Ncuti Gatwa’s premiere season as the Doctor in Doctor Who had some serious ups and downs, but it’s time to take a closer look at how each episode holds up in season 14. Doctor Who has been airing on TV in one form or another since 1963. The show was originally only available in the UK, where it aired weekly on the BBC for almost the entire year. Each season would consist of several large stories, broken into smaller sections and released weekly throughout the year.

However, the show went off the air between 1989 and 2005, with the exception of a television movie in 1996. In 2023, the show was once again soft rebooted, continuing the narrative and taking the Doctor into a new era of storytelling for a new season 1. However, the latest season has proven more controversial than the early show or the 2005 reboot, with many episodes receiving mixed reviews. Despite this, there were some highlights in Ncuti Gatwa’s first full season of Doctor Who worth praising.

8

Empire Of Death

While many shows shine through in their season finales, and Doctor Who has frequently excelled with their final episodes, the final entry in the season, “Empire of Death,” proved massively underwhelming. Both the show, and the showrunner, Russell T Davies, hyped up the story in the run-up to the finale, promising a huge and important episode where the Doctor would go head-to-head with his greatest enemy to date. However, Sutekh proved to be more bark than bite when the Doctor and Ruby put him on a leash and dragged him into the time vortex with barely any resistance.

Despite the underwhelming villain, an even bigger issue remains the reveal about Ruby Sunday’s identity. Fans had speculated that the character held special significance, due to the fact that the show outright pushed that idea. Anywhere in time and space, Ruby seemed to attract bizarre events, like snow from nowhere, or magical Christmas music. While the conclusion that Ruby is just normal isn’t problematic in the least, the show intentionally alluded to some special identity, and shattered fan expectations when a normal woman in a hood pointed to a sign in the most bizarre naming ceremony on TV.

7

Dot & Bubble

“Dot & Bubble” presented a very different look at the future with the Doctor and Ruby landing in a futuristic society that is so glued to its technology, they literally couldn’t walk without it. The concept was interesting, the themes of racism and judgment were moving, but ultimately, the episode did come off as a poor imitation of a Black Mirror episode. The concept had a lot of promise, but the execution ended up providing more spectacle than spectacular.

The episode is Doctor-light, which has occasionally resulted in some of the best episodes of Doctor Who of all time, such as “Blink,” and even “73 Yards,” which is also in this season. However, when an episode focuses on someone except the title character, the protagonist needs to be extraordinary, and the story worth telling. Callie Cooke did a fine job as Lindy Pepper-Bean in Finetime, but some elements of the episode were too extraordinary and ridiculous to be haunting. From the slug monsters, to Lindy killing her idol, the episode felt like a fever dream.

6

Space Babies

Continuing the tradition of this season’s bizarre villains, “Space Babies” pits the Doctor and Ruby against a giant snot monster in space. The episode was largely fun, and it showcased the Doctor and Ruby, as well as their ability to work together to a good degree, but some things just didn’t work. The idea of babies in space, talking, and running a ship is quirky and cute, but is it strong enough to be the focus for an episode of Doctor Who? Perhaps not.

The monster is originally terrifying and tense, and the fact that it grew from the mucus of the neglected babies is interesting. It clearly aligns with the more supernatural and magical approach this season has had as it integrates myths, monsters and legends. But, the tone of the episode feels dissonant. The Doctor is fighting a giant scary monster that wants to harm the babies, but when presented with a chance to eject it into space, he suddenly develops a kinship through their shared isolation. It didn’t feel like a strong conclusion, or motivation, and it stretched the audiences’ suspension of disbelief.

5

The Legend Of Ruby Sunday

Despite “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” serving as part one of the two-part finale, this episode was considerably better than the conclusion. The presence of UNIT is always welcome in Doctor Who, and the episode featured some incredibly compelling drama in the Time Window and with Susan Triad. The episode is also jam-packed with exciting twists and reveals, with Sutekh clinging to the TARDIS, Susan’s identity as the Harbinger revealed, and the Doctor feeling the weight of the situation.

