Empire Of Death had a lot of excitement and anticipation to build up to. Not only did The Legend Of Ruby Sunday leave us with the return of Sutekh, but it also promised answers in the next episode for the identity of Ruby's mother, and how Susan Triad was spread through time. Whilst Empire Of Death is a decent episode overall, it doesn't quite stick the landing, as some of the answers given are underwhelming.

The elements that Empire Of Death does well are the moments of horror dotted throughout. The entire UNIT team turning to dust instantly is a sensational moment, showing these familiar faces who we've gotten to know being reduced to ashes in front of our very eyes. Whilst it's obvious that it will be reversed by the end of the episode, it's still very impactful, and shows that nobody is safe in this story.

The Doctor and Mel's action sequence on the Vespa also works incredibly well, injecting the episode with a great sense of adventure and adrenaline. Mel's determined attitude to 'fight back' is a million miles away from the screamer she used to be portrayed as, and this new side to Mel is great. She contrasts nicely with Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor as someone who acts as a harsh maternal figure to him when he gets emotional. Their dynamic works better than Mel with the Sixth or Seventh Doctors, and I'd like to see her travel with 15 for an entire series at some point.

One of the highlights of Empire Of Death even is the scene where 15, Ruby, and Mel travel together in the Memory TARDIS. Their interactions, with 15 and Mel happily reflecting on how they used to travel together, whilst Ruby is given clues about how to find out who her Mum is by the Memory TARDIS, are lovely, and show this shared connection between 15 and Mel as a Doctor and former companion. It's nice that we get an explanation for where the Memory TARDIS came from too, confirming it to be from UNIT's Time Window, and created from the VHS memory of Ruby's mother dropping Ruby at the church. It reminds me of how the MCU projects are all connected with each other, and the way that a plot point in one MCU film will crop up in another. Here, we have Tales Of The TARDIS creeping into the main show, Doctor Who, which in turn provides answers for the iPlayer spin-off.

Conversley, the answers for Ruby's mother don't work anywhere near as well. The reveal that she's just an ordinary woman named Louise is so disappointing considering the huge degree of build-up to the reveal. Teasing a major aspect of a character's family life like this doesn't work unless we know the person who turns out to be their biological Mum. Louise means nothing to us because we have never met her. She's just a random woman from the Present-Day, we're given no reason to care, and it doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. Why would Sutekh be so invested in who Ruby's Mum is if she's merely a human with no extraordinary qualities? Why does Louise point at a sign to name her child rather than just write a note? If Ruby's Mum is just human, how come Ruby can make it snow? Why could we never see her face in the Time Window? The more you think about it, the more it falls apart.

I think it's a mistake, too, that we don't see the Doctor reunite with Susan. There was so many references regarding the Doctor's granddaughter, that a reunion between the pair seemed inevitable. Instead of the Time Lord returning to Susan, however, he just drops Ruby off with her family and the episode ends. Considering the crazy amount of set-up for a Susan return, we really needed to see a scene of the Doctor going back to see her for it to properly pay off. I really hope we see Susan in the Christmas Special, because considering that the Doctor thought Susan Triad was Susan Foreman and was left disappointed, it makes no sense that he wouldn't immediately go back and visit her.

The ending is another thing that doesn't work for me. Whilst I like the notion of 'death defeating death' and that returning life to the universe, the fact that they basically just repeat the climax to Pyramids of Mars, with Sutekh chucked into the time vortex, doesn't really feel like a conclusion to Sutekh's story. What's to stop Sutekh just coming back later and clinging onto the TARDIS again, like he did after Pyramids Of Mars?

Gabriel Woolf is fantastic throughout Empires Of Death, though. He affords Sutekh a thoroughly creepy presence. Sutekh is intimidating and commands the screen, and Gabriel Woolf embodies the God of Death's omnipotent nature.

As much as I don't like the mother reveal, Millie Gibson as usual plays it fantastically. She brings the heart and emotion to her reunion with her biological mother, making it feel like a very raw and human moment. Millie Gibson is such a spectacular actor, and I'm so glad she's going to be in the next series too. Overall, I'd give Empire Of Death a 5/10. The horror and action sequences are superbly handled, but the reveal of Ruby's mother is disappointing, the lack of Susan Foreman is surprising, and the climax feels a little too easy. I really hope we get a Susan return in Joy To The World, otherwise I have to wonder what the point was in all the teasing regarding the Doctor potentially reuniting with his granddaughter.