"I love you, Doctor"

I wasn't ready. It's been all but a year and a half that we have had Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, and it wasn't long enough. Especially in this episode, we got to see him fully formed, in command, doing everything the Doctor should do: the heroics, the raising people up, the sacrificing it all for the one life. That's the Doctor. Every new Doctor should make the Doctor their own and allows us different ways that we can think about the character, and open ourselves up to new understandings of who the Doctor can be. When the Doctor tells the 13th Doctor I love you, she's surprised. The evolution continues. This is supposed to be just a review of this episode, but wow, what a powerhouse Ncuti Gatwa has been. The combination of him and Russell T Davies for my mind brought back why I fell in love with this show in the first place.

For all of the plot threads that seemed insurmountable, the fact that RTD deals with them in about 40 minutes and it all feels comprehensible, especially compared to Empire of Death is an absolute miracle. I've watched this episode twice now, and it really does give every character their moment in the sun and wraps it up. A benefit of there being so much explaining in Wish World about the Rani's plan, versus Legend of Ruby Sunday which didn't have that. Archie Panjabi was on absolute top form, and while it was a bit sudden to see her just get eaten by Omega she commanded every scene she was in. I love how Anita Dobson got to escape, and wasn't that broken up about it either. Hoping we see her again, but who knows.

"Sometimes, we all feel like your children"

I was overjoyed the Doctor was saved (yes in deus ex machina fashion) by Anita from Joy to the World! Paying her character off was a fantastic surprise. She had a moment, Mel had a moment talking about facing the Rani before, hell even Susan Twist was phenomenal this episode. Millie Gibson I believe has separated herself as one of the best performers in show history and at an incredibly young age too. Her getting to deal with Conrad paid off Lucky Day in spades, even if she recognizes he got off easy.

I do not think Doctor Who has ever looked better than when UNIT Tower fought the bone beasts. Seriously, the bone beasts looked incredible and the Doctor zooming on the Rani's little hover scooter was silly, but you put that music on it's just like driving a motorbike up the Shard, it somehow worked. Omega also looked amazing, and I'm glad he wasn't really a big part of the episode. The Vindicator was set-up all season, so that was much less ex machina than the time door. Seriously, night and day compared to Empire of Death with how cleanly all the different threads held together.

The decision to focus so much of the episode on the Doctor and Belinda's supposed wished baby Poppy is a curious one, and it didn't hit quite all of the correct notes to me. Especially as it took Belinda who had been so strong all season and plopped her into the role of just looking after a child. It looks like Poppy will live, but then Ruby watches as suddenly Poppy vanishes and the Doctor and Belinda can't even remember her. This is the most tenuous part of the episode, as it's mainly just Ruby feeling like she's been gaslit. (Seriously, Ernest Borgnine wouldn't be alive at 107, come on Doctor). The message she gives though is a truly great one that echoes back to her first trip in the TARDIS in Space Babies, an episode far too maligned. The Doctor will always save the one life, no matter the cost. Whether it's an old man in Wilf in the radiation chamber, or just to bring one child back to life at the cost of his own. A world built on the death of one innocent is no world at all.

It was a total surprise to see Jodie Whittaker again, and very fun to see her interact with Ncuti Gatwa. It was a joyous little scene, and I really appreciated it. I was worried that RTD was going to ignore the legacy of the Chibnall era, even as someone who was not a big fan of it, it was five years of Doctor Who that counted just as much as the rest. Jodie Whittaker also changed my perceptions of what the Doctor could be, just like Ncuti Gatwa continued to do.

The final goodbye with Belinda who in the new universe has been a mother the whole time, with a completely human baby Poppy, was very touching. I think maybe the biggest weakness of this entire episode is wet don't see Ruby again! What the hell man. All love to Belinda, but Ruby is the definitive companion in my mind for the 15th Doctor, and it felt so bizarre not to get a goodbye there.

And then, the end has come. I'm sure there will be copious amounts of ink spilled about the how, the why Ncuti Gatwa only had two seasons. I think he could've easily done two more. It feels like there is so much left undone, but I hope he is at peace with leaving the role. He seems to have loved and cherished it so much. Thank you so much Ncuti, and I hope like Jodie you are never far away.

Of course, he then becomes Billie Piper. I'd heard rumors, but I still couldn't quite believe it. This has seemingly broken pretty much everybody's brain. I do think having just brought back David Tennant, and now Billie Piper, it sure seems like that is flying in the face of everything I have just described of challenging our perceptions of what the Doctor can be by just giving us retreads. Why is everyone so obsessed with 10/Rose! That was 2006! Give it up! But then I think, I didn't like David Tennant coming back, but we got Wild Blue Yonder and some truly great moments. I think Billie Piper is a powerhouse actor, and am going to keep an open mind that she can continue to show us different facets of the Doctor. I have a suspicion she'll be temporary alongside how the 14th Doctor went, but we'll see. I will choose to trust in an incredible actor.

Especially on the rewatch, with the main exception being the lull after the world is reset, this is just a fun episode of television. It had everything I'm looking for in my Big Dumb Finales, characters getting their chance to shine, fighting fantastically designed monsters, saving the Earth once again. Isn't that how a lot of us fell in love with the show in the first place?

I watched it twice before seeing everybody's reactions, I'm disappointed and sad that so many people viscerally hate this episode. Personally, I think this whole season has been the most embarrassed I've ever been to be in this fanbase. Last season had good episodes but the pacing was wrong, this season truly felt like a strong Doctor Who season as a whole for the first time since Capaldi's final season seven years ago. I will make a prediction here, and we'll see how long it lasts. The Reality War is Hell Bent all over again. The fanbase thought they wanted something, and got something different, and in time, Hell Bent has gradually won people's admiration. Check back in 2035, and see if I was right.

"It's been a joy."

Truly, I have no idea what the future holds for this show. But despite a fanbase seemingly imploding on cynicism and negativity, it really hasn't bothered me much, because of Ncuti Gatwa. I will always wish we got much more, but I think we truly got his best. His positivity, joy, infectious energy, and commitment to being The Doctor re-invigorated my love for the show. What I love about Doctor Who is that it makes me, an ordinary man, feel like I can expand my horizons and be part of a great adventure that at the end of the day is built on love. Ncuti Gatwa embraced that adventure, and he was a damn good Doctor. Until the next adventure!