History Recap / DoctorWhoS38E5FugitiveOfTheJudoon

The one with the return aid a rogue Time Agent, rhino cops, and the one where [[Creator/JohnHurt Sir John Hurt]] gets some company.

The one with returns, a rogue Time Agent, rhino cops, and the one where [[Creator/JohnHurt Sir John Hurt]] gets some company.

[[caption-width-right:350:Making a rogue [[Creator/JohnBarrowman Time Agent]] return after a decade. One of [[Series/{{Arrow}} Merlyn]]'s greatest tricks, and we don't mean a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS26E1Battlefield future Doctor]].]]

** Jack Harkness' stolen ship has [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E9TheEmptyChild security]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances nanogenes]].

* CelebrityParadox: Ruth's conversation with the tourist establishes that the ''Film/HarryPotter'' movies exist in the Whoniverse… movies which also contain several actors who appeared on ''Doctor Who'', most notably Tenth Doctor Creator/DavidTennant.

** As a human, Ruth wants to show tourists the wonders of her city — just as the Doctor wants to show their companions the wonders of the Universe.

-->''[[SkewedPriorities "That was nine weeks of work!"]]''

** This is the first prominent appearance of the Judoon in the ''Doctor Who'' universe since ''Series/TheSarahJaneAdventures'', appearing in [[Recap/TheSarahJaneAdventuresS3E1E2PrisonerOfTheJudoon "Prisoner of the Judoon"]], released 11 years prior; and the first prominent appearance for the species on ''Doctor Who'' proper since their debut in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E1SmithAndJones "Smith and Jones"]] 13 years prior.
** This is the first time Captain Jack Harkness has appeared in ''Doctor Who'' since [[Recap/DoctorWhoS30E17E18TheEndOfTime "The End of Time"]], and it's the first time we've seen Jack on-screen ''at all'' since ''[[Series/TorchwoodMiracleDay Miracle Day]]'', which aired in 2011, almost '''nine years prior''' (and itself is tied up in ContinuitySnarl issues).

** Graham is [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E1E2Spyfall once again]] mistaken for the Doctor.

** An unusual gravestone alerts the Doctor that the seeming "grave" [[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor isn't]]. And both graves are connected to the TARDIS.
** Like Twelve in [[Recap/DoctorWho2015CSTheHusbandsOfRiverSong "The Husbands of River Song"]], Thirteen gets treated like a companion by someone who doesn't know who she is.
** Ruth's TARDIS has the classic console room design, as well as the classic series police box look.
** Thirteen and Ruth speak in unison for a while, and acknowledge this as a consequence of interacting with another version of oneself. A similar situation had already happened when [[Recap/DoctorWhoS32E10TheGirlWhoWaited Amy met an older version of herself]].

** Thirteen and Ruth keep arguing with each other, which might be a nod to an episode where [[Recap/DoctorWhoS10E1TheThreeDoctors two other Doctors]] did this.
** Ryan calls Jack "cheesy" a couple of times, calling back to how Mickey would use it first to insult and then affectionately tease Jack.
** Thirteen's small but daring-to-hope smile at the end echoes 12's "that's the trouble with hope, it's hard to resist" line in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E10TheEatersOfLight "The Eaters of Light"]].

** The Doctor has been looking for the Master ever since he was [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E1E2Spyfall trapped in the Kasaavin dimension]], and has been slipping off to ruined Gallifrey by herself while leaving her companions to explore.

** A historic cathedral is pointed out early on before [[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E6TheLazarusExperiment later hosting a confrontation between the Doctor and the villain]].

** Jack Harkness' stolen ship has [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E9TheEmptyChild security]] [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances nanogenes]].

* DynamicEntry: The first thing Jack does when he's on screen? ''Snog Graham''!

** Lee picks Thirteen out as the smart one, saying he sees something in her eyes. He could be recognising Ruth’s characteristics in her.

* {{Irony}}: As sympathetically as possible, 13 pays for snapping at her companions with "you ask too many questions" by getting treated like a companion herself and told to not ask questions.

** Jack is repeatedly called cheesy, in a nod to how much the show’s tone has changed since the RTD era, as well as a CallBack to what Mickey Smith used to call him.
* LetsGetDangerous: Ruth believes herself to be an ordinary tourist guide living in Gloucester, but when confronted by a Judoon squad she manages to take them all out, single-handedly, with martial arts and a stolen rifle.

