Doctor Who New Year’s Special Review: Revolution of the Daleks

The Doctor is back in action with Doctor Who‘s New Year’s Special “Revolution of the Daleks.”

It’s hard to believe that it was only earlier this year that Doctor Who Season 12 Episode 10, “The Timeless Children,” aired. However, just because the Doctor has been in prison doesn’t mean their enemies are sitting idly by. 

Let’s start out by talking about the Doctor’s time in prison because it feels oddly familiar. As promotional photos came out of the Doctor in her jumpsuits, ticking off days on a wall there was an eerie feeling that the Doctor was going through a period of isolation that could be parallel to quarantine.

“Revolution of the Daleks” does not talk about the pandemic, but seeing the Doctor go through her days walking through the prison on a schedule with no contract to the outside feels familiar and relatable.

The Doctor has never been good alone, and the scenes where she tries to make the best of her situation show someone who is deeply longing for connection. Her reaction when she sees Jack and the use of the breakout ball to escape is a relief because she can go see her family again. 

And when she does, she becomes her bubbly self again greeting them with a casual comment about being in space jail as they start getting into the proper plot. 

One of the strengths of “Revolution of the Daleks” is its ability to pull on Doctor Who‘s lore. The episode directly references the 2019 special “Resolution” and brings back the villains from Doctor Who Season 11 Episode 4, “Arachnids in the UK.” 

The little shout outs to previous eras of Doctor Who, facilitated by the return of John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, and the prison full of Doctor Who monsters the Doctor and fans have encountered before are nice nods to longtime fans. 

The way that the series went about dropping hints about the Doctor’s past, by giving Captain Jack Harkness some great expository lines that enlightened the reality of being with the Doctor for her fam, made this episode feel whole by refusing to let the Doctor’s return be a passing event. 

Yaz and Jack’s moment especially does a good job of exploring how it feels to be left behind by the Doctor. This is where Barrowman’s return really enhances the episode because he’s one of the only people who. knows how this feels. 

The fact that he breaks the news to them that eventually either they’ll leave the Doctor or the Doctor will leave them, is something that fans know well, but something that hasn’t set in for her fam. 

While her fam reckons with how things have changed since she left. The Doctor is reckoning with the revelation from “The Timeless Children.” The Doctor reveals that she’s unsettled by the fact that she doesn’t know how much of her past has been hidden from her.

This is something that can be richly mined in Season 13, and I have been looking forward to seeing how the writers will handle it, and Whittaker is well-equipped to handle it. 

At the heart of this episode is really the Daleks, who are on Earth yet again, but to be completely honest, their workings don’t feel nearly as interesting. The Daleks always try to take control of Earth and they’re always foiled. We know the Doctor will stop them, the only question is what, if anything, she’ll have to sacrifice in the process. 

The episode is beautifully shot and written, it layers the suspense with each scene, but we never doubt the Doctor, because if there’s one thing she knows how to do: it’s defeating Daleks, no matter how unsure of herself she is. 

When all is said and done though, “Revolution of the Daleks” ends up being a final goodbye to Graham and Ryan. 

This ending was announced a while ago. We knew that Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole were going to depart after this special, but like most Doctor Who exits, the question is how they will leave. 

Graham and Ryan ultimately decide that they need to stay on earth for a while because their planet needs them. It’s a good decision brought on by the Doctor’s 10-month absence, but the fact that they’ve chosen each other and will likely go around investigating other strange things is a comfort. 

In their final scenes, where Graham continues to attempt to teach Ryan how to ride a bike, and Ryan continues with sheer determination shows just how far their character has come. The moment that Ryan calls Graham granddad is heartwarming as well, and the nod to Grace is an appropriate final touch.

When Doctor Who returns for a new season, we can also expect that the Doctor will be mourning the loss of her fam. The Doctor has never been a character that likes endings and this is a big one.

The moment she says that she could go back, show up an hour after they left and have more time is heartbreaking, but Yaz’s sobering “it’s okay to be sad,” adds a touch of humanity to the moment. In a way, this is fitting for the first day of 2021, a reminder that it’s okay to grieve what could have been. 

Overall, “Revolution of the Daleks” is a solid special. The cast offers great performances and there’s enough nostalgia there for the audience to really sink their teeth into. More importantly, whether intentional or not, it’s the episode of Doctor Who that fans needed right at the close of a very emotional year.

What did you think of this episode of Doctor Who? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Doctor Who is expected to return with Season 13 later this year.

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