Doctor Who is, in many ways, a drama series first. Mysteries being unpacked, the characters uncovering secrets, and villains causing trouble all make it into a compelling and intense watch. This episode continued the trend of the season, building towards an epic finale and exposing secrets that promised to change the course of the show forever. If “The Legend of Ruby Sunday” was the finale for the season, it would have made for an incredible cliffhanger, but it wasn’t meant to be.

4

The Devil’s Chord

The “Devil’s Chord” is another very strong entry with the concept of the Pantheon of the Gods emerging in Doctor Who. Maestro, played by Jinkx Monsoon, proved to be a fan favorite villain who presented a terrible threat to team TARDIS. With the idea of music and creativity being zapped from existence, musicians struggled to make anything that could be called toe-tapping, or in any way exciting.

The Doctor showcases his incredible intellect and resourcefulness as he uncovers the identity of the villain, and he is able to join forces with his companion and The Beatles to fight back the God of Music. The musical number at the end was also a fun twist that set a tone for the series of joy and lightheartedness. Overall, “The Devil’s Chord” is one of the best entries in the season, and one of the best outings for the Doctor and Ruby as a pair.

3

Rogue

“Rogue” is the first episode on this list that is really worth raving about. The Doctor and Ruby travel to 1813, and at a party that is strikingly similar in style to the show Bridgerton, they cut loose and dance. However, wherever the Doctor goes, trouble often follows, and the extravagant ball is no exception. While enjoying the festivities, the Doctor bumps into an alien who is clearly hunting down a mysterious target. And despite the Doctor and Rogue’s (Jonathan Groff) instant connection, Rogue mistakenly assumes the Doctor is the alien threat.

The pair flirt while the Doctor is taken away in cuffs, and the true villains, a species of bird like shapeshifters, wreak havoc at the party. Fortunately, the Doctor proves his identity, and he and Rogue arrive in time to stop the aliens from causing much more chaos and drama. The twists and turns of this episode are wonderful, and the Doctor and Rogue’s connection is a steamy and promising moment that appears to promise a future for Groff in the series’ future.

2

73 Yards

“73 Yards” could be described as a somewhat more experimental episode. The episode once again says goodbye to the Doctor for much of the runtime, and instead sees Ruby live out a strange existence in what effectively adds up to a thought experiment. The episode is eerie, tense, and gripping from start to finish. It may end with more questions than answers, but to the opposite effect of “Dot & Bubble,” the execution is deeply satisfying.

The episode also laid hints to things that would eventually be brought back in the two-part finale, and creates an exciting and meaningful moment in the season that doesn’t need to be understood on a deeper level. A great showcase for Ruby, an excellent opportunity for Kate Lethbridge-Stewart to appear, and a mystery that works perfectly in the landscape of Doctor Who. If more about this mystery is unpacked in the following seasons, it would be great, but equally, leaving it to stand alone delivers a satisfying ending to a timey whimey, twisty story.

1

Boom

Finally, topping the list, “Boom” is easily the best episode of season 14 (or season 1, according to the reboot). This episode was written by Stephen Moffat, a former showrunner during the Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi eras of Doctor Who, and the creative genius behind episodes like “Blink” and shows like Sherlock. “Boom” is set on an alien planet, but almost the entire episode plays out in one crater, with the Doctor standing still, and the drama of the episode playing out through the dialogue.

This is a spectacular showcase of the actors, providing tension and a brilliant moment to see them stretch to the measure of the role. With the Doctor standing on a mine that will turn him into a bomb, the entire planet is at risk. However, through his extraordinary intellect, and his quick thinking, he finds a way through an impossible situation, and inadvertently liberates the people he endangered. This episode is the embodiment of what Doctor Who is about, and a perfect example of what it’s capable of in the right hands.