Latest news with #InuaEllams
Gizmodo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Doctor Who's Latest Story Was About the Power of Doctor Who Itself
As Doctor Who has, inch-by-inch, diversified the casting of its heroes, its willingness to tell stories directly influenced by those decisions has trailed a little behind. When Jodie Whittaker became the 13th Doctor, only a few of her stories ultimately engaged with what it meant that the Doctor now inhabited a female body. With the arrival of Ncuti Gatwa in the TARDIS last year, his debut season tackled his status as the first Black man and the first openly queer actor to play the Time Lord to… mixed success, especially on the former. But now, in the strongest episode of his sophomore season yet, we have a story that nails exploring the Doctor's latest identity, because it allows itself the grace of being up front about engaging with that idea. Last season's 'Dot and Bubble' played with the notion of the Doctor's racial identity by trapping him on a planet of white supremacists being eaten by giant slug monsters, but by saving that reveal for its closing scene as a gotcha for the Doctor and the audience alike, the episode failed to really engage with what it meant for the Doctor's identity as a Black man to be called into question outside of a single moment. 'The Story and the Engine,' then, by playwright Inua Ellams, stands as an interesting contrast. It is Gatwa's first Doctor Who script written entirely by a person of color (this season's 'The Well' was co-credited between Russell T Davies and Sharma Angel-Walfall). It is also a story that explicitly leverages Gatwa's identity as a Black man to tell a story that can only be told in such a circumstance. But perhaps most crucially of all that in contrast, is that it is a story that uses that identity to tell a story of joy, of the universality and power of storytelling, something that connects the Doctor to the people they yearn to protect. And it can only do so by clearly establishing that connection between the story being told, and its setting, to the Doctor's current identity from the get-go. Where that story takes place is Lagos, Nigeria, as the Doctor and Belinda continue to charge up their 'try and find 2025 London' device by hopping around in time and space. Landing in Lagos, the Doctor gets what he needs almost immediately, but is reluctant to move on quickly: there's a local barbershop, ran by a man named Omo (Sule Rimi), that he loves visiting. We've seen Gatwa's Doctor play with myriad styles, especially with his hair, but as Belinda points out to him, he has a massive time ship that does all that for him. The reason Omo's shop is special, the Doctor argues, is because it's a place that makes his current incarnation feel seen, in a way he hasn't before. Although it's not the first time the Doctor has ever been Black (as we get a wonderful nod to with a brief surprise appearance by Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor later on), having the Doctor articulate to Belinda his desire to feel recognized and welcomed in spaces as a Black man–and having them both, as the first TARDIS team completely made up of people of color, connect over that in their developing friendship–is an incredibly compelling idea, and it's one that really resonates compared to the times this Doctor's racial identity has been used in stories only to serve as a point of conflict, like 'Dot and Bubble' or briefly in 'Lux'. After Belinda acquiesces and lets the Doctor check in for a trim though, things kick into high gear. It turns out Omo's shop is under new management, a mysterious figure known only as the Barber (Ariyon Bakare), who has trapped Omo and several other men there, wrenching the shop out of time and space to keep them all in an endless cycle of haircuts and storytelling: their tales of history and myth powering a massive mechanical spider that is whisking the Barber and his ally Abena, the daughter of Anansi (Michelle Asante), on a quest for vengeance against the gods themselves. The Barber, it turns out, helped spread the myths of countless gods and folklores throughout human history by creating a Nexus, a literal web of storytelling and culture that spread their reach and influence but also laid the fundamental groundwork for human civilization itself, the act of sharing and developing thousands of years of stories, passed on through generations. No longer needing him with the Nexus' creation, the gods cast the Barber out, and now he wants to destroy it, and take them with it. Much of this plays out within the confines of Omo's barbershop, an infinitely tiny space for all these big ideas to burst out of, even if it's also revealed that said barbershop is currently temporally displaced and being carried about an alternate dimension by a giant mechanical spider. At times, 'The Story and the Engine' threatens to lose itself in the strains of bandying about all these big, heady ideas, but where episodes before it this season have hit those issues, here, it almost becomes part of the metatext of Doctor Who itself. After all, as this episode reminds us, what bigger story is there out there than the Doctor themselves, countless lives lived over and over? The Doctor's status as this being who has seen so many histories and futures is the crux of the whole