Honestly, I was looking forward to this episode. I genuinely enjoyed every episode of the season thus far, and was very optimistic about this one. However, I cannot in good conscious give the episode a rating higher than the lowest available option. The actual plot was average at best, with good visuals. The Rani reveal felt thrown in and half-baked, and I'd almost rather they wait until the next episode to do it. Not to mention, the bi-regeneration concept was terrible the first time around, and was supposed to be this 'mythical' event, and has now happened twice. It is just poor writing.

Now, the main issue with the episode is the utter slap-in-the-face it is to genocide victims across the globe. In this episode, The Doctor, completely out of character, tortures a genocide survivor who is grieving with the fact that this injustice has been done to their people. Never in the show has The Doctor deliberately tortured someone, much less someone who was unarmed and grieving, only to receive praise from the companion who watched it happen. It fundamentally misunderstands The Doctor as a character. Not to mention, with the ongoing genocide in Gaza, it is just unacceptable for this to have been allowed to air in the first place. In the episode, the message is that genocide survivors feelings are invalid, and they should pursue unconventional means to achieve their goals, such as singing. As a descendant of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, I watched in horror as my favorite show dumbed down my family's generational trauma to something that can be resolved by simply singing a song, and my comfort character torturing a genocide victim. I cannot even begin to imagine how disgusted any Palestinian person must have felt watching this episode. Personally for me, I think this is the end of my time watching the show. I may finish out the season, just to see if The Doctor faces consequences for his abhorrent actions, but other than that I think I am done. As someone who has watched nearly the entirety of Doctor Who going all the way back to 1963, it pains me to say this. However, if the BBC stands by this story, Doctor Who is no longer the show I love.

The BBC needs to issue a public apology for this episode immediately. The message is disgusting and everyone involved in writing it should be ashamed of themselves.