Following the review is a detailed recap. Both contain spoilers for 2.04, "Lucky Day"

In this week’s all-new Doctor Who, which just premiered on Disney Plus, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) tries to adjust to life without the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), when she meets podcaster Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), who is eager to have her share the stories of her adventures. But when the terrifying Shreek has its sights set on her new boyfriend, she and UNIT must work to save him as well as reveal some truths to the world before irreversible damage can be caused by a devious prank.

I really feel split about this episode. While I liked the way it fell in the timeline and it was nice to see Ruby back in action, as she was an enjoyable companion, I would have preferred to see her go on an adventure with the Doctor and Belinda (Varada Sethu). While scheduling conflicts may have been unavoidable, in a season with only eight episodes, having one that is Doctor-lite was rather disappointing, and also cutting out Belinda almost entirely made it only more so. That being said, it was great to see Ruby team up with Kate Lethbridge Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and the gang, who it’s always a treat to see. I’m excited for the upcoming UNIT spinoff and am always happy to see them involved, whatever the alien threat may be.

I also appreciated seeing the aftermath of the Doctor leaving Ruby, as generally once a companion is done traveling the universe, we don’t see them again, and we certainly don’t see how they deal with their life suddenly becoming mundane after all their fantastical adventures, and it felt believable that she would not be coping that well. I do feel though she became a little too invested in suddenly having a boyfriend. Ruby has been pretty independent in the past, and here she felt a bit too needy. I can see her being angry at what Conrad did, but not crying her eyes out. Nevertheless, I’m assuming at some point we might see Ruby again, but it didn’t play to me like she would be joining them again any time soon, so I guess only time will tell.

On a more positive note, the episode also did something else for me, which was really surprise me. I did not see the twist coming at all, yet it made perfect sense, and I also liked how it tied in some of the darker sides of what social media can do. I also was happy the Doctor didn’t let Conrad off the hook, though I was a bit surprised Kate took it so far.

I also continue to wonder about Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson). She has appeared so far in every episode this season. I just hope the payoff is worth it.

Regardless, overall, it was a solid, enjoyable episode and the creature storyline was good, I just really would have liked to have seen more of the Doctor and Belinda.


RECAP

The Tardis arrives in London on New Year’s 2007 and the Doctor puts out the Vindicator. The Doctor finds 50 pence. He thinks they are winning, but Belinda wants him to focus so he can get her home. They notice a young boy standing by watching, Conrad Clark (Benjamin Chivers), and the Doctor introduces them. The Doctor says he’s loves it’s New Year’s with all its hopes and possibilities and gives the boy the 50P, saying that it’s meant for him and is his lucky day. Belinda asks about his parents, but he says his mother is watching the fireworks and grabs the money and runs.

The boy rushes to tell his mother what he’s seen, but she yells at him for lying and says he’s ruining her night. In voiceover, an adult Conrad says that he was eight when he first saw the police box. Ever since, he followed stories about it and interviewed eye-witnesses across the globe, but he’s finally found someone who knows its secrets, someone who’s actually been inside: Ruby Sunday, who is a guest on his podcast in Conrad’s present.

Conrad says that seventeen years later he saw the blue box again, last year. In another flashback, he goes to open the TARDIS door but hears a roar and follows it into an abandoned mall. Something rushes past him, and he touches his neck, which is now covered in green slime. He follows the screeches until he sees a creature with red eyes at the top of an escalator. He runs away, and it teleports out.

Suddenly Ruby and the Doctor are coming down the escalator. He tells her that he zapped the Shreek back into its hive. Ruby says to please tell her she wasn’t just peed on. She is also covered in the green slime. The Doctor explains its more like vomit: the pheromone gets absorbed into your blood and marks you as future prey, however he has something to neutralize the pheromone with which has her drink. Conrad watches, hidden nearby. The Doctor and Ruby laugh and walk away. The Doctor tells her to go lie down, as the antidote will knock her out for about eight hours. She says that she could do with a rest, because life with him is mad: half an hour ago they were hanging out with the Beetles.

