While the Doctor and his new friend Belinda have been trying to get back to Earth (if it’s still there), what has been happening with Ruby Sunday?
She has a good job and a new boyfriend who has a podcast. One of those things will cause a lot of problems.
The show has occasionally made comments on the world at large, from the Thatcher years to the tax system. It was a matter of time before it would have some words about social media and its abuse.
That’s where the boyfriend comes in.

SPOILERS BELOW

His name is Conrad Clark, and he met the Doctor and Belinda on New Year’s Day 2007. They’re still trying to get back to May 2025, but young Conrad is blown away by this. He tried to tell his mum, but she just hits him. This will leave an impression.

Cut to present day, and he has his own podcast which talks about UFOs and odd things he’s seen. He even has a guest…none other than Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson).

Actually, he chose her before he spotted her and the Doctor looking for something called the Shreek, who hunts people. Conrad was “marked” with some goop from them, making him its prey. It happened to Ruby, too, but she took an antidote.

Conrad (Jonah Hauer-King) tried to get some info about the Doctor and the TARDIS, but she stays vague enough to not reveal too much. She also has a good job with UNIT. By the way, he applied for a job there not too long ago.
Afterwards, they go out regularly. She even tells Conrad more about the Shreek, how they hunt, and how to tell if they are close. It includes enhanced paranoia and electrical glitches.
He says he grew up with a single mom, but she died of liver cancer. If he’s hoping that makes him more appealing, he’s right.

Then it looks like the Shreek have arrived and are after Conrad….
until it turns out they were fake!
Conrad’s part of Think Tank, which is out to prove that UNIT, its missions and aliens are all fake.
So, the previous 20 years, including the Autons, don’t count? Not even the Cybermen back in the 60’s? It’s really bad when a regular guy can be as bad as any Dalek.

He uses his social media, podcast, and other high tech to discredit UNIT and make money off it it.
His mom isn’t even dead.
Sure enough, the media falls for it. Sadly, not a surprise.

The situation makes Ruby look like a fool, and UNIT even worse. Ruby does mention that her time as a Companion has affected her in some ways, It’s made her a bit more paranoid and aware of bad things. You wonder how her predecessors were also affected.

Then Conrad goes off the rails and invades UNIT with the intent to prove it’s a fraud…and there are no Shreek. This backfires big time, especially when Conrad insults Kate’s dad.
This is when Kate decides to show him a Shreek. Some people thought that was a bit too far for her, but it shows she’s not to be trifled with. For the record, I suspect her had could have has the Shreek tethered up to a point,
Anyway, Conrad gets bitten while Ruby tasers it into submission. He thanks her, but she’s not happy.
It’ll take a while for UNIT to recover from this, but it will. The episode also shows having a UNIT story every year would be a good idea.

.
Conrad gets a jail cell, but also the final word from the Doctor himself. He condemns Conrad’s motives, especially “taking people’s insecurity and fear” for ego and profit.
Conrad knows he’s ruined himself, but he had one ace in his sleeve. He asks the Doctor about Belinda…several months before meeting her. This happens before the Robot Revolution.
Then Conrad has the nerve to tell the Doctor to get off the world.
Typical Euro-MAGA type: he knows he was wrong, but admitting it is a fate worse than death.
Still, Jonah does a great job as the definition of a social media terrorist. He’s charming and handsome, until he tosees his mask aside to show the ugliness inside. Again, worse than a Dalek.

And delusional to the end? Maybe not. The prison’s Governor shows up, holds several keys, and tells him it really is his lucky day.
Yes, it’s Mrs. Flood again. She’s recruiting for the Reality War.
As for Ruby, she says she need some time alone, and UNIT gives it to her. That may not keep her away from the battlefields to come.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a Doctor-lite episode. It’s great to see Millie again, still brave as ever. At least the show explains that those who travel with the Doctor are never the same. It’ll be interesting how it’ll affect Belinda….if there’s a May 26th for her.
Oh, and didn’t Kate say if a dictator had access to what Conrad had, it would tear the world apart?
True, but it might include deadlier tech and more callous people. Remember “Don’t Look Up”?

Next week, there a big and hungry spider in Nigeria, and a Barber knows about it