The latest episode of Doctor Who, while titled in a way that suggests a focus on Doctor Who Ruby Sunday, unfortunately feels like a misstep in what has been a somewhat uneven season. As we head into the finale, there’s still a chance to salvage the overall narrative, but this episode, the first part of a two-part conclusion, doesn’t quite pull its weight. It certainly manages to create intrigue and maintain a sense of mounting suspense, but it also highlights many of the weaknesses that have plagued the season thus far. Ultimately, it serves more as setup for the story to unfold in the next installment, and even with a few partial answers provided, it doesn’t feel as satisfying as it needed to be.
It’s hard not to recall the earlier days of Russell T Davies’ era, where the plotting felt significantly tighter. While he wasn’t afraid of dramatic twists that sometimes stretched credibility – like the Doctor’s transformation in Series Three – for the most part, the storytelling was fair and remembered that the core of the show is the Doctor, and the companion, in this case, Ruby Sunday.
Unfortunately, for an episode bearing her name, Ruby Sunday is surprisingly sidelined. The subplot concerning the search for her birth parents feels forced and underdeveloped, serving more as a plot device than a genuine character exploration. Ruby Sunday spends much of the episode being sad and doesn’t gain much insight, other than reaffirming her adoptive mother’s love. Looking at Ruby Sunday, she still comes across more as a collection of traits rather than a fully realized character. We still lack a real sense of who she is. What was her life like before the Doctor? What motivates her to travel with him, and why does she stay? What is her unique perspective on the universe? Compared to Davies’ previous companions like Rose Tyler, Martha Jones, and Donna Noble, Ruby Sunday feels surprisingly thin.
Adding to the episode’s problems is the continued issue of the Doctor’s diminished role. He’s remarkably passive, driving no action, solving no mysteries, and barely advancing the plot. For the majority of the episode, he seems to simply react with bewilderment as other characters deliver exposition and clarify the unfolding events. This disconnect is frustrating. Viewers want to see the Doctor taking charge, being proactive. He should be the one explaining things to others, not the other way around. He is, after all, the title character, meant to be central to the narrative. Yet, here again, he appears strangely helpless, despite the constant reverence shown to him by everyone else. Even Mel needs to prompt him to take action and solve the problem, and while he does eventually “rise,” his subsequent actions remain minimal.
Part of the episode’s structural weakness stems from the characters’ immediate assumption that the Doctor’s two problems – the mysterious woman and Ruby’s parentage – are interconnected, without any clear justification. The Doctor arrives at UNIT headquarters explaining his predicament: a mysterious woman is following him through time and space. Coincidentally, this woman is about to make a world-altering announcement on live television in 60 minutes, and UNIT has been tracking her for weeks, even embedding Mel undercover. So, a ticking clock is established. Then, almost as an afterthought, the Doctor asks, “Oh, and could we also maybe find Ruby’s mom?” And inexplicably, everyone at UNIT immediately pivots to focusing on this personal quest. Surely, dealing with a potential global threat with a 60-minute deadline should take precedence over a companion’s family history. While the two plot threads do eventually connect, there’s no logical reason presented at this point for them to be treated as intertwined.
Ideally, the Ruby Sunday‘s mother plotline should have been a parallel storyline, allowing Millie Gibson to have a more substantial role separate from the immediate crisis. UNIT, as a large organization, is certainly capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously. Only when a genuine connection between the two mysteries became apparent should they have been merged. The episode’s structure felt disjointed and poorly paced, leading to moments of audience frustration. (And let’s not even discuss the scene where the mystery woman clearly points at the TARDIS, and yet none of the assembled characters, including the Doctor, can deduce the significance. The suggestion that they should investigate “something behind this Police Box” is almost comical in its obtuseness.)
Moving on to the reveals, Davies cleverly uses fan speculation to his advantage, subverting expectations. While acknowledging that the name “Susan” and “Ruby” aren’t unique, he quickly dismisses several popular fan theories in the opening minutes, demonstrating an awareness of online discourse. The Sutekh reveal, a theory circulating among fans, particularly Rich Johnston, initially seemed like a stretch. However, the episode leans into it, proving the doubters wrong.
Nevertheless, Davies is narrowing down the possibilities for the identity of Susan, assuming her return isn’t a complete misdirection. Mrs. Flood remains the most obvious candidate, both for Susan and potentially for the hooded figure with Ruby’s mother (though the theory of Ruby herself being the hooded figure seems less likely now). Susan Triad could still be Susan, given her “orange skies” dream, but that feels like a less impactful payoff. A more intriguing, albeit darker, possibility would be if Susan Triad dies and regenerates into the new companion, Varada Sethu. A truly wild card theory, perhaps too outlandish even for Davies, is that Susan is Cherry Sunday, making Ruby the Doctor’s granddaughter’s adoptive granddaughter. Insane, but within the realm of narrative possibility.
Despite these criticisms, hope remains that Davies can effectively weave the narrative threads together to create a satisfying conclusion. This episode, despite its flaws, has certainly sparked thought and speculation. The success of the finale hinges on the plot of the next episode, which remains shrouded in secrecy – a wise move that hopefully will be maintained until broadcast. The upcoming “Tales of the TARDIS” episode featuring “Pyramids of Mars” with Tom Baker and the Doctor and Ruby in the Memory TARDIS adds another layer of intrigue, especially given the cliffhanger ending of this episode. However, the finale doesn’t necessarily need to directly follow the events of this episode, leaving room for narrative flexibility.
