Doctor Who – Fugitive of the Judoon

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

Ruth (Jo Martin) is eating her breakfast when her husband Lee (Neil Stuke) tells her he was supposed to make her birthday breakfast, but all she wants is a cake. Ruth looks in the mirror and tells Monday to do its worst. She’s all smiles as she hands out her leaflets on her way to work selling tours of Gloucester, but doesn’t have much luck luring in passersby. Ruth collects her coffee from the café run by Allan (Michael Begley). He tells Ruth that she deserves better than Lee and shows her a whole dossier he has on him. Ruth laughs it off and thanks him for her birthday coffee. Allan tries to convince Ruth they don’t call him “All Ears Allan” for nothing, but Ruth reminds him it’s not a nickname if he gave it to himself.

High in the sky the Judoon are preparing to descend on Earth. Also in space Ryan (Tosin Cole), Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Graham (Bradley Walsh) are trying to figure out what’s bothering The Doctor (Jodie Whittaker). She reveals that she’s looking for The Master after he left a message for her. Yaz asks her if that’s where she goes when she says she’ll be back in an hour but isn’t. The Doctor tells them that she goes home but won’t take them because they ask too many questions. As Graham tells The Doctor they’re worried about her, a warning transmission from the Judoon comes through to the TARDIS. The Judoon are planning a zonal enforcement field on Earth and no-one will be able to get in or out. Except The Doctor of course!

The Judoon are beamed down across Gloucester in perfect formation. They scan terrified locals and stamp them. Marcia (Judith Street) runs up to them to ask them how they dare. A Judoon blasts her knitting out of her hand and detects her language as human. The Judoon captain (Nicholas Briggs) removes their helmet which shocks Ruth. Marcia refuses to be cataloged and runs, but the Judoon kill her. The Judoon scan Ruth and detect she is human and that she’s not the fugitive they’re looking for.

Lee enters Allan’s café to pick up the cake he’s ordered for Ruth’s birthday. Allan shows him the special birthday message he’s written on it saying “you can do better.” The Doctor appears and tells them to stay inside, keep the door closed and not let anyone in- especially alien police in helmets and black leather. At this Lee rushes out of the café. As the fam leave, Graham decides to stay for the cupcakes. As he’s telling Allan the birthday cake is the worst he’s ever seen, he’s teleported out of the café.

Lee finds Ruth and tells her that they need to get home. The Judoon enter Allan’s café to find the fugitive. Allan says that he just left and shows them his dossier on Lee. Allan pushes the Judoon, which gets him killed. Outside Ruth and Lee’s block of flats The Doctor tells the Judoon that they don’t have jurisdiction here and that their temporal isolator is outlawed. Ryan tells them to “consider [their] rhino backside imperially regulated.” The Doctor tells them she’ll take over from here, but the Judoon tell her that Judoon Engagement Article 163B says the mission must be completed by the troop. The Doctor tells them that local Earth Law 12 overrides that. The Judoon captain gives her five minutes. The Doctor has only just noticed that Graham has gone.

Graham wakes to a familiar voice telling him not to move. Well, a familiar voice to us anyway. It’s only Captain Jack (John Barrowman)! Jack is excited to see Graham and asks if he missed him. He kisses a very confused Graham on the lips. He thinks he’s The Doctor! Jack learns that Graham travels with The Doctor, which is probably why his scoop picked him up. Jack tells Graham he and The Doctor go way back and that he needs to know the future of the universe is at stake. Graham tells him “not he, she.”

The Doctor, Ryan and Yaz quiz Lee and Ruth on why the Judoon are focusing on them and why their bags are packed. Ryan and Yaz check the flat and The Doctor scans Ruth and Lee to confirm they’re human. Yaz finds a trinket box hidden in the wardrobe. The Doctor scans it and it’s not from Earth. Both Ruth and Lee deny seeing it before. After more questioning Lee tells The Doctor to take Ruth out the fire exit and give him the box. Lee tells Ruth that he can’t let others lose their lives and he needs to talk to the Judoon. Ruth can’t understand what he’s going to talk to space rhinos about. Ryan and Yaz create a diversion whilst The Doctor takes Ruth. As Ryan and Yaz confront the Judoon, they’re teleported by Captain Jack. Yaz and Ryan are surprised to see Graham. Jack now thinks that Yaz is The Doctor and Graham says he hopes Jack kept the receipt for the scoop.