premise. It's why Omo tells the Barber about them in the first place; it's a story left untold—that the Fugitive Doctor once promised to free Abena from the clutches of her father, but failed to do so, telling her and us in a brief moment that she was wrapped up in a story for another time—that creates the conflict between the Doctor and Abena in the first place. It's how, ultimately, the Doctor manages to save the day, tempting the Barber with himself as the simplest story ever told: they live, they die, they are reborn. What saves the day in 'The Story and the Engine' is not necessarily the Doctor's brains or any kind of technobabble, it's the very fact that they are the star of the story that is Doctor Who, an ongoing, living, breathing narrative that stretches across life after life, is shared between generations of people. The Doctor isn't just a story of potentiality, but one so powerful it manages to overwhelm the Barber's engine, freeing everyone trapped in the shop and guiding the Barber and Abena away from their misguided quest for revenge. That might be a story that could've been told with any incarnation of the Doctor–and that is arguably part of the point, given it's the Doctor's narrative potentiality that proves key to foiling the Barber's plans. But 'The Story and the Engine' also directly engages with beats that re-iterate that this is a story that could have only been told by pushing the Doctor's story to a place where people of color can be part of it, as well. It's not just in the yearning for community the Doctor seeks by going to Omo's shop in the first place, it becomes even more important when Abena decides to help the Doctor by braiding his hair with a map to the heart of the Spider so he can stop it, drawing on real-world historical traditions of braided hair being used to hide messages and maps in the era of colonialism and the slave trade. 'The Story and the Engine' is laser-focused on the power of Doctor Who as a story, metatextually or otherwise, but there's also a lot of power in how it chooses to tell this story intertwined with how it leverages Gatwa's identity as the first Black, queer man to be a major player in that story. This era of Doctor Who in particular has been very interested in the metanarratives of stories, and with playing of awareness of them for both the audience and our heroes alike. Sometimes it's worth celebrating for a moment, as we get to here, that that story can now help connect even more people from different backgrounds and welcome them to be a part of it. And that's just vital a story to tell with the first mainline Doctor played by a man of color as any story of prejudice is.
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Doctor Who: The Story and the Engine – season two episode five recap
Set in Lagos, The Story and the Engine attempted to weave elements of western African folklore with wider myths and legends, alongside the mythology of Doctor Who itself. Like a lot of recent episodes, it was eager to play with the idea that the viewer is aware they are watching a story. At the Q&A after the London premiere of The Robot Revolution, Ncuti Gatwa said that this was the episode he was most looking forward to people watching this year, and he seemed to have had an absolute hoot on set. He clearly relished showing his Doctor feeling alive and accepted within a Black African community on Earth, but as events unfolded, he also got to flex flashes of anger alongside all the joy. The wild oscillation between camaraderie and fear in the barber shop allowed Ariyon Bakare (the Barber) and Sule Rimi (Omo Esosa) to shine in their roles, with each of them getting to enjoy significant character beats against Gatwa. Omo's apparent betrayal of his Time Lord friend and the sudden outpouring of laughter after the Barber's big 'reveal' of his identity were highlights. Michelle Asante as Abena was scene-stealingly good, as a mostly silent but clearly powerful presence, who appeared to know exactly what was going on, and to be enjoying the Doctor's discomfort. Writer Inua Ellams has tackled the Black male haircut experience before, in his 2017 play Barber Shop Chronicles, and has described his Doctor Who episode as a call to artists to 'always give credit where it's due'. But in an episode so dominated by the stories of men, it was actually Belinda (Varada Sethu) who deserved the credit for pushing the resolution on. Her simple phrase – 'hurt people hurt people' – was the spur for Abena to abandon her bitter desire for revenge, and set up the Doctor's escape, using a method once employed by enslaved African people. What if Doctor Who did Desmond's, but on the back of a giant spider? At first Belinda seemed content to let the Doctor roam free and enjoy feeling at home in Nigeria while she kept the Tardis ticking over. Those crashing red alarms soon drew her into action, though, with the Time Lord's big blue box proving to be rather more helpful to this companion than it was during those episodes such as The Rings of Akhaten and Hide where she had clearly taken a dislike to Clara. Maybe fear isn't quite the right word, but at times the dialogue inside Omo's Palace crackled with menace. It was also another rare episode where everybody lived – as long as you don't count the giant spider. It was lovely to see Jo Martin's Fugitive Doctor