Doctor Who Episodic Coverage: “Rogue”

“Rouge” Tries To Do Too Much In A Single Episode

“Rogue” is a fun enough episode that could’ve been better with more time. Or, ideally, being split into a few different episodes. The pacing, storytelling, and character motivations suffer because we need to have four separate stories interlocking with each other. And, sure, they do interlock, but it doesn’t feel cohesive. It’s more a series of vignettes in one setting.

So, let’s talk about each of them. The big one is the romance plotline. And it’s cute—if very rushed. Like, extremely rushed. Rogue and The Doctor start off as kind-of enemies and by the end, there are semi-serious allusions to them already being interested in marriage. They’ve known each other for maybe two hours, at most. I would’ve loved to have seen Rogue tag along for a few adventures and build to them dating. If this version of The Doctor is more interested in romance, then let it be a bigger part of the series. Why not? But no. The Doctor almost dies in Rogue’s trap, with seemingly no secret plan—and then with one move, Rogue becomes utterly loyal to The Doctor. It’s basically only through sheer chemistry and two dance scenes that there’s any emotional impact.

The Actors’ Chemistry Saves The Awkward Pacing

A similar lack of follow-through happens with Ruby’s interactions. The Doctor warning her not to mess with history, and then constantly accidentally messing with history is a hilarious idea. I’d watch a whole episode with this premise. Specifically, I wanted to see more of Ruby trying to explain aliens and technology and cultural differences to people from this different era. But, once again, the time limit means that we essentially have to bail out of that plotline so that the story can finish.

Speaking of which, our third storyline—that leads to the fourth—is those shapeshifting bird people. The makeup for them looks kind of bad generally, and having one based on a crow wasn’t a good idea. At least their core sci-fi idea gets about as much explanation as necessary. So that’s helpful. They like being different people, but constantly get bored by the people they choose. They’re basically serial killers; though the story doesn’t really focus on all of the missing people they leave in their wake. However, we don’t know why Rogue can’t just shoot them. Why are they so dangerous? Despite the weird, unexplained—and frequently unnoticed by passerby—lightning magic, they don’t seem to be super strong or anything. I don’t even think they can fire their lightning any distance.

The Villains In “Rouge” Aren’t All That Threatening

Which brings us, finally, to the fourth storyline. Dealing with the not-so-dangerous bird people. And “Rogue” tries—and fails—to wrap everything up in a climactic scene. The story did need a big face-off between the birds and The Doctor, and we technically got one, but it’s all contrivances. The way the portal works is weird. How Rogue interacts with it is weird. There are plot holes everywhere. The only thing that really works narratively is a spoiler, so I can’t even go in-depth about it. But being vague: that ultimatum, that decision, is good drama in a vacuum. But this wasn’t in a vacuum.

So, yes, “Rogue” is a weak episode. That’s my conclusion. I didn’t dislike it as much as “73 Yards” during my viewing of it. Getting to see The Doctor and Ruby have fun and enjoy romance story tropes makes the moment-to-moment stuff enjoyable. But afterward, I only became more and more aware of how much of a mess the structure is. How random lines are used to create false tension. “Rogue” simply doesn’t stand up to closer examination.    

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