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I think Sutekh choose the name Susan deliberately to toy with the doctor since he taunts the doctor with "did you think I was family?". Though it is still possible to come full circle with this if Susan was Rubys mother and has some connection to Sutekh
sutekh is the god of death... the doctor, especially since the timeless child, stands in opposition to death with his regenerations. ofc sutekh would hate him. and what weakness does the doctor have besides those he loves. wouldn't it be a master stroke to turn that into what threatens his existence?
@@esmecat I think Sutekh hates the Doctor for very personal reasons actually. Since the Doctor stopped him from being freed from a place he'd been imprisoned for thousands of years, and then trapped him in the time vortex itself to stop him.
So about Shirley, Donna and 14. In trailers people noticed on the UNIT screens listing personel that Shirley, Donna and “Redacted” were away at Geneva.
@@John_Weiss I think you actually may have a prediction there. Thinking of the many ways RTD has messed up the current season, taking the CW Approach may be in the cards.
My reaction was: “HERE’S THE DOG BOI!” I predicted this a while back, with “Empire of Death” and the direct Pyramids of Mars reference back in Devil’s Chord. That’s not a bad thing by the way. Cool thing that I predicted that :)
@@MaccamatBux The whole "going back to the future to see what happens if you don't stop the monster in the past" was a scene from Pyramids of Mars, where Sarah Jane says "but it didn't work, the Earth wasn't destroyed in 1911, I know because everything is fine in the future", so the Doctor takes her back to see the present if Sutekh isn't stopped. "Empire of Death" I'm pretty sure is one of the lines Sutekh says in Pyramids of Mars also, so I guess that's the clue vcom was getting from the title of the finale.
@MaccamatBux Doctor took Ruby to the future to showcase what would happen if they didn't stop Maestro, a scene that is a direct reference to 4th Doctor showing the same to Sarah Jane (albeit just a white void rather than a hellscape) when she suggested running away from Sutekh in Pyramids of Mars.
I do hope we get scenes with Gabriel Woolf just giving a good monologue next week though. I hope it's not just bang, crash, wallop, if you know what I mean.
I loved when the Doctor entered the time window and acted serious as he walked up and down assessing it and then just cant hold back his laughter about what a lash up it is.
This episode was intense. The rising tension and suspense leading up to the reveal was so chilling. Practically at the edge of my bed. The fact that Gabriel Woolf is back while he’s 91 makes this return even more hype. I honestly thought the Sutekh return theory was something that was really over-analysed and would only disappoint them if what was presented on screen didn’t meet the fanfiction they made up, much like the Star Wars fandom. 😂 Still, I’m excited to see how this plays out. Let’s hope Russell can keep this up next week.
I missed all the discourse around who the reveal would turn out to be (VERY INTENTIONAL) so I was blown away. It was the last thing I was suspecting. And I literally didn't get it, until the actual name drop. So RTD got me.
i guess is makes sense with the One Who Waits being Sutekh, the one who waited thousands of years to be released and he waited further to when he could emerge once again, and my thought is that he never really left and stayed in one place here he would be safe till that moment that being the Tardis as it would have been eluding to here he was hidden. and i have to say he got a major make over from that creepy head that you see in the Pyramids of Mars, and at one point i thought one person that may show up would be the Master as we hear a motif that the last we heard it was in World Enough And Time, when the Master ripped off his disguise.
This reaction was actually brilliant 😂 you need to do more! Also loved that cliffhanger. I’ve never been so hyped during an episode broadcast in a very long time.
I read the theory on the Internet, and I did firmly believe it, but when Sutekh's name really popped up, I started screaming and chanting so loud that my roommate thought I had a heart attack.
Do you reckon Susan's little dance on stage was meant to emulate a certain "dancing queen" PM from a few years back? It was almost as awkward but much better performed.
I'm being stupid, I'm gonna try my hardest to wait till next weekend so I can experience both episodes in the cinema for the first time. Just popping in to like and share wellwishes with everyone 😊
Really cool idea, the wait is definitely worth it because it’ll be like the finale to the series is like an actual movie. If I had the patience I would do that but I couldn’t even wait to watch it tonight and ended up watching it this morning. Idk if they would do this or not, but it would be cool if every finale to each future season could get shown in the cinema.
gabieral woolf is almost 92 years old, still came back and gave an amazing preformance and i am excited to see what empire death has in store for us. this was a great episode and i love suekhs's glow up.
