Who Review: Fugitive of the Judoon

The TARDIS crew encounter Judoon activity in the English city of Gloucester. Knowing the type of justice meted out by these mercenaries, the Doctor attempts to intervene. It seems the Judoon have been hired to take in a fugitive who is hiding out on Earth. Ruth, a 44-year-old tour guide and her husband Lee are the targets, but which is the fugitive? Of course, there’s more to the situation than it appears. Ruth keeps having flashes of strange memories. She knows something’s not right but can’t quite put her finger on it. Meanwhile Yaz, Graham, and Ryan encounter an old friend of the Doctor’s who gives them an ominous warning. The Doctor needs to save Gloucester from the Judoon and figure out what’s going on with Ruth… and with time…

SPOILER ALERT!! My comments may (and likely will) contain spoilers for those who haven’t seen the episode. If you want to stay spoiler-free, please watch the story before you continue reading!

This story starts out innocently, with Ruth going off to work after some happy banter with her husband over the fact it’s her birthday. Nothing seems wrong, until we notice the worry on Lee’s face. Even “All Ears Allan,” at the local tea shop has concerns to the point of compiling a dossier on Lee. Of course, this is all a diversion because Lee isn’t actually the fugitive. It’s his seemingly-placid and normal wife, Ruth. As we later discover, she has cloaked her true identity using a device we last saw in the Tenth Doctor story, “Utopia” where the Master used it to become Professor Yana. And before him, the Tenth Doctor used it in “Human Nature” to become John Smith the school teacher.

I suspected something like this might be happening, which led to some speculation on my part over who this could be. The Rani? Another incarnation of The Master? Perhaps the Meddling Monk (regenerated as a nun)?? The answer was unexpected, but we’ll come back to that in a moment.

I’m pleased to say the Judoon didn’t appear to have been thrown in just for nostalgia’s sake. These Russell T. Davies creations (see “Smith and Jones”) are supposed to be a kind of “police-for-hire,” this time hired to track down a fugitive. So they were doing exactly what they are supposed to do. Though I wonder if the story was written around them, or if they fitted the spec for what the story needed. Either way, I thought they worked and it was fun to see them again.

This episode also saw the return of Captain Jack Harkness, last seen during the Tenth Doctor’s farewell scenes in “The End of Time Part 2.” His appearance did seem a bit gratuitous. After all, he was just delivering a message (with copious amounts of his usual cheese). However, I’m withholding judgment because I don’t think this is the last we’ve seen of him this season. His cryptic clue about the lone Cyberman was clearly intended for a future story, possibly the season finale. We shall see.

The big reveal in the story is that Ruth is, in fact, The Doctor. But not an incarnation of The Doctor we’ve seen, or that our Doctor has ever known. And yet she would have to have been in our Doctor’s past. How could this be? That question is never answered, though it does explain Ruth’s memories, and how she instinctively dealt with the Judoon captain.

I suspect the answer has to do with an alternative time line. Somehow the Master has managed to create a bridge between time streams, and somehow this Doctor and Gallifrey are mixed up in it. The fact the Judoon were hired by a Gallifreyan who wants the Doctor killed suggests these are all connected. Whatever the answer, it certainly does throw a few wrinkles in the Whoniverse, and no doubt upsets some fans. I’m okay with it, as long the explanation makes sense. I’m even okay with this Doctor being a black woman–just don’t let this be another stunt to prove the show’s “wokeness.”

To sum up, I thought this was a good story. Not as good as last week’s, but much better than ones we’ve had before. The killing of “All Ears Allan” was ruthless, but not pointless since it gave viewers unfamiliar with the Judoon a sense of how cruel they are. There were good twists in the story, and an open-ended conclusion that dealt with the present trouble, but promised trouble to come.

Did you see “Fugitive of the Judoon”? If so, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!