It’s always a huge event when Doctor Who returns, but there’s something particularly special about this new season. After the 60th anniversary and the spectacular first season with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, the series starts its second season once again under Russell T. Davies. “The Robot Revolution” is the premiere episode of the new season, and it doesn’t just kick off by giving us a new chapter in this universe. It serves as a declaration that the show is constantly evolving, and with it comes a new kind of companion, a new kind of problem, and new kinds of adventures.
There’s an immediate sense of boldness here. You can feel Davies throwing us into an adventure that’s as philosophically challenging as it is visually ambitious. There’s no holding your hand in “The Robot Revolution.” Instead, it demands our attention and rewards us for following it into the unknown. With Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, who is still charming but thoughtful, and a companion who is far from the classic companion archetype, the show is indeed trying something new. This isn’t just the start of a new season. It feels like the beginning of an era that wants to be remembered.
[Warning: Spoilers from Doctor Who season 2 premiere are below!]
Doctor Who episode “The Robot Revolution”: the story
The episode starts not with the Doctor but with Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), who is just an ordinary woman living on Earth. We learn that 17 years ago, her boyfriend bought her a star, but she didn’t care about it at all. Back in the present, she is a nurse working in the hospital, and one night, her life changes. She is plucked from her routine and gets kidnapped by alien robots and goes into space. The planet she’s taken to is named after her – Missbelindachandra One.
Enter the Doctor, who’s already on the planet when Belinda arrives. He’d been hiding in plain sight as a historian for six months before she appeared, observing the situation, biding his time, and trying to find out how to save her. The planet’s society is divided. It is a war between humanoid beings and mechanical citizens, both living under the delusion that their Queen will come to save them and fix everything.
As the Doctor and Belinda learn about the strange customs and expectations of Missbelindachandra One, they find out that the mysterious AI that controls the robots has the same certificate of owning the star as Belinda does. This small revelation helps the narrative slowly reveal who is responsible for all of this. We learn that Missbelindachandra One is a planet shaped in honor or rather in an obsession of Belinda by her ex-boyfriend, Alan Budd (Jonny Green). Seventeen years ago, Alan named a star after her. But, through a series of bizarre cosmic accidents and all that wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, Alan merges with an artificial intelligence that uses him to create an entire robot civilization and rule the planet.
Belinda’s confrontation with Alan is the emotional core of the episode. It’s not a battle in the traditional sense. There are no guns, no running, no fighting, but simply a sad and tense talk. When Belinda decides to bind two pieces of paper together, they trigger a temporal paradox that floods both of them with the entirety of time. Reliving every moment of their lives, all at once. The Doctor saves Belinda and sees every single minute of her life by trying to move her away from the paradox.
For Alan, it’s too much. He gets miniaturized, and his life is regressed to its beginning. He is unmade and now basically dead because of what he did. The robots, now leaderless, begin to change their attitude and help the people of Missbelindachandra One to rebuild and live in peace. The Doctor and Belinda depart, but they can’t go back to the day they left. As it is revealed (but they don’t know it yet), Earth got destroyed, and its remains are floating in space.
New destiny on the horizon for Belinda Chandra
What sets Belinda Chandra apart from so many companions before her is her spite for the Doctor and complete ignorance of his charm. She does not beg to stay on board the TARDIS or ask him to travel anywhere in the future or the past. She doesn’t want to visit dying stars or dreams of adventure. She demands to be taken home right back where she was taken from. And that’s exactly what makes her such a brilliant addition to the show.
Belinda isn’t a tourist. She’s a survivor. She doesn’t want to be a partner of the Doctor. Her presence forces the Doctor to change his behavior. He can’t just abduct her, solve another cosmic mystery, and expect gratitude from her for saving lives. She calls him out. She challenges his instincts and unmasks him, and surprisingly, he listens to her.
This new dynamic is something Russell T. Davies has emphasized in interviews. He mentioned that the idea of Belinda being the Doctor’s companion is that she is not like everyone else. She is not like everyone who would be thrilled to run away with the Doctor.
And yet, by the end of the episode, Belinda isn’t just willingly staying aboard the TARDIS. She’s forced to stay and can’t go home, not just yet. The timeline has been fractured, as always. And so begins an arc that promises not just weird travels across time and space but an emotional journey of discovery. Belinda’s journey won’t be about discovering other worlds. It’ll be about finding peace, knowledge, and her purpose in life.
Future of Doctor Who season 2
In classic Doctor Who fashion, the final moments of “The Robot Revolution” hint at a much bigger story. As the TARDIS flies through space, far from Earth, familiar landmarks, artifacts, and pieces of culture float through the space. Something has gone wrong. Time is broken. Or maybe space is. Either way, the Doctor knows he’s not just dealing with another crisis-of-the-week.
This is exactly the kind of evil intrigue that fans have been waiting to see. While Doctor Who has traditionally balanced between standalone episodes and filler arcs, Russell T. Davies seems determined to give us something deeper this season. A mystery that goes through the whole galaxy. A threat that can’t be solved with a sonic screwdriver and a typical Doctor’s charm.
But it’s not just the universe that’s changing or is in danger. The Doctor himself seems different. Ncuti Gatwa continues to bring the iconic charisma of the Doctor. But now, he seems tired and a little worn out. It’s visible, especially with Belinda pushing back and refusing to join and be his companion. She’s forcing him to confront his power and his privilege, and it’s almost like we see that small piece of “Time Lord Victorious” in him once again.
Final thoughts on Doctor Who season 2 premiere “The Robot Revolution”
“The Robot Revolution” is not a typical season opener. It doesn’t rush to introduce villains or tease future cameos. Instead, it tries to be weird. It tries to be slow in places, emotionally messy, and full of ideas that won’t fully make sense until later. In doing so, it proves that Doctor Who is ready to evolve again.
It’s a challenging episode because not everyone will love its politics, its emotional parts, or its philosophical nods. But that’s part of its strength. This isn’t just about entertaining an audience. It’s about confronting the legacy of the show itself, and showing the idea of the companion who refuses the Doctor’s offer, and the consequences of saving the day, and what it means to be remembered.
Belinda is a very interesting character, and her chemistry with Ncuti Gatwa promises a season unlike any we’ve seen before. There’s no romance, no blind trust, it’s just tension, honesty, and two people trying to survive the cosmos without losing themselves.
Doctor Who has always thrived on reinvention and showing new things. “The Robot Revolution” proves that the show still dares to do just that, and in doing so, it sets the stage for what might be one of the most fascinating, risky, and rewarding seasons in recent Doctor Who history.
What did you think of the premiere episode of this new season of Doctor Who? Let us know on social media @mycosmiccircus or @TheCosmicCircus.com on Bluesky.
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