Review: “Revolution of the Daleks,” the Doctor Who holiday special

New year, new Daleks, new companion…Those are just a few of our favorite things from the Doctor Who 2021 holiday special!

The Doctor Who 2021 holiday special is officially here, and I for one truly enjoyed it. Sure, it wasn’t the amazing adventure I was hoping for, especially after hearing about it for the past year. But as a longtime Whovian, I was smitten over all the callbacks and Easter Eggs that “Revolution of the Daleks” offered up.

Of course, the special was a bit bittersweet because it was the last time that Bradley Walsh (Graham) and Tosin Cole’s (Ryan) will appear as regulars in the series. They’d become an integral part of the 13th Doctor’s story, and although I had my doubts about three companions at once, Doctor Who pulled it off. I’ll miss Walsh and Cole tremendously and am crossing my fingers that they make a cameo in the near future (or perhaps even get their own spin-off).

In the Doctor Who season 12 finale, the 13th Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) was whisked away by the Judoon and incarcerated in space jail for thousands of crimes. That’s where she is when the special begins, feeling rather hopeless that she may be the last of the Time Lords.

The Doctor is surrounded by a handful of familiar Doctor Who villains in jail, including a Weeping Angel, an Ood, a Sycorax and more. I’m not sure about anyone else, but I’ve never been happier to see these guys.

And that’s not where the callbacks stop. John Barrowman returns as Captain Jack Harkness and gets the Doctor out of jail. It was very satisfying to see Captain Jack and the Doctor together again, although I have so many questions about exactly how Captain Jack wrangled his way into the prison in the first place. But the two-hour special has so much plot to cover that we don’t get much time to ponder all these questions. All we know is that it took a lot of time, and a lot of crimes, and the rest…well, we have no idea.

Back on Earth, Graham, Ryan and Yaz (Mandip Gill) have spent the last 10 months lost and confused over where the Doctor went. For all they know, she’s dead, but Yaz hasn’t given up hope that she’s alive. They’re all feeling a bit abandoned, something they have in common with other companions. There’s just no way to feel secure in your relationship with the Doctor.

Captain Jack is familiar with this, as well, and comforts Yaz about it later. Yaz loves life with the Doctor, and losing it hurts worse than anything she’s ever felt. That could be an interesting dynamic to explore between the two in season 13 sans Ryan and Graham.

The central plot of the special revolves around a very Trump-like businessman by the name of Jack Robertson (Chris Noth). Jack has created and sold Dalek-like technology to the British government, intending it be used to police the public. Jack’s version of Daleks is very unlike the original Daleks, because they are only artificially intelligent. They’re also quite frightening, especially when they face off with the Daleks we know and love, who are not pleased with their kind being replicated in this “impure” form.

All the technology in the world is no match for the original Daleks, whom the Doctor lures to Earth in the hope that they destroy Jack’s new models. And they do, within moments. But then the Doctor and her companions have actual Daleks to deal with, but thanks to a back-up TARDIS from season 12’s “The Timeless Children,” it’s easily done. The Doctor uses a hologram of herself to lure the Daleks into this TARDIS and then has it fold onto itself, seemingly destroying all the Daleks within it. It’s quite an exciting scene, even if we always knew that the Doctor would come out unscathed. But then again, the Daleks will always come back to try again.

“Revolution of the Daleks” ends on a somber note. Ryan admits he wants to stay back on Earth and resume his normal life, and with him staying behind, Graham must, as well, even though you can see the desire for more adventure burning in his eyes. He can’t walk away from time with his grandson.

The final scene with Ryan and Graham suggests that their story isn’t over quite yet. As Graham teaches Ryan to ride a bike (a throwback to their first episode), they both discuss unusual occurrences around the world and ponder using the Doctor’s present of psychic paper to go investigate them. While Graham is rearing to go, Ryan puts a pin in any plans…for now.

Could there be a Ryan and Graham spinoff in the near future? I sure hope so. In fact, I can see them joining forces with the likes of Torchwood, with Captain Jack’s here underlining possibility. There was also a mention of Gwen Cooper, who was his partner during his time at Torchwood. Or maybe Torchwood could just return. Please? I mean, the Doctor does need all the allies she can get!

Anyway, while Ryan and Graham are done traveling the unknown corners of space and time for now, Yaz decides she is sticking with the Doctor, which brings us right back to the one Doctor-one companion formula the series is most famously known for.

HOWEVER, In a post-credit scene we learn that another companion will be joining Yaz and the Doctor in season 13. We see a man unloading a moving truck as another man tells him his horoscope, which includes the number 13, the color blue, and other things. We don’t see the face of the man unloading the truck at first, but in the final seconds, it’s revealed that it’s none other than comedian John Bishop, who is going to be playing the newest companion!

All in all, the Doctor Who 2021 holiday special gave us plenty to gush about. It could have done with more substance, but this Whovian will take what she can get, and I’m now officially looking forward to season 13!

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