Doctor Who: Dot and Bubble: Review

The fifth episode of the first full season of Ncuti Gatwa's 15th Doctor sees him and his companion Ruby Sunday visiting the planet of Finetime.

The latest episode dives into a world where a seemingly innocent woman Lindy (Callie Cooke, all Barbie one moment, something else entirely the next) is going about her daily business with no real issues.

Stuck in a world run by social media and circles, Lindy is suddenly interrupted by the appearance of the Doctor and Ruby who warn her danger is coming and they can help her escape. But before help can arrive, Lindy is forced to face reality after she sees her friends devoured by slugs on the streets of Finetime.

Dot and Bubble is perhaps one of the weaker episodes of the season, a second in a row to feature less of the Doctor and this time around, less of Ruby Sunday. Maybe the feeling it's a truncated season does little to soften that blow - and certainly the moments when Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor appears at the end are blistering and go to great lengths to demonstrate what a talent he is.

While Cooke is impressive as the self-obsessed narcissist stuck in a social media bubble, it's Davies' script that lacks subtlety and smartness as it takes on Black Mirror-esque edges and a powerfully harrowing final message.

Perhaps it's also the creatures in this which seem like budget-restricted CGI bugs as well - something just feels inherently off about the execution of this episode throughout. While the pastel colours of Finetime and the social media bubble are all excellently put together, there are just moments when it feels like Dot and Bubble isn't quite visually firing as it should.