The Devil's Chord

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306 – "The Devil's Chord"
Doctor Who episode
Promotional poster
Cast
Others
Production
Directed byBen Chessell
Written byRussell T Davies
Executive producer(s)
Music byMurray Gold
SeriesSeries 14
Running time52 minutes
First broadcast11 May 2024 (2024-05-11)
Chronology
← Preceded by
"Space Babies" 		Followed by →
"Boom"
List of Doctor Who episodes (2005–present)

"The Devil's Chord" is the second episode of the fourteenth series and the 881st episode overall of the British science fiction television programme Doctor Who. Released alongside "Space Babies", it was written by Russell T. Davies, directed by Ben Chessell, and was released on on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ on 11 May 2024. Ncuti Gatwa stars as the Fifteenth Doctor with Millie Gibson as his new companion Ruby Sunday, while Jinkx Monsoon also guest stars.

The story sees the Doctor and Ruby in 1963, who go to see the British rock band the Beatles, only to find that the world has lost interest in music as they are confronted by the mysterious Maestro.

Plot[edit]

In 1925, a piano teacher shows his student the "devil's chord", which summons a being called Maestro, who consumes the teacher's musical essence, killing him in the process. Maestro then breaks the fourth wall, looking into the camera before playing the opening notes of the Doctor Who theme music on the piano.

At Ruby's request, the Doctor takes her to 1963 to see the Beatles record their first album at EMI Recording Studios but they are disappointed during a recording session with the band as they sing a poorly composed song about Paul McCartney's dog. After viewing similar sessions with Cilla Black and an orchestra, they talk to John Lennon and McCartney and discover that the world has lost its taste for music.

Fearing the impacts of a lack of music on humanity, the Doctor has Ruby play a song on a piano which summons Maestro, who emerges from the piano while laughing. The Doctor recognises this laugh as the same as the Toymaker's giggle.[a]

After escaping Maestro, the Doctor takes Ruby back to 2024, discovering the ruins of London in a nuclear winter. Maestro appears and reveals that they are a child of the Toymaker. They explain that they plan to eradicate all life from the universe, leaving only Aeolian tones. Maestro claims that to defeat them, the Doctor would need to find the correct chord to banish them, believing he is incapable of doing so.

The Doctor and Ruby return to 1963 where Maestro attacks Ruby, but stops when "Carol of the Bells" begins to play and snow starts to fall. Maestro states that this music was present on the night of her birth, saying that this power is that of the "Oldest One". Playing the Mrs. Mills piano, the Doctor tries to find the chord that will banish Maestro but is unable to find the final note of the chord. Maestro sends the piano out of the room, trapping the Doctor and Ruby inside musical instruments.

Lennon and McCartney arrive outside and discover the piano, with the discovered notes of the chord floating above it. They are able to complete the chord, causing the piano to drag Maestro inside, freeing the Doctor and Ruby. Before the lid closes, trapping them, Maestro portends the coming of "The One Who Waits" to the Doctor. Music returns, and the Doctor and Ruby engage in a musical number before leaving in the TARDIS.

Continuity[edit]

The Doctor mentions to Ruby that in 1963 he was living nearby in Shoreditch with his granddaughter Susan, a reference to the first episode of the show, An Unearthly Child (1963), where the First Doctor and Susan Foreman lived in the TARDIS in a junkyard in Shoreditch.[1] The Doctor contemplates the fate of Susan following the genocide of the Time Lords by the Master in "The Timeless Children" (2020).[2]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

"The Devil's Chord" was written by Russell T Davies. Davies teased that the episode would be the first of many to feature gods at war.[3] In the episode The Doctor makes a joke about diegetic music,[4] according to Davies, the joke was not well received by the production team who repeatedly suggested cutting it. Despite this it was well received by critics.[5][6]

The episode directed by Ben Chessell. It was filmed in May 2023.[7]

Casting[edit]

Jinkx Monsoon appears as the god Maestro.[3] Shirley Ballas and Johannes Radebe both make cameo apperences in the episode.[8] Former Doctor Who costume designer June Hudson makes a cameo appearance as an elderly woman who is killed by Maestro.[9]

Release[edit]

The episode's title was revealed in December 2023 in Doctor Who Magazine,[10] before the reveal of the rest of the fourteenth series's episodes on 31 March 2024.[11]

Broadcast[edit]

"The Devil's Chord" was broadcast on BBC One on 11 May 2024, immediately following the series opener, "Space Babies". The episodes were given an early screening exclusive for critics on 6 May.[12][13][14]

The episode was simulcast on BBC iPlayer at midnight on 11 May in the UK and on Disney+ internationally.[15]