make a brief appearance, making it the first multi-doctor story to feature the two Black people to have held the role in person, even if it did raise some baffling questions about how the 15th Doctor appeared to remember an off-screen adventure involving Abena that had happened to Martin's 'forgotten' incarnation. Doctor Who has seldom visited Africa on television, though the show filmed on the continent for Spyfall and Praxeus, partly set on Madagascar, during Jodie Whittaker's tenure. William Hartnell's Doctor spent one episode of 1965 story The Chase being pursued by Daleks, Dracula and Frankenstein's monster inside a haunted house that was later revealed to be at the Festival of Ghana in the year 1996. As well as a brief appearance during the market sequence by writer Ellams, the other notable cameo was the ghost girl who appeared to Belinda. That was Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps, once again playing Poppy, who we last saw when she was captaining the crew on Baby Station Beta during 2024's season opener Space Babies. Bakare's Barber was also a returning face, with the actor having played Leandro, Maisie Williams's ill-fated lionlike sidekick in 2015's The Woman Who Lived. The show's opening sequence appearing as a fourth wall break within the barber shop echoed when Maestro began playing the theme tune on their piano at the start of The Devil's Chord last year. Doctor Who has previously used animated storytelling clips. The origins of Zellin and Rakaya were explained via animation during Can You Hear Me? in 2020. The six-word story the Doctor was alluding to – 'For sale, baby shoes, never worn' – is often attributed to Ernest Hemingway, but it seems unlikely he was actually its author. The Doctor has watched the Marvel superhero movies, meaning they exist in the Whoniverse. We now have a canonical in-universe explanation of where Unit got the design for their Avengers-style tower in London. Ellams has written a prequel story, detailing how Omo first met the Doctor. Rylan! Graham Norton! The Eurovision song contest … but in space! On the night of the Eurovision song contest! Provided the FA Cup final doesn't selfishly overrun and crash through the BBC One evening schedule like a wrecking ball! See you then! Season 2 Episode 1: The Robot Revolution Episode 2: Lux Episode 3: The Well Episode 4: Lucky Day Episode 5: The Story and The Engine Episode 6: The Interstellar Song Contest Episode 7: Wish World Episode 8: The Reality War Season 1 Episodes 1 & 2: Space Babies / The Devil's Chord Episode 3: Boom Episode 4: 73 Yards Episode 5: Dot and Bubble Episode 6: Rogue Episode 7: The Legend of Ruby Sunday Episode 8: Empire of Death Christmas special: Joy to the World 60th anniversary specials Special 1: The Star BeastSpecial 2: Wild Blue YonderSpecial 3: The GiggleChristmas special: The Church on Ruby Road Flux / Series 13 Chapter one: The Halloween ApocalypseChapter two: War of the SontaransChapter three: Once, Upon TimeChapter four: Village of the AngelsChapter five: Survivors of the FluxChapter six: The VanquishersNew Year's Special: Eve of the DaleksSpring special: Legend of the Sea DevilsBBC centenary special: The Power of the Doctor Series 12 Episode 1: Spyfall part oneEpisode 2: Spyfall part twoEpisode 3: Orphan 55Episode 4: Nikola Tesla's Night of TerrorEpisode 5: Fugitive of the JudoonEpisode 6: PraxeusEpisode 7: Can You Hear Me?Episode 8: The Haunting of Villa DiodatiEpisode 9: Ascension of the CybermenEpisode 10: The Timeless ChildrenNew Year's special: Revolution of the Daleks Series 11 Episode 1: The Woman Who Fell to EarthEpisode 2: The Ghost MonumentEpisode 3: RosaEpisode 4: Arachnids in the UKEpisode 5: The Tsuangra CondundrumEpisode 6: Demons of the PunjabEpisode 7: Kerblam!Episode 8: The WitchfindersEpisode 9: It Takes You AwayEpisode 10: The Battle of Ranskoor Av KolosNew Year's special: Resolution Series 10 Episode 1: The PilotEpisode 2: SmileEpisode 3: Thin IceEpisode 4: Knock KnockEpisode 5: OxygenEpisode 6: ExtremisEpisode 7: The Pyramid at the End of the WorldEpisode 8: The Lie of the LandEpisode 9: Empress of MarsEpisode 10: The Eaters of LightEpisode 11: World Enough and TimeEpisode 12: The Doctor Falls2017 Christmas special: Twice Upon A Time Series 9 Episode 1: The Magician's ApprenticeEpisode 2: The Witch's FamiliarEpisode 3: Under The LakeEpisode 4: Before The FloodEpisode 5: The Girl Who DiedEpisode 6: The Woman Who LivedEpisode 7: The Zygon InvasionEpisode 8: The Zygon InversionEpisode 9: Sleep No MoreEpisode 10: Face The RavenEpisode 11: Heaven SentEpisode 12: Hell Bent2015 Christmas special: The Husbands of River Song2016 Christmas special: The Return of Doctor Mysterio Series 8 Episode 1: Deep BreathEpisode 2: Into The DalekEpisode 3: Robot of SherwoodEpisode 4: ListenEpisode 5: Time HeistEpisode 6: The CaretakerEpisode 7: Kill The MoonEpisode 8: Mummy on the Orient ExpressEpisode 9: FlatlineEpisode 10: In the Forest of the NightEpisode 11: Dark WaterEpisode 12: Death In Heaven2014 Christmas special: Last Christmas Series 7 Episode 1: Asylum of the DaleksEpisode 2: Dinosaurs on a SpaceshipEpisode 3: A Town Called MercyEpisode 4: The Power of ThreeEpisode 5: The Angels Take Manhatten2012 Christmas special: The SnowmenEpisode 6: The Bells of Saint JohnEpisode 7: The Rings of AkhatenEpisode 8: Cold WarEpisode 9: HideEpisode 