Doctor Who- Dot and Bubble review

 

`Dot and Bubble` opens with bold ideas, then labours the point till it breaks out and becomes something more interesting. Its set in what must be the distant future yet uses mostly contemporary references and behaviour albeit slightly exaggerated. Billed as a commentary on modern online culture it also touches on the vanity of super rich youth. It is enlivened by peppy performances, a surprising turn near the end and a wonderful nomenclature. However what it really needs more than anything is the full presence of the Doctor  again used sparingly for the second episode running.  This means Ncuti Gatwa is not making as much of an impression as he should in his first season especially when its only eight episodes long.

 

Apparently `Dot and Bubble` is like a Black Mirror episode though as I’ve never seen any I can’t comment but it definitely seems to take its cue from the fact that even today some people are rarely looking away from their smartphones. This scenario extrapolates that beyond the device so their head is enclosed in a moving bubble of screens filled with friends. These people- all in their late teens or early twenties - only work two hours per day otherwise they have fun; albeit within the confines of the bubble. They are so dependant on this technology that they can barely even walk anywhere without it. Yet there seem to be dangerous creatures lurking unseen beyond their online world, giant slugs that are eating people. As the story progresses it becomes apparent this is a tale about the vacuous lives of the self-absorbed super rich which is a change from the Doctor usually having to save the lower classes or the enslaved.

Much of the early running time is shown inside the bubble of the wonderfully named Lindy Pepper Bean with a variety of amusingly named characters popping in and out though this does begin to feel laboured after a while even though I liked some of the banter. Due to the unavailability of Ncuti Gatwa for much of the filming the Doctor and Ruby appear on two of these floating screens presumably shot later on which gives the presentation a different tone. Lindy is a vivacious if ditzy character well played by Callie Cooke. She nails the comedic aspects of the scenario when Lindy tries to walk without online directions as well as she shows Lindy’s increasing panic when outside her normal routine. Yet Lindy s not the usual guest character willing to be changed by her experiences as we see.  Contacted by the Doctor and Ruby she is coaxed out of her literal bubble. 

Eventually following their instructions she is helped by pin up singer Ricky September and for about ten minutes they are a surrogate Doctor and companion doing the running, punching in codes and battling a rogue dot, basically what the Doctor would be doing. Playing Ricky, Tom Rhys Harries makes a rather good hero as well as a celebrity with more depth than his followers think. The interplay between him and Lindy is fun. There is a twist (as well as the ubiquitous Susan who pops up on screen as Lindys mum) that turns matters overtly darker. Lindy behaves in a way that emphasises her experiences are not going to really alter her spoiled nature. It’s a successor then to the likes of `Midnight` showing that human nature is not always kind and caring. It is this moment that elevates the episode higher though curiously the Doctor and Ruby whom we do meet face to face near the end are unaware of this. 

On paper this is a nightmare scenario but plays out amidst bold primary colours and broad daylight exposing those ravenous creatures for the old fashioned monsters they are, kind of cousins of the Tractators and equally as awkward. As veteran fans know the worst thing you can do with physical (as opposed to digitally generated) monsters is shoot them in broad daylight. These slugs are fine from a distance or when we see them on the screens but not so much when we see them in close up even though they are more convincing than some of those old school monsters. Strangely while the attacks are rendered horrifically on the screens they are played for comic effect in real life with people being swallowed whole. All that’s missing is a burp at the end. Don’t even ask how the creatures absorb their victims so quickly and in such quantity. It’s a pity the story couldn’t use invaders more akin to the other visuals as these bugs feel like they come from another type of Doctor Who story altogether. 

There is a more subtle element of racism present in the story; it is very notable in this day and age that all of Lindy’s friends are white and she seems less friendly  towards the Doctor when he pops up on a screen than she has been with Ruby. At the end the reasons why the survivors won’t go with the Doctor are obviously more about him than the offer. Had he been posh and white like them they would probably have accepted.  Actually I would really have liked the Doctor to have met Ricky who seems to have armed himself with more knowledge than the others even though his online persona seems the most superficial. 

`Dot and Bubble works well enough on first watch but does have a repetitiveness and lack of variety that may mean its overlooked as time goes on. I do feel it would have been even better to have held it over till Ncuti Gatwa was fully available though and for those slugs to have been shown at night.