* SelfAppliedNickname: No one calls "All Ears" Allan that but himself.
* ShoutOut: In order to impress one of the tourists outside Gloucester Cathedral, Ruth mentions that the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' movies were filmed there. This also results in something of a CelebrityParadox since the HP films feature many actors who have also been in ''Doctor Who'' including Creator/JohnHurt and Creator/DavidTennant.
* SidetrackedByTheAnalogy: When she meets the Judoon trying to destroy Ruth's house, Thirteen is understandably frustrated... but she seems more frustrated finding something to rhyme with Judoon. She feebly says "lagoon" and it looks like it was a PainfulRhyme.

* TractorBeam: The Judoon catch Ruth!Doctor's TARDIS in one to haul it aboard before she can take off.

* TheUnreveal: The companions trying to get the Doctor to open up serve as bookends to the episode, with the latter moment setting up the perfect moment for the Doctor to reveal what happened to Gallifrey... both times are interrupted by an alert going off. The second time the Doctor accuses the TARDIS of doing it on purpose.

-->'''Ruth''': You don't. You're my future.

* MythologyGag: The strong hints that the new "Ruth" Doctor is actually a distant past incarnation (e.g. the fact that she doesn't recognise a sonic screwdriver, her likely links to the Timeless Child arc), possibly one who came before Hartnell's First Doctor in the timeline, references the long-standing theory that there were more incarnations before him whose adventures we never saw. This stems from the classic serial [[Recap/DoctorWhoS13E5TheBrainOfMorbius "The Brain of Morbius"]] and the novel ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoNewAdventuresLungbarrow Lungbarrow]]'' proposing this very concept with the so-called "Morbius Doctors" and the Other respectively. However, the fact that her TARDIS is in the shape of a police box suggests she comes after the First Doctor, as the chameleon circuit didn't lock it into that shape until after he stole it ([[Recap/DoctorWhoS33E13TheNameOfTheDoctor and we have seen him steal it]]).

** Thirteen's small but daring to hope smile at the end echoes 12's "that's the trouble with hope, it's hard to resist" line in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E10TheEatersOfLight "The Eaters of Light"]].

** Thirteen's small but daring to hope smile at the end echoes 12's "that's the trouble with hope, it's hard to resist" line in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS36E10TheEatersOfLight The Eaters Of Light]]".

In space, Jack's next attempt to teleport the Doctor is prevented by security systems onboard the stolen ship, which is being chased. The security nanogenes are going to kill him, and since time is running out he has to pass his message on via the companions: "Beware the Lone Cyberman!" Graham, Ryan and Yaz don't know what Cybermen are, though, but Jack assures them they'll find out. He says that the Cybermen have become a VestigialEmpire, as "to defeat them, the Alliance sent this ''thing'' back through time, across space" but that will all change if the Lone Cyberman gets what it wants, and it is imperative that the Doctor not give in "at all costs". He also asks them to tell the Doctor that he promises he'll see her again, before being teleported away. The companions are left alone for a moment before the system Jack set up sends them back to Earth where they were taken from.

* BaitAndSwitch: Lee's scared response to the Judoon's presence, and his knowledge of the alien box in Ruth's flat, make him appear to be the fugitive the Judoon are hunting. However, the real fugitive is Ruth, an incarnation of the Doctor who lost her memories through the Chameleon Arch, and Lee just has more awareness of the situation than she has.

* RedHerring: Lee is the one who's built up as mysterious and dangerous. Even if you suspect there's another Time Lord in the story, his box seems like it could be a Chameleon Arch.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Thirteen's insistence that "The Doctor never uses weapons"... yeah. A [[Recap/DoctorWhoS6E5TheSeedsOfDeath heat ray]], a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E1DayOfTheDaleks sonic disintegrator]], a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS15E6TheInvasionOfTime demat gun]], an [[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E4TheTimeOfAngels actual pistol]], a [[Recap/DoctorWhoS35E12HellBent staser]], and lightning fired from the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS38E4NikolaTeslasNightOfTerror Wardenclyffe Tower]]. And that's not even counting all the [[BriarPatching booby-trapped weapons]] they've let various enemies blow themselves up with, which the Doctor also chastizes Ruth for after Gat fired a weapon sabotaged by Ruth, to which Ruth replies that she gave Gat a chance not to fire, just like the Doctor has done. Not to mention, the Doctor threatened to sabotage the Judoon's guns by overloading them earlier in this very same episode. Of course, there is a difference between directly threatening to overload someone's gun and intentionally goading them to fire a gun they were unaware had been tampered with.