10: Journey to the Centre of the TardisEpisode 11: The Crimson HorrorEpisode 12: Nightmare in SilverEpisode 13: The Name of the Doctor50th Anniversary special: The Day of the Doctor2013 Christmas special: The Time of the Doctor Series 6 Episode 1: The Impossible AstronautEpisode 2: Day of the MoonEpisode 3: The Curse of the Black SpotEpisode 4: The Doctor's WifeEpisode 5: The Rebel FleshEpisode 6: The Almost PeopleEpisode 7: A Good Man Goes To WarEpisode 8: Let's Kill HitlerEpisode 9: Night TerrorsEpisode 10: The Girl Who WaitedEpisode 11: The God ComplexEpisode 12: Closing TimeEpisode 13: The Wedding of River Song2011 Christmas special: The Doctor, The Widow and the Wardrobe Series 5 Episode 1: The Eleventh HourEpisode 2: The Beast BelowEpisode 3: Victory of the DaleksEpisode 4: The Time of AngelsEpisode 5: Flesh and StoneEpisode 6: The Vampires of VeniceEpisode 7: Amy's ChoiceEpisode 8: The Hungry EarthEpisode 9: Cold BloodEpisode 10: Vincent and the DoctorEpisode 11: The LodgerEpisode 12: The Pandorica OpensEpisode 13: The Big Bang2010 Christmas special: A Christmas Carol
Geek Girl Authority
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
DOCTOR WHO Recap: (S02E05) The Story & the Engine
Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine,' is a beautifully written outing penned by Inua Ellams, performed equally beautifully by a talented cast. It's an impactful meditation on the power of storytelling and creativity. It's a love letter to African culture. There's also an innate theatricality to it, a Shakespearean flair that, as a writer and actor, scratches that itch in my brain. We're all stories in the end, right? RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Doctor Who episode, 'Lucky Day' Doctor Who, 'The Story & the Engine' We open with Omo (Sule Rimi) regaling Rashid (Stefan Adegbola), Tunde (Jordan Adene) and Obioma (Michael Balogun) with the tale of how he met the Doctor. The Barber (Ariyon Bakare) cuts his hair. Omo reveals that when he was a child, the forest outside his village was on fire. The Doctor stopped his TARDIS midair, flung open the doors and hosed the blaze. Then, he planted seeds to regrow the flora and vegetation in the area. Omo asked if he was a farmer. 'I'm the Doctor,' our titular Time Lord told him. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf After this, we see two light fixtures adorning the wall: One with a red light, the other green. The red light flickers off, giving way to the green. They're safe … for now. Suddenly, the red light flicks back on and the barbershop quakes. Omo and the others realize they need the Doctor. It needs to feed — and it's ravenous now. Lagos, Nigeria Meanwhile, Belinda (Varada Sethu) urges the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) to take her home. He decides to land the TARDIS in Lagos, Nigeria, revealing that it has the largest communications technology market in Africa. Plus, it's near Omo's Palace. Fifteen rushes outside with the Vindicator to get a new reading. We learn they're in 2019. RELATED: TV Review: Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 4, 'Lucky Day' Next, our Gallifreyan explains that this is the first time he's had a Black body. He's treated differently in some parts of the world. However, in Omo's Palace, he feels at home. Omo and the others accept him. Belinda shares that her grandmother would take her to India, and she experienced the same thing: belonging. Belinda urges the Doctor to pay Omo a visit. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: Dan Fearon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf After wending his way through the bustling market, the Doctor encounters a sign that says, 'Turn Back.' He sees missing persons posters for Omo, Tunde, Rashid and Obioma. He notes how the alley in which Omo's Palace is located is inexplicably empty. The Doctor examines the doorframe with his Sonic Screwdriver. Meanwhile, Obioma tells a story as the Barber cuts his hair. The Missing Are Found The Doctor flings open the door, reuniting with Omo. He's surprised to find Obioma, Rashid and Tunde here — all missing people. The Barber introduces himself, claiming he's been waiting for the Doctor's arrival. We learn the Barber took over the barbershop, ousting Omo. Naturally, the Doctor has questions. Why are these men all reported missing? Why isn't Obioma leaving after his haircut? RELATED: TV Review: Doctor Who Season 2 Premiere The Barber replies that they can't leave. Then, the alarm blares, the green light switching to red. Obioma's hair grows back. The others are tired; they're running out of stories to tell. Rashid volunteers to sit in the Barber's chair next. He offers a tale about Yo-Yo Ma. The others watch a large screen that animates Rashid's story. Our Time Lord is in awe. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf Omo explains that it's all connected — the screen, the doorway, the chair, even the Barber's clippers. The Doctor must get a cut and tell a story for the screen to activate. As for the door, only the Barber and Abby control it. That's why they can't leave. The Barber's Assistant Abby (Michelle Asante) arrives with food for the boys. She keeps them going. The Doctor recognizes Abby, the Barber's assistant, but can't put a name to her face. RELATED: Doctor Who : 11 Easter Eggs in 'Boom' The Doctor doesn't understand why the Barber and Abby must keep Omo and the others trapped in the barbershop. Tunde reveals that it's just until the group reaches the Barber and Abby's destination. That's right: They're moving. Omo explains that one day, the Barber waltzed into his barbershop and simply took over, but not before offering to give Omo a cut. Omo tried to push his clients out; the shop accepted a select few. His key no longer worked. It was strange. Obioma was there getting a cut for his child's naming ceremony. Tunde is an athlete and wanted to get a cut for the championship. Rashid's mother is sick in the hospital. Omo lent Rashid money for her medicine. He wanted to look nice for her. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: Dan Fearon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf Belinda's Story Next, the alarm blares again, the light turning red. The Doctor volunteers to tell a story. However, once the Barber places the cape over him, a current rocks through the Doctor's body. He feels uncomfortable, but the Barber must get his story. So, the Doctor forgoes mentioning fantastical beings like the Weeping Angels or the Cybermen. Instead, he tells them about Belinda. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Doctor Who 's Ruby Sunday After a 13-hour shift, Belinda tries to leave the hospital for her nan's birthday party. However, the doctor on duty (not THE Doctor, though) wants her to assist with a patient whose life hangs precariously in the balance. Belinda suggests a steroid treatment that goes against the doctor's original plan. But it works. Later, Belinda leaves the hospital to visit her grandmother. Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) greets her, revealing she's there to pick up medication. The woman Belinda treated gives her flowers and thanks her for saving her life. It's a sweet moment. Omo and the others are shocked — the Doctor's story isn't animated on the screen, but full of real-life imagery. It's like a live-action film. Once the Barber finishes his cut, the Doctor stumbles out of his chair, weakened from the experience. Omo reassures him that it gets easier with each new cut. The Story Engine The Barber and Abby observe that it is fed — substantially so. The Doctor refueled the Story Engine to the point that they can all take a break for a while. Next, the Barber remarks that the Doctor's stories alone can superpower the engine. The Doctor's hair regrows quite quickly. Omo urges the Barber and Abby to let him and the others go and keep the Doctor. Our Time Lord can handle it. RELATED: 6 Doctor Who Episodes That Show the Eleventh Doctor's Personality The Barber orders Abby to check the stasis field for structural damage before meeting him in the engine room. She whips out a device and points it at the door to do just that. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: Lara Cornell/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf Meanwhile, Belinda panics aboard the TARDIS. Every time someone opens — and closes — the door of the barbershop, the TARDIS alarm blares and the light flashes red, almost as if it's connected to the barbershop. Belinda asks the TARDIS to locate the source of the strange energy. Upon discovering it's the barbershop, Belinda makes a beeline for it. Turn Away After her sojourn through the market, Belinda runs into the 'Turn Away' signage. She also spies a little girl wandering alone through the empty streets. However, she promptly vanishes, like a figment from one's imagination. Belinda clocks the missing posters, too. In the shop, the Doctor calls out Omo for believing he's expendable. Omo counters that Rashid, Tunde and Obioma have homes. The Doctor might not have a physical home anymore, but he felt safe with Omo. Omo insists that the Doctor can handle all the stories. The Doctor orders Omo to steer clear of him. He feels betrayed by the former barbershop owner. RELATED: Doctor Who : 8 References From the Russell T Davies Specials in 'Space Babies' and 'The Devil's Chord' Next, the Doctor uses his Sonic Screwdriver to counteract the Barber and Abby's control over the door. The others advise him not to open it, but the Doctor doesn't heed their warnings. When he opens it, the Doctor discovers that the barbershop is situated atop a giant spider that travels over a network of webs … in space. The Barber provides some context: the shop is in space and Lagos simultaneously. As for the structure our titular Time Lord saw along with the Spider? The Nexus. The Barber used to call it the World Wide Web (creative) until the internet took off. He also built a time-space compressor and installed it into the doorframe. It only releases him and Abby. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf By Many Names Then, the Doctor demands to know where they're going. 