We are now deep into the newest season of Doctor Who and we continue down a path of questions and twists. We start this episode of MarkWHO42, with a tribute to William Russell by Mark Baumgarten and Juan Sanmiguel. He portrayed one of the original companions, Ian Chesterton, a schoolteacher, with The First Doctor. We follow with the next 3 episodes: 73 Yards, Dot & Bubble, and Rogue. In 73 Yards, themes of the supernatural and mysteries continue. Where did The Doctor go? What words does the woman say to the other characters to make them run? Is she a ghost? What is her purpose? Are we in a timeline paradox or an alternate timeline? In Dot & Bubble, we have an obvious commentary on social media and influencers. More than that, racism and xenophobia are at the forefront. Does this represent our present or possible future? Is Ricky September a part of the problem? He is an educated influencer who does not use his power to effect change until it is too late. Is Ruby naïve or overly optimistic? The Doctor’s tears in this episode are emotional and raw. What will happen to the survivors when they attempt to live outside the city? In the last episode, Rogue, we have the talented Jonathon Groff sparring with The Doctor. A formidable match, one who may recognize at least one of his many faces. What does this mean for the future? Or is it the past? The Doctor has a double blow in this episode; first, he thinks he has lost Ruby and then he loses Rogue. What is the emotional toll on The Doctor? Again, The Doctor has tears and anger, but he moves forward, as he knows he must. In these three episodes, as with earlier ones of the season, we have seen many references to events of the past 60 years in the Doctor Who universe. Is there a reason beyond an easter egg? Do the homages have deeper meanings? Listen to Mark Baumgarten, Vicky Jakubowski, and Zion Quiros trip the light fantastic with The Doctor and Ruby in anticipation of the 2-part season finale.
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MarkWHO42
Mark Baumgarten is an old school Whovian who hosts and runs the award-winning online science fiction radio show and podcast The MarkWHO42's Universe Podcast. He became a fan of Doctor Who in 1978 and worked on several of the Omnicon Conventions in South Florida back in the 1980's. With an accumulated knowledge of Who-lore as well as Science Fiction in general, he needed to share it with the world. In 2010 he started markwho42 Books selling Doctor Who books online and at conventions and in 2012 started the show MarkWHO42 and has been invited as a guest panelist at conventions around the country. He definitely puts the "Mark" in MarkWHO42!
