Doctor Who: Series 14 Overview

Rankings, Comments, and Predictions

Author’s Note: (SPOILERS AHEAD) So, here we are! Fifteen’s first season is over. Now It’s time to rank all episodes from least favourite to my ultimate favourite, provide additional comments, and give my predictions for the next season.

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9. Space Babies

What can I say? This was just a disaster for me. I anticipate this will be very low on a lot of lists in terms of enjoyment. There was so real danger, or that’s what it felt like at least. This is the first of many episodes where the overblown emotion doesn’t fit. At the end, Ruby says in a dramatic denouement, “That’s what you do, Jocelyn, you save them all.” We have only just met these people, and so have Ruby and the Doctor, so the impact just wasn’t there. The odd babies just made the show look like a weird episode of a CBBC show.

8. Boom

Episodes such as this one expose the issue with such short episodes. We are very quickly introduced to characters and their dynamics without any care for who they are. One character, Mundy Flynn, is going to be the next companion somehow. Boom revolves around the Doctor stepping on a mine and trying to figure a way out. Yet again, we are supposed to believe Ruby is going to be killed off when we know that’s not going to happen, thus lacking emotional depth. The side characters are flat and boring, which really doesn’t bode well with Mundy being the next companion. I also found the noise Ncuti made when Ruby was shot to be quite cheesy. Overall, I didn’t enjoy this episode.

7. The Devil’s Chord

Ah, The Devil’s Chord. While this is in my bottom three, it wasn’t entirely terrible. What I will say is I don’t think you should do an episode with The Beatles if you can’t get the rights to the songs. The villain for this episode is Maestro (played by Jinx Monsoon), and what a performance! So, music has been swallowed (literally) by Maestro. Whenever someone tries to make music, she appears to cause havoc. If not for the bizarre dance sequence at the end (which was cheesy and unnecessary), this might have bumped up a spot. My favourite moment in this episode is when Ruby is suspended in the air and it starts to snow. That coupled with Carol of the Bells playing just makes it for a striking moment.

6. Dot and Bubble

Dot and Bubble was very Black Mirror-esque. This is arguably one of the most allegorical episodes this season, and it was a decent episode. Though, I do think it could have been a two-parter. We barely got a look into the world before we were facing the enemy. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t notice the racism until Lindy finally met Ruby and the Doctor. Overall, this one was quite interesting, even if the presence of Ruby and the Doctor was lacking.

5. Rogue

When I heard Jonathan Groff was going to co-star, I was apprehensive. To my surprise, I really enjoyed his character! I’d love to see him again! The whole episode was somewhat of a parody of Bridgerton, which I don’t watch. The villains were quite comedic in this episode, especially with the neck movements. I do think it was a mistake to focus the episode entirely on Bridgerton as it took away from the depth.

4. The Church on Ruby Road

Ah, the return of the Christmas special. This was our first entry into the world of Ruby and the Doctor. If the goblin story hadn’t been included, this would have been higher. The silly song really ruined it for me. However, Ruby’s introduction was very intriguing. There isn’t a lot to say about this one, but I thought it was reasonably decent.

3. The Legend of Ruby Sunday

A lot of our questions were answered in this one. We find out who Susan Twist really is and why she appears everywhere. There is some genuine fear in this episode, and we are left on a cliffhanger. This feels like a return to Tennant’s original run (the best Doctor Who has ever was). One criticism I have is that UNIT has in recent years become very silly. If we look back to when Martha worked for them, you felt as if they could actually do some damage, but I don’t with this iteration.

2. Empire of Death

So, the finale of this season! While I didn’t enjoy all of it, this episode makes it second on my list. The parts I found disappointing were largely to do with Ruby’s mother. I personally feel the result was a bit of a cop out. Additionally, the scene of the Doctor screaming out the Tardis made me curl up with cringe. That said, it wrapped everything up mostly quite neatly, except for that ending…

1. 73 Yards

Now we have come to my favourite episode of the season, and bizarrely, the most divisive. I don’t understand why people have a problem with unanswered questions. I think anyone who complains about the lack of answers need to read more mystery novels. This episode focuses solely on Ruby after the Doctor mysteriously vanished after stepping on a fairy circle. I am very much a fan of the fantastical, so this was a real treat of an episode. Millie Gibson really got to show off her acting chops here. If you need to be spoon fed all the answers, then you really need to look into more media. Not having all the answers can be just as enjoyable as having them. This was a folk-horror romp!

Additional Comments:

Overall, this season has felt very rushed. I fear that Disney have been pushing Davies and the team to get episodes out before they are ready. Ncuti was not present for a lot of filming due to him finishing up Sex Education, and that really showed. There were some highlights, but I hope this improves for next season.

I wasn’t particularly excited about Ncuti Gatwa joining as the Doctor. I really didn’t know how I would react, but he is definitely not my least favourite. I was very much against Peter Capaldi’s Doctor. My real surprise was with Millie Gibson. My mum watches all the soaps, so I saw a lot of her stint as Kelly Neelan in Coronation Street, and I find that a lot of soap actors aren’t used to what more full on productions require. I was concerned that she would be quite cringey, but she’s a very good actor. I am really enjoying her as the companion.

What I would like for next season is less crying from the Doctor. It used to be that when the Doctor cried, you knew things were bad. If you utilise it as often as Davies has been, it loses its power. Additionally, I hope we have less of pretending Ruby is dying when we know that can’t be the case.

Predictions:

Now Ruby has left the Doctor, this leaves the Doctor free to find a new companion in Mundy Flynn. From photos from set, we know Ruby returns with a boyfriend (a Rose and Mickey situation?). From what Mrs. Flood said, we know darkness is yet to come. Speaking of Mrs. Flood, we really don’t know who she is yet. They are portraying her as a kind of narrator. She exited with a briefcase, a fur coat, and an umbrella. Perhaps she is River Song?

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