Oh Russell, you never let up with the Lekad? Adlek? Klaed? No, Edlak? They should really get that name sorted out, and maybe get a space plumber/policeman around to get their robots to employ plungers instead of claws. The very first bit of Doctor Who for 2023 has come and gone, with this Saturday’s special being the first full episode we’ll get in the RTD2 era. “Destination: Skaro” was the first supplemental of the new era. In fact, I don’t believe there were many (if any) supplementals in the Chibnall era.

It is an episode that signs on the dotted line that Russell is just having fun with the series now and doesn’t care what the Daily Mail brands the show. That’s different from Chibbers not caring, at least Russell makes it make sense. We only got 5 minutes of his “Partners in Crime” writing again, this time as some bloke named Davros (never heard of him) tries to plan out the domination of his Kaled race (never heard of them), seemingly looking like copper dustbins that have no opinions on race or racial purity.

For those that are very dry, that’s a joke. This whole thing was a joke as (presumably) Murray Gold’s score triumphantly danced on your ears while the 14th Doctor did his usual rambling before realizing it. It is Russell, of course, the first thing we see from him properly is another Dalek story, quite literally another genesis of the Daleks story. Though I can’t just say that, can I? We have to wade through another play about pieces of feces thanks to rags like the Daily Mail and YouTubers who are happy to say, “I’ve been called racist, homophobic, and misogynist,” as if they’re badges of honor.

Their words try dismantling something Russell said in the new Confidential-style show about this version of Davros. To give you the gist: ‘Davros is the ultimate evil, Davros is also someone who’s mostly known for being assisted by a wheelchair in his movement, maybe we should try and rethink that?’ Which is entirely paraphrasing so I can make the point a bit clearer. What people have seen, heard, and read when Russell’s quote came up is that it’s all gone. Davros will never be seen in a wheelchair, even in the episodes already done (he’s CGI’d out), how dare you think of such a thing? blah blah blah.

We’ve seen Davros for all of two and a half minutes here in “Destination: Skaro,” all with the wonderful Julian Bleach returning. It is all set in the same five-minute period, and most importantly, all to set up everything that comes next. Despite Daily Mail headlines being created because Twitter user Ha!lV!t0ryDavros112 and “Wolfgang Gerhard #1fan” on YouTube published a video incriminating themselves for how they speak to others, we don’t know what Davies has planned next for Davros. Production might, but we don’t and evidently won’t, at least until his second series with Ncuti.

The actual quote from Davies in Doctor Who Unleashed was: “Time and society[,] culture[,] and taste has moved on. And there’s a problem with the Davros of old in that he’s a wheelchair user, who is evil. And I had problems with that. And a lot of us on the production team had problems with that, of associating disability with evil. And trust me, there’s a very long tradition of this [in media].” In none of this, is the direction or path we’re going with the character in the future stated, not clearly at least.

Those shouting their dismay at this are clinging to something because it represents something larger going on within Doctor Who and beyond. This weekend’s special which kicks off the four we’ll see this year features characters of color, characters in wheelchairs, characters who are trans, and everything else. The Daily Mail calling the show “Woke” is like calling the sky blue. Of course, it is Woke, it is a show that features an analog for literal Nazis. The same ideology the Mail praised 90 years ago and has only shifted to complain when things aren’t straight, White, and European.

“You haven’t spoken much about the ‘episode,’ you’ve just droned on about the bile and hatred surrounding it,” as I assume you (and my editor) are now saying. What, honestly in all that there is to show from the five minutes of an episode, is there to say about “Destination: Skaro?” It is a five-minute comedy piece that has been praised for being entertaining, while idiots clinging to a couple of words from a showrunner suggesting there is a greater change on the horizon try to rattle cages for attention.

In all honesty, there is nothing to complain about when it comes to “Destination: Skaro.” It was a fun example of this 14th Doctor we’re getting. It was Russell kicking the door open and showing us how he means to go on, which is to say picking up where he left off. Tennant was bubbly and fun (as always) and his co-star Mawaan Rizwan was actually quite good for being a comedian primarily. Rizwan is possibly another that would rattle the hate mail if they knew he was a Pakistani-born gay man who did a documentary about how gay Pakistan is.

Ultimately, this is supposed to be a review, and it is difficult to review something that is so short and joyous. Despite the declarations of “I’m never watching again,” you know those same Twitter users cited will be saying the same thing this weekend when Yasmin Finney appears on screen. The Daily Mail will also once again trot out “Doctor Who gone ‘WOKE’ […]” headlines. “Destination: Skaro” is a great little supplemental that plays with the canon a little. It is something that you don’t have to take seriously as it plays with the established work.

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Doctor Who "Destination: Skaro"

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Russell running full steam ahead with this new era.
• I've seen this 14th Doctor somewhere else before, I think.
• Mawaan and Julian's performances are great.
• is "Ruby Ray Blaster" a heavy hint?

Cons

• Another play about pieces of feces made out of nothing.