'You'll see soon enough,' The Barber replies ominously. Belinda charges into the barbershop. She embraces the Doctor. Abby recognizes Belinda from the Doctor's story. The Doctor demands to know the Barber's true identity. He tells the Doctor that he's gone by many names: Anansi, Saga and Loki. As he reveals his identity, the Barber cuts his dreadlocks. RELATED: Classic Doctor Who by Big Finish: Highlighting the Best Audio Dramas, Vol. 2 Belinda and the Doctor are incredulous. How can one man be all those storytelling gods? Then, they burst into a fit of laughter. The Doctor clocks the Barber's lies. After this, the Doctor proceeds to name-drop the gods he's met, from Dionysus to Bastet. If you recall, earlier in the episode, Abby reassures the Barber that once they get to their destination, he can rule over them all. That's a clue. Backed in a corner, the Barber discloses the truth: He's the one behind them all. The gods only exist because of him. He started recording the stories of the storytelling gods to ensure they would be worshipped and revered in perpetuity. Well, that and to strengthen their bond with humanity. The Barber chronicled their exploits. However, none of them recognized his tireless work. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: Dan Fearon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf The Nexus The Barber constructed the Nexus. He wanted something like a brain that could make connections between ideas. He incorporated a strand of the gods' blood into his model — a web-like structure cross-connecting concepts and cultures. The Barber eventually had the idea to power the Nexus with stories. RELATED: Doctor Who : Our Favorite Easter Eggs From 'Lux' The gods told the Barber that he should know his place. We see him cut his hair again as he relays his story to the group. So, the gods threw him out of his life's work. However, he was able to salvage his Story Engine. Now, he has vengeance on the brain. Suddenly, the Spider stops moving. Abby informs the crew that they burned through too much energy when the Doctor forced open the door. It finally dawns on Abby who she is: Abena, daughter of Anansi. Abena reveals she was entrapped by her father, terrified someone would win her in a bet. However, she heard stories about our Time Lord's adventures and had faith he would help. She wanted him to take her with him. Abena and the Doctor Then, we see which version of the Doctor Abena met: the Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin). Fugitive Doctor apologizes for leaving Abena behind. She was on the run. Anansi was wrong to offer the bet. Plus, she was telling her own story that might still be finished one day. This is a cool cameo. RELATED: TV Review: Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 2, 'Lux' Then, Fifteen admits he tried losing the bet to get out of bringing Abena with him. Pivoting, Abena and the Barber reveal their plan to install the shop at the heart of the Nexus, making the Barber storyteller supreme. The Doctor is bewildered by this. Why would the Barber become the very thing he loathes — a god? That's when the truth rears its ugly head. The Barber wants to kill all the gods, including Anansi. Without the gods, humanity is toast. How can one thrive in a world without stories and cultures? The Barber insists that this is his gift to Abena. After all, she despises her father. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf Maps Abena changes the subject, revealing that the Story Engine needs power. The others try to shove the Doctor back in the chair to tell a story. However, Abena decides to offer one of her own while braiding the Doctor's hair. She reveals the power of braids during slavery, and how slaves would braid maps into each other's hair to help each other escape to freedom. RELATED: Classic Doctor Who by Big Finish: Highlighting the Best Audio Dramas After this, the Doctor sends a current through the shop with his Sonic Screwdriver to distract the Barber while he and Belinda run to the heart of the Story Engine. The Doctor feels the map Abena braided onto his head, using that to navigate the labyrinth leading to the Nexus. They finally arrive at the Story Engine, which looks like a brain … until it opens up, resembling more of a tree. There's a heart at its center. The Doctor urges Belinda to rip all the wires out of the control desk as he points his Sonic Screwdriver at the heart. The Barber enters, ordering him to step away. A Short Story Spanning Time and Space After this, the Doctor reveals he met Ernest Hemingway. He urged the late author to write the shortest story he could. Hemingway conjured up one in six words. So, here's the Doctor's shortest story: 'I'm born. I die.' Suddenly, the Story Engine fills up with more energy than it has ever encountered. We learn said engine is connected to our Gallifreyan — his stories, his voice. He's made of stories, after all. RELATED: TV Review: Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 3, 'The Well' Next, we see the many faces of the Doctor appear on a TV, complete with soundbites from their respective eras. The Doctor insists he's protecting humanity, the gods and the importance of storytelling. Ultimately, though, this proves to be too much power for the Story Engine — and the Nexus — to handle. The Barber's creation self-destructs. DOCTOR WHO Season 2 Episode 5, 'The Story & the Engine.' Photo credit: Bad Wolf Studios After some persuading from the Doctor, the Barber unlocks the door to the barbershop. Abena, Omo, Tunde, Rashid and Obioma exit. The Doctor urges Belinda to join them; he'll be right behind her. Do the Work The Doctor encourages the Barber to stick around to continue his life's work. Don't let this be how his story ends. Thankfully, he and the Barber escape as the Spider, along with everything the Barber created, explodes. Gatwa and Bakare are so damn good in this episode. Titans of their craft. RELATED: Geek Girl Authority Crush of the Week: Doctor Who 's Belinda Chandra Everyone's back in Lagos. Rashid, Tunde and Obioma bow before Abena, thanking her for keeping them alive. Omo offers the keys to his barbershop to the Barber and claims he's retiring. The Doctor tells the Barber he'll return someday to hear the latter's six-word story. Omo and the Doctor mend fences and hug it out. Omo also gives the Barber his father's name — Adétòkundbo. Adétòkundbo thanks Omo, asserting he doesn't deserve this kindness. Abena tells Belinda she won't hold hate in her heart for Adétòkundbo. They all part ways on good terms, the new barber of the barbershop taking his place inside. Belinda and the Doctor make their way back to the TARDIS. Belinda wants to hear the story of how our Time Lord met Omo. 'Once upon a time…' RELATED: Read our Doctor Who recaps Doctor Who Season 2 airs on Saturdays at 3 am EST/12 am PST on Disney+ and 8 am BST on BBC iPlayer in the UK. What's New on TV This Week (May 4 – 10) Contact: [email protected] What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events. Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet. Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium. Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
Geek Vibes Nation
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Doctor Who' Season 2 Episode 5 Review - 'The Story And The Engine' Weaves A Moving Tale About The Power of Stories And Community
Barber (Ariyon Bakare), The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa), and Omo Akiyemi (Sule Rimi) | Photo Credit: James Pardon/BBC Studios/Disney/Bad Wolf After last week's detour to visit Ruby and the UNIT crew, The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda's (Varada Sethu) journey back to May 24, 2025, takes them to a barbershop in 2019 Lagos, where a mysterious Barber (Ariyon Bakare) seeks out the strongest stories he can find. Written by Inua Ellams and directed by Makalla McPherson, 'The Story and the Engine' weaves a tale about the ways stories bind us. Steeped in real-world history and Doctor Who's fictional history, it's an ode to the power of community and a thrilling watch in its own right. In a season packed with unique Doctor Who adventures, 'The Story and the Engine' stands wholly unique in all the right ways. Led by breathtaking performances from Gatwa, Bakare, and Michelle Asante, 'The Story and the Engine' is a strong, confident debut from Doctor Who newcomer Ellams and a modern classic in the making. A Story for a Shave When the Doctor and Belinda land in Lagos, the Doctor pays a visit to his favorite barbershop and its owner, Omo (Sule Rimi). But instead of the welcoming shop he expects, the Doctor finds himself trapped in a cold, unfamiliar prison. For Omo's barbershop has become an intergalactic vehicle crewed by a mysterious Barber who forces his clients to tell stories to power the vehicle's engine. Can the Doctor break the Barber's spell? Or will his story end here, on the back of a giant spider crawling across the Nexus? Set almost entirely within the barbershop, 'The Story and the Engine' sees the Doctor, Belinda, Omo, the Barber, Abena (Michelle Asante), Rashid (Stefan Adegbola), Tunde (Jordan Adene), and Obioma (Michael Balogun) sharing stories from their personal pasts and the pasts of their culture in a tale that explores the power of storytelling and how it connects us to each other. In the process, Ellams' script dives into both the Doctor's past (and the show's itself with a poignant cameo from Jo Martin as the Fugitive Doctor) as well as the cultural history of Nigeria and its people. Visually, the episode utilizes some really clever bits of animation to illustrate the barbershop's stories, drawing on both traditional and more modern imagery. There's a real sense of magical realism that permeates the episode, creating both a sense of horror and a sense of wonder. It's a moving tribute both to the power of storytelling and to the power of community. After all, Omo's barbershop draws the Doctor in because it's one of the few places on Earth he truly feels at home in. And it's that sense of community, that longing for togetherness that holds the episode together amidst its more fantastical elements. The Gods and Their Stories That emotional core proves vital to the episode's success as it explores the stories of literal gods—though not those in the Pantheon of Chaos as seen in previous episodes. No, these are real gods, steeped in Nigerian tradition. There's Abena, a daughter of Anansi, the African trickster god, who's got a complicated history with Jo Martin's incarnation of the Doctor—and a grudge she holds against Gatwa's Doctor to this very day. Then you've got the Barber, who is woven deeply into the gods' lives as the teller of their stories, whom they tossed aside after he kept them present in the minds of humanity. So, naturally, the Barber's looking for revenge against the gods—and he's not afraid to lie to the daughter of a god if it gets him closer to that revenge. And then there's the Doctor, caught in the crosshairs, as usual. 