As I said, I don't usually enjoy Russell T Davies finales, so my expectations were low going into to-day's Doctor Who episode, "Empire of Death". And, indeed, it hit those emotional registers that are simply beyond my range. I'm just not emotional enough to keep pace with all the screaming and crying. Eventually I get to the point where I think, "I'm sure this is cathartic for some people, and good for them."
That said, I can't help sensing the cold hand of Disney in the way everyone died and then everyone inevitably lived. I'm thinking of that Ninth Doctor line from Davies' first season, "Just this once, everybody lives!" He could say it because it was unusual. This time, even that security guard who stepped behind the TARDIS lived.
I'm sure most people thought of Thanos when everyone turned to dust. Although everyone came back from that, at least it had dramatic consequences. Of course, half the population disappearing for five years would have an effect which the MCU has mined for good dramatic potential.
The scene where the Doctor meets that woman on a desolate planet would have been more effective in isolation, I think. Taken out of context in which the viewer could assume there had been proper set up for it, that the stakes of the Doctor needing to find a metal spoon had been established. I was slightly disappointed he didn't end up playing the spoons like the Seventh Doctor.
The explanation for Ruby's birth mother was ridiculously unsatisfying. I feel like Davies was trying to show how great it would've been if Rey's parents, in the Star Wars sequels, had truly been nobodies as was suggested in Last Jedi. I do think that is a potentially good idea. But come on. Why was she wearing a cloak? Why couldn't Sutekh, a god of death who could invade minds across the cosmos, identify her? The Doctor has a line about how she was important because they believed she was important. Was there no-one else in the history of the Doctor's travels who fit that description?
I did really like the cgi Sutekh and the return of the original voice actor. I also liked the callbacks to "73 Yards".
All in all, it was an enjoyable season and I'm sorry to hear the ratings have been even lower than in Chibnall's era. Davies, who's been quite candid about that, has pointed out there are additional views to be counted on Disney+, i.e., those view counts Disney keeps buried deep in their electronic vaults. Well, if it's all that can keep Doctor Who alive, I suppose it's worth it, so long as we keep faith.
I suppose Ncuti Gatwa is no David Tennant. I like him but he just doesn't have what Tennant's got. But what can they do? Would they really switch to the Tennant Doctor who's still hanging around? I mean, I kind of assumed that's why they did the bi-regeneration thing, in case Gatwa didn't work out. But could they actually go through with it?
Maybe they should make a Paul McGann season. By the way, the likely reason the Doctor didn't meet up with Susan this season is because McGann's Eighth Doctor reunited with her in a Big Finish audio play. Peter Capaldi also wanted his Doctor to meet up with Susan but it didn't happen. If they really want to honour the audio play, they ought to do a special with McGann as the Eighth Doctor. Why the hell not?
Doctor Who is available on the BBC's iPlayer in the UK and on Disney+ elsewhere.
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