Well it's clear that this Thursday's "Tales Of The TARDIS" is The Doctor telling Ruby & Mel how he encountered & defeated Sutek in a condensed re-run of "Pyramids Of Mars" for 1hr & 16mins - BBC Four 8pm BST
Wish this was a available out side the UK it it's frustrating not to be able to get a hold of things like that which has background. I get BBC owns the rice to the closet too and everything else but it is just frustrating
@@pennynicholssoler5693 It is just (poss) a repeat of "Pyramids Of Mars" & if your in 🇺🇸 you can find all parts of it on tubitv (internationally on BritBox) & the bits in the TARDIS with our 2024 team will likely be uploaded on RU-vid as the others haven't been taken down months later from the other TFTT episodes
The big CGI hell hound was too in your face. It would have been far scarier if it just loomed over the TARDIS. The most chilling part of the episode was the ‘time-window’ sequence. Just an amazing scene. I love the idea and imagery of them being in a monochrome video recording.
I was away at a wedding so I never got the pleasure of that cliffhanger. Me and my partner just watched it and I never thought it would be Sutakh. His reaction to Sutakh was worth it though!
I thought the twist was brilliant, and honestly I think they’ve done enough to build up the idea of “He Who Waits” that no matter who the reveal was that general audiences will get the importance of who he is. Although Google searches for the character have gone through the fucking roof. The TARDIS Wiki was crashing when I was trying to read about the Osirians. It will be cool to see how everything weaves together in the finale. I think Ruby might function as Horus in this new Pantheon, the God who traditionally defeats Sutekh in Egyptian mythology. He was mentioned in Pyramids of Mars and plays a key part in ridding the influence of Set from Egypt. This would make sense of all the mysteries around her character, making her mother Isis if they choose to walk this path. Could be cool to see. Tbh as someone raised by Witches (long story about the history of world religions, think Crowley or Gardner for reference) I love this new season as it embraces a lot of classic folk lore. It feels like a rebooted version of Season 13 from classic Who, with a dash of pagan mysticism over top. Like 73 Yards was a classic folk tale, Maestro is the enigmatic and evil God of Music while Sutekh is finally making a return. Tbh it feels a bit pagan and I love it
I had the same exact question about that soldier and the gun! This was pretty big for build-up! I hope the Empire of Death pays it all off and then some. I like the Susan thing being bait for a trap, I don't need to have her return, I kinda prefer she doesn't, but we shall see.
Those are a bit different surely. The Master and Davros are big deals throughout the show. When you talk about the most important villains, they will always be up there, and I feel you don't need to know much about the show to know about that. Sutekh was in a single story 49 years ago, and I quite honestly had not heard anyone mention their name until the big reveal. Don't get me wrong, I love that they're bringing back older villains instead of rehashing the classics again. But unless you had seen that specific story, you'd have no idea about that character unless someone mentioned it to you.
When the rant speech began from the Harbringer, i thought we were getting the Beast from Impossible Planet, but then it clicked. My eyes couldn't have gotten any wider. And it makes sense. Sutekh was thrown into the time vortex, it makes sense he might find the TARDIS one day. Also, I do like Sutekh's new design. Yeah it looks a little cheap, but hey. So did the original. We all know DW isn't about great effects. Part of its charm, and I haven't felt such a rush of jawdrop excitement since...heck...whwn was it...maybe the end of Spyfall p2 or maybe even the very end of Death in Heaven with the Missy reveal. I loved this.
I kept thinking as they read out the attributes of the villain, “is this the Gods Of Ragnarok, Fenric, The Black Guardian?, but I was not expecting this.
I think my biggest gripe with this episode is that Sutekh is now portrayed as a primordial God that is feared by even The Toymaker and Maestro but Pyramids of Mars said he was just an alien with psychic powers that had a God COMPLEX?
That thought crossed my mind as well. But for the sake of this story, I'll just assume the Doctor's "facts" about Sutekh and the Osirians was not fully accurate or complete...or maybe the corporeal form we saw in "Pyramids..." was itself maybe a "vessel" for a far more primal force.
Well the Time Lords were portrayed to be gods of time and have the technology to destroy reality, multiversal, and dimensions. Sutekh compared them as "ants" meaning he can easily overpower or destroy their technology just by his own power. Sutekh almost destroyed the Tardis, yet the doctor said it would take someone with "limitless power" to break the tardis shields. Sutekh is definitely a literal God of destruction.
Yeah, this bothers me as well. I'm a bit more forgiving of retconning the Toymaker as part of a panteon of beings cause there was less knowledge about him (tho it's weird RTD forgot The Doctor encountered the Toymaker prior to Celestial Toymaker) but with Sutekh they were pretty explicit about what his whole deal was. It's got similar vibes to introducing the drums in the Master's head where we're very much adding something to a character that doesn't gel well with what established prior.
