Doctor Who Review: Fugitive of the Judoon (Season 12 Episode 5)
The Doctor comes face-to-face with herself on Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 5, “Fugitive of the Judoon.” And it doesn’t quite go how you’d expect.
The fifth episode of Season 12 is a wild ride that already puts it leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor. The introduction of Jack Harkness, a tease of the lone cyberman, and the introduction of another version of the Doctor leave the audience with a lot to unpack.
“Fugitive of the Judoon” sets up the problem perfectly and unfurls the mystery slowly, exposing it layer by layer until we get to a climax–then continues to amp it up more. The search for the fugitive is intense and Jo Martin and Neil Stuke, as Ruth and Lee, play their parts well as the mystery unravels.
Where the episode shines is when the truth comes to light: Ruth breaks the glass and has the memory of her life as the Doctor restored, catching Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor up on events.
The moment when Martin’s Doctor introduces herself before transporting them both to the Tardis is fantastic and carries all the weight a moment like this should. It’s not often that the audience gets to see the Doctor perplexed, and it’s rewarding to see her have to try to work out what’s going on along with the audience.
The scene in Wilson’s Doctor’s Tardis where they’re trying to figure out how they factor into each other’s timeline has the humor audiences expect from Doctor Who. In those moments its clear how different their lives are, but there’s also a bit of fascination and relatability that resonates.
The bits of dialogue where they remark on each other’s fashion choices are a particularly nice touch. If they were in the same timestream it would have an effect like looking at a photo of yourself and wondering what made you choose that haircut.
But instead of that ending the mystery, or leaving the Doctor with an ominous warning about her future (Jack Harkness kind of covered that) “Fugitive of the Judoon” diverts the expectation.
The Doctor has seemingly met versions of themselves before, but the idea that this is a version that is the same but yet different is unique.
The introduction of Gat, played by Ritu Arya, further deepens the mystery and adds more layers to the mystique of the episode. Arya commands every scene that she’s in, and in doing so makes her interactions with the Doctors and Lee all the more powerful.
We never get answers to who Gat is to Wilson’s Doctor, and that’s a good thing because we need those breadcrumbs are what’s going to drive the season forward. If the tagline for the rest of this season should be “Everything you think you know is a lie,” then this meeting falls perfectly in line and piques interest.
Before Season 12 concludes, we’re going to need to know how Wilson’s Doctor is part of Whittaker’s Doctor’s past. Even though Jodie Whittaker has stated that the myth of the Timeless Child might not be completely resolved this season, tying up loose ends in regards to the Doctor’s own history will be a solid stepping stone.
This episode has broader implications. Finding out that the Judoon were looking for the Doctor, that Gallifrey hired the Judoon, and that these two things mean that the Doctor could have only encountered her (unknown!) past (?) is jarring. The Doctor has never really fit into Gallifrey but what the heck did they do to warrant hiring the Judoon?
THE DOCTOR: You can’t be me. I know what I’ve done. I know my own life.
RUTH/THE DOCTOR: One of us has to be wrong.
It leaves us with questions and excitement for the next episode as we watch the credits and think, “What does it mean!?!” This is the excitement the series should be putting forth, and if it can keep this momentum and pacing the rest of the episodes should be equally as tantalizing.
More than providing an entertaining mystery, “Fugitive of the Judoon” also provides the perfect opportunity for the Doctor to finally let her friends in. This is something I’ve been waiting for, and one that I think will help the series overall.
This is the first time in Whittaker’s run where we’ve seen the Doctor feel truly powerless. She doesn’t have the answer here, and her friends are in the middle. We’ve started to see the strong facade crack a bit as she comes clean about her search for the Master and then again when she tells them what happened when they were on Jack Harkness’s ship.
Through Doctor Who Season 11, I struggled to see the duality in Whittaker’s Doctor that I came to love with the rest of the series. Most of the storylines I loved had both a comedic and a darker element to it, but it never felt like the writing and overall construction of Season 11 allowed Whittaker to find that element of the Doctor.
After “Fugitive of the Judoon” though, I now see the Tardis fam as a screen to keep some of that out. There’s a divide that comes in having three companions that can observe and remark on her behavior. Dropping them off and letting them entertain each other gives her the space to conceal things like Gallifrey’s destruction at the hands of The Master or her anxiety that something is coming for her.
THE DOCTOR: Time is swirling around me. The Master. Captain Jack Harkness. Ruth. Something’s coming for me. I can feel it.
When it’s a one-on-one dynamic there’s usually a sense of pining for the Doctor’s return, but Thirteen doesn’t have that.
At the same time, the Doctor understands that letting people in can put them in danger. (Insert list of everything that’s happened to previous companions here.) She’s probably not eager for that to happen again if something big and terrible is on the way.
But the Doctor needs support, especially now. Her understanding of her self and past has been shaken and she needs her friends to keep it in perspective. When Ryan, Yaz, and Graham give her Jack’s message and indicate that they’re willing to stand by her side no matter what comes is heartwarming.
RYAN: We do know who you are. You’re the woman who brought us together. The woman that saved us, and loads of other people. You’re the Doctor. Whoever you were in the past or are in the future, we know who you are right now.
YAZ: …Whatever is coming for ya, we’ll be here, because we’re your mates.
GRAHAM: Oh, not just mates. Family…So whether you want to go looking for whatever trouble is coming or if you want to wait here and let it come to you, we’ll be right here, by your side. Whether you like it or not, Doctor.
Overall, the questions posed by “Fugitive of the Judoon” are very promising. We haven’t had the Doctor question their identity before and be so unsure of things they should know. Folding in this mystery is a great way to inject some vulnerability into the character and at the same time deepen the mythology.
The new characters, questions, and thread dropped in this episode are strong enough to carry the season to a conclusion if executed properly.
Stray Thoughts:
- Weekly reminder that I still think there might be a multiple universe thing going on.
- So pleased to see Jack Harkness again, and to have him return in the usual chaotic comedic fashion. While I wish we could have seen more of him this episode, this is a promising reintroduction and I cannot wait to see where his storyline will go.
- Lee’s fake-out with The Doctor’s service medal is a strong misdirect and a great introduction to Gat. The sentimentality behind keeping the medal is on point with The Doctor.
- The Judoon attacking Marcia’s knitting is no joke! It’s literally every knitter’s worst nightmare that something they’ve been slaving on for weeks will get confiscated going through airport security because an officer thinks the needles are a weapon.
- All-Ears Allan is a great addition to the story that added some dimension to Ruth’s life. Even if he was ultimately expendable, the care he showed for Ruth was sweet.
- I have to wonder if Jack Harkness kept missing the Doctor with the Scoop because somehow the timelines were in flux with both Wilson’s Doctor and Whittaker’s Doctor in the same space. Any chance the Scoop could have seen through a bio-shield?
- Really hoping the BBC will release a video detailing how they decided on the look Jo Wilson would have as the Doctor. That shirt was something special, but it also looked so dapper.
What did you think of this episode of Doctor Who? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Doctor Who airs Sundays at 8/7c on BBC America.
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Lauren Busser
Lauren Busser is an Associate Editor at Tell-Tale TV. She is a writer of fiction and nonfiction whose work has appeared in Bitch Media, Popshot Quarterly, Brain Mill Press Voices, and The Hartford Courant.