Episode Discussion: Lucky Day

Television Doctor Who (2023-)
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Oh. My. God. Holy shit that was insane. I feel like I can’t be coherent about it so here are bullet points.

  • Millie Gibson absolutely knocked it out of the park. I liked her well enough last season, but she was amazing here.
  • Same with Jemma Redgrave, good lord. I LOVE to see morally grey Kate.
  • I kept waiting for the message to get too heavy handed, and while I think it toed the line several times, I don’t think it ever crossed it.
  • There were seriously scenes where my heart was pounding, first from the creatures and then from EVERYTHING.
  • The return of Shirley, who again I liked well enough before, but loved here.
  • Kate x Col. Ibrahim was something I’d seen floated for a while, and I was surprised that it actually made its way into the show. I’m not particularly invested one way or another, but good on Kate for having a personal life I suppose. I also love how protective she was of Ruby.
  • I do have one major gripe with the episode. The one thing that makes this a 8-9/10 instead a 10/10 for me is that UNIT does get sort of authoritarian sometimes, and I think there are genuine criticisms to be made. We know they’re the “good guys,” but a clandestine high powered group running around with guns frequently hacking into everything is pretty dodgy. However, overall the whole thing with Conrad was so good I’m willing to let this slide a bit. It did send some mixed messages though.
  • I wasn’t spoiled for the Conrad reveal. I’m so glad, because it absolutely shocked me.
  • Ohhhh the hate for this episode outside TG is going to be insane I fear. (I know some people here really it, which is valid, I’m talking about the people who are gonna be pro-conrad)
  • Ruby had a great time with the Doctor, but she now also suffers from paranoia. Hooray for actions having consequences! /srs. I love that some people like Clara and Sarah Jane get sort of addicted to traveling with the doctor, but I love that we’re finally being shown the flip side of that.
  • I really don’t care about Mrs. Flood, she’s literally just Susan Twist with fourth wall breaks at this point.
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Just finished a second watch, and I think I’ve settled on 4.5 stars as my final rating for this one. It does have a couple of plot issues which others have pointed out, but on the whole this is my favourite episode of the season so far, for two big reasons:

Firstly, this is a very-character focused episode (which I always enjoy) that juggles three main characters (Ruby, Conrad and Kate) and gives us some really juicy scenes and insights into all three of them. I think everything to do with Ruby’s post-TARDIS life was very natural, and her PTSD after everything she went through during her travels was well-handled. Despite having been around for 12 years now, Kate also gets her best-ever scenes in the show - it’s great to see her take charge and put Conrad in his place, as well as giving some insights into what she’s like when the Doctor isn’t around (in fact, I found the way she dealt with Conrad to be a very Doctor-ish moment for her). Between giving Ruby and Kate some more depth, the episode also finds the time to draw a compelling portrait of Conrad, as an attention-seeking grifter willing to go to any lengths to make people believe him. The scene when he reveals himself is honestly quite hard to watch, because he is utterly vile to Ruby (and Shirley - for the second time in as many appearances, someone accused her of being a benefits cheat!) in a way that I don’t remember any other villains really being. All three main actors deserve huge kudos for their performances, as well as Pete McTighe for the script.

Secondly, I think the central issue of the episode felt very of-the-moment, and it was dealt with perfectly. I’d argue that people like Conrad, and the behaviours and ideologies (or lack of) that he represents, are one of the biggest causes of a lot of the issues in society today, so to see the show full-throatedly condemn them was utterly fantastic. The closing scene, where the Doctor effectively shows up and gives Conrad both barrels, was pitch-perfect, and I hope it will be enough of a metaphorical whack to wake up even the most apolitical viewers. The confrontation, (and in particular, the moment when the Doctor tells Conrad how he is going to die) was electrifying, and honestly one of Fifteen’s strongest moments.

Some more random thoughts:

  • While the Doctor and Belinda weren’t in this one much, the scenes we did get were golden. I love their dynamic - the Doctor is desperately trying to impress her, and Belinda is having none of it :laughing: Varada Sethu does exasperated really well, and I thought her exchange with young Conrad regarding the year was really endearing.
  • I was quite surprised to read that some people didn’t pick up on Conrad until the twist, because I think the episode telegraphs it quite strongly. The music in his first appearance is ever so slightly off, and the scene where he takes a photo of Ruby really comes off quite stalker-y. Also, when he and Ruby were at the bus stop, the edges of the screen were out of focus, which added to the off-kilter vibe of the first half for me.
  • As I mentioned in some comments further up the thread, I think Conrad represents a very similar kind of villain to Alan. The episode doesn’t outright state anything, but I think the way he deceives and then belittles Ruby gives off quite strong misogynistic and coercive undertones. I found him to be a lot more detestable than Alan, and felt he demonstrated the dangers of those behaviours a lot more effectively than in The Robot Revolution.
  • It’s interesting to consider how this episode appears to be setting up The War Between The Land And The Sea. Obviously we have the Mel mention, but I also assume that the way Kate dealt with Conrad will have consequences for her at UNIT, and it will be interesting to see if she still has her position in that show. I didn’t mind Kate and Ibrahim’s relationship - I assume it will be a plot point in the spin-off.
  • I also loved the side characters in this one - Shirley, Cherry and Ruby’s gran all had some great lines, and it was good to see them back. It added a bit of that continuity which I think served RTD1 so well.

