of Doctor-lite adventures.<\/p>\n Indira Varma, who we previously met in Torchwood as Suzie Costello, is slightly underused as the Duchess of Pemberton, but she still has some fun moments \u2013 as does Gibson, who continues to shine as Ruby Sunday.<\/p>\n Of course, every Doctor Who story has to have its monster, and unfortunately this one is a little forgettable. It functions just fine as a Doctor Who villain, and it\u2019s definitely interesting \u2013 but it certainly won\u2019t be one for the ages, and struggles to make its mark when there\u2019s so much going on elsewhere.<\/p>\n Thankfully, though, there\u2019s enough happening in the episode that the lack of a memorable monster doesn\u2019t mean it falls to pieces.<\/p>\n While the Bridgerton parody is also a lot of fun, it also perhaps wouldn\u2019t have hurt to limit the amount of outright references to the show \u2013 it\u2019ll be clear to anyone what the episode is doing without the series getting a name check at every opportunity.<\/p> Those issues aside, however, Rogue is a lot of fun and the kind of relief we\u2019ll perhaps be needing ahead of the \u201cdevastating\u201d two-part finale<\/a>.<\/p>\n Despite a slightly forgettable monster, the final act is still gripping, and it provides an unexpectedly moving and emotional end to the episode (with Murray Gold<\/a> once again knocking it out of the park with his beautiful score).<\/p>\n Rogue isn\u2019t a classic for the ages, and it\u2019s not the best outing in season 14 \u2013 but it is the kind of Doctor Who episode you\u2019ll want to stick on as a comfort watch in years to come. Even with the drained corpses.<\/p>\n![\"Ncuti](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/05\/479354-01d26ed.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Ncuti")
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