There's always time for a good pirate story, even in Doctor Who. Swashbuckling truly is a timeless art, it seems. It never really goes out of style, sort of like a really nice hat or the phrase, "there's a new Batman movie coming out."
So luckily for those suffering from 'arrr' withdrawal after the season finale of Our Flag Means Death, one staple of television is poised to pick up some of the slack. The next Doctor Who special will see Jodie Whittaker's time-traveling alien known as The Doctor and her companions set sail on the high seas, whether they want to or not. That's the great thing about Doctor Who. Even though she has a ship that can traverse space and time, she's always at least a bit surprised at where she ends up. It's a very relatable character trait.
With Whittaker sadly nearing the end of her run as Doctor Who, it looks as though the show is packing as much fun and action into her final few performances as it can. That idea is on display in full force with the newly-released trailer for Doctor Who's upcoming special, Legend of the Sea Devils. Along with her companions Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop), The Doctor will now encounter the legendary Pirate Queen Madame Ching (played by Crystal Yu) in a new story that also includes monsters (obviously).
Legend of the Sea Devils appears to be cranking the show's "just have fun and don't think about it too hard" dials up to 11, with alien pirates aplenty and a flying ship (probably more impressive to those who don't have a time machine, granted). After the enjoyable but often baffling Flux story in Doctor Who's previous series, something like this could be right up the alley for fans who might still have a bad taste in their mouths. But that doesn't mean there aren't some important developments that still need to be addressed.
In the last special, Eve of the Daleks, Yaz finally confessed her true feelings for The Doctor. But while that isn't exactly a new plot development in the show as a whole (pretty much every iteration of The Doctor has had their fair share of admirers and even genuine romantic pairings), will that be addressed here? Or is it something the showrunners want to save for Whittaker's actual final appearance? She made history and set an important precedent when she became the first woman to play The Doctor, so maybe they want to really close out her story with a well-deserved shout.
However things shake out, Legend of the Sea Devils looks like it will be the kind of romp that pairs well with drinks and some less critical friends. The return to encountering real historical figures in Doctor Who should be intriguing enough. But if nothing else, the special's tagline of "swashbuckle your seatbelts" should be more than enough to set the audience's expectations. At the very least, those 3 words should help viewers' eyes get plenty of exercise rolling back into the forward position while they wait for The Doctor's next big adventure.
Doctor Who: Legend of the Sea Devils will air on April 17th, 2022.
Source: Doctor Who/YouTube