Lee sends Ruth a text before surrendering to the Judoon. Commander Gat (Ritu Arya) appears and greets Lee as an “old friend” back from the “dead.” He asks how they found him, and she points towards the trinket box. The service medal he’s been keeping in there is very trackable. She tells Lee she’s sorry it has to end this way for her “faithful companion” before killing him.

In the cathedra, Ruth receives Lee’s text “follow the light break the glass happy birthday x.” The Judoon surround The Doctor and Ruth. The Judoon show Ruth a clip of Lee being killed and The Doctor argues that that’s a violation of their contract, but the Judoon say it’s not. They identify Ruth as the fugitive. Ruth then turns into Jackie Chan and steals the Judoon’s gun, pointing it at the captain. She then pulls off his horn and hits his chest to send them back to their ship whilst shouting at them in Judoon! The Doctor is stunned and Ruth is unaware of what she’s just done.

Yaz tells Jack that they need to get back to The Doctor. Ryan says he’s not surprised that Jack is working with “low-rent equipment” and Jack remarks that The Doctor must like them mouthy now. Ryan says it’s better than being cheesy. Jack needs to get off the ship before its nanogenes attack his body. He’ll get Ryan, Yaz and Graham back to Earth. He tells them to inform The Doctor that he’ll see her again and to “beware the lone Cyberman.” He realizes from the look on Graham’s face that they haven’t come across the Cybermen before. He tells them that they’re an empire of evil that, right now, have been brought down to nothing, but that could all change. The Doctor needs to know that to defeat the Cybermen the alliance sent this “thing” back through time and space. He tells them to express to The Doctor not to give the lone Cyberman what it wants – at all costs.

The Doctor tells Ruth that removing a Judoon’s horn is the worst insult. She thinks Ruth knows more than she’s letting on. Ruth says that her hands just moved. The Doctor realizes that the text must have been sent to trigger Ruth. Ruth tells The Doctor that she grew up in a lighthouse and her parents are buried outside. The Doctor tells Ruth that they need to go there. At the lighthouse The Doctor climbs to the lookout where she notices a gravestone. Ruth finds the fire alarm and succumbs to the whispers telling her to break the glass. As she does so a burst of energy enters her. Meanwhile, The Doctor discovers what is buried beneath the blank gravestone – the TARDIS. Ruth picks up a laser rifle and goes to her wardrobe. Looking very dapper, she joins The Doctor to reveal she’s…The Doctor! She takes The Doctor’s hand and they end up in the TARDIS.

The TARDIS is rather bare and makes sonic noises from the 70’s hinting that Ruth is an earlier incarnation of The Doctor. The Doctor tells The Doctor that she is The Doctor. The Doctor doesn’t remember ever being anything like Ruth’s Doctor and Ruth’s Doctor doesn’t remember being anything like The Doctor! They both speak the same words at the same time whilst trying to work out how this is possible.  The two Doctors are beamed up to the Judoon ship. Ruth/Doctor tells The Doctor to let her do the talking as if Gat figures they’re both the same person she’ll kill them both. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey!

Ruth/Doctor points the laser rifle at Gat and The Doctor tells her to put it down. Gat tells Ruth/Doctor to listen to her little friend. Ruth/Doctor reluctantly hands over the gun, but begs Gat not to use it. The Doctor ignores Ruth/Doctor and reveals that she too is The Doctor. Gat says that two of the same Time Lord can’t occupy the same space at the same time. She obviously didn’t watch the 50^th anniversary special. She mentions Galiffrey and The Doctor scans her. The Doctor says Gallifrey no longer exists and if they don’t know that they’re in her past. Gat fires the gun which backfires on her. Ruth/Doctor says that’s why she begged her not to fire. Ruth Doctor threatens the Judoon not to come for her again.

Ruth/Doctor drops The Doctor near her TARDIS. Ryan and Yaz greet a shell-shocked Doctor to tell her Captain Jack said hello. In the TARDIS Graham tells her to “beware the lone Cyberman.” The Doctor explains that the Cybermen are up there with the Daleks. Yaz asks who the fugitive was and The Doctor explains to her it was Ruth, but Ruth was her. Graham says he’s sure there’s a simple explanation. The Doctor tells them that time is swirling around her as something is coming for her. The fam agree that whatever is coming for her that they’ll be there.