Conrad, still hiding, snaps a photo of Ruby with his phone, and posts it on the internet, asking if anyone has seen the woman. His voiceover continues that he had been looking for her ever since.

The scene flips back to Conrad’s present where he is interviewing Ruby. Various people are listening to her story, including a man who works at UNIT. Conrad asks about the Doctor and how she ended up with him and his police box in the shop, as he is such a fan. She says she won’t go into specifics, but says he is her best friend, and they used to travel together. That day in the shop they were looking for something. He interrupts that it was aliens. She says they all know aliens are real. He says that some trolls online say that all this talk of monsters is just a cover story for something else. Ruby says that maybe they are afraid of the truth, and that there is no reason to be scared; UNIT is keeping everyone safe, as is the Doctor.

Afterwards, Conrad tells her that he’s been trying to get UNIT on his podcast for years, but no one returns his calls. She tells him it’s not him; they are probably just busy. He nervously asks her out, and she agrees to go with him for coffee around the corner.

At the café, he watches a video Ruby has on her phone of the Shreek. She says they live in a pocket dimension and leave the hive once a year to hunt and somehow one made it to Earth. He says that was the first day he saw her, but she says that the footage is from last night, so it came back to the same location one year later, which means it marked him as prey and now is hunting him. If UNIT hadn’t captured it, it would be there and would come after him. She tells him he’d first notice the lights flickering as the Shreek’s background radiation messes with electricity, then it would show itself. It enjoys the hunt and feeds off fear. She gives him the antidote and tells him to drink it later that night, and it will block it from tracking him.

He tells her about meeting the Doctor as a kid, and how he gave him the 50P, which he has on a chain around his neck. Meeting the Doctor is what got him into strange tech and UFOs and inspired the podcast. He tells her he thinks he was wrong when The Doctor told him it was his lucky day, because he thinks today is. She just tells him to take the antidote before bed, because it will make him sleepy. He says he will if she lets him buy her dinner and then fumbles through asking her on another date.

Ruby comes home and her mother (Michelle Greenidge) and grandmother (Angela Wynter) fuss over her and tease her, excited she has a date. They’re happy she’s moving on with her life.

Ruby and Conrad go on their date. They talk about her family, and she asks about his, who he originally didn’t want to talk about. He says it was just him and his mother growing up, who died of liver cancer. He tells her he’s sorry he’s not as cool as the Doctor. She tells him he is nice, lovely, and that’s what she needs right now. He asks if the Doctor was her boyfriend, and she laughs, saying that if he was there, he would have been flirting with him.

He talks about seeing the police box, and she calls it the TARDIS and tells him it’s the most incredible thing you’ll ever see in your life. She’s seen a lot of incredible things, which she doesn’t usually get to talk about.

They continue their date outside, walking along the street, and she says she’s told him things she hasn’t told anyone. She’s tried, but her friends think she’s mad. He says he doesn’t think that; he thinks she’s amazing. Then, they share a kiss.

Back at home, her birth mother, Louise (Faye McKeever), is visiting and talks about Conrad with her mother and grandmother. They are all pleased, because she really needed it. After Ruby leaves for a weekend trip with Conrad, her mother points out that she’s not mentioned the Doctor in weeks.

Ruby and Conrad have just exited the bus when she notices the electronic sign flickering.

The two join some of his friends at the pub where the electricity starts acting up as well. Ruby, concerned, goes outside to make a call.

At UNIT headquarters, Kate Lethbridge Stewart tells her there is no quantum echo at her location. She offers to send a team if she’s worried, but Ruby tells her not to bother. Kate, tries to ease her worry, saying that the Shreek is locked away, and if her friend took the antidote, he’s fine.

Kate double checks that the Shreek is still in containment just in case.

Back at the pub, Ruby explains to Conrad that it’s like she has PTSD, because what happened to her with the Doctor wasn’t normal. Every day is like fight or flight, and she’s waiting for something to go wrong. He tells her nothing is going wrong while he’s there.

