Doctor Who Season Two, Episode Four
“Lucky Day”
Posted by Sage
Not all men with podcasts, but definitely this guy!
Radicalization and widespread misinformation have been running themes throughout the RTD2 era. In “73 Yards,” encroaching fascism nearly brings about a nuclear winter, so the stakes don’t feel quite as high here. But again we see the consequences of loud, unchecked (mostly male) toxicity through the eyes of Ruby Sunday – and this time, she’ll even get to remember it.
I love an episode that lives and dies on a guest performance, and “Lucky Day” can absolutely be counted among the best of those. Jonah Hauer-King is chef’s kiss casting. His Prince Eric good looks (those dimples!) and charming vulnerability lull both Ruby and the audience into letting our guard down. And his turn is perfectly executed as the mask falls away, revealing Conrad as cruel and predatory. It’s a confident, layered performance that ultimately sold the whole thing for me.
Inevitably, the discourse about this episode has been passionate. “Lucky Day” was penned by Peter McTighe, who also brought you the “message” episodes “Kerblam!” and “Praxeus,” neither of which is entirely coherent in its attempt at wokeness. This story worked far better for me than either of those, despite the elements of Conrad’s social media footprint that it neglects to explain. (What was the podcast even about before the Think Tank reveal?)
“Lucky Day” has caught some flack from those who’ve complained that it’s warning viewers against questioning authority, and specifically shadowy, militarized government ops. But it’s clear from the opening scene in 2007 that Conrad has always known the truth of the Doctor, aliens, and UNIT. He’s using his proximity to these mysteries to enrich himself via other people’s paranoia. It is said multiple times throughout the episode that what Conrad and his group are spinning online are lies. He knows they’re lies. He’s a greedy opportunist with no qualms about deceiving others for sympathy or a paycheck – even about the life of his own mother. He keeps the first 50p he made from the Doctor for decades on his person. The man may have fooled us for a while, but he is not subtle.
What’s more, UNIT ends up questioning itself in this episode as Kate goes somewhat off the rails. Enraged by Conrad’s arrogance and the obligatory rude remark about her father, she sets the Shreek loose on him. Even her controversially younger boyfriend calls her out on it. And we’ve been promised that this moral slip-up sets up and will be dealt with in the events of the UNIT spinoff.
In fact, this is my favorite Kate appearance in recent memory. She has much more to do than gently chastise the Doctor and be generally badass, which has been her M.O. since the end of the Capaldi years. I want to see what happens when she’s pushed, and I don’t think UNIT’s place in this universe should be uncomplicated by human fallibility and relatively unchecked power.
I’m also going to argue with the take that this episode is too harsh with Ruby. I crave stakes and meaningful emotional journeys for our companions. Conrad is nothing Ruby can’t handle, as the story makes quite clear. She’s not naive for being optimistic or wanting to share her experience with someone who seemed harmless. And in the end, she’s still more unsettled about her time in the TARDIS than Conrad’s betrayal of her. But seeing her be used in this way is painful, and it’s meant to be. Conrad reads as that much more evil and cowardly for manipulating someone we feel close to. Just because she’s a young woman doesn’t mean that the narrative has to handle Ruby with kid gloves.
That TARDIS scene at the end, however, I could have done without. “Lucky Day” ranks among the most entertaining Doctor-lite adventures, and Millie Gibson can clearly hold her own on that screen. Having the Doctor show up in the last act to literally state the moral of the story is pretty goofy stuff for what’s otherwise a sophisticated episode. I would have liked to see him find out about Belinda another way, and I’m underwhelmed by the reveal that it’s Conrad who sets him on that journey. Because…why? Why go looking for her when she’s going to come into your life anyway? It’s a 180 on the stance he takes on his own future in “Joy to the World.” And the episode might have been more powerful to me if the Doctor had never met the monster that the little boy he met one New Year’s Eve had become.
Timey-Wimey Observations:
- Gray sweatpants in the TARDIS is crazy work.
- I am not as bothered by Mrs. Flood as some folks, but I did cheer at her finally doing something actively antagonistic. Let’s fucking go!
- It really tickled me on rewatch how much groundwork is laid about Conrad’s friend Sparky to explain the electrical outages in the village even as Conrad’s own history remained a giant plot hole.
- Cherry Sunday, I missed you.
- Shout out to Ruby Sunday emasculating men in pubs. Gotta be one of my favorite genres.
- Ruby getting covered in alien bodily fluids yet again – she is the Huckleberry of Doctor Who.
- The real burden to UK taxpayers is whatever Bad Wolf paid to construct the Vlinx. Useless-ass robot.
- Missed this “73 Yards” callback the first time around, but it’s a good one.
- Will no one invite Ruby to the CANON post-Doctor support group??
How did “Lucky Day” land with you? Let us know in the comments!
Featured Image Source: Disney+
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