"What's behind your mask, Conrad?"
Season 15, Episode 1
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Aired: 3 May 2025
Coming into this week, I thought this episode would be complete filler. And up until the halfway point, I was absolutely sure I was right! I was thinking, surely this is just another Love and Monsters style episode (although hopefully without the paving slab this time?!) where Ruby suffers from a boyfriend obsessed with the Doctor.
But then the twist came. And oh man.
Plot and Structure ā 18/25
This episode is an interesting one for me to mark, as it essentially feels like marking two completely different episodes that got shoved together. In that respect, I suppose you could argue it shares a lot of similarities with 73 Yards, our Ruby-centric episode of last year, which was 3 episodes rolled into one (gothic horror, then Curse of Clyde Langer, then political thriller). Do I think it does it quite as well? No, not quite. However, 73 Yards is easily within my top 10 episodes ever, so that doesn't necessarily mean much.
Sidenote for a second, but I've noticed this is the second time now that Ruby has got mugged off by people in a pub. Starting to think she should stay away from them.
"Girl, get OUT of there!"
But yes, the episode. The first half was definitely very Love and Monsters, with the childhood flashbacks, the awkward love interests, and chasing after the Doctor. And, perhaps this may be controversial for me to say, but I think Love and Monsters does it significantly better? Yeah, this first half didn't particularly do much for me. Every mark lost in this section can be attributed to the first half.
...Because the second half is fantastic.
Such a simple premise, but executed neatly and perfectly. I was glued to the screen to see what happened next. Even up until a few minutes before the end, I thought maybe this would be the battle that UNIT couldn't win. But Conrad ended up biting off more than he could chew... Unlike the Shreek. YES, SHREEK! GET HIM!
Emotional Impact ā 18/20
Lucky Day is a unique episode, in the sense that I feel like so many characters bring so many different emotions to the table. I'll save Kate and The Doctor for the Character Development section (as I actually think they get more interesting developments than Ruby and Conrad, despite limited appearances), and instead focus on our main pairing instead.
Starting with Ruby. Oh, poor Ruby.
It was really nice to see her actually reflect on how Empire of Death has affected her. Sure, she's really grown into herself and can control a room (#hottaserlady), but she is also deeply traumatised. And the fact that episode addressed that someone can be both of these things at the same time was something that I thought was a really nice touch.
Millie Gibson really knows how to give a tour-de-force performance. It's a crying shame we won't have around in Doctor Who for that much more in the future.
But the main source of emotion from the episode is vitriol. And it comes from hating Conrad Clark.
I swear every single line of his was intended to drive up as much rage as possible. And the terrifying part is it didn't even seem in the slightest unrealistic. Go on social media these days and you'll see thousands of people spouting what he does. It's terrifying, and it makes his character really strike a nerve. We can only hope this episode helps to act as a deterrent for at least one person out there.
Character Development ā 13/15
Sadly, we didn't get to see much of The Doctor this week, but what we did see at the end? Wow. The Doctor has always prided himself on bringing out the best of people, but this is now the second time of note that 15 has failed (the first being with the god-awful racists in Dot and Bubble). It's funny: 15 came into the world a healed man, but it just seems the universe has a knack of putting him in his place. He can't always win, and for a second we see a flash of hatred in him when talking to Conrad (not judging, of course, Conrad deserves it all and then some).
It's in these darker moments I feel like we really see an interesting side of 15. I'm hoping going into the finale, we get to see some more of this side. And with Conrad seemingly coming back? It seems like the Doctor may have a brand new type of war ahead of him...
Then there's Kate.
Kate, who has for far too long become almost part of the scenery for the show, has really been allowed to shine brilliantly in this episode.
Strangely, I'm really invested in her relationship with Colonel Ibrahim (which is a sentence I never thought I would say). And I love how much of a caring parental figure she is to Ruby. But the best part about her is that in this episode, she finally, properly, snaps.
You can just feel the rumbling of long term repercussions, looming in the distance, beyond the finale, and perhaps even stretching into the soon to be spinoff. I pray that this gets continued there. And seeing as how both are written by Pete McTighe, that seems incredibly likely.
This episode seems almost like the pilot for a very interesting series to come...
Villains ā 9/10
The best monsters are always the ones you find close to home.
I'm very interested to see where Conrad is taken in the finale. I think I'm more terrified of him than I ever have been of Daleks, Cybermen, or Weeping Angels. And it's even more terrifying to know that these days, he's hardly even that much of a caricature. Pete McTighe, take a bow for giving us the new type of enemy that Doctor Who has sorely needed.
At least this one got a bit of a comeuppance, even if it was just for a split second.
Give that Shreek a medal, honestly!
Visuals & Music ā 7/10
I don't think I have that much to actually judge this on this week, to be fair? It was a pretty standard affair, so I think 7/10 is a good rating. Loved the practical effects used for the Shreek though, it was very interesting to watch the behind the scenes for this episode!
Themes ā 9/10
I don't think I need to go over what the real meaning of the episode is, it should be abundantly clear. And I don't want to hear any complaints that it was too on the nose, because THIS IS WHAT WE NEED.
I don't know if it was intentional to air this episode directly after the UK council elections, but it couldn't have come at a better time. This is the way that the world is going, and like Kate, I think we need to stand up and act.
Rewatchability ā 8/10
The first half of the episode? I could happily choose to never rewatch again. But I have had the last 25 minutes on a loop for the last few days it is so good. Yes, it really is that good.
Total Score: 83/100
This is one of the episodes which I think it is important to watch. Do so if you haven't already.