Doctor Who Season 14’s Iconic Kiss Scene Breaks The 1 Barrier Past Eras Refused To

• Doctor Who season 14, episode 6, breaks new ground with the Doctor’s first true same-sex kiss in “Rogue.”
• Rogue’s romantic chemistry with the Doctor hints at him becoming a potential franchise regular, reminiscent of River Song’s role.
• Previous Doctor Who eras teased LGBTQ+ romance but never delivered until “Rogue.”

Doctor Who season 14, episode 6, “Rogue,” includes a moment that breaks new ground for the franchise, although it’s a milestone that the modern era has come very close to crossing on more than one occasion. The Doctor’s romantic history has been long and complicated, especially when the timeline of River Song comes into play, with his wife dipping in and out of the Doctor’s life. However, the Fifteenth Doctor’s kiss scene in “Rogue” stands out for a unique reason.

“Rogue” introduces a new member of the Doctor Who season 14 cast, who is strongly teased to continue to be an important figure to the Doctor in the near future. The pair interact in a way that is new for the Doctor, but not just because he locks lips with another character. All of the Doctor’s previous romantic interests leading up to “Rogue” have shared one thing in common, and Doctor Who season 14, episode 6, finally shakes things up.

Doctor Who Season 14 Includes The Doctor’s First True Same-Sex Kiss

Rogue is then lost to the tri-form

In the bittersweet climax of “Rogue,” Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor gets to physically express his affection for Jonathon Groff’s Rogue before the bounty makes the sacrifice of taking Ruby’s place in the tri-form. The Doctor has engaged in same-sex kisses with characters before, but this is the first that has been romantically charged. It’s clear from the moment they meet that the Doctor and Rogue have immense levels of chemistry, and it all comes to a head during their saddening farewell.

The Ninth Doctor was the first to kiss a member of the same sex, although it would be more accurate to say he was on the receiving end of Captain Jack Harkness’ smooch in “The Parting of the Ways” rather than being an equal participant. Nine’s romantic instincts were almost nil, so he probably didn’t read too much into Jack’s amorous way of saying goodbye. Similarly, Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor kissed Arthur Darvill’s Rory Williams in “Dinosaurs on a Spaceship,” but the gesture is essentially a Platonic burst of emotion from the Doctor.

Past Doctor Who Eras Teased The Doctor’s LGBTQ+ Romance, But Never Delivered

The Thirteenth Doctor came closest to being in a same-sex relationship

Since the show was revived in 2005, modern Doctors have come pretty close to same-sex romances, but “Rogue” is the first time that boundary has been crossed. For example, David Tennant and Matt Smith often had flirtatious little moments with male characters, but it was downplayed as nothing more than a bit of fun. During Chris Chibnall’s time in charge of Doctor Who, Jodie Whittaker’s Thirteenth Doctor came very close to creating romantic ties with her female companion, Manip Gill’s Yazmin Kahn. Ultimately though, despite confessing their feelings for one another, Chibnall chose not to pursue that particular avenue.

The Tenth Doctor was notorious for falling for female characters during David Tennant’s original run, with Rose Tyler and Madame de Pompadour among those on the receiving end of his affections. When Tennant returned as the Fourteenth Doctor for the 60th-anniversary specials, he professed that he found Isaac Newton attractive. Donna Noble clears up Fourteen’s confusion at his unexpected attraction by telling him, “It was never that far from the surface, mate.” So, Fifteen’s kiss with Rogue isn’t that much of a surprise, all things considered.

Rogue Is One Of Few Characters The Doctor Has Romantically Kissed Onscreen

Rogue could follow in River’s footsteps and become a franchise regular

The Doctor hasn’t kissed many characters romantically. Notable examples of authentic kisses administered by the Doctor include Eight’s smooch with Grace in the 1996 Doctor Who movie, Madame de Pompadour in “The Girl in the Fireplace,” and, of course, River Song. As such, Rogue is now on a pretty exclusive list as a result of the events in Doctor Who season 14, episode 6. Grace didn’t return to the franchise because the movie flopped, and Madame de Pompadour perished. However, River was a Doctor Who mainstay for a good while, which is promising for Rogue.

Many other instances exclude themselves from the romantic category due to their circumstances. For example, Rose was only ever shown to kiss David Tennant’s meta-crisis Doctor, not the Tenth. Ten’s kiss with Joan Redfern in season 3’s “The Family of Blood” storyline came while he was in human form, and he was actually John Smith at the time. Ten’s kiss with Martha in “Smith and Jones” was a tactical maneuver, and Eleven was kissed by Amy against his will in “Flesh and Stone.” So, Doctor Who doesn’t dish out proper kisses with its main character very easily.