The Devil's Chord

"There must be better songs."

Writer: Russell T Davies

Format: TV

Broadcast: 11 May 2024

Series: 14.02

Featuring: Fifteenth Doctor, Ruby

Synopsis

The Doctor and Ruby meet the Beatles but discover that the all-powerful Maestro is changing history. London becomes a battleground with the future of humanity at stake. 

Verdict

The Devil's Chord was just an outstanding episode to continue the new series of Doctor Who! After a decent opener in the form of Space Babies, this story sees the new era really hit its stride. Right from the off Maestro is presented as an excellent villain and they really do not disappoint. Coming into the world on the lost chord of a genius is a fun way to arrive and after thirty-eight years of carnage, music is barely a thing by 1963. After the excitement had by both the Doctor and Ruby when she suggested going back to hearing the Beatles record their first album, their dumbfounded looks at the song about a dog that really wasn't very good was just terrific. I absolutely love the vibe Ncuti Gatwa and Mille Gibson bring to the pairing of the Fifteenth Doctor and Ruby. They are so refreshing and just full of energy. I love every era of the show, but this feels like it has been reinvigorated and I'm all for it. This just feels right. They both look tremendous in their 1960s get up and just seeing them thrilled to be walking along that famous zebra crossing at Abbey Road was a joy. I also loved the Doctor acknowledging that he was in 1963 and even now he was across in Shoreditch not too long after leaving Gallifrey. The nod to An Unearthly Child there was beautiful and I loved Ruby's reaction to him name dropping Susan as his granddaughter. It's very sad that he doesn't know what became of her after leaving her behind in The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and it'll be quite something if she does turn out to be either Mrs Flood or the mysterious One Who Waits. I'm so on board with everything going on here with the story arcs hinting towards a massive finale. Who is the mysterious 'he' that must have been there at Ruby's birth as Maestro mentioned. Who is Susan Twist's character that once again popped up here as a dinner lady? I'm loving the mysteries. Keep them building. The plot of this one though was just superb and it says a lot about a villain when even the Doctor runs away. Ruby seems to have been around for six months now which is a considerable jump and it's good that stories like Mancopolis can fill that in ever so slightly, but even she is surprised by the Doctor's actions. Everything points back towards The Giggle which I love and Maestro actually being the child of the Toymaker is incredible! I love that idea. What he was to games they are to music. Ruby's performance on the piano was beautiful and I loved how her music inspired, just briefly, some hope in the human race. Maestro's emergences from the pianos were fantastic and I just thought Jinx Monsoon was tremendous. The shift from camp to comic to downright vicious and evil was so impressive. They really were playing with the Doctor at times and that was incredible to see. But when Ruby was threatened, the Doctor's confidence grew rapidly. He knew he had it in him to find the lost chord. After all he'd been through in life, he needed music to express himself so why wouldn't he? I was surprised that the Beatles actually featured so little in the episode given their prominence to music, but it was nice for them to play that final chord. The little twist at the end dance number was a fun way to finish and the reappearance of Harbinger was a fun true twist. Might we see more of Maestro in the future? I certainly hope so. It was an instant classic of a villain performance. Overall, just sublime! 

Rating: 10/10