@@legendary5733 This makes me think of one of my gripes with Pyramids of Mars that at no point is it considered to maybe get the Time Lords involved to try and make sure Sutekh doesn't get out. Like this seems like the best possible time to bring in the big guns for something like this (and they would have to be keeping an eye on the Doctor since they'll still send him on missions and stuff) but it's just not mentioned at all.
This was maybe my favorite major twist since Missy back in Series 8. I genuinely _shrieked_ with excitement when the name "Sutekh" popped up on the screen. This season just keeps moving on up my list of favorite revival seasons.
Ruth Madeley was filming something else - there’s a preview that has a list of people in Geneva/out of the office, and she’s on it, but she’s not gone! And agreed about Lenny Rush 💖 I do believe that we will see Susan soon. Absolutely loved it! 💜💜➕🌈🟦
Wow! Tom is my favorite Doctor, and Pyramids of Mars is in my Top 5 favorite serials from his era, so that reveal was brilliant. Can't wait till next Friday!
When I heard that voice I thought they'd brought back House from the Doctor's Wife for a second. When the reveal came tho I just said "Sand" Me and my buddy were texting each other throughout and were having a good laugh that they really went there.
I'm gonna say this... I'm just glad that I started watching Classic Who few years ago, that I at least already watched that story of Season 13 Granted... I don't think I focuses enough when watching that episode... which makes me hate myself... for not dive in through that classic episodes as much as I hope... So yeah... Oh my gosh... The Toymaker scared of him, that's so weird...
Behold Goofy the Destitute oh sorry I mean Sutekh 😂. Sutekh Just chilling out hugging the TARDIS and chuckling to himself - he should of turned everyone in that room to a pile of dust..... Oh yeah I forgot it's NuWho 😂
I really loved the most recent episode. I heard about the theory of Sutekh returning, but I didn’t believe it as I believed the Trickster was more likely, given that he has yet to make an official appearance in the main show. But I really loved Sutekh’s look as him looking like an Anubis makes more sense than appearing in humanoid form, due to the character being based on Set, one of the Egyptian gods.
I wasn’t alive in the 70s or 80s so I have no clue who the baddie is. Cool god of death concept and there’s fear in that but it’s a twist I have no understanding of. Looking forward to the next one though.
@@Icelandic_Sand to be fair they shouldnt have to, the whole point of this season was to be a reboot shedding off the baggage of the past. No one wants to do homework when watching a show
So, where's 14 then? Yeah, he's 'retired' and whatever else and knows 15 is out there, but you're telling me he just willingly sits by when this massive threat is on Earth? Especially with it being TARDIS centric. come on. No way he just leaves 15 to sort everything himself
15 did ask Rose how her "uncle" was, and this seems to be a hint that 14 is now uncle to Rose, and he has a TARDIS, and is off flying in different eras and planets. Just remember people asking where 11 was during Torchwood Miracle Day
Good question as Sutekh should in theory have been attached to the Tardis for at minimum since the Doctor poured salt at the edge of the universe - meaning would Sutekh have been split into two also by the Toymakers hammer?
I was thinking maybe since 15's TARDIS is a magical clone of 14's TARDIS, the creation caused 15's to be weak enough from its creation where Suketh could attach itself.
@@bluehero-96 That noise we heard in the episode this week started in Wild Blue Yonder when the TARDIS landed on the ship. If that’s Sutekh, then he’s been there since WBY.
I actually liked that they leaned in hard to the "its Susan Foreman" theory for the most part, it was a good way to distract from the real reveal by having the Doctor believing it could be her and following that line of enquiry instead of seeing what was really in front of him.
This episode started well and then became stupidly illogical and underwhelming. There is a deadline for Susan Triad and her speech, but the Doctor wants to investigate Ruby's mother, with zero evidence that she is anything more than a woman in an unfortunate position who made a life-changing decision. The speech to the United Nations sounded more like a product launch, and it is very unlikely that anyone would treat the UN to physical comedy or have a chanting live audience (especially a faked one) . The various anagrams, word-plays etc were weak. The Vlinx (?) is the most embarrassing recurring character since Kamelion. The whole UNIT setup here seems childish with the alien robot, teenage genius etc. Better was having Susan Triad as a nice character with nightmares related to her various manifestations. I hope that her role is explained further in the next episode. (I had wondered whether the actress was fake and given the pseudonym of Susan Twist to feed into the plot. Maybe she was employed purely because of her name, or her name inspired the use of her characters. We need more of Mrs Flood, but shoe-horning an explanation of her into 45 minutes with all the other loose ends waiting to be tied up may be asking too much. Unless the conclusion rescues this, this two-parter will be the weakest part of the series. PS Sutekh was not literally a god in Pyramids of Mars. I hope that this will hold true here.
