The latest Doctor Who, that time-and-space faring adventurer from the planet Gallifrey (played by Ncuti Gatwa), is the first to be black, and although there have been bisexual hints in the past, the first to be gay. In Episode 1.6, he even gets a boyfriend, an interdimensional bounty hunter named Rogue (Jonathhan Groff, left).
At least, he was gay in the first season.
I watched the first two episodes of Season 2, and I am sorry to report that the gay guy has turned straight.
In Episode 2.1, "The Robot Revolution," the teenage Belinda Chandra receives a gift from her sort-of boyfriend: a star. It seems that you can "buy" a star and get a certificate stating that it's yours. They break up soon after.
17 years pass, and one night gigantic robots arrive to force Belinda to become the queen of "her" planet. Apparently the certificate was a binding contract.
Left: Robert Strange plays the head robot.
To complicate things, the robots have taken control of the world. Humans are forced into smiling servitude.
The Doctor, stranded on the planet for the last six months, is starting a revolt with a squad of hunky humans, including Caleb Hughes and Max Parker, left.
Soon into the revolt, the Doctor's girlfriend is killed. Grieving, he explains that when he first arrived on the planet, she took him in and explained the situation. "She took care of me. She was wonderful." The other freedom fighters tell him to buck up, they have a world to save.
The robots announce that Belinda is to marry the great AI Generator, who turns out to be the ex-boyfriend (Jonny Green, left), merged with a machine. Belinda dumped him due to his controlling behavior, and this is the only way he could think of to get back together again. Maybe send her flowers?
So this was all about heterosexual romance? They had an episode with an astronaut and his husband. Two of the Doctor's companions have been lesbians. How the mighty have fallen.
The Doctor and Belinda save the day. Belinda asks to be taken home, but his space-and-time ship, the TARDIS, refuses to go to the day she left. Maybe the next day?
In Episode 1.2, "Lux," some people are watching a movie in 1952 Miami. Before the main feature, there's a cartoon featuring Mr. Ring-a-Ding, whose catchphrase is "Don't make me laugh!" While he is busily romancing Sally Sunshine (yes, another hetero-romance), he jumps off the screen to scream at the audience.
Enter the Doctor and Belinda, taking a detour on the way home. They notice that the theater door is chained, as if there's a wild beast inside.
More after the break