Last, super-duper important thought:

Ncuti’s outfit in the final scene was hoooot :hot_face: I think he’s taken the best-dressed Doctor crown with that one

Series rankings so far:

  1. Lucky Day - 4.5 stars
  2. Lux - 4.5 stars
  3. Joy to the World - 4 stars
  4. The Robot Revolution - 3.5 stars
  5. The Well - 3.5 stars

Really looking forward to The Story and the Engine next week! Series 15 is 5 for 5 so far!

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Absolute banger of an episode.

Did anybody feel like they are setting up the upcoming spinoff in this one? Mel investigating something strange in Sidney harbor seemed suspicious :eyes:

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That was something I was thinking about as well. The episode is obviously criticizing real life conspiracy nuts and people who willingly spread disinformation to bend their world view, but if I lived in a world where a secret organization with a huge tower in London with a freaking laser gun on top would be a thing, I’m not so sure I would be as opposed to Conrad…

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I thought it was a fantastic episode with very pertinent commentary given the societal climate currently. Apart from the robot revolution which I think was a bit half baked I have loved this season so far. Ncuti Gatwa is shaping up to be one of my favourite doctors I just wish we had more screen time with him. Loved how he went all gravitas at the end with Conrad. Mrs Flood also seems increasingly menacing as the weeks go on.

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He’s taken that crown in every single episode he’s been in. That man is a menace when it comes to an outfit.

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idk if 2.5 stars feels a bit harsh might settle on 3 or 3.5 idk

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What is it about politics in Who you don’t like? I’d say its one of the integral elements of the show since the very beginning.

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Doctor Who has been political since 1963 when it used Daleks as an allegory for fascism.

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its not that i dont like them,sometimes i just dont like when the plot is just about it and thats it.

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Me when Conrad insults Kate: -_-
Me when Conrad insults the Brigadier: LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHI-

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I’ve been thinking about this, and idk if it would’ve worked, but to circumvent this what if we kept the scale focused on Ruby. We keep Conrad being a conspiracy theorist, we keep him dating/tricking Ruby, but instead of all of UNIT showing up maybe she attacks one of Conrad’s friends in the suits. Suddenly they’re revealed to be human, he accuses her of hurting them “just to keep up her lies for the government.” He doxxes her, people follow her around same as we see before. She talks about basically having PTSD, and I think this could map pretty well onto these types of conspiracy theorists attacking people who have already survived horrible things. Idk, I’d have to rewatch the episode and give it more thought before saying it could’ve better. Even then it would still be a personal preference thing.

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Ah okay I was just going off what you’ve said before on Discord :person_shrugging:

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Yeah fair enough,idk so far i think its a solid episode,but with some problems,overall i dont think its bad.

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On the one hand I kind of get what you mean. Entertainment is meant to be escapism for some and I understand that watching a scifi show can be a great way to get away from real world horrors for an hour.

On the other hand, not only has Doctor Who always been political, Scifi in itself has always been used as a vehicle to critique the current state of society. It’s so deeply ingrained in the genre, that I would say, if you’re looking for escapism, you’re better off watching fantasy than scifi.

But again, I get where you’re coming from and it can be uncomfortable to see the current state of things displayed in the media we love. But maybe media shouldn’t always be comfortable?

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Real talk. The Brigadier get’s name-dropped so often in the new series but it’s always praising him in the highest regard. Having someone actually drag his name through the mud was so jarring, but such a surprisingly great way to make you hate the villain even more.

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Agreed! With the state of the world right now we all have our part to play, we all have a vote and hopefully things can get better.

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Just watched! Again, I’m writing this before reading the thread so my thoughts are fresh – apologies for any repetition.

I enjoyed that one! I think it was a bit confused but generally pretty solid. I also think it’s the best Ruby episode so far – her stress and anxiety after leaving the Doctor felt real and interesting and I even wish we’d focused a bit more on that.

Conrad; not particularly charismatic before or after his heel turn, but not bad.

I liked how super ’standard Who’ it was before the twist, after which it became a story primarily about the stoking of misinformation to promote fear and hatred, which is sadly always a relevant topic.

Where I felt the story was confused was in its imagery. Specifically the imagery of Conrad facing down armed men with his phone camera felt very charged and against the spirit of the rest of the episode. I might write more about that if I can get my thoughts in order – safe to say it felt a little muddy (and in that respect, similar to the end of Kerblam!).

Loved Kate going all dark for a moment there. Love that it wasn’t brushed off at the end, with that moment from Ibrahim.

The ending – where Conrad twists several iconic lines from the Doctor and the Brig (I counted Deadly Assassin and Battlefield) was interesting. A bit scary how the same words in a different light can be so horrible and speak to an awful worldview. Reality-based community, eh, Conrad?

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Absolutely. I was thinking about if the Doctors conversation with Conrad at the end of the episode was too much on the nose, but I quickly came to the conclusion that you have to be on the nose these days and sometimes you have to have the main character scream the facts at the audience.

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Totally. The world is so, so scary right now for everyone but especially for those of us who fall into minority brackets.

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