Rogue (Doctor Who)

310 – "Rogue"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster
Cast
Guest
Production
Directed byBen Chessell
Written byKate Herron and Briony Redman
Script editorScott Handcock
Produced byChris May
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
SeriesSeries 14
Running time44 minutes
First broadcast8 June 2024 (2024-06-08)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Dot and Bubble" 		Followed by →
"The Legend of Ruby Sunday"
List of episodes (2005–present)

"Rogue" is the sixth episode of the fourteenth series of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 8 June 2024 and was written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman, and directed by Ben Chessell. It stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as his companion Ruby Sunday. The episode follows the Doctor and Ruby meeting a mysterious bounty hunter named Rogue, played by Jonathan Groff, who is trying to hunt and kill a criminal member of the shape-shifting Chuldur species.

"Rogue" received primarily positive reception from critics, with praise towards Gatwa and Groff's performances.

Plot

The Doctor and Ruby arrive at a ball in 1813. The Doctor encounters a mysterious bounty hunter named Rogue, and the pair go outside to talk to each other. Ruby meanwhile finds a woman named Emily, and accidentally interrupts a love confession between her and another man. Ruby comforts Emily, while the Doctor and Rogue discover the dead body of The Duchess. Rogue captures the Doctor and takes him to his ship.

Rogue scans the Doctor, believing him to be a Chuldur, a member of a race of shape-shifting bird-like humanoids. Rogue traps the Doctor in a sealing device and threatens to send the Doctor to an incinerator, but he is able to convince Rogue to spare him by showing him his Time Lord biology. The Doctor reconfigures Rogue's sealing device to send the Chuldur to an alternate dimension so that Rogue will not kill it, while also offering Rogue the opportunity to travel with him.

Ruby and Emily discover the dead body of a housekeeper and meet up with the Doctor and Rogue. The Doctor and Rogue decide to attract the Chuldur disguised as The Duchess by causing a scandal to make her follow them and get her alone. The Doctor and Rogue dance together, with Rogue professing love and offering a ring. The pair storm off as part of the act, leading The Duchess to follow. The Doctor and Rogue realize there are actually four Chuldur and not just one, and the pair flee from them. They reconfigure Rogue's sealing device to account for more Chuldur while Ruby comforts Emily. Emily reveals herself to be a Chuldur and apparently kills and shapeshifts into Ruby.

The Doctor interrupts the Chuldur's mock wedding and uses the sealing device on them. Ruby reveals she was able to escape Emily, but is unable to escape the seal. Rogue arrives and knocks Emily into the seal. Rogue kisses the Doctor, but also steals the device used to activate the seal from him while doing so. Rogue jumps into the seal and throws Ruby out. Rogue asks the Doctor to find him again as he and the Chuldur are sent to an unknown alternate dimension.

The Doctor sends Rogue's ship into an orbit around the moon, and tells Ruby that it wouldn't be possible to find Rogue due to the infinite number of alternate dimensions. He and Ruby return to the TARDIS as he puts on Rogue's ring.

Production

Development

The episode takes place in Bath, Somerset, and is set in 1813 during the Regency era. The episode has been compared to Bridgerton and Pride and Prejudice.[2] Russell T Davies, the Doctor Who showrunner, stated that he and Bridgerton's executive producer Shonda Rhimes are fans of each other. He further explained that there was an episode of Grey's Anatomy (a television series created by Rhimes) where Doctor Who fans fight over his autograph in an emergency room. Davies said that he viewed the Bridgerton-themed episode as "repaying the compliment".[3] Phil Collinson, an executive producer on the programme, hired Jack Murphy as the episodes choreographer after finding out he worked on Bridgerton.[4] The episode was written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman.[5] William Russell, who portrayed Ian Chesterton, one of Doctor Who's original companions, received a tribute card at the end of the episode following his death five days before the episode was released.[6]

Filming

Tredegar House (left) and the Margam Orangery (right) were used as the primary filming locations for the episode.

"Rogue" was directed by Ben Chessell, and filmed in May 2023.[7][8][9][10] It was produced in the fourth filming block of the fourteenth series along with the second episode, "The Devil's Chord."[11][12] Locations included Tredegar House in Newport, Wales and the Margam Country Park Orangery.[13][9][10]

Casting

In May 2023 it was announced that Jonathan Groff had joined Doctor Who in an unnamed guest role.[14][15] Some speculated that Groff would replace It was rumoured that the Groff would replace John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness.[16][17][18] Groff's role was later revealed to be the titular character, a bounty hunter named Rogue.[19] Groff said that he had never seen Doctor Who before and was sent five episodes, including An Unearthly Child (1963), by Davies before filming began.[20]

