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Spoilers for The Robot Revolution. The start of any season of Doctor Who is important, doubly so when theres a new co-star to introduce. The Robot Revolution has to get us to fall in love with Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), ensnare new fans and keep existing ones hooked. Especially since its the second of two series that Disney paid for, meaning its got to do well enough to keep the money flowing. We open 17 years ago with Belinda Chandra staring at the stars next to her boyfriend, Alan Budd (Jonny Green). Its an awkward teenage date, with Alan clearly trying to win the heart of his beau by buying her one of those star adoption certificates. In 2025, Belinda is now a nurse at a busy London hospital where, in the background, the Doctor is searching for her. Belinda goes home to bed, and we see that shes got the star ownership certificate framed on her wall. But shes rudely awoken by a squad of retro-futuristic 50s robots in a Tintin rocket who have come to abduct both her and the certificate. The Doctor reaches her home just in time to see the rocket take off, and cue the opening credits. The certificate wasnt a gag present, and she is actually queen of the planet BelindaChandra, populated by BelindaChandrians (Im calling them humans from now on). The Doctor gives chase in the TARDIS but both the rocket and TARDIS get caught in a vaguely-defined time fissure. When Belinda arrives, shes greeted by the human Sasha55, who tells her the robots are in charge, having overthrown and subjugated the people in a bloody uprising a decade prior. Oh, this is a bit like Jupiter Ascending, I wrote in my notes. Belinda is taken to a throne room where shes told that she must merge with the planets evil ruling supercomputer, the AI Generator. AI Generator, all skull shapes and Tesla coils, intends to bond with Belinda. She is shown an animated demonstration of her fate, as she is wrapped in machine parts and made into an unthinking cyborg. Oh, that's like the scary bit from Superman III, I wrote in my notes. Whos been lurking in the background of the scene all along? The Doctor, who has adopted the title of Planetary Historian. (Thanks to the time fissure, he arrived here six months ahead of the rocket, the Robots seized the TARDIS and hes been working with the rebellion. Hes even got a new companion, Sasha55, who hes promised to take to the stars when this is all over.) He tells Belinda the robots cant, for some reason, hear every ninth word spoken, and gives her a coded message telling her he, and the rebellion, are here to rescue her. In the ensuing fight, Sasha55 is vaporized, much to the Doctors admittedly brief horror and grief. The surviving rebels, along with a little Roomba bot assigned to clean Queen Belindas pathway Oh, like the floor-cleaning robot M-O from Wall-E, I wrote in my notes. escape to a teleporter, after which the Doctor disables the Roomba to ensure the robots cant track them down, then kisses the bot by way of apology. Then comes time for the episode to stop while we see the Doctor and Belinda interact properly for the first time. The Doctor was told about Belindas plight by someone from their future, and he cant say more lest he muddle the timelines. Alistair Heap / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad Wolf The time fracture both vessels passed through has caused plenty of time-bending issues, like the fact the robots have their own copy of Belindas star certificate. But its not a copy, its the same object from another point in time, and nobody knows how or why they have it. Belinda, like Ruby Sunday before her, is trope-aware enough to know that two of the same object from different points in time cannot occupy the same space, lest it cause an explosion. Oh, like in Timecop!, I wrote in my notes. There are wounded at the base, and Belinda instantly kicks into nurse mode, grabbing IVs and treating patients. Shes quick to take charge and has no patience for nonsense, quick to defend herself from any hint of condescension when the Doctor suggests something timey-wimey is going on. She refuses to allow anyone to fight her battles for her and is determined to grab the narrative and shape it her way, no matter the cost. So, she sneaks off, reactivates the Roomba and offers herself to the robots in exchange for them sparing the lives of the rebels. Belinda and the Doctor are taken to meet the AI Generator which turns out to be the AL Generator. When Belinda was kidnapped by the robots, she mentioned her ex Alan had bought the certificate, and so they went to kidnap him as well. But the time fracture meant Alan arrived a decade earlier, fused with the machine (becoming a creepy cyborg) and started the robot uprising. Even so, Belindas happy to sacrifice herself to him until she spots Alan holding his copy of the star certificate. She opts to Timecop the two pieces of paper together, causing a big timey-wimey explosion that only the Doctor can pull her out of. Belinda is safe, but the Doctor mentions that hes now intertwined with Belindas timestream. Alan, meanwhile, has been regressed to a sperm on the floor that the Roomba bot quickly mops away. Reunited with the TARDIS, the Doctor scans Belinda and reveals hes already met her descendant Mundy Flynn (also Varada Sethu) from last seasons Boom. Belinda may be curious as to how someone that far removed from her may be identical, but shes not embracing the mystery. Shes angry with the Doctor for scanning her without consent and that hes treating her like a puzzle to be solved. Having seen Sasha55 die, she knows trekking around with the Doctor is dangerous, and wants to get back to May 24, 2025. But the TARDIS wont land on present-day Earth, and even the Cloister Bell begins ringing a warning. They open the TARDIS doors to see empty space before the Doctor decides to take her back home the long way round. Once the ship disappears, a series of objects start to float in front of the camera: A smashed up black cab, the twisted wreckage of the Eiffel Tower, Belindas star adoption certificate and a calendar with all the days in May but the 25th ticked off. Uh-oh. It's a lot to get through in such a short episode Alistair Heap /BBC Studios / Bad Wolf Like a lot of Disney-era Who, The Robot Revolution feels overstuffed to the point of bursting. On one hand, nothing overstays its welcome. On the other, it feels like the show is burning through a movies worth of plot on fast-forward. Its hard to get a tangible sense of the stakes given how rushed everything is, and theres a lot of telling, rather than showing. Were told the planet is under the brutal thumb of an evil overlord but it plays out as little red ships firing at buildings in the digital matte paintings. Were told Alan is a creep but we never really get any