Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Doctor Who’ “The Star Beast” on Disney+, A Doctor/Donna Reunion Dripping in Nostalgia

Doctor Who is one of the longest running series in television history and, now, for the first time ever, it’s on Disney+. In anticipation of a new season with a new Doctor — Sex Education alum Ncuti Gatwa — returning showrunner Russell T. Davies has reunited modern Who‘s most beloved time lord, David Tennant‘s Doctor, and his bestie Donna Noble (Catherine Tate) for three specials, starting with “The Star Beast.” The only problem? Donna’s memory has been wiped and if she remembers the Doctor, the TARDIS, or any of her adventures, she will die. So how will the Doctor save the day this time? Especially since Donna is right in the middle of a space invasion?

DOCTOR WHO “THE STAR BEAST”: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Before we watch the TARDIS land in Camden, London, we’re treated to a very on-the-nose recap of what’s come before. Actor David Tennant stands in front of a greenscreen and says, “Once upon a time…once upon a time lord.” With the help of clips from past seasons, he then fills viewers in on the story of his best friend, Donna Noble. Catherine Tate’s character sits behind a laptop and tells the viewer that sometimes she has dreams about impossible things. Together, the two actors set up the stakes. Fate is making it so the Doctor and Donna collide once more, but if Donna remembers her life with him, she will die.

The Gist: Sometimes the TARDIS, aka the Doctor’s blue police box-shaped time travel machine, just does what it wants and in Doctor Who “The Star Beast,” it wants to bring the Doctor and Donna back together. As soon as the Doctor lands in modern day London, he walks right into Donna and her daughter Rose (Yasmin Finney). While he might want to get as far away as he can, a space ship very publicly descends from the stars and basically lands in Donna’s neighborhood. Her daughter soon discovers The Meep (Miriam Margoyles), an adorable alien refugee running for its life. After consulting with new UNIT science officer Shirley Bingham (Ruth Madeley), the Doctor quickly enters the fray, trying to protect Donna from her memories and Donna’s family from the aliens seemingly hunting the Meep.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? I mean, it reminded me of the original Doctor Who Christmas Special that introduced David Tennant as the 10th Doctor back in 2005. It had the same eclectic mix of British humor, family fuzzies, and an alien invasion to ward off. However, if you’ve never seen an episode of Doctor Who before, it will remind you of the Muppets meets Loki. There’s timeline hoo-ha and a very British sense of humor running through this sci-fi adventure series.

Our Take: Instead of being a radical reboot of the series — which is what we expect Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor will usher in — Doctor Who “The Star Beast” is a sentimental do-over of returning showrunner Russell T. Davies’s original run. In the lead up to Tennant’s original departure, Davies decided to have Donna Noble absorb the mental power of a time lord via the TARDIS to save the universe. The trade off for this remarkable power? All that knowledge would melt her brain. As Tennant and Tate explain in the special’s cold open, the Doctor’s solution was to have Donna forget her time with the Doctor, thereby cordoning off the energy. Many fans felt this was a massive disservice to the character, who underwent a heroic emotional transformation during her travels. By bringing Tennant and Tate back, Davies can potentially give Donna the send-off she truly deserves. (It coincidentally also offers fans the opportunity to bask in the glow of the actors’ — and real life friends — incandescent chemistry.)

Davies also uses “The Star Beast” as an opportunity to reintroduce his brand of politics to the Doctor Who universe. The openly gay showrunner famously queer-ed up the BBC series by introducing the bisexual Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman). Now, with the casting of Heartstopper standout Yasmin Finney as Donna’s daughter, he is throwing his — and the Time Lord’s — support behind trans kids. Rose’s transgender status isn’t just a bit of woke set dressing, but a pivotal plot point later on in the episode. Some viewers might find the incessant advocacy for Rose, which includes Donna’s ferocious mama bear energy, to be a bit blunt. Me? Time lords aren’t real, but trans kids are, so any positive reinforcement they can get from pop culture is fine by me!

Sex and Skin: Guys, this is a children’s show. No one gets naked. Unless, of course, you count the Meep. The Meep does not appear to be clothed.

Parting Shot: True to form, Donna causes mayhem in the beautifully redesigned TARDIS by spilling coffee onto the magical ship’s gears. Flames erupt, the TARDIS disappears from modern day London, and the Doctor laments that the ship is totally out of control. They could be heading anywhere in time or space!

Sleeper Star: While the show’s stars are the returning David Tennant and Catherine Tate, Miriam Margoyles steals the episode as the adorable alien known as The Meep. Without getting into spoilers, we hope that showrunner Russell T. Davies decides to bring the fluffy character back for Ncuti Gatwa’s run in the TARDIS.

Most Pilot-y Line: I mean, the hokey introduction, starting with “Once upon a time… once upon a time lord,” had me rolling my eyes a little bit.

Our Call: Stream it! It’s a totally fun and fluffy family-friendly adventure! The Meep rules! David Tennant remains a top tier TV hero! Trans kids matter! Woo hoo!