The lights flicker again, and the bartender asks where Sparky (Paddy Stafford) is. Conrad goes to check in the restroom while she continues to worry. Someone screams. A woman comes in carrying her dog, telling them to lock the door, that something “like the devil himself” is outside.

Conrad comes back when he doesn’t find Sparky. He tells Ruby that he is sorry. He didn’t take the antidote, because he wanted to be brave like the Doctor, and he’s not afraid. She says that he should be.

Ruby calls UNIT again, and they question that there are more of them when they already have it locked up. Kate and the others prep to leave in the helicopter.

Ruby takes charge. Conrad’s friend is worried about Sparky, so Ruby grabs a poker from the fireplace as a weapon and prepares to leave. Conrad tries to go with her, but she tells him to stay there, because they are after him, and after they’re done tearing him apart, they’ll wipe out the entire village.

Conrad ends up following her out. He tells her they are a team like her and the Doctor and can fix this. They look for Sparky, but find only his hat and shoe. They see a Shreek and run as UNIT shows up.

Ruby, Conrad, and his friends come out to talk to them. Kate says she wants the Shreek alive as they need to understand how they got there. Soldiers aim at the Shreeks, preparing to fire to stun.

Suddenly, the two creatures stand up on two legs: they aren’t Shreeks. Two men pull off their masks, laughing. The one asks Conrad how they did, and he says they nailed it. Ruby asks him what they are talking about. He says they are Think Tank, exposing the lies perpetuated by UNIT and by her, and they are streaming live. She says it’s not funny. He says that he’s had to put up with her and listen to her stories for weeks, but it’s been worth it.

Kate yells at the one woman who is also recording to put her phone down, but she says they will sue them for censorship if they try to stop them. Kate tells Conrad he made a very big, very dangerous mistake.

Conrad questions if Kate even remembers him. He says the only monsters out there are UNIT lying to the public. Ruby says they are protecting people like him, but he just says she is lying, and there are no aliens, just actors and special effects paid for with taxpayer money to keep them scared and hide their real agenda. He says that the lies stop today, because people all over the world are watching them, sharing, reposting, and demanding the truth. He says they are using everyone for Kate’s dirty work. Kate tells the soldiers to arrest them. Ruby is really upset.

News channels report on what has happened and the ongoing story. Conrad is released after public protests and social media backlash. On his social media he says he is naming and shaming every UNIT employee and gives out their names and addresses, saying that they are spying on everyone and lying about it, so they have to turn the tables. People are listening to him. UNIT employees are harassed. Even Parliament is debating the government’s contributions to UNIT.

At headquarters, UNIT employee Shirley Bingham (Ruth Madeley) tells Ruby that 8 years ago Conrad applied to work there, and Kate even interviewed him. It’s a grudge dressed up as a youth movement. Ruby says that it’s more than that; it’s about power. It’s given him a voice. He’s been craving attention his whole life; his mother practically ignored him until the day she died. Shirley tells her that his mother isn’t dead but in a French villa he paid for. He’s raking it in at 80,000 subscriptions.

Kate asks Colonel Ibrahim (Alexander Devrient) why the containment unit is outside, and he tells her that they had orders to have it transferred to Geneva. Their security status has been downgraded.

Shirley asks Kate about what happened at Whitehall, and she tells her that the cabinet only cares about their jobs, and if they get enough pressure, they’ll fold. They’ll support a full inventory of UNIT premises. Ruby asks what happens if their tech goes public, and she says that their technology would tear the world apart.

Ruby asks how Conrad got a staff list, and Kate says that they are working on the assumption that he has someone on the inside.

Meanwhile, one of the unit workers, Jordan Lang (Kareem Alexander), is using the computer to lock soldiers in various parts of the tower to keep them out of the way. He stuns one of them and opens a door, letting in Conrad. When he takes the stunned soldier’s gun, Lang tries to stop him, as they didn’t agree to weapons, and they struggle.

Meanwhile, the alien the Vlinx looks through personnel data to figure out who has a connection to Conrad, which they realize besides Ruby is Jordan, so they know he’s the one helping him.