Wasn't he, he sure seemed very powerful and was someone even the time lords feared. He was only stopped by being placed in null time. He is the literal incarnation of death only trapped within a pyramid trap on mars though he managed to almost best the doctor still trapped without most of his power.
When I watched this episode, I adored the scenes with the Doctor reuniting with old and new friends, especially Kate and Mel. The emotion was palpable. Lenny Rush as Morris Gibbons was fantastic, but I wish we had Shirley Anne Bingham back because she was awesome. I am loving having a Doctor who lets out raw anger and anguish by hitting walls (or, in this case, lifts). I knew from the start that Susan Triad wouldn’t turn out to be Susan Foreman, because it was way too obvious. Sutekh, however, I didn’t see coming. I’m also wondering what Mrs Flood’s role in all this is. All in all, I enjoyed this episode, even if it was mostly setup that caused more questions than it answered. Looking forward to Empire of Death, and severely hoping that Davies does not drop the ball.
Can Death really die of old age? Can Death succumb to senescence? IDK, I'm just saying there is wiggle room. If audios are canon the 7th Doc, Ace, and Benny trapped him even more thoroughly, but like all good villains: they find a way back!
On the payroll, I believe they call it very hard to do an honest review when you’re getting a load of money for it from Russell T Davis and tickets to one of his parties😂 good luck you’ll need it
Citation Needed. Especially considering how (like I mentioned up front) the BBC's Content ID enforcement on RU-vid actually makes making videos (positive or negative) incredibly difficult.
Anyone who lives outside the UK and wants a legal, free way to watch Pyramids of Mars and the rest of the classic series, it's up on Tubi, with collections for each Doctor.
The scientific advisor has actually had a demotion kite seems to be the boss again despite Lenny job title he is supposed to be the boss especially when Kate was in his position
This is easily the best episode of the season IMO and the only episode thus far that has felt anything remotely approaching Classic and New Doctor Who this season. So much to cover so wil try to be quick as I always write novels: 1. Loved that the UNIT folks had figured out the obvious S TRIAD/TARDIS and related bits way before the Doctor’s arrival as I hate when they dumb down characters who are supposed to be highly intelligent just for the story not to get resolved too quickly. 2. Was not expecting it to be Sutekh despite or perhaps due to the number of people predicting it. And Pyramids of Mars if one of my all time favoriteClassic Doctor Who stories so kudos to that. 3. What could have been: really intrigued me that the Doctor had pictures of S Triad in guises from adventures we haven’t seen; one where she looks like a Borg, the horned demonic alien one (which is the one many people cited as predicting Sutekh’s return as some said they saw pyramids in the background). These pics confirmed the Doctor and Ruby have indeed been traveling together more than what has been portrayed on-screen. And couldn’t help thinking those 2 pictures looked like far more interesting adventures than many we’ve actually gotten as episodes: would have absolutely traded Space Babies and Boom for these based on the pics alone. 4. Liked this episode as I said, but still had the same problems felt throughout the season, that being that every episode feels like it is a first draft, incredibly rushed and too many things stuck in that stand out and feel unnatural and just completely out of place and not like a real person, real reaction, etc. when Mel is taking the Doctor to meet Susan in person to see if she is Susan his granddaughter knowing they have precious few minutes before she goes in air, he decides now is the time to punch the wall several times and slide down it to have another (ANOTHER!) cry! It is *exactly* the sort of thing previous Doctors would have utterly reamed humans for doing: wasting time on emotions when far greater things are at stake that would cause even greater emotional pain if they don’t hurry up and stop the threat! And to any humans who might say he’s being cold he’d remind them that he’s not human and to think! Ironically this very type of scene happened in Pyramids of Mars when Sarah chastised the Doctor for being annoyed at Laurence being upset about his brother. Ardis being j danger when Marcus had ceased to exist quite a it before and Lawrence was risking all their lives and the future itself protecting an animated corpse, not his brother, and they do t have time to throw him a pity party as there’s simply too much at risk and running out of time to deal with it! So buck up and do what must be done; feelings and grieving can come later when it’s safe to do so. The fact this happened in the “prequel” to this very story is confusing as if the Fourth Doctor was there he’d surely be demanding the new Doctor get up off the floor feeling sorry for yourself, stop wasting time blubbering like an illogical emotional human and do what must be done before everything is lost!!! How is this even happening?And Mel is the one to reprimand the Doctor’s behavior! I’m not one who feels men can’t cry or be emotional, but the Doctor is a thousand + year old alien, he knows good people die and bad can win especially if the good guys are wasting time on silly things. We get it, this Doctor is emotional but to have no cry every episode (and I mean *literally* every single episode this season has a “the Doctor now has tears streaming down his face as the weight of the moment hits him” scene…it might have been impactful the first time, but now it is just embarrassing and annoying. RTD is so much better than this, I swear it feels like he either had little time to prepare and everything was rushed and 1st drafts became the working scripts, and/or he was also writing something else and these other commitments greatly diminished his time to work on Who. The ratings are awful and as Season 2 is already completed filming, there’s little room to adjust to feedback he has and will receive on this season. That really worries me as we all know how much better he is capable of writing. Anyway not trying to be a toxic fan, because I absolutely AM a fan and don’t want to see my favorite series of all time lost because of what feels like rushed production and no time to refine initial ideas into cohesive storytelling that makes for the gripping and exciting and enjoyable Doctor Who that we know RTD is more than capable of writing and producing.