That same month Indira Varma joined the cast to play a mysterious character named the Duchess.[21] Varma had previously played Suzie Costello in the Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood.[22] Paul Forman guest starred as Lord Barton.[23] The likeness of actor Susan Twist appears in a portrait, continuing the pattern of her appearing throughout series 14 as seemingly disparate characters.[1] The remainder of the guest cast included Michelle Greenidge appearing as Ruby's mother Carla and Ashley Campbell as a butler.[24]

The episode also features the likeness of the Doctor's previous incarnations, including one that has been attributed to Richard E. Grant.[25][26] Grant previously starred as the Doctor in the animated serial Scream of the Shalka (2003), appeared in the live action series as the Great Intelligence (2012–13) and played a version of the Doctor in the Red Nose Day special The Curse of Fatal Death (1999).[27]

Music

The episode featured orchestral covers of contemporary popular music, a theme also used by Bridgerton, including "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish,[28] and "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga.[29] It also featured a non-instrumental version of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue.[30]

Broadcast and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Digital Spy[31]
Radio Times[32]
Total Film[33]
IGN[34]

Broadcast

"Rogue" was broadcast on 8 June 2024 on BBC One and Disney+.

Critical reception

VG247's Jim Trinca responded positively to the episode, praising Redman and Herron's script as well as the episode's overall similarities to past episodes of the show, such as those in the second series of the show.[35] Robert Anderson of IGN also responded positively to the episode, enjoying the usage of the Doctor's character, Groff's performance, and the Chuldur as antagonists, but criticized the episode leaning heavily on references to the television series Bridgerton.[36] Rebecca Cook of Digital Spy found the chemistry between Gatwa and Groff to be well done, while also responding positively to the performance of Varma.[37] Gatwa and Groff's performances in particular were overall praised.[36][37][38][39]

Stefan Mohamed of Den of Geek responded positively to the episode. He praised the chemistry and romance between Gatwa and Groff as the Doctor and Rogue, but criticized the ending, feeling that the Chuldur's sudden shift to a world ending threat felt rushed.[38] Emily Murray of GamesRadar+ additionally responded positively to Groff and Gatwa's performances, but criticized the lack of involvement and interaction with Ruby's character as well as what she felt was a "sidelined" plot involving the Chuldur.[39] Louise Griffin of Radio Times stated that while "Rogue" "isn't a classic for the ages," she found the episode to be a fun tonal change from prior episodes in the season. She also praised Gatwa and Groff's performances, though criticized the Chuldur as antagonists and the references to Bridgerton.[40]

Many reviewers noted the similarities between Groff's character and former companion Captain Jack Harkness portrayed by John Barrowman.[41][42][38]

In print

Rogue
Author
SeriesDoctor Who book:
Target novelisations
PublisherBBC Books
Publication date
8 August 2024
Pages192
ISBN9781785948831

A novelisation of the episode was written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman and made available for pre-order in June 2024.[43] It will be released as both a paperback and audiobook on 8 August 2024 as part of the Target Collection.[44]

References

  1. ^ a b Mensah, Katelyn (30 May 2024). "Doctor Who confirms Susan Twist's next role and new cast for Rogue". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  2. ^ Cook, Rebecca (4 June 2024). "Doctor Who's Rogue is a Bridgerton episode that changes the Doctor". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  3. ^ Jacobs, Meredith (11 May 2024). "'Doctor Who': Russell T Davies Reveals How 'Bridgerton' Episode Came Together". TV Insider. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Doctor Who's Jonathan Groff, Indira Varma and choreographer Jack Murphy talk ballrooms, Beyoncé and the mysterious regency Rogue". BBC Media Centre. 3 June 2024. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  5. ^ Goldbart, Max (24 October 2023). "'Loki' & 'Sex Education' Director To Co-Write Episode Of 'Doctor Who'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  6. ^ Griffin, Louise (8 June 2024). "Doctor Who dedicates episode to William Russell after his death". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  7. ^ Bates, Philip (8 March 2023). "Ben Chessell Announced as Doctor Who series 14 Block Four Director". The Doctor Who Companion. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  8. ^ Wright, Mary Ellen (6 June 2024). "Jonathan Groff's 'Dr. Who' guest-star episode debuts Friday on Disney+". Lancaster Online. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b Laford, Andrea (12 May 2023). "Millie Gibson posts new Doctor Who Tredegar House filming photos". CultBox. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b Laford, Andrea (19 May 2023). "Doctor Who filming at Margam Park". CultBox. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  11. ^ Flook, Ray (28 May 2023). "Doctor Who Production Notes Update 60th Anniversary, Series 14 & More". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  12. ^ Griffin, Louise (25 May 2023). "Doctor Who season 14 will see "unexpected" classic name return". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  13. ^ Behind the Scenes – Rogue – Doctor Who (Behind the scenes featurette). BBC. 8 June 2024. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  14. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (10 May 2023). "'Doctor Who' Reveals First Look of Jonathan Groff in 'Mysterious' Guest Role With Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  15. ^ Collis, Clark (10 May 2023). "Make time for your first look at Jonathan Groff on Doctor Who". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  16. ^ Joest, Mick (8 June 2023). "Doctor Who Fans Think Jonathan Groff Could Play A Familiar Character, And Russell T. Davies Isn't Exactly Squashing The Speculation". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  17. ^ Scott, Danni. "Doctor Who sparks rumours of John Barrowman axe after 'flashing' scandal". Metro. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  18. ^ Flook, Ray (12 May 2024). "Doctor Who Releases New Series Images of Millie Gibson's Ruby Sunday". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  19. ^ Cormack, Morgan (3 June 2024). "Doctor Who star Jonathan Groff says Rogue is not "who he appears to be"". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  20. ^ Cremona, Patrick (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who's first episode is "innately queer" says Jonathan Groff". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  21. ^ Goldbart, Max (24 May 2023). "'Game Of Thrones' Star Indira Varma Latest To Join 'Doctor Who'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  22. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (24 May 2023). "'Game of Thrones' Actor Indira Varma Joins 'Doctor Who' as The Duchess". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  23. ^ Coggan, Devan (23 April 2024). "Emily in Paris actor Paul Forman to guest-star on Doctor Who". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  24. ^ Laford, Andrea (29 May 2024). "Doctor Who 'Rogue' cast list". Cultbox. Archived from the original on 1 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
  25. ^ Anderson, Jenna (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who Just Canonized One of the Franchise's Weirdest Doctors". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  26. ^ Britt, Ryan (7 June 2024). "57 Years Later, The Oldest Sci-Fi Show's Biggest Mystery Just Got Even More Confusing". Inverse. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  27. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (8 June 2024). "Did Doctor Who just drop a canon-shattering reveal?". Radio Times. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  28. ^ Lewis, Isobel (7 June 2024). "'Doctor Who' Episode 6 Recap: A Charming Rogue". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  29. ^ Puchko, Kristy (7 June 2024). "'Doctor Who's Easter eggs for 'Rogue,' far beyond 'Bridgerton'". Mashable. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  30. ^ Opie, David (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who's groundbreaking Bridgerton episode 'Rogue' finally gives us the queer love story fans deserve". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Doctor Who's Rogue is a Bridgerton episode that changes the Doctor". Digital Spy. 4 June 2024. Archived from the original on 6 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  32. ^ "Doctor Who - Rogue review: Fun Regency romp sees the Doctor meet his match". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  33. ^ Murray, Emily (3 June 2024). "Doctor Who season 1, episode 6 review: "Loki's Kate Herron works her magic on Bridgerton-esque episode 'Rogue'"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  34. ^ Cite error: The named reference IGN was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  35. ^ Trinca, Jim Trinca (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who's 'Rogue' is a welcome return to business as usual for RTD 2.0 - spoiler free review". VG247. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  36. ^ a b Anderson, Robert (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who Season 1, Episode 7 – "Rogue" Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  37. ^ a b Cook, Rebecca (4 June 2024). "Doctor Who's Rogue is a Bridgerton episode that changes the Doctor". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  38. ^ a b c Mohamed, Stefan (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who Series 14 Episode 6 Review: Rogue". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  39. ^ a b Murray, Emily (3 June 2024). "Doctor Who season 1, episode 6 review: "Loki's Kate Herron works her magic on Bridgerton-esque episode 'Rogue'"". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  40. ^ "Doctor Who - Rogue review: Fun Regency romp sees the Doctor meet his match". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  41. ^ Joest, Mick (7 June 2024). "Jonathan Groff's Doctor Who Debut Was Incredible, But It Reminded Me Of Another Who Fan-Favorite Character". Cinema Blend. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  42. ^ Bibby, Daniel (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who Just Replaced Captain Jack Harkness In The Most Perfect Way". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  43. ^ "DWN 2 (Doctor Who Target Collection 2024, 4)" – via amazon.co.uk.
  44. ^ "Doctor Who Rogue". Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024 – via www.rarewaves.com.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Fifteenth Doctor.
  • "Rogue" at BBC Online
  • "Rogue" at the Doctor Who Stories Website
  • "Rogue" on Tardis Wiki, the Doctor Who Wiki
  • "Rogue" at IMDb
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