When Conrad heads up the lift, Colonel Ibrahim tells Kate to seal off the level, but she says to let him come, as he single-handedly undermined everything they worked for, and they need to finish this.

Conrad comes in, armed, and they all point their guns at him. He’s live streaming, he says, to expose the truth, but Ruby calls him out that it’s grandstanding and ego. When he points the gun at Ruby, Kate tells him that he was right she didn’t remember him, so she checked her notes form the interview eight years ago, and all she had written was “don’t trust him.” He says they think they are superior looking down on them and wants them to confess, admit the lies and show them the monster costumes and the tech they are hiding that taxpayers paid for.

Kate asks him about Jordan Lang, who they find out has been shot and is being rushed to the infirmary by the ground team. He lies saying he didn’t do it and that maybe she did, or maybe he was an actor or never existed in the first place. He again demands they confess and to start with the Doctor. Kate says she is glad he isn’t there, because he would have stopped her from showing him and his followers what UNIT is really protecting them from.

Kate has the containment cube brought in: the truth, as requested.

Ruby tells him to get out, because it’s hunting him and will come after him, but he doesn’t believe them. Kate tells everyone else to stay back and says that it’s coming after him and  wonders how committed he is to the lies he’s told and what he truly believes.

The Shreek comes out of the box, and Conrad tries to leave. He asks Kate how he gets out, and she tells him he doesn’t. She tells Shirley to send send all their cameras as a live transmission to his social media and tells him they are locked down.

Colonel Ibrahim worries the creature, which has gone into the vents, will get out, but Kate tells him that it won’t leave while Conrad is there. Conrad evades and shoots at the alien, and Ruby tells Kate she has to help him, but she ignores her.

The Shreek breaks back in through the window. Conrad’s gun jams, and he begs them to help him, but Kate just says that he told them it wasn’t real.

He eventually admits to everyone that he lied and to just make it stop. Shirley grabs a taser from one of the soldiers and gives it to Ruby who shocks the alien.

After it’s down, Conrad sarcastically says that at least their special effects are improving, and it lunges at him, biting his arm.

Later, Ibrahim tells Kate that they have gotten word from the hospital that Conrad will live and Lang is out of ICU. He tells her she went too far, but she brushes him off, repeating that he’ll live.

Kate talks to Ruby, who is still upset. Ruby says that she sees now that she’s been stuck in limbo waiting for the Doctor, the end of the world, and she doesn’t know how to get any better. She needs time to get her head around everything she’s seen. Kate tells her that when and if she is ready to talk, to call her.

Conrad is in a jail cell. It looks like his arm has been reattached with tech. The TARDIS materializes around him. The Doctor tells him that the Shreek are back in their hive. He says that you have to be invited into his TARDIS to be special, but he is special for all the wrong reasons. He’s fighting a battle on behalf of everyday people who just want to get through the day and feel safe, then along comes this relentless noise from cowards like him, weaponizing lies and taking peoples insecurities and fears and making it currency.  He says Conrad is exhausting and that that people like him stamp on the truth and shred their patience, because the only strategy they have is to wear people down, but he has the energy to burn and all the time on the universe.

Conrad laughs at him and questions if it’s an intervention to save his soul. The Doctor says that he betrayed his friend.  He just tells the Doctor that he’s had plenty of friends and asks if he’s met Belinda Chandra yet, which he hasn’t in his timeline. The Doctor says if he wants spoilers, he will tell him his future: he will die in a prison cell boiling in anger and poison until his heart packs it in at 49, alone, unloved, and forgotten. The world carries on and gets better; he isn’t even a footnote. Conrad tells him that he doesn’t accept that reality so to put him back in his prison and to get off his world. So, the Doctor snaps his fingers, and he’s back in his cell.

A woman comes to his cell jingling keys, and he asks her if he imagined that. She tells him that he did not and says, “It’s ever so big, innit?” He asks who she is, and the camera switches to her to show that it’s Mrs. Flood. She tells him that she’s the Governor and holds up the keys and says that it’s his lucky day.