'The Story and the Engine' ends up being a three-hander of sorts. Carried by Gatwa's powerful performance that walks the line between warmth and anger, Bakare's vicious-yet-vulnerable turn as the Barber, and Asante's no-nonsense performance as Abena, 'The Story and the Engine' explores the way these god-like figures' stories intersect—and the effect that intersection has on the humans who surround them. In Ellams' script, the gods are not divine beings, but flawed ones, intrinsically tied into the lives of those who worship them. And it's a really interesting take, especially within the over-the-top context of a Doctor Who episode. The fact that real gods like these can exist alongside the likes of Lux and Maestro is both a testament to the resiliency of Doctor Who and the strength of Ellams' script. Final Thoughts In a season defined by unique, genre-defying episodes, 'The Story and the Engine' might just be the least Doctor Who-y of the bunch—in the best way possible. Less a sci-fi thrill-fest and more a rumination on the power of community and storytelling, Inua Ellams' 'The Story and the Engine' delivers a powerful, emotional watch that keeps you glued to your seat from start to finish. Though it may be small in scale, it hits hard in all the right ways. Led by Gatwa, Bakare, and Asante's breathtaking performances, 'The Story and the Engine' is an impressive debut episode from new-to-Who writer Inua Ellams and a modern classic in the making. New episodes of Doctor Who premiere Saturdays at 3 am on Disney+.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Doctor Who' just did its first full-on African episode, and it's amazing
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. You can't kill Doctor Who. That's the ultimate meta-lesson from "The Story & the Engine," episode 5 of Season 2 of the show's tenure on Disney+. Even if persistent online rumors that Disney won't renew its co-production for a third season turn out to be true, this 61-year-old BBC show will simply emerge in a new form. As the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) says in his first ever six-word memoir: "I'm born. I die. I am reborn." "The Story & the Engine," which mostly takes place inside a barber shop in Lagos, Nigeria, is a prime example of how Doctor Who can adapt to many different places, times, and cultures. Written by Nigerian-British playwright Inua Ellams, the script builds on his play "Barber Shop Chronicles" — for which Ellams visited 60 Black-owned barber shops in the UK and across Africa — and gives an American Gods-style sci-fi spin to the stories traditionally told there. Ellams is the first Black man to write for Doctor Who, and this episode is the first to feature a fully BIPOC cast — other than in a brief flashback scene in which current companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) is working as a nurse in a UK hospital. But Ellams himself is hardly new to Who; he's a fan of the show from his childhood in Nigeria. Classic 1970s episodes were shown, via an ancient projector, on a large screen — hence the magic screen in the Lagos barber shop where stories are projected ... and where, for the first time, the Doctor Who opening titles appear in the universe of the show itself. SEE ALSO: All the times 'Doctor Who' broke the fourth wall "As a kid I was terrified of this show," Ellams told Doctor Who Magazine. "Hiding behind the sofa, peeking ... it was closer to a cinema in my living room." Technically, we've seen the Doctor in Africa twice before — but he barely knew he was there. In "The Chase" (1965), William Hartnell's first Doctor visits a haunted house exhibit which turns out to be in Ghana in the then-far future year of 1996. And in "The Pyramids of Mars" (1975), which saw the original appearance of Season 1 villain Sutekh, the Tom Baker Doctor is transported to Sutekh's tomb in Egypt. But "The Story & the Engine" is the first time the Doctor knowingly lands his TARDIS on the African continent. Why? First, Lagos' status as a communications hub can help the TARDIS navigate Belinda's way home. But the Doctor also explains to Belinda that since his current "Black body" is not fully accepted in many parts of the world, he likes to come to the barber shop in Lagos formerly run by his friend Omo, where he can just be himself. The Doctor discovers a mysterious barber has taken Omo and his customers hostage. The barber is using stories to power a journey through story-space known as the Nexus. And that gives the Doctor a path to victory: by inserting his own "never-ending story" into the barber's engine, using just six words. The six-word story concept isn't new, of course; it's generally attributed to Ernest Hemingway, an American writer with his own connections to Africa. But the Doctor claims that he gave Hemingway the idea for six-word stories because, "I wanted to see how good he was." The six-word story Hemingway came up with isn't actually mentioned in the show, but you might be familiar with it if you've ever taken a creative writing class. "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Whatever happens to the show next on the U.S. side, its popularity in the UK — not to mention many countries around the world like Nigeria — will ensure its continuity in the long run. Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor will regenerate, and the Doctor will be reborn. Doctor Who Season 2 premiered Apr. 12 on Disney+ and BBC. New episodes air weekly on Saturdays at 3 a.m. ET.
