Empire of Death

So we get a great reveal last episode with one of the greatest villains of all time, and now the real question is how do we defeat him? Well I think RTD doesn't know how to either. The Entire Sutekh storyline felt so forced and random. There were no real payoffs or dramatic moments. It felt so rushed and confusing. Ruby's mother storyline also suffered greatly. I understand some people are going to like the ending, but explanations for all the weird stuff that has been happening just feel so randomly explained just for the sake of it. The episode wasn't all bad, there were some good moments. Millie Gibson gave a great performance and so did Bonnie Langford, who in my opinion, carried the episode.

After the Legend of Ruby Sunday things were setup for a fantastic finale. The first half of the episode does justice and keeps the pace and the terror but things unravel quickly and the ending lands flat.

The whole series has been a pendulum of hit and miss. A mix of some of the best Doctor Who episodes and instant classics along with some of the absolute worst (Space Babies). And Empire of Death follows this pattern and falls short of the high quality writing Doctor Who deserves.

Whilst this episode isn't quite as bad as some of the Chibnall eras mediocrity it really isn't far off. And given the brilliance of the previous episode it is a wasted opportunity.

RTD has shown this season that he can bring the Doctor back. And he is backed with some of the strongest talent to pull it off. But he needs to bring far more consistency than we've seen this season.

A decent Finale. With some disappointing moments, I thought Sutekh was defeated easily. And some of the ideas, I think they were a bit hot to handle for RTD. With all that said, the rest of it was enjoyable. The hide behind your sofa elements of Who are back, and the memory Tardis brought back so much wonderful memories. And there's still the old saying Timey whimey, stuff is all here. And we've got character drama back, Ruby trying to find her mother. And the ordinary speech from the Doctor was great, although maybe a little disappointing how she was just an ordinary person. But how it played out and execution wasn't terrible for what it was. And It had some edge of your seat moments that were very intense. It's also not the worst Finale, we've had Seasons 6's, and Season 8's with Season 11 and 12 Both being worse. And maybe even Season 13's Finale. But it could of been better.

1. Russell T Davies has literally lost the plot when it comes to writing engaging Dr. Who episodes and crafting an engaging arc to the season. 2. CGI can't save a lousy script. And 3. Disney has no idea what or who Dr. Who is, and they never will.

I give the actors their due for making the best out of bad material but at some point they should have pushed back against the drivel they were handed. After all do they really want to be known as the actors that killed the longest running show in television history?

If I could give the bigwigs some advice I'd say - fire Davies, regenerate the Doctor, and bury this season in a deep dark hole never to be seen again.

I want our Dr. Who back!

I'm deeply disappointed with this season of Doctor Who. It feels like the writers have shifted focus to cater to anyone but their core followers who have loved the show since the 2005 revival, and many even loved it before that.

One of the most jarring changes is how they've portrayed the Doctor. This season, the Doctor seemed to weep in every episode (at least four times in the finale), showing so much fear with each new story and even running away at times. That's not who the Doctor is and has been. Sure, he feels emotion and cries. Sure, he feels fear. But that has never been the focal point, showing the audience how much he is like us. This new humanization undermines the very essence of the Doctor, who we've come to admire for being a Time Lord with bravery, wit, and a unique, almost otherworldly perspective; a Lord of Time who faces his enemies without hesitation and who doesn't have time to constantly give in to his emotions and feelings.

I miss the confident, enigmatic Doctor who faces challenges head-on with a mix of intelligence and humor. These new changes in character make it feel like I'm watching any other human in a show rather than the Doctor. Ncuti Gatwa is clearly an excellent actor with great charismatic magnetism, but he's being made to portray a character that is so very human, just like me. There are hundreds of sci-fi shows featuring people just like me. That's not why we watch this show. There's a reason this show has lasted so long, and I think that's being forgotten or put on a shelf to collect dust.

It's disheartening that the season finale didn't leave me eagerly anticipating the next season. A strong, cliffhanger ending or enigmatic build is crucial for keeping viewers excited about what's next, but this season failed to deliver that. This season started with a great "save the cheerleader, save the world" vibe but, just like Heroes, it seems as if they didn't plan it all the way through and didn't deliver what they set out to achieve.

I truly hope the creators will listen to the broader fanbase and bring back the elements that make Doctor Who the iconic show we love. Return the show to its roots, its core, its formula that kept us on the edge of our seats each and every episode.