‘Doctor Who: Rogue’ Season 1, Episode 6 Review – A Swashbuckling, Mysterious, And Romantic Homage To Bridgerton

The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Rogue (Jonathan Groff) | Photo Credit: Bad Wolf/BBC Studios/Disney+

After last week’s Black Mirror homage, this week’s episode of Doctor Who draws inspiration from yet another beloved Netflix series – Bridgerton. Written by Kate Herron and Briony Redman and directed by Ben Chessell, “Rogue” takes elements of historical romantic comedies, murder mysteries, and science fiction cheese and tosses them into a blender – in the best way possible. Packed with brilliant performances that manage to be both nuanced and over-the-top, enough twists and turns to make James Patterson blush, and a healthy helping of Doctor Who heart, “Rogue” offers a captivating and delightful watch from start to finish. It easily ranks among the season’s best, alongside “Boom” and “73 Yards” – but for entirely different reasons.

It’s All a Bit Bridgerton, Ain’t It?

When the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby (Millie Gibson) arrive at the Duchess of Pemberton’s (Indira Varma) swanky party in 1813, they anticipate a night full of Regency-era delights. But as the Duchess’s guests begin turning up dead, things take a fairly dramatic turn. But the Doctor and Ruby aren’t the only ones on the case. No, there’s a mysterious bounty hunter named Rogue (Jonathan Groff) stalking the scene. But who, exactly, is this Rogue, and what is he up to? Can the Doctor and Ruby get to the bottom of these unsettling murders? Or is the Duchess’s party set to go down in flames? In “Rogue”, Doctor Who wanders into the world of Bridgerton with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. A rip-roaringly fun time from start to finish, “Rogue” tugs at the heartstrings while constantly keeping you on your toes and frequently making you laugh out loud.

There’s not a lot that can be said about “Rogue” without spoiling its surprises. Put simply. it plays out like a very Doctor Who take on historical romantic comedies mixed with murder mysteries. All your Bridgerton tropes are on full display here, lovingly respected by Heron and Redman’s script. Honestly, the entire episode plays out like a love letter to the very idea of adoring Regency dramas. There’s so much reverence for the source material on display; a real love for everything that makes shows like Bridgerton work. But Heron and Redman’s script simultaneously shows a lot of love for everything that makes an episode of Doctor Who work too. Underneath the Regency shine lies a very traditional, well-crafted Doctor Who story. Overall, the episode’s a smorgasbord of various inspirations and ideas that shouldn’t work when combined, yet somehow do. And it’s such a joyous watch.

Nuanced Yet Charmingly Over-the-Top Performances

More than anything else, the episode’s success largely rests on the shoulders of its brilliant cast. And, as you might expect, everyone delivers performances that somehow straddle the line between nuanced, emotional truth and over-the-top chaos. Chief among those performances is Jonathan Groff’s spin as Rogue. He’s a swashbuckling bounty hunter; a twinkle always present in his eye while a dark shadow lingers in his wake. Groff effortlessly charms his way through every single scene. He spends most of the episode paired with Gatwa’s Doctor, whom Groff nearly succeeds in out-swaggering. As for Gatwa’s Doctor, “Rogue” offers him the perfect opportunity to lean into the character’s penchant for the dramatic. This is an episode that highlights the Doctor’s playful side, yet still finds the time for genuine emotions to shine through. It offers yet another stellar showcase for Gatwa’s Doctor and a pleasant return after a couple of Doctor-lite episodes.

Then there’s Indira Varma as the Duchess of Pemberton, a performance so perfectly over-the-top, you’ll marvel at how she pulled it off. The less said about her character, the better. But Varma delivers a performance that is both outrageously funny and surprisingly menacing at times. As for Millie Gibson, she takes a bit of a backseat in this episode. It’s not that Ruby doesn’t do much, no. It’s just that with the Doctor, Rogue, and the Duchess stealing so much of the episode’s attention, there’s not a lot of time left for Ruby to shine. Still, Gibson gets to live her best Bridgerton life in a way that most Doctor Who companions could only dream of, dancing and cavorting amongst the Regency elite. And, as always, she’s a joy to watch in every single scene.

Final Thoughts

Kate Herron and Briony Redman score a home run with “Rogue”, their first Doctor Who episode. An episode that takes all the best elements of Bridgerton-style romantic comedies and combines them with murder mystery tropes and Doctor Who’s unique blend of sci-fi mayhem. “Rogue” easily ranks among the season’s best episodes so far, even if it’s a much lighter episode than the likes of “Boom” and “73 Yards”. The joy of Doctor Who is that not every episode needs to be a dark, haunting character study. You need lighthearted, swashbuckling, and romantic adventures to cleanse the palate. And that’s exactly what “Rogue” is – a joyous palate cleanser that seems destined to be remembered alongside the likes of “The Girl in the Fireplace”. A fun, emotional, adventurous historical romp in the best way possible.

Doctor Who continues with “Rogue”, premiering Friday, June 7th, at 7pm on Disney+. New episodes premiere on Fridays at 7pm on Disney+.