Doctor Who’s latest episode once again puts Ruby Sunday in the driver’s seat for a Doctor-lite adventure. “Lucky Day” goes back in the very near past to show what Ruby’s life is like after choosing to leave the TARDIS. The episode pushes everyone to the brink, especially UNIT leader Kate Stewart, who makes a calculated decision that seemingly ushers her into a darker and more ruthless era. Kate’s choice in “Lucky Day” begins to lay the foundation for what we can likely expect from her in the upcoming Doctor Who UNIT spinoff The War Between Land and Sea.
In the episode, Ruby is in a fragile mental and emotional space. She’s reeling from the bad things she saw in the TARDIS yet missing the Doctor’s companionship. Unfortunately, things get much worse for her by the end of it. She meets Conrad, a podcaster who has a deep interest in the Doctor and the TARDIS after meeting Fifteen and Belinda back in 2007. Ruby opens up to him and eventually falls for him.
However, during a weekend getaway, Conrad reveals his real intentions and disgusting cruelty. Ruby believes that the Shreek, a deadly creature, is after Conrad and calls in UNIT to help protect him. But it is Conrad’s pals/supporters in disguise. He’s actually the leader of a vile conspiracy theorist group and, thanks to this stunt, he manages to turn the media and general public against UNIT. Conrad doxxes the UNIT staff and Ruby and spreads sensationalist propaganda suggesting that alien threats are all a lie to grift the public. Kate soon discovers that Conrad interviewed for a UNIT position years prior but she didn’t hire him because he felt untrustworthy.
This all comes to a head when Conrad infiltrates UNIT headquarters. He threatens to kill people if Kate and her crew don’t admit to their lies while he’s livestreaming. Conrad continues to insult Ruby and really pushes Kate’s hot button by calling her father, the beloved Brigadier, a coward. Kate decides to release the Shreek and allow it to stalk Conrad so the world can see the truth. The creature nearly kills him before Ruby steps in with a taser to subdue it. Throughout this tense scene, Ruby pleads with Kate to help Conrad and the UNIT staff look terrified.
But Kate is reeling and taunting Conrad, which is frankly what he deserves. He sucks! It’s a very “dark Doctor” moment for her, indeed. Even after Ruby saves him, Conrad says it is “special effects” until the Shreek bites part of his arm off. Conrad ends up surviving and in prison… well, until Mrs. Flood releases him. This ordeal sets UNIT right in the public eye, but a few people are giving Kate a major side eye. In fact, her right hand man (and possible lover) Colonel Ibrahim says that she took things too far. Kate brushes off his concern and walks away. Is there a power struggle on the horizon? Maybe. No one else speaks out about her choice further, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t on the Colonel’s side.
We know that both characters will play a role in the UNIT spinoff, with Kate presumably keeping her leadership position. Kate came quite close to letting Conrad die, something that goes against her usual ethos. Is she on the road to a darker path in The War Between Land and Sea? It is very possible. Kate will likely not trust anyone new to come into the UNIT circle. She could be paranoid about those who are still there, considering Jordan’s betrayal. This ship nearly sunk and Kate will do whatever it takes to hold it together, even if others don’t agree. A fractured UNIT with a terrifying threat coming from the seas is an intriguing foundation for a miniseries.
This new series is all about solving conflicts when the Doctor isn’t around to save the day. It is plausible that we could see Kate do the unthinkable and kill an enemy (or more than one) when she should take a more pacifist route. It is not looking too good for the Sea Devils. A decision like that could be a death blow to her career. Considering she’s a second generation UNIT employee, that would be a sad way to end her family’s legacy.
UNIT could appear again in Doctor Who season two, perhaps using the finale as a backdoor pilot for this series. And if Kate continues to push those moral limits, this new series could take the Torchwood route and give us a darker look into the Whoniverse.
Content shared from nerdist.com.