sense of that until after hes revealed as the villain. Were told the Doctor is operating on instructions from a figure from his own future, but itd be nice if some of this was depicted. Davies was pivotal in reviving Doctor Who and building the cultural juggernaut it became under his leadership. His role in the shows history is secure but, even so, his Disney-era series seem to be in thrall to the work of his own successor, Steven Moffat. The Robot Revolution features a macguffin found inside a mundane trinket, a split narrative and time-bending shenanigans. Its not that Moffat owns these ideas but you can almost feel Davies trying to bend his less formal, more character-driven style into something else. A cynic might suggest Davies is reacting to the slight of not having a single credited episode in Doctor Who Magazines most recent poll of the series greatest, while Moffat has five. In fact, I wouldnt be surprised if the slightly frantic, gappy nature of this script is a deliberate ploy to lay the framework for the rest of the season. But, even so, you can feel a degree of straining for a storytelling model that doesnt quite work. If the script is the weakest part of the episode, then the production design has to take the crown for strongest. The retro-futuristic robots call to mind a bright red Ford Thunderbird or Chevy Bel Air while the cleaning robot is clearly styled on a VW Beetle. Its a rather humanistic design I wish the robovac makers of today would emulate. Behind the scenes James Pardon / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad Wolf Doctor Who is a regular source of gossip, especially given the permanently tenuous nature of the star role. Its easy to say the lead is about to quit and for that to sound true, given they leave after three or four years in the role anyway. There are a number of recent reports suggesting Ncuti Gatwa has already quit the show, or is about to. Many of them also suggest the BBC and Disney are refusing to greenlight new episodes until they see how successful this season is. In addition, the BBC says funding cuts and inflation has seen its budget fall by 1 billion (around $1.3 billion) in real terms since 2010. It doesn't help that, when asked directly about the future of the series in an interview with (the BBC's youth-orientated news show) Newsround, Russell T. Davies opted to equivocate in a way that suggests the show is about to back on ice. I mention this because of the sequence where Belinda defeats Alan with the certificate, and the Doctor pulls her out. He says she needed a Time Lord to absorb the enormous amount of energy kicked out when she touched the paper together. The Doctor then clutched at his back as if he was in a lot of pain, but shrugged it off and was fine for the rest of the episode. Fans with long memories, however, know that absorbing a lot of energy from the time vortex is what killed Christopher Ecclestons Doctor back in 2005. Well, that and Ecclestons decision to leave. Mrs. Flood Corner Lara Cornell / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad Wolf It seems Mrs. Flood enjoys moving in next door to whoever is winding up as this years companion. While being abducted, she calls to her neighbor to call the police and tell her parents she loves them. As the rocket lifts off, she tells the audience that we havent seen her, and goes back indoors to avoid encountering the Doctor, who sprints out in pursuit.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/doctor-who-the-robot-revolution-review-meet-belinda-chandra-190054697.html?src=rss
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Netflix has started testing a new search feature powered by OpenAI that can help customers find movies and shows to watch, according to Bloomberg. The streaming service has reportedly given select users in Australia and New Zealand the option to use the tool. It will allow users to search for terms other than a specific show's title, an actor's name or the genre they want to watch. Bloomberg says it will give them a way to search for content using more specific terms, like their mood. Presumably, that means the service can surface dramatic shows for a search query that says "sad," and seeing as it's powered by generative AI, users will most likely be able to use natural language in their search terms. As the news organization notes, Netflix already uses artificial intelligence for some of its existing features, such as learning user's preferences based on their viewing history to recommend titles they're more likely to watch. And it's looking for more ways to use the technology. At the moment, OpenAI-powered searches are only being tested in the two countries, but Netflix reportedly has plans to expand its testing to more markets, including the United States. The company has history of rolling out features to Android users first before making them available on iOS. This time, however, the feature is currently accessible on iOS devices only, and it's unclear if the next test markets will be able to access it on Android. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/netflix-is-reportedly-testing-a-search-function-powered-by-openai-190025983.html?src=rss
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On April 14, Waymo will start testing its robotaxi technology outside the US for the first time. As Yomiuri Shimbun reports, the company will deploy 25 of its electric Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Tokyo for the initial phase of its testing program. Waymo is taking it slow and will not be operating them without a driver behind the wheel yet, however. Drivers from Tokyo taxi company Nihon Kotsu Co. will be driving the cars around Chiyoda, Minato, Shinjuku and four other wards in the Japanese capital. The cameras and radars equipped on the I-PACE vehicles will collect data on Tokyo's roads, which are typically narrower than roads in the US. They'll provide the company with information on local infrastructure, road conditions and the driving patterns of locals. "It's important for us to understand the difference in driving environment, what makes the driving here unique," said Nicole Gavel, Waymo Senior Director, during an event in the city. Waymo will have to adjust its software according to the driving conditions and the capital's rules, after all. Gavel said that Waymo is focused on the testing for now but "would love to have a business" in Tokyo in the future. But that's probably a long ways away: After the initial mapping phase, Waymo will still have to conduct autonomous driving tests with a driver behind the wheel, and then tests without a driver on board. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/waymo-will-start-testing-its-self-driving-taxis-in-tokyo-next-week-163016736.html?src=rss
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