The real monster in Doctor Who season 14, episode 5 is not a monster at all. Starring Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, and Callie Cooke, the episode focuses on Finetime, a futuristic environment in which every resident is obsessed with social media. The characters are desperately trying to survive a rogue artificial intelligence named Dot, who is hoping to kill everyone in the original Homeworld and Finetime. The episode ends with a harsh twist, as Lindy and the rest of Homeworld’s survivors decide that they would rather die than spend time with a Black man.
In a behind-the-scenes look on the Doctor Who YouTube page, showrunner Russell T Davies explained just how Lindy evolved into the biggest monster of the episode. As the Doctor and Ruby wean Lindy away from social media, they discover that she was “better in her bubble” because the truth about her character’s motivations is worse than the harmless creature she was behind a screen. He said:
It looks like the episode is making her better and better and better. The episode is kind of weaning her off social media and she’s learning to see the truth. So, you kind of think that’s the moral of the story, which is look around you. Except the moral of the story turns out to be someone like that is better in her bubble because she’s the monster.
Lindy Was The Real Villain All Along
Lindy’s Racism Contributed To Numerous Deaths
While bugs and a rogue AI are hoping to kill countless people, the true villain of the episode is Lindy, who is controlled by her own extreme prejudice. She begins the episode as a seemingly friendly and insignificant character who is incapable of exiting her social media bubble. She hints at her prejudice throughout the episode, as she repeatedly insults the Doctor and blatantly favors Ruby Sunday. The fact that the episode has an all-white cast also hints at the prevalence of racism in the Finetime society.
Every minute of the episode offers more insight into Lindy’s personality, which only grows darker when she blatantly betrays the friendly and more open-minded Ricky September. Though Ricky saves her life multiple times, Lindy leaves Ricky to die and then lies about what happened to him. The decision is horrific and reveals Lindy as a monster even before she shows the true depths of her racism. As Davies argued, she is a monster who would have been better if she remained in her narrow bubble.
By rejecting the Doctor during Doctor Who episode 5’s ending, Lindy ensures that every member of Finetime’s society will eventually be killed, as they cannot be protected from the harsh environment. The thought of joining the Doctor does not even occur to her, as she is convinced that spending time with a Black man would “contaminate” her. The Doctor is still desperate to save her, but Lindy wants nothing to do with him or Ruby. Lindy quickly became one of Doctor Who’s greatest villains, even though she is a helpless creature who causes her own demise.