Caution: This piece includes spoilers.
Surprise! Without warning or trailers, without press or fanfare, Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor has sensationally regenerated into former
Doctor Who
actress Billie Piper, who portrayed the 2005 character Rose.
No, I can’t really fathom it either. This is quite a daring move in terms of casting; a complete circle homage to contemporary times.
Doctor Who
’s 20
th
The anniversary coincided with an ending that was chaotic at most and bewildering at least during the finale.
The first half of
The Reality War
Written by series creator Russell T Davies, this episode zips through the storyline established in last week’s installment at an exhilarating pace.
Wish World
: the Doctor battling Archie Panjabi’s wonderfully camp Rani to stop her unleashing classic villain Omega, the first Time Lord, in the hope of rebuilding Gallifrey.
To accomplish her goal, she has recruited a young deity of desires and a human conspiracy theorist named Conrad (played by Jonah Hauer-King). Together, they aim to transform the world into a conservative ideal society, tearing apart reality itself and releasing Omega from his ‘sub-realm’ confinement.
Doctor Who
Finales tend not to be understated or quiet, yet this whole segment is a chaotic jumble of confusion and clamor. As for Omega, he turns out to be somewhat disappointing: a large computer-generated typical beast that is defeated just as quickly as he appears.
Time Hotel staff member Anita (Steph de Whalley) from the Christmas special
Joy to the World
, makes a welcome return to snap everyone out of Conrad’s fantasy, but she is but one of many cogs that are given no room to breathe. It is, at once, frantic and inert; people in rooms speaking very, very fast to justify a plot that can essentially be boiled down to gods and magic.
The latter part of the conclusion picks up pace and becomes somewhat more engaging. In Conrad’s classic fantasy universe, the Doctor along with their companion Belinda (played by Varada Sethu) were granted a child named Poppy (portrayed by Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps).
Despite knowing the reality—that the wishing-world is an illusion—it doesn’t prevent the Doctor and Belinda from experiencing profound parental affection. At some juncture, the Rani remarks, “She is composed of hopes, dreams, and desires,” suggesting that Poppy isn’t genuine. The Doctor counters with, “And so is every child.”
Introduced just one episode earlier (though initially appearing in the 2024 episode),
Space Babies
Initially, it can be quite disconcerting to place such significant emotional burden on a child that the audience has scarcely come to know, assuming they take on a distinct persona.
It certainly doesn’t improve matters that the Poppy storyline seems to transform Belinda into an entirely distinct character, making her much less intriguing. Nonetheless, once the villain is vanquished and everything returns to normal, Poppy fades from memory for everybody apart from ex-companion Ruby (played by Molly Gibson). Ruby then implores the Doctor to restore Poppy.
This marks the start of Gatwa’s progression towards his goal.
regeneration
After coming to terms with having saved the world at the cost of another individual’s well-being, he devises a scheme to alter reality by “a single notch” utilizing his own life force for energy.
There is a touching beat here in which the Thirteenth Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, returns to give
Gatwa
A revitalizing motivational speech. Appropriately so, since they are both trailblazers as the inaugural female and inaugural Black male to take on these roles. “Do not approach with dread,” she remarks. “Exit with a grin.”
It’s unfortunate to lose the mystical charm of Gatwa, whose inherent human appeal frequently carried an unearthly aura. Nonetheless, his transformation into Piper brings forth more inquiries than solutions.
A few of these questions stem from plot developments. For example, why did the Doctor decide to adopt that particular appearance? However, some queries delve deeper into complex themes. Could it be that Billie Piper represents the Sixteenth Doctor, or might her character serve as a stand-in for an unproduced series line-up?
Before Disney extends its profitable co-production agreement and/or the BBC decides to renew them,
Doctor Who
For a fresh season, the show’s fate remains uncertain.
