Doctor Who Season-Finale Recap: I Kid You Not

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When Russell T Davies gazes into the mirror, what does he perceive? It’s him reminding himself, “I’m your go-to inspiration, darling.” As this season draws to a close, it presents another unexpected character from his time as showrunner. However, before we reach that point, we must navigate a storyline that swiftly dismisses anticipated villains and concentrates on the Doctor and Belinda having a child – unfortunately, Susan is nowhere to be found in this narrative. The departure of Fifteen seems too hasty, and our principal companion appears to be underused. There are indeed remarkable instances in this episode, but there’s also a significant amount of unrealized potential. If I possessed Desiderium, I would have made several adjustments.

In simpler terms, the resolution of last week’s suspenseful ending involves Anita, who is now pregnant, from the Christmas special. She opens a door and pulls the Doctor into the Time Hotel. The Rani, through manipulation of time on Earth, is making reality thinner, so the Doctor travels back to May 23rd to help his allies break free from Conrad’s idealistic suburban dream. By changing into a kilt, he gives Belinda a reality check, but the complete restoration of everyone’s memories depends on Anita’s open doors. When Kate returns, she triggers biochips implanted in UNIT employees, including Ruby, Mel, Shirley, and Rose Noble, who reappears. Although I understand her invisibility represented Conrad’s worldview, I wish she had stayed to emphasize that transgender people exist regardless of others’ beliefs. The Doctor and Belinda introduce Poppy to UNIT, explaining her resemblance to “Space Babies” Poppy by saying she was created from a blend of their memories and wishes.

Rani mysteriously transports herself near for some backstory (and also to hint that Mel often ponders her in dreams, a touch of Pride Month spirit). It seems she made a “biological detour” to escape the Time Lord massacre, followed by using a Time Ring for travel. Addressing the Doctor, she quips, “Find a simple, brunette Earth girl, and voila!” Her intention is to utilize Omega, whether alive or deceased, as a gene repository to revive the Time Lords and rebuild Gallifrey. We’ve learned that she regards Omega—the Time Lord who pioneered time travel and is called the “original sin” of their kind—as merely a tool for her purposes. No one will rule over her.

We’re about to learn a significant piece of Time Lord history that seems like common knowledge, but it isn’t. The Doctor and the Rani reveal that the Spy Master’s genetic explosion rendered all surviving Time Lords infertile. This news draws sighs from the audience as the Rani goes on to dismiss Poppy, claiming she’s tainted with inferior human DNA. She sounds particularly Rani-like when she refers to humans as livestock. It remains uncertain what will become of Poppy if the wish world ceases to exist, but the Doctor insists that his and Belinda’s daughter is a genuine child, even if she was conceived out of hope and dreams. After all, every child originates from such feelings.

Following the Doctor’s rejection of the Rani’s alliance, they confront each other with their sonic devices, and the Rani departs for the Bone Palace to unleash the Underverse’s Bone Beasts upon UNIT. I must admit, I may have underestimated Susan Triad’s technological prowess as she has constructed a Zero Room in just 20 minutes at the Doctor’s behest – quite impressive considering her youth. The strategy is for Poppy to remain hidden during the conflict and survive if possible. Belinda elects to accompany her daughter, acknowledging the risk that they could become trapped inside forever should things go awry. It’s disheartening that Belinda now finds herself relegated to the sidelines, especially given her potential for a more significant role this season.

The objective of the formidable trio – the deity of desires, the Ranis, and Conrad – was to resurrect a monstrous villain: Omega. However, these perils were handled surprisingly effortlessly. The Doctor managed to duplicate the Rani’s sonic coding, enabling him to reach the Bone Palace and assist Ruby in teleporting in. In the end, Omega transformed into a colossal CGI monster, living up to the legends about him, and immediately devoured the Rani. Mrs. Flood disappeared with the Time Ring, and the Doctor employed the vindicator to push Omega back into “hell.” Meanwhile, Ruby’s empathy allowed her to disarm Conrad, armed and dangerous, so she could reach the baby god. Instead of wishing for his suffering, she wished for Conrad’s happiness. What she desired was not just his contentment but true remorse, so that he would devote the rest of his life to amending the wrongs done by his world against the communities it tried to eliminate and subjugate; his newfound joy as a cook felt shallow and unearned for such a redemption.

Ruby, like the Doctor, yearns for an end to this realm of wishes. The Doctor expresses, “No more wishes,” which causes Desiderium to transform back into a weeping newborn baby. To the Doctor’s joy, Belinda and Poppy exit the Zero Room unscathed. As the Doctor and Belinda discuss family travel plans with TARDIS childproofing, Ruby notices them exchanging Poppy’s vest. In a heart-wrenching moment, Ruby understands that the vest is gradually diminishing in size. Eventually, it vanishes, along with Poppy – as well as her parents’ memories of her.

In a later scene, the Doctor tosses Belinda’s star certificate into outer space, intending for the robots from the season opener to discover it. The Doctor and Belinda chuckle sarcastically when Ruby reveals they had a child, which leaves her feeling somewhat hurt because he finds the idea hard to believe. At UNIT, his dismissive attitude towards Ruby’s mention of Poppy is almost patronizing. Although other UNIT personnel recall various changes in their environment, such as teal not being so vibrant before, no one seems to remember Poppy. However, when Ruby reminds the Doctor of his past act of resurrecting her, everyone starts pondering how the Doctor has saved them all in the past. Kate finally breaks the ice and bluntly states, “Sometimes I think we’re all your children.

