And so, we reach not only the final episode of the series, but also Ncuti Gatwa’s final episode of Doctor Who. The Reality War, in which the Doctor confronts both the Rani and Omega before sacrificing himself to save Poppy from fading out of existence, was arguably one of the most divisive episodes we’ve had in years. Responses from the society ranged from declaring that the finale had been “an absolute triumph and you cannot convince me otherwise” (9/10), to one member simply submitting “SACK Russell T Davies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (1/10).

Those who enjoyed the series finale described it as “visually stunning”, “full of big emotional twists and turns”, and “a heartfelt piece of writing from Russell T Davies centering on the parenthood he doesn’t have and which slips from the Doctor’s fingers.” It was “much better than I was expecting”, proceeded “with confidence even as it jumps through multiple production hoops”, and it left them feeling “more excited and enthralled than I’ve been for Doctor Who in a long time.” Conversely, those who didn’t enjoy the episode called it “completely baffling”, “too long, too talky and too confused,” and “self-indulgent, convoluted, exposition-heavy, overstuffed with secondary characters, and obsessed with deep lore”. One member didn’t buy into how “the whole episode hung on the emotional investment in Poppy’s existence”, while another knew that the story was “obviously heading for another reset button ending from the start” and therefore didn’t have any real stakes. A few responses speculated over how production problems could have affected the outcome of this finale: one such response suggested that it had been “written with the intention of a third Ncuti series being commissioned and then when this failed to materialise, the whole thing was hurriedly and ineptly rejigged”. Others drew attention to Susan’s complete absence from this episode, or felt that two different plotlines had been “hurriedly stitched together”.

Despite receiving the lowest average rating of this series, there were still plenty of positives to be found in this episode. Millie Gibson received unanimous praise for her “fantastic” performance as Ruby, in which she showed bravery, compassion, and despair. Indeed, her confrontation with Conrad, her sadness as she watches Belinda and the Doctor slowly forget about Poppy in the TARDIS, and her pleading with the Doctor to remember his lost daughter were specifically mentioned as some of the best moments of the entire episode. Furthermore, Jodie Whittaker’s “marvellous” cameo as the Thirteenth Doctor was celebrated “as a coda to her own tenure” while simultaneously working within the context of the Fifteenth Doctor’s final story. Our members felt that her surprise appearance helped them to “appreciate her character a bit more” and that it successfully cemented her as “Ncuti Gatwa’s ‘real’ predecessor”.

By contrast, Omega’s first televised appearance since Arc of Infinity (1983) was heavily criticised by the society. The gigantic CGI abomination was criticised for being “less impressive” than Sutekh’s appearance in Empire of Death, with one member revealing that Omega’s skeletal design was so unlike his previous form that it took them a moment to remember who it was supposed to be. In short, the neglected founder of Time Lord society had been turned into “a joke nothingness” that was defeated within minutes of being introduced, with the Doctor blasting it “back into hell with a Chekov’s space gun” during a “pretty silly” fight. Meanwhile, the two Ranis “quickly stopped feeling like much of a threat”, were “underused”, and were dispatched sooner than was expected, possibly as a consequence of post-production editing.

Without a doubt, the largest grievance amongst our members was the “terrible” treatment of Belinda’s character. Not only was it “infuriating” how Belinda and Poppy spent most of the episode literally locked in a box, but her sudden pivot towards motherhood after the Doctor had altered reality was “unconvincing” and “a disappointment”. Her resolution “completely rewrote” what little we knew about the Doctor’s newest companion and the “unbroody, single, career-focused” Belinda was “literally left holding the baby”. One member argued that this ending was “clearly meant to have been given to the baby-obsessed Ruby, who was also the only one of those two who actually met the original Poppy”. They also accused the episode of “hypocrisy which undermines any moral message that could have been attached to the story: villain Conrad forces Belinda to have a baby she doesn’t want and then the Doctor does the same”. On the other hand, a few members suggested that the awkwardness of this ending may have been intentional: “In seeking to recover his daughter, he instead irrevocably changes the life of his friend, grafting on to her a past she didn’t have and a baby she hadn’t been seen to want.” Thus, he doesn’t quite succeed in saving his own daughter, but is “unable to go any further and take Belinda’s child away in another attempt.”

The Fifteenth Doctor’s regeneration came as a genuine shock to at least one member who had stayed in denial about his departure for weeks. For some, they were pleased that Ncuti Gatwa was given a “joyous sendoff” and that the ending wasn’t left open-ended. For others, “the final twenty minutes ultimately overshadows everything else that happened”. Finally, the shocking twist of Ncuti Gatwa regenerating into Billie Piper was described as both “the fresh start we need” and as “desperate rather than inspired”.

With 12 responses, The Reality War received an average rating of just 4.67. Join us next time for what the society thought of Series 15 overall, Ncuti Gatwa’s tenure as the Doctor overall, and their hopes for the future of Doctor Who.