Summary
Doctor Whoseason 14 featured one of the more divisive season finales in the show’s run, but it also reminded me of the finale that immediately preceded it.Doctor Whois the longest running sci-fi show on TV, with the show’s first episodes airing way back in 1963. Now, more than 60 years later, the show has undergone a few regenerations of its own, and it appears almost unrecognizable from the original, aside from some key characters, the mode of transport, and the core concept.
However, withDoctor Who’srich history, there are also plenty of ups and downs. With almost 900 episodes of the show, and a total of 40 seasons and a movie, not every season has proven to be a hit. Admittedly, sinceDoctor Who’srevival in 2005,most finales have featured a satisfying conclusion, and some exciting hints at things to come, but for the last two seasons ofDoctor Who, the finales have felt off to me. Between a lack of story development, disappointing resolutions, and the tension being superficial,Doctor Whofeels different lately.
Has Russell T. Davies managed to redeem the Timeless Child?
The Timeless Child was one of the most controversial retcons in Doctor Who history. Everybody expected Russell T. Davies to abandon it when he became showrunner, but instead he’s doubled down on it, focusing on the emotional impact of the Doctor being adopted and not knowing their origin. Do you think this “fixes” the Timeless Child? Do you still have issues? Or do you think it never needed fixing in the first place?
Sutekh’s Death Wave In Doctor Who Season 14 Felt A Lot Like The Flux
Sutekh And Swarm Have Similar Weapons
In bothDoctor Whoseason 13, subtitled Flux, and season 14, the big bad threatens the safety of all time and space with a wave of catastrophic energy. In both, this wave goes off, and it kills or erases countless living beings from existence across time and space. But the thing is,both of these endings may be grand in scale, but the storytelling and imagination behind them feel like the bare minimum. Fair enough, each came from a different showrunner, but both failed to really build an ending that was more than the threat of catastrophe.
Personally, I struggled to get on board with the Chris Chibnall era ofDoctor Who. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Jodie Whittaker, and think her potential to play the Doctor was there, but the stories let her down. There were highlights, likeSacha Dhawan’s Master, but when the Thirteenth Doctor’s finale was a six-part miniseries called Flux, it felt off. Ultimately,the show hasn’t climbed to the heights of a massive season finale like Steven Moffat’sor RTD in his first era’s for a while.
Does Doctor Who Have A Stakes Problem?
Where Is The Drama In Doctor Who?
Which raises the question, hasDoctor Whorun out of disasters for the Doctor and Team TARDIS to face? The answer to this question should be a resounding no. And the fact that some episodes like “Boom” were able to create tension and build high stakes in one 40-minute block, with the Doctor standing still proves this.Doctor Whohas the entirety of time and space at its disposal, and with a Disney budget to push the show to new heights and depths, there isno good reason that it shouldn’t be able to generate excitement and angstin the audience.
Doctor Whois a show that plays the long game. With 60 years of history, and RTD proving that he is willing to dive into the archives for material, there is plenty that can and should be developed. But to do it right, the most exciting and crucial events need to happen on screen. A death wave is not what makesDoctor Whoexciting or meaningful. And I’d argue that the Doctor beating bad guys isn’t either. It’s thecharacter moments where this isolated alien connects with scared peopleacross the universe and gives them hope, and these last two seasons didn’t offer any of that.
Doctor Who’s The One Who Waits Identity Explained: How They Return & Fourth Doctor Connection
The One Who Waits finally shows his face in Doctor Who season 14, episode 7, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” and he has a history with the Doctor.
Doctor Who Season 14 Fixes The 2 Biggest Mistakes From Flux’s Ending
There Were Some Redeeming Elements
RTD did amend a couple of grievous issues that came up in Flux, but there are elements that he also repeated. For example, the start of “Empire of Death” opens with theDoctor almost in a paralysis over the arrival of Sutekh. Next, he arrives on an alien planet to get a spoon, while one of the last remaining people in existence becomes dust. Then they go to the future to get some data from a computer, and Ruby beats Sutekh. The interesting part of the story happens in between these sentences, and unfortunately, was nowhere to be seen in season 14.
Both of these endings may be grand in scale, but the storytelling and imagination behind them feel like the bare minimum.
On the other hand, the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) did reverse the damage that Sutekh caused, unlike Thirteen, and he managed to avoid committing genocide. This may be a somewhat redeeming element, bringing the Doctor back in line with the character and their usual sensibilities, but it doesn’t do much to overcome the dullness of a season finale that appears ultimately inconsequential.Doctor Whodoesn’t have a stakes problem, but it does need to find itself again. Hopefully, RTD is playing the long-game with other mysteries and the Pantheon of Gods, but there is work to be done.
Doctor Who
Cast
Doctor Who: Released on July 10, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