Ratings[edit]

Overnight viewing figures estimate that the episode was watched by 2.4 million people overnight, 200,000 less than the preceding episode.[16] Though writing for Radio Times, Louise Griffin speculated that the episode was seen by significantly more people. Griffin attributed the low ratings to the episodes launch on Disney+ and BBC iPlayer nearly 20 hours previously.[17]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Rotten Tomatoes (Tomatometer)92%[18]
Rotten Tomatoes (Average Score)8.1/10[18]
Metacritic72/100[19]
Review scores
SourceRating
Radio Times[20]
The Evening Standard[21]
Total Film[22]
Vulture[23]

On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 12 critics gave the episode a positive review.[18] On Metacritic, the two-episode season premiere received a rating of 72 out of 100 based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[19]

Reviewing the first two episodes of the season, Total Film's Will Salmon gave them four out of five stars, finding "The Devil's Chord" to be "on surer ground and a more obviously crowd-pleasing episode" and writing "Gatwa and Gibson are brilliant, and Jinkx Monsoon crackles with malevolent energy".[22]

Hoai-Tran Bui's review from Inverse was more mixed, though he described the episode as "an intriguing marriage of high-concept sci-fi with high camp that delivers a promising look at what this new era of Doctor Who could look like."[13]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ As depicted in "The Giggle".

References[edit]

  1. ^ Belam, Martin (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who: Space Babies and The Devil's Chord – season one opening recap". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  2. ^ Griffin, Louise (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who shares update on Susan's fate in The Devil's Chord". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b Mellor, Louisa (25 April 2024). "Russell T Davies Teases Doctor Who's "New Tradition" of Warring Gods". Den of Geek. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
  4. ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who viewers have same theory about episode 2 detail". The Independent. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  5. ^ Mohamed, Stefan (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who Series 14 Episode 2 Review: The Devil's Chord". Den of Geek. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  6. ^ McEwan, Cameron K. (15 May 2024). "Russell T Davies Talks Bringing 'Doctor Who' to a New Audience and Working With Disney". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  7. ^ Vickers-Green, Laura (11 November 2023). "Series 14 Set Photos Hint That RTD Is Bringing The Beatles Back to Doctor Who". Den of Geek. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  8. ^ Jefferey, Morgan (1 May 2024). "Doctor Who's Millie Gibson confirms "special" dance sequence with Strictly stars". Radio Times. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  9. ^ Mulkern, Patrick (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who '70s legend returns for cameo – and breaks down "gruesome" fate". Radio Times.
  10. ^ Davies, Russell T (January 2024). "Letter from the Showrunner". Doctor Who Magazine. No. 596. p. 10.
  11. ^ Coley, Samantha (31 March 2024). "'Doctor Who' Season 14 Episode Titles Get Haunting New Teaser Trailers". Collider. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  12. ^ Dowell, Ben (6 May 2024). "Doctor Who first-look review — Space Babies and The Devil's Chord cause mayhem". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  13. ^ a b Bui, Hoai-Tran (6 May 2024). "The Longest-Running Sci-Fi Show's Latest Reboot Isn't Really a Reboot". Inverse. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  14. ^ Seale, Jack (6 May 2024). "Doctor Who first look review – Ncuti Gatwa will make this show far more fun than it's been for years". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  15. ^ Mellor, Louisa (15 March 2024). "Doctor Who Series 14 Release Date: Episodes to Stream at Midnight UK Time". Den of Geek. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  16. ^ Griffin, Louise (16 May 2024). "Doctor Who ratings revealed for season 14 launch after early iPlayer debut". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  17. ^ Griffin, Louise (16 May 2024). "Doctor Who's overnight ratings aren't the full story - but they still matter". Radio Times. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  18. ^ a b c "Doctor Who – Season 1, Episode 2 The Devil's Chord". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  19. ^ a b "Doctor Who (2024) season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Doctor Who - The Devil's Chord review: A vivid, silly and gripping '60s jaunt". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  21. ^ Robinson, Martin (11 May 2024). "Doctor Who: Space Babies & The Devil's Chord review — with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor the show is alive and kicking". Evening Standard.
  22. ^ a b Salmon, Will (6 May 2024). "Doctor Who episodes 1 & 2 review: Space Babies may divide the fans, but Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson make for an immediately winning new TARDIS team". Total Film. GamesRadar+. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  23. ^ Zhan, Jennifer (10 May 2024). "Doctor Who Recap: Here Comes the Fun". Vulture. Retrieved 16 May 2024.

External links[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Fifteenth Doctor.
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