Convinced now, the Doctor promises Belinda he’ll locate Poppy. However, it takes the regeneration energy of a Time Lord to subtly alter reality, so he’s ready to sacrifice his existence (or at least this particular incarnation) for her. “I was the best,” he reminisces, looking back at images of his past selves before being interrupted by… Jodie Whitaker’s Doctor! It’s a heartwarming farewell scene. Thirteen ponders that they don’t truly change, but Fifteen contradicts this by expressing his affection for her. She understands she should reciprocate to Yaz, but Fifteen points out she rarely does. The acting in this scene… wow, the series could have delved deeper into both characters.

In a selfless act, the Doctor undergoes a transformation, causing the world’s image to fracture and vanish into white. He finds himself in a serene garden, where he encounters Belinda. Although Poppy remains her daughter, their bond with the Doctor has altered; she is no longer his. The narrative subtly alters – in each episode, Belinda urges the Doctor to return for Poppy. In a heartfelt moment, the Doctor shares a secret with Poppy, whispering, “I can’t have children, but if I could, I would want her to be just like you.” Belinda voices concerns about traveling with Poppy, yet requests that the Doctor take her to Neptune once she grows up. With tears in her eyes, she admits feeling as though she’s forgotten something, and he comfortingly replies, “Beautiful things can be forgotten, but they still occurred somewhere.” In a poignant moment, he expresses his love for her, saying, “I love you,” to which she responds, “And I love you, Pops. That will never change.

I’m not fond of the way this storyline has developed for Belinda. It’s important to clarify that being a single mom is perfectly fine, and it does make sense that after two seasons filled with references to babies and family, the Doctor would help reunite a lost child with its mother in the end. However, due to the sequence of events we witnessed as viewers, it seems like Belinda’s character was altered without giving her the chance to fully decide on becoming a mother herself.

In comparison, Carla chose to incorporate Joe Sunday into their family, and we know she enjoys kids, with no prior obligation or connection to Desiderium; he could have just as easily been adopted by someone else. The sudden change in Belinda’s character feels abrupt when compared to this situation.

In a different rendition of events, Belinda, who originally cherished journeying across the universe with The Doctor, is no longer present. Her backstory has undergone a radical change, and she now has a human child named Poppy. Although this version of Belinda was always intended to be the “real” one, the sequence of events presented to viewers creates an inconsistent narrative arc for her character. This new Belinda does not object when The Doctor addresses her as “Miss,” despite the fact that during her first adventure, she made it clear she didn’t want to be defined by her marital status. Moreover, this Belinda does not question The Doctor’s actions when he scans Poppy without seeking permission, whereas in the past, she had called him out for similar behavior towards herself. It seems that Belinda is not given the opportunity to truly take center stage in her own narrative about motherhood; instead, it was Ruby who first remembered Poppy.

Regarding Fifteen, it’s always tough when a Doctor departs, but this one hits us hard. Not only are we dealing with fewer episodes featuring the Doctor, but Ncuti Gatwa missed out on the opportunity to face off against the iconic villains he had hoped for. His departure is sudden, leaving no time for a proper farewell to Ruby. He bid adieu near Joy, the star, with his final words, “This has been an absolute joy.

Instead, he’s swapped out with… Billie Piper?! As a die-hard fan of Rose Tyler and the Tenth Doctor, I must admit that I feel like I’ve been given more than enough fan service already. Moreover, transforming into someone who bears an uncanny resemblance to your ex is quite absurd. The credits don’t specify her as The Doctor, and a press release suggests that we don’t yet know her identity or the reason for her return. Perhaps this relates to her being Bad Wolf, given that he directed his regeneration energy at the TARDIS console? Despite my reservations about excessive nostalgia, I can’t deny that Billie’s acting skills make her a delight to watch. However, I have a feeling her appearance won’t extend over an entire season. But this feels like a reliance on past glories, and clinging too tightly to the past could hinder the show’s potential for progression.

Cut for Time (Lord)

Many questions remain unanswered. For instance, we’re curious about Billie’s comeback. Additionally, why did the Doctor encounter Susan? Who is Anita’s superior that she mentions greeting the Doctor, and what are their intentions? Is Rogue, who has also mentioned a boss, currently trapped in some sort of eternal torment? Where did Mrs. Flood disappear to? How come she was able to breach the fourth wall and address the audience directly? Who retrieved the tooth containing the Master? If the upcoming season adds more mysteries to ponder upon alongside these, it may become too overwhelming.

If we can only choose a companion for Billie from the past, why not opt for the charismatic Christopher Eccleston? But let’s be realistic, it’s highly unlikely he would agree to such a role. (Just joking about that possibility.)

Despite holding strong views on gender roles, Conrad willingly took a subordinate stance whenever he was with the woman he referred to as his “mistress.” It’s almost as if this dialogue was penned by the elusive Steven Moffat himself.

It’s amusing that someone considered it more strategic for UNIT’s building to spin instead of simply installing guns around its perimeter.

Mrs. Flood’s parting words (“Farewell to the two queens, it’s goodnight from me”) was an allusion to “The Two Ronnies”, a popular British comedy sketch series. It seems like the use of this quote is intended to appeal to a wider audience and bridge generations.

Elsewhere in alternative universe news, a trailer for “The War Between the Land and the Sea” has been released to keep us entertained until we return with more information about the primary series.

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2025-06-02 00:55