I think for new fans it is still accessible, they may not know the name Sutekh, but we have all been told to expect a god. We've met a god of games, a god of music... now they learn the big bad is the God of Death. Thematically and intuitively, it makes sense and there was nothing in this episode that requires you to watch Pyramid of Mars to understand what's going on. If it was a new character, it would also have been a "who is that?" moment and if it was a different returning character from classic or nu who then it would run the same risk for newcomers.
1:24 I was wondering that too having just seen the episode. Maybe she was unavailable for filming? That would be the most logical explanation, otherwise there is not reason to swap one character with a disability for another (Shirley Anne Bingham for Morris Gibbons).
I'm glad I wasn't the only on that didnt think the CGI Sutekh was amazing. Maybe thats like a bonus flavor thing, Sutekh is clesrly a being not of our world, it makes sense for its actual form to look weird. Cant wait for next week!
It was very good. I'm thrown bc months ago RTD said this would harken back to a 3rd Doctor episode and then the big reveal was from one of the most notable 4th Doctor serials of all time. I wasted a lot of my own time thinking about Omega bc of that bit of nonsense
To quote Steven Moffat "the doctor lies and so does the show runner" they have to do something to throw ppl off the scent, it'd be boring if we always knew what was coming
I wasn't trying to accuse you of complaining or anything. I just meant they have to do something to prevent spoilers. I totally understand the frustration I've spent plenty of time barking up the wrong tree with doctor who lol. I lucked out with this episode, I watched pyramids of mars the other day
I knew it would be him but I'm still holding out that Susan will show up in the second part! Rememeber, we still don't know who Ruby's mother or Mrs. Flood is yet!
It also left me a bit cold because of the misdirect mainly but I'm not a classic Who watcher (so also don't know the power of Sutek) I'm excited to see a new interpretation on a classic villain (though I wasn't surprised it was Sutek sadly, it's long been theorised with spoilers once Susan Twist was called Susan Triad/TARDIS for months) I think if I was a new Disney viewer I'd be frustrated that none of the mystery of Ruby was clearer & we still don't know how Mrs Flood has been infiltrated or even who or what she is. The 54mins next week of "Empire Of Death" has a hell of a lot to unwrap...
When I watched it I agreed. So I had to watch classic Pyramids of Mars afterwards to know who Sutek is. Great they pulled a villain out of classic who for the older fans. I think though, many fans from 2005 and new to Doctor Who...will be confused a little. I was....now after watching that classic story arc.....I'm not. I think in this episode, Sutek could have been given a brief backstory. Save many of us wondering who he is. He is basically Set the Egyptian God of death. Also known as Satan. Who the 10th Doctor met with Rose.
@@R_SENAL I seriously think for new viewers something about Ruby's origins (that was clearly teased & advertised specifically for this episode) should have been revealed. It's a bit bait & switch I fear 🤔
@@Sam-zu5mr I will be shocked if this Thursday's "Tales Of The TARDIS" is not The Doctor telling Ruby & Mel how he first encountered & defeated Sutekh in a condensed re-run of "Pyramids Of Mars" for 1hr & 16mins. (On Thursday 20th June, BBC FOUR at 8pm BST) & I will watch it
Thought the episode wasn't fantastic and probably shouldn't have been split into two, but those final 15 mis almost made the entire episode worth it, absolutely fantastic stuff. The whole build-up at the end and the instant goosebumps from Gabriel Woolