Season One (Series 14); Episode Seven - “Empire of Death” by Russell T. Davies

I have not been this excited for a finale in a long time. Following on from one of the best cliffhangers we’ve seen in years into a story led by a returning legacy villain was a big task for RTD to take on in his first season back but you know what, he mostly succeeded. One of the most original scripts I have seen in a very long time with a bleak and harrowing first half that stuns and disturbs. Unfortunately, RTD wrote it, so you just know he managed to f**k up the ending. A really strong episode with a really weak conclusion, let’s get into it.

Sutekh has returned to bring his gift of death to all mankind. He has invaded everywhere in every time, and will smother the universe in dust. Only the Doctor and a few friends remain, but even they have given up hope.

(CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Firstly, the opening two thirds of the episode are absolutely brilliant Doctor Who. Massive, bombastic, harrowing, tragic, well acted and well written TV. Ncuti truly gives it his all, Gibson is playing the companion wonderfully and Langford is a nice one time tag along who steals the show with her presence - and I don’t even particularly like Mel as a companion. The scene where Sutekh turns the world to dust is genuinely one of the most shocking moments I’ve seen in recent memory and for a hot second I really thought they had killed off Kate. In hindsight, that would be a ballsy way to open the episode and I might’ve even preferred it if Sutekh actually had because I mean, what a way to establish a presence. Once it’s obvious they’re just going to do some Last of the Time Lords bullshit and reverse it all, it becomes a little less threatening. The memory TARDIS is just a joyous design, with all the little bits and pieces of older TARDISes littered around the place and Mel finding Six’s coat was just beautiful. I really like how quiet and melancholy the first part of this episode is. The long shots of sandy ruins on planets, the desolate wandering around forgotten Earth monuments, that really quite depressing moment with Claire from Fleabag. It’s a shame that technically didn’t happen because it was a brilliant scene. Ncuti screaming out into the void is definitely one of 15’s best moments so far, even if only for Gatwa’s incredible acting capabilities; I know I’ve criticised 15 for not acting like the Doctor most of the time, I’m happy to say Russell finally gets it right, 15 is magnificent in these last two parts. Mel’s betrayal hits close to home and there are some nice moments between Ruby and the Doctor but overall, the first two thirds are at least a 9/10, easy. Also, loved the explanation as to why The Woman was 73 yards away, so happy they addressed at least one of the weird things from that episode.

Unfortunately, like most Russell scripts, it has trouble wrapping up. Everybody has already pointed out that Sutekh’s defeat was pretty lacklustre. I actually really like the imagery of leashing a god and dragging it through time and the entire scene is utterly beautiful, genuinely my favourite scene visually from the entire season but it really does diminish Sutekh’s status as a grandiose villain, reducing him to a visual joke and a cheap ending. I’d almost like to call it fine because 15 and Ruby are great throughout the whole scene and it looks so good but yeah, Sutekh was an unfortunately crappy villain this time around. Frankly, his henchmen do more stuff than him and he spends most of the episode stuck in one spot, we don’t really get to see the extent of his influence in the universe. However, I have landed on the fact I really like the new design. The original is iconic, yes, but this is a little more intimidating and probably fits better with the bigger scale. Also, Gabriel Woolf is still an icon. Susan Triad surviving was a weird choice, I think it would make more sense for her to just not be there after the climax but RTD seems to have developed a phobia for complex endings and now can’t have anything but a happy conclusion to an episode.

And then there’s the matter of the conclusion to Ruby’s arc. I’m going to dedicate a whole paragraph to this because it makes up most of my negative feelings on the episode. Ruby’s mother being just a regular person is incredibly dumb. The sentiment is nice but it's a pretty simple sentiment that has been done a hundred times before in Doctor Who in a hundred better ways. Let’s all be honest here, it is the cheapest possible tug at the heartstrings you could imagine with the same emotional depth as those reality TV shows where a celebrity reunites somebody with their biological parents. Simple, easy, underwritten feels that genuinely baffle me. So the explanation for Ruby’s mother being impossible to find, snow appearing whenever Ruby remembers the day, there being a hidden song inside Ruby or Ruby’s mother’s face being actively masked so that nobody can look at it, was that the thought of her was so strong it caused all these events? One, what f**king sense does that make? The thought of somebody was so strong it ripped holes in time and defeated a god, yeah ok. Two, call me a pedant but change a couple words and that is just love saves the day. It is literally the most contrived and overused explanation in the history of writing. Why did it happen? Love. I’m sorry but why wasn’t Ruby’s mother in any databases? When we met her, she was just a normal woman, so why was it impossible for people whose job it is to do this just unable to? It’s a weak explanation and so disappointing to genuinely one of the best companion arcs we have had in a while. I was so hoping Ruby wouldn’t just be another 20-something from contemporary England like the last 10 god damn companions but no, she just is with weak RTD pandering waving away her most interesting features, causing Ruby to become just another companion with very little to her.

The first part of Empire of Death was easily the best finale we’ve had since The Doctor Falls: bleak, harrowing and tragic that truly made me more invested than anything in the last 6 years has. Unfortunately, Russell can’t write an ending to save his life and turns his terrifying villain into a laughing stock and cheaply refuses to conclude one of the best through-arcs we’ve had in years. Utterly disappointing TV that was so good for 90% of the runtime. But, Russell, if some for some god forsaken reason you find this review, I implore you, from the bottom of my heart, write a companion that isn’t just from 21st century England I f**king beg of you!

7/10

Pros:

+ Terrifying opening moments that set up a prevailing sense of dread for the rest of the episode

+ Bleak and quiet tone that feels like the end of the universe is happening around you

+ Entire cast is on top form from Gatwa to Gibson to Langford to Woolf

+ The memory TARDIS is a brilliant design

+ Has some of the best moments of the season like 15 screaming at what he’s caused and him comforting a woman as just turns to sand

+ Chilling direction and set design

+ Visually stunning episode that was glorious to watch on the big screen

+ 15’s characterisation is pitch perfect here, he finally feels like the Doctor for more than just an episode

Cons:

- Sutekh is fully just turned into a joke in this episode, barely lives up to expectations and defeated easily

- Though it’s one of the best looking scenes from the whole of Season One, Sutekh being dragged through the vortex is undeniably incredibly stupid

- The conclusion to Ruby’s arc is the most disappointed I’ve been in a while; the sentiment is nice but it makes zero sense and is a cheap attempt to make you well up

- Susan Triad surviving shows RTD hates having any kind of bad ending for any character