The second season of Disney’s Doctor Who kicks off with “The Robot Revolution” and the introduction of Belinda Chandra (Varada Seth), who is abducted from her house in the middle of the night by some large robots telling her she is their queen. Having no choice but to follow, she starts on a journey that takes her across the stars. Arriving on a planet where the humans have been subjugated and robot overlords rule, she’s told she must marry and weld with a robot that knows no pity or mercy, and it’s there that she meets the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) who has a plan to save her and start a rebellion.

The series is back with an exciting start. The episode itself is a fun story that spans across seventeen years, the whole adventure kicking off because of a gift Belinda got as a teenager from her ex. Throw in some timey-wimey and you’ve got an excellent premiere.

As often with Doctor Who, the episode blends a lively adventure but also touches on real world issues and lessons to be learned. Without getting into spoiler territory, there are themes of control and independence which come out in different ways.

Gatwa, as before, is a joy to watch, his energy always permeating the screen, and you can’t help but smile. Sethu, who appeared in last season’s episode “Boom” as Anglican marine Mundy Flynn, creates a fantastic counterbalance in a new way, and they play off of each other really well. She’s not just content to let the Doctor show her wonders. She has her own life to get back to and doesn’t want to just go on adventures, and it’s only because of circumstances that prevent her return to Earth that she stays. This creates quite a different dynamic. At one point in the episode, he defends her, and she lets him know quickly she doesn’t need him to fight her battles for her. They’re very much set up to be equals, as she’s not as dazzled by him as a lot of the companions and is quick to tell him when he’s wrong. She’s her own woman. I very much was pleased with this shift and anticipate seeing them more as partners in the truest sense of the word. I think it will make for interesting stories down the road. As an aside I also appreciated an explanation of how Sethu’s two characters may be genetically linked.

Russel T. Davies, who returns as showrunner, penned the episode, and the story itself does a great job of introducing Belinda and setting the tone for their relationship this season. The script itself was entertaining, and I liked that it did drive home some societal issues in a twist towards the end of the episode that in my opinion was pulled off fairly well. It didn’t make the episode overly dark or serious and even with some more somber moments pulled off beautifully by Gatwa, it still had its lighter moments giving it a good balance overall. While I wouldn’t rate it as one of the best in terms of Doctor Who premieres, it definitely landed a lot better for me than last seasons “Space Babies,” and I did quite enjoy the episode; it was fun and fast-paced.

The opener to me was a strong start and just leaves me wanting more. I’m excited to see how the dynamic between the Doctor and Belinda plays out over the course of the season as well as how Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) will play into it in later episodes, who’s return has already been announced. The first season was admittedly shaky at times, but overall, “The Robot Revolution” leaves me hopeful that the show in its sophomore season will hit its stride.