Spoilers for Doctor Who: “The Reality War”
Well, this season finale pulled all the brakes off the train and aimed it over a canyon. I barely know where to begin. In case you’re somehow still avoiding story spoilers, here’s my weekly bit of trivia that is possibly extremely relevant.
When Doctor Who went off the air in 1989, it was kept alive through a very active set of ongoing novels and short stories. The Seventh Doctor just kept going, only stopping when the Eighth took over in his 1996 film that also failed to revived the show. Meanwhile, the other Doctors also continued having adventures. The people who wrote these novels became the core of the revival series writers in 2005, including Russell T Davies. So, if anyone tells you fan fiction is stupid, remember that it’s literally the reason Doctor Who made it to Season 42.
On to the review.
There were three different versions of me watching “The Reality War,” and none of them agree on anything.
The first part was the critic and professional storyteller, that annoying Jef who latched onto the uneven pacing; complete pointlessness of Omega even being in the damn episode; and awkward exposition dumps that still didn’t fill in new viewers on background they would have needed to make any sense of the plot. This? This was not good television according to that version of me.
Compare it to something like “A Good Man Goes to War.” That episode has a similarly madcap approach, including introducing four new major characters and a ton of cameos on top of paying off a giant mystery that was three years in the making. It worked because the villains had been with us most of the season and the plot was the next logical step in retrospect.
“The Reality War” was like watching a Whovian version of the Royal Rumble, with a new entrant every two minutes before you had time to process. Plus, there was more over-reliance on the show’s past to push the emotional narrative forward. I felt like I was eating candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner the whole time.
The second Jef was goblin-mode fandom Jef, and they are still screaming about how this may have finally canonized the concept of genetic looms. Digging deep into the esoteric parts of Doctor Who was a bold move on Davies’s part. Actually bringing back The Rani and leaning into the fascist side of Time Lord society was intoxicating.
Maybe we’ve all been too well-trained by Lord of the Rings and the MCU to expect mainstream Hollywood homogeneity. Why be safe in a world of time travel and Cybermen? Making an episode that seemed to dare the audience to go back and watch the old Rani episodes was madness. Doesn’t Davies know that Doctor Who is a fragile thing that is always on the verge of being cancelled?
Either he doesn’t know or he doesn’t care, and I think that might be good in the long run. This whole season dealt with the spread of conspiracism, but there’s a light side to that horrid evil plaguing the world. It’s the part that delves deep into stuff like Five Nights at Freddy’s or Blue Prince looking for answers in the cracks of the narrative. Maybe the world would be better if some of Doctor Who‘s more disturbed fans were scouring through Tubi watching old episodes to understand the plot instead of watching YouTubers call the show woke to ease fascism into our collective buttholes.
Could homework save us? I don’t know, but let’s try it anyway.
That last Jef? They were just so happy to see old friends. Mel riding in on her scooter like she owned the joint, Rose Noble popping back into existence because the wish-god hadn’t made a place for her in his reality… all of it was so affirming. Millie Gibson was an all-star here just as she was in “Lucky Day,” and the show has been damn lucky to have her. The return of Anita, the best part of “Joy to the World,” knocked my socks. Not only did she get a neat character arc and a chance to become at least a temporary companion, there was a hint that she may return with a whole new plot further down the line.
Of course, two big appearances need the most commentary. Jodie Whittaker’s triumphant return to the Tardis was unexpected and deeply moving. Fond as I am of her Doctor, between fan backlash and COVID she had the roughest era of anyone since Colin Baker. To see her strutting around again with such great dialogue and writing was a marvel. I am still holding out hope that her new Big Finish series will be good, and that she will receive the same glow-up given to Paul McGann once he became a primarily audio Doctor. Just seeing her, though, reminded me of a time when she was the hope of the new series, and that was something special.
Then Billie Piper. It’s insane. If regenerating back into David Tennant was unprecedented, and bi-generation was canon-breaking, then a former companion (let alone arguably the most iconic) stepping into the Doctor’s shoes is a whole bunch of bananas. And yet, she could do it. Piper has acquitted herself as a talented actress since her turns in the Tardis, and she and John Hurt easily had the greatest dramatic moments of “Day of The Doctor.” For the first time in a long time, I am dying to see what happens next. Landing this plot twist would be the greatest swerve in science fiction since Vader told Luke he was Luke’s father.
And as of right now, we don’t know what that future is. There is a fair chance that “The Reality War” was the last episode for years to come. As of this writing, Disney has not committed to continuing their partnership with the BBC on Doctor Who. A “hiatus” has already been announced without further details, and Ncuti Gatwa just regenerated.
That would be sad. In the time I’ve come to know the show it’s become my religion and my comfort. I certainly don’t want to see it end, even when it gets on my nerves. That said, I love that Davies threw everything he could at the end, daring anything. If 20 years is all we get this time, it won’t be for lack of bravery. No approach could honor the message of Doctor Who more.
See you when I see you, friends.
