If there's one defining trait that characterizes Ncuti Gatwa's inaugural season as the Time And Relative Dimension In Space's custodian, it's its vast swings of emotions and narratives. Throughout this season, the illustrious showrunner of "Doctor Who," Russell T Davies, delved into the depths of racism, queer love, the looming menace of technology, and even the essence of fandom itself.
Episodes varied from the profound and enigmatic ("73 Yards") to the oddly saccharine ("Space Babies," which I'd heartily advise my friends to skip). At times, the season felt overburdened with content, yet it was precisely the revitalization "Doctor Who" desperately needed after losing its stride under the previous helm of Chris Chibnall. Davies' unwavering ambition is apparent, and the penultimate episode, where the malevolent god Sutekh emerged from the shadows after a hiatus of nearly half a century, stands as one of the most daring and terrifying installments in "Doctor Who's" illustrious history.
While the finale might not quite sustain the same taut tension, "Empire of Death" still serves as a compelling and gratifying conclusion to this season. The episode commences with a myriad of loose ends awaiting resolution: Sutekh's tyranny must be halted, and the identities of Ruby's mother and her enigmatic neighbor, Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), remain shrouded in mystery. The narrative quickly resumes, with Sutekh's hollow-faced, red-eyed servants Susan (Susan Twist) and Harriet (Genesis Lynea) unleashing a brown dust from their palms, transforming anyone it touches into mere ash. Kate (Jemma Redgrave) and her team from UNIT, Britain's covert extraterrestrial defense unit, are swiftly decimated.
Mel, portrayed by the illustrious Bonnie Langford, who accompanied the Doctor through the vibrant decade of the 1980s, mounts her vivid orange scooter, pulling the Doctor along as a swerving camera captures their thrilling chase through the desolate streets of a post-apocalyptic London. In UNIT's Time Window, Ruby, embodied by the captivating Millie Gibson, persists in her quest to reconstruct the fragmented memory of the night she was left abandoned as a helpless babe. However, her pursuit is abruptly interrupted by the Doctor's arrival, warning her of imminent "graver troubles."
The sinister Sutekh, voiced by the illustrious Gabriel Woolf, who had previously portrayed the villainous role, reveals that he has captured the TARDIS. He greets the Doctor with a mocking familiarity, dropping a staggering bombshell: Sutekh had not been eradicated by Tom Baker's Doctor in 1975, but instead clung tenaciously to the TARDIS during the Doctor's subsequent voyages through the vastness of time and space, biding his time for the perfect moment. Wherever the Doctor had landed, Sutekh replicated and deposited new versions of the enigmatic woman now known as Susan, sowing the seeds of destruction on every planet, across every timeline.
The Doctor, Ruby, and Mel seek refuge in a "remembered TARDIS," a mosaic of previous iterations of the spaceship, held together by a revolutionary technology, first glimpsed in the recent Christmas special dubbed "intelligent rope." It is a veritable treasure trove, jam-packed with curiosities and relics from the Doctors' past.
For once, the Doctor's usually stoic facade falters, as he watches the devastating dust clouds swirl across Earth from space, blaming himself for the catastrophe. A guttural sob of anguish escapes his lips, embodying the full gamut of human emotions. The mystery surrounding Ruby's origins still looms, and Sutekh demands an answer. The Doctor and Ruby, equally intrigued, embark on a journey with Mel to the year 2046, where they trace her DNA records in a Department of Health database, hoping to unravel the mystery once and for all.
As Ruby's gaze fell upon her mother's name, etched on the screen, her perplexity deepened, surpassing all previous bounds. She pivoted, confronting the ghastly visage of Mel, who now resembled Susan's skeletal features, having been usurped by Sutekh's sinister influence. He had taken Mel as a vessel, through which he could pry into Ruby's mother's identity. With a malevolent flash, Mel teleported the Doctor and Ruby into Sutekh's domain, where the god exerted his omnipotence, bending the Doctor's will to his own.
In a rage, Ruby denounced Sutekh as a "grandiose deity of emptiness," as she cunningly affixed the Doctor's intelligent rope to the bejeweled collar of the deity. Meanwhile, the Doctor unleashed a devastating blast, tearing the TARDIS free from Sutekh's grasp. Triumphantly, the Doctor exclaimed, "I have returned!" His tone playful yet triumphant, as he attached the intelligent rope to the TARDIS, and together with Ruby, they soared off, dragging Sutekh behind them like a docile pet on a leash. This climatic moment was somewhat diminished by the crude visual effects, perhaps a testament to the green screen budget's exhaustion in Episode 7.
Peering through the TARDIS's open doors, the Doctor watched as Sutekh's claws clung to the fabric of time, resurrecting all those who had been reduced to dust. The Doctor and Ruby rejoiced, but the Doctor knew that he must now descend to Sutekh's level and destroy him. "You triumph, because I pride myself on being superior to you," roared the Doctor, slicing the rope, and Sutekh was consumed by a ravenous blaze.
Turning to the mystery of Ruby's mother, the revelation was somewhat mundane. She was a mere mortal woman, named Louise, who had relinquished Ruby when she was only 15 years old.
Ruby, undoubtedly, exuded joy. But amidst her radiance, there was a profound confusion. How could a mere woman, she, hold the key to the destiny of the entire universe? The Doctor, however, elucidated with a profound simplicity: "Louise matters, because we believe she matters." She mattered deeply to Ruby, thus to the Doctor, and ultimately, to Sutekh. After a season of intricate theories and convolutions, this explanation seemed almost too straightforward.
The heartwarming reunion between Ruby and her mother at the cozy coffee shop tugged at heartstrings, leaving one in tears. As Ruby stepped out of the TARDIS, the Doctor whispered, "I've shown you wonders of the universe, but this? Sweetheart, your journey has just begun." He vowed to meet her again, but for now, Ruby's chapter had come to a close.
The narrator declared that "the tale of the church on Ruby Road reaches its conclusion." Ruby had departed, yet casting announcements hinted that Gibson and Varada Sethu, another familiar face, would join the Doctor's adventures in the upcoming season.
One mystery remained unsolved: Who was Mrs. Flood? It was she who addressed us through the voiceover. The camera slowly ascended to the rooftop of Ruby's abode, where an elderly woman stood cloaked in a fluffy white garment, a parasol in hand, gazing intently into the lens. She teased the Doctor, saying, "Regrettably, his narrative concludes in utter horror." The camera zoomed in on Mrs. Flood's eyes, framed by dark lashes, and her lips smeared with red lipstick. She smirked, bidding us a chilling "Goodnight," promising a new wave of eeriness when "Doctor Who" returns for its second season.
