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Rogue (Doctor Who)

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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 simultaneously released on Disney+ in the United States on 7 June 2024 and on BBC iPlayer in the United Kingdom on 8 June. It was also broadcast the same day on BBC One. The episode and was written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman, and directed by Ben Chessell.

In the episode, the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his companion, Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) travel to 1813 where they meet a mysterious bounty hunter named Rogue. Portrayed by Jonathan Groff, Rogue is trying to hunt and kill a criminal member of the shape-shifting Chuldur species.

"Rogue" was filmed in Wales in May 2023 and shared similar themes to the period drama Bridgerton in terms of production design, costumes, music, and choreography. The episode was dedicated to former Doctor Who actor William Russell. It received primarily positive reception from critics, with praise towards Gatwa and Groff's performances.

Plot[edit]

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 traps him in a sealing device on his ship.

Rogue scans the Doctor, believing him to be a Chuldur, a member of a race of shape-shifting bird-like humanoids. Rogue 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 deduces that, like Ruby, the Chuldur are fans of Bridgerton and can be lured away by scandal. The Doctor accordingly asks Rogue to dance and stages an argument with him, with Rogue professing love and offering a ring. The pair storm off as part of the act, causing the Duchess to follow. The Doctor and Rogue realize there are actually four Chuldur and not just one, and flee from them. They reconfigure Rogue's sealing device to account for more Chuldur. 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 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 puts on Rogue's ring before departing.

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

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, the former of which is directly referred to in dialogue.[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] The British broadcast of the episode was dedicated to William Russell, who portrayed Ian Chesterton, one of Doctor Who's original companions, following his death five days earlier.[6]

Costumes[edit]

Costume designer Pam Downe had recently worked on a regency-era film and aimed to dress the cast in a wider variety of colors than typically done for the genre. She took a mix of inspiration from her own paintings, Bridgerton, and more modern outfits. In the episode, Gatwa wears white trousers with a velvet jacket.[7] Downe viewed Gatwa's jacket as a acknowledgement to the outfits of the previous Doctor's, particularly that of Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor.[8][9] Groff's outfit included a navy blue tailcoat.[10]

Filming[edit]

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.[11][12][13][14][15] It was produced in the fourth filming block of the fourteenth series along with the second episode, "The Devil's Chord."[16][17] Locations included Tredegar House in Newport, Wales and the Margam Country Park Orangery.[13][14][15] 80% of Rogue's spaceship was recycled from previous sets including "Wild Blue Yonder" (2023) and "Space Babies" (2024). Only one final take could be used for the tango dance between the Doctor and Rogue because eye contact had to be maintained the entire time, limiting the amount of takes that could be edited together.[15]

Casting[edit]

In May 2023 it was announced that Jonathan Groff had joined Doctor Who in an unnamed guest role.[18][19] It was speculated that Groff would replace John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness.[20][21][22] Groff's role was later revealed to be the titular character, a bounty hunter named Rogue.[23] Groff said that he had never seen Doctor Who before and was sent five episodes by Davies, including An Unearthly Child (1963), before filming began.[24]

That same month Indira Varma joined the cast to play a character named the Duchess.[25] Varma had previously played Suzie Costello in the Doctor Who spin-off series, Torchwood.[26] Paul Forman guest starred as Lord Barton.[27] 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.[28]

The episode also features the likeness of the Doctor's previous incarnations, including one that has been attributed to Richard E. Grant.[29][30] 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).[31]

Music[edit]

The episode featured orchestral covers of contemporary popular music, a theme also used by Bridgerton, including "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish,[32] and "Poker Face" by Lady Gaga.[33] The covers were performed by Vitamin String Quartet.[34] It also featured a non-instrumental version of "Can't Get You Out of My Head" by Kylie Minogue.[35]

Broadcast and reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Digital Spy[36]
Radio Times[37]
Total Film[38]
IGN[39]

Broadcast[edit]

"Rogue" was first released on BBC iPlayer on 8 June 2024 followed by a BBC One broadcast later in the day.[40] Disney+ released the episode simultaneously in the United States on 7 June.[41] Disney also handled international distribution of the episode outside of the United Kingdom and Ireland.[42]

Critical reception[edit]

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.[43] 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.[39] 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.[44] Gatwa and Groff's performances in particular were overall praised.[39][44][45][46]

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.[45] 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.[46] 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.[47]

Many reviewers noted the similarities between Groff's character and Harkness.[48][49][45]

In print[edit]

Rogue
Author
SeriesDoctor Who book:
Target novelisations
PublisherBBC Books
Publication date
8 August 2024
Pages192
ISBN9781785948831
See also: List of Doctor Who novelisations

A novelisation of the episode was written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman and made available for pre-order in June 2024.[50] It will be released as both a paperback and audiobook on 8 August 2024 as part of the Target Collection.[51]

References[edit]

  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.
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  8. ^ Griffin, Louise (29 February 2024). "Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor Who costumes will include "nods" to past Doctors". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 11 May 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  9. ^ Downe, Pam (8 June 2024). "Rogue". Doctor Who: Unleashed. BBC Three. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
  10. ^ Messman-Rucker, Ariel (11 May 2023). "Jonathan Groff Wears Hot Period Piece Costume For Doctor Who". Pride Magazine. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
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  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ Cremona, Patrick (7 June 2024). "Doctor Who's first episode is "innately queer" says Jonathan Groff". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
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  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ a b c 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.
  40. ^ Russell, Bradley (4 June 2024). "Doctor Who release schedule: when is episode 6 on Disney Plus and BBC?". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
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  43. ^ 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.
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  47. ^ "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.
  48. ^ 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.
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  50. ^ "DWN 2 (Doctor Who Target Collection 2024, 4)" – via amazon.co.uk.
  51. ^ "Doctor Who Rogue". Archived from the original on 10 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024 – via www.rarewaves.com.

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