Millie Gibson took centre stage in this Doctor-lite episode which saw Ruby Sunday starting a relationship with podcaster Conrad Clark, only for him to reveal his true colours as a vindictive agitator with a grudge against UNIT. Although this was another episode which scored highly amongst members of our society, it should be noted that it received the fewest responses out of all the episodes from this series. Nevertheless, it can’t be discounted that four different members awarded Lucky Day nine out of ten: “A superb character piece, emphasising Doctor Who‘s support for the collective and for liberal, pluralist authority… against aggressive individuals distorting truth for their own gratification and the purposeful degradation of the public realm”, exalted one such review, while another considered it favourably with 73 Yards.

Much of the society’s positivity related to how the big reveal flipped the entire episode on its head, switching one member’s initial reaction from “cringeworthy” to “my favourite of the series so far.” Another member agreed: “What initially starts out as a fairly tedious and derivative story about life after the Doctor and Ruby finding romance with an annoyingly wet boyfriend suddenly takes a drastic right turn into a scathing condemnation of online hate movements and propaganda, with Conrad turning out to be the absolute worst.” Another member, however, highlighted a potential drawback with the turnabout: “due to the twist, it takes until half-time [for the episode] to actually get going. The love story is cloying, though less so on a second watch when you know when the scenes are going to end.” Other elements, such as the return of Ruby’s family (“especially Cherry”) and the build-up to the shocking reveal, including Conrad’s faux naivety and the apparent arrival of cavalry, were also singled out for praise.

The “exceptional” performances of Millie Gibson, Jemma Redgrave, and Jonah Hauer-King, all received unanimous praise, as did the “tremendous” character work. One member hailed Lucky Day as “an unpredictable and original solo outing for Ruby Sunday… Millie Gibson smashes it – you feel so much for Ruby who keeps going through the wringer,” while another proclaimed how Millie Gibson “can lead an episode on her own”. With regards to Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, although one member felt that her willingness to let the Shreek attack Conrad felt “a little out of character” with her previous portrayals, others loved how far she went during the confrontation or pointed out how she “has to win on the stage of public opinion that she has just been thrust onto.” Finally, despite his limited screentime, Ncuti Gatwa’s confrontation with Conrad during the final minutes was met with high approval. The Doctor’s appearance was equated to “an admonishing angel… a visitor from a Heaven which Conrad is incapable of conceiving, let alone entering.” Another member agreed: “one of Gatwa’s best performances as the Doctor; the lack of repentance in the face-off is marvellous.”

Lucky Day ended up with an average rating of exactly 8.00 (from 7 responses). Join us next time for our responses to The Story & the Engine!