Doctor Who Season 14 Episode 7

We’re heading into the homestretch of the 14th season of Doctor Who, and while this show has had its peaks and troughs throughout its shorter run, it seems like the writers have set the audience up for an incredible finale next week. This episode brings to us the questions and moments that need to be answered next week, for there to be any kind of satisfying ending. I would say it’s a shame that the penultimate episode essentially provided fodder for the finale, except to me, it seems like this episode did its best to stand on its own two feet as well, providing a much needed explanation to an ongoing question – who is that random woman that keeps popping up? How does she fit into the journey The Doctor and Ruby have taken? 

Please be aware, that while I will be trying to avoid major spoilers for this review, there are some snippets from the episode that will be mentioned. If you want to go in completely blind, I would suggest watching and then coming back!

---

The Review

Image by BBC Studios Production

In the seventh episode of the series, The Doctor and Ruby land a little bit closer to home to investigate the origins of Ruby Sunday and at the same time, discover who has been following them throughout the series, with the help of fan favourite Kate Lethbridge-Stuart and the team at UNIT headquarters. The title of the episode itself, The Legend of Ruby Sunday, seems to promise that the audience will finally receive answers to who Ruby Sunday actually is, but this episode doesn’t necessarily go in the direction you think it will, instead revealing who has been following the Doctor and Ruby to the furthest corners of the universe. 

There were some moments in this episode that actually chilled me to my core. My notes as I watched the episode is primarily me reacting to the reveals of the episode, and me calling Mrs Flood a spooky bitch every so often. She is in the episode for maybe about two minutes, but those two minutes had a lasting impact on me clearly (Anita Dobson, queen that you are, I hope we never meet because I think I’m genuinely terrified of you). 

Those two minutes though do seem to change the tone of the episode. What begins as hopeful for Ruby to find out who she is, ends with the villain reveal of the season, one that potentially many didn’t see coming. While the internet were throwing out theories of The Doctor’s granddaughter making a return, and who Ruby’s mother is, Russell T Davies seemed to instead, quietly plant the seeds of what was honestly such a terrifyingly incredible moment. 

We learn who Susan is fairly early on in the episode and what she does that has led her to being on UNITs watchlist, leading to her and the Doctor finally meeting, and perhaps the funniest line of the show; ‘Do you dream about being an ambulance?’ You believe this might be the moment where the Doctor reconnects with his granddaughter, a plot hint they have been dropping from the second episode.

Image by BBC Studios Production

We watch the Doctor and Ruby in a Time Window as they play the CCTV footage from the night Ruby was left on the church step, which by the way is another creepy moment of the show – you have a generation who grew up with the creepiest VHS of all, The Ring, and decide to make it worse by having two people essentially step in it? 

We think we’re about to learn of who the mystery hooded woman is, finally discovering who Ruby Sunday actually is. Providing us with an emotional performance, constantly reaching out to try and grab her mum, Millie Gibson does portray a sort of desperation as Ruby tries to uncover who she is. So close, yet so far, it seems any kind of hope of learning the truth is constantly snatched away from her. 

All of this leads away from what the audience expects and instead towards The One Who Waits, a mysterious name for a mysterious enemy. These four words have been spoken by both the Toymaker and Maestro (who also earn a name drop, along with many other ‘gods’ that may be hints towards future foes, depending on how this story ends). While I won’t reveal here who it is, I will say – the voice acting for this character is a lot better than the CGI but Doctor Who has never been known for its CGI prowess. 

Ncuti Gatwa plays the revelation almost perfectly I will say, looking genuinely shocked and horrified, with what seem to be tears of fear rolling down his face. It’s been great to have The Doctor once again be at the forefront of his own story for these last couple of episodes, to have moments of sincere vulnerability that others either bring comfort or tough love to. There is a fierce love for the character within all who interact with them, and I think that’s a reflection on the actors themselves, as well as the audience. 

I think that it’s taken a while for Ncuti to find his feet with the character, it seems to have gone from strength to strength in the last couple of episodes. It’s a shame the series is as short as it is, it would have been good to see more than two strong performances from him in this series, but here’s hoping the next episode and the next season brings us more time for him to shine. 

It almost makes me disappointed that this series has been so short; while it has left little room for filler episodes like Space Babies to make their way into the season, it has also given the audience little connection to Ruby and The Doctor’s friendship, something that is shown here as our heroes are separated from one another once more. I’d feel bad for them if it wasn’t for the fact that I don’t think we actually saw them interact that much. The chemistry between Ncuti and Millie is great, like watching a pair of actual friends travel together, so why was that not given more time?

Image by BBC Studios Production

One last thing to gush over is the writing in this episode – I know, I’m just as shocked as you are. For the past three reviews, I have mentioned criticisms in the writing, wishing it had been stronger, and I still stand by it. I have seen it get stronger as the series went on, but at times, it still felt lacking. This time around, not so much, as the episode ends with a genuine ‘oh damn’ moment. Towards the end of the episode,  Russell T Davies has gleefully created the situation, in which he has taken what was meant to be the safest machine in the room, the TARDIS, and created a sense of foreboding and danger around it. 

What happens when what is meant to be the safe haven for everyone, the thing that creates mystical adventures and memories for all that step in (characters and audience alike) becomes the thing everyone must avoid, their safety net ripped out from under their feet? It’s an intriguing plot point, and I hope the characters spend some time dealing with those feelings, rather than it quickly being fixed with a magical gadget that someone just so happens to have on their person. 

I think this episode does set up the finale perfectly while also being able to stand on its own. It now depends on next week’s episode – will the writers be able to follow through on what they’ve set up, or will the audience be starved once more of a substantial episode? I’m hoping for the former, but there have been instances where the latter has prevailed. Consider me cautiously optimistic. 

---

Where to Watch Doctor Who Season 14?

Image by BBC Studios Production

Doctor Who season 14 can be watched live on BBC One or streamed on the BBC IPlayer for UK residents and Disney Plus for non UK residents, with new episodes releasing weekly.

• ShareCopied to clipboard
• X
• Facebook