In space, Jack's next attempt to teleport the Doctor is prevented by security systems onboard the stolen ship, which is being chased. The security nanogenes are going to kill him, and since time is running out he has to pass his message on via the companions: "Beware the Lone Cyberman!" Graham, Ryan and Yaz don't know what Cybermen are, though, but Jack assures them they'll find out. He says that the Cybermen have become a VestigialEmpire, after "to defeat them, the Alliance sent this ''thing'' back through time, across space" but that will all change if the Lone Cyberman gets what it wants, and it is imperative that the Doctor not give it "at all costs". He also asks them to tell the Doctor that he promises he'll see her again, before being teleported away. The companions are left alone for a moment before the system Jack set up sends them back to Earth where they were taken from.

Graham finds himself on an alien ship, when a voice tells him to stay still while he turns off the security system. When the owner of the voice teleports in, it's none other than Captain Jack Harkness! Who proceeds to give Graham a big kiss, before revealing that he thinks Graham is the Doctor. Graham clears up the confusion, while Jack explains that he needs to alert the Doctor of a universal threat. And he seems quite intrigued/enthusiastic when Graham tells him that the Doctor is a "she" now.

* OtherMeAnnoysMe: Ruth and Thirteen have this vibe going once they both know who the other is, insulting each other's taste in clothing and Ruth later telling Thirteen "I'd like it if you got off my ship now."

* LoveTriangle: Even though Ruth is HappilyMarried to Lee, Allan the café owner clearly has feelings for her and pleads with her to break up with Lee to be with him. He even ices the words "You Could Do Better" onto the birthday cake he bakes for her.

* MistakenIdentity: Jack has a hard time finding the Doctor since his stolen ship's cheap equipment can't accurately lock on to her thanks to the Judoon's enforcement field, so when he initially snags Graham he assumes that he's the Doctor — not knowing about the GenderBender helps. After being corrected, Jack then tries again but gets Ryan and Yaz, assuming that Yaz is the Doctor.

Back in Gloucester, the Doctor, Ryan and Yaz track the Judoon leader to the Claytons' building, which they have identified as the location of the fugitive. The mercenaries are setting up a temporal displacement weapon to assault the building. The Doctor uses the psychic paper to claim she's an "Imperial Adjudicator", and she and her companions then claim that Earth has laws giving fugitives the right to third-party arbitration to buy time to talk to the Claytons. They also notice that Graham is missing, but have no time to wonder about his whereabouts, assuming he's just lagging behind. Reaching Ruth and Lee, the Doctor immediately notices that they've been packing. Despite the danger, Lee refuses to explain what he knows, as the Doctor points out they are running out of time and attempts to devise an exit strategy. Eventually, Lee persuades a reluctant Ruth to go with the Doctor as he's willing to speak with the Judoon, while Ryan and Yaz attempt to distract them for a bit. But as the Doctor and Ruth slip away, Ryan and Yaz only get as far as informing the Judoon that the fugitive is willing to talk before getting snatched away by Captain Jack's teleporter. Left alone, Lee sends a text message on his phone.

* BavarianFireDrill: The Doctor uses the psychic paper to convince the Judoon she's an "Imperial Adjudicator", and uses this to buy time by claiming that Earth has laws giving fugitives the right to third-party arbitration so she can talk with the Claytons.

* BrickJoke: The Doctor tricks the Judoon into thinking she's the "Imperial Adjudicator" to get into the Claytons' flat. When Ruth!Doctor's TARDIS gets picked up by the Judoon ship, the Judoon Captain ''gasps'' at the fact the Adjudicator is with the fugitive!

* TheEndingChangesEverything: You get a hugely different perspective on Ruth and Lee, and their actions and interactions, once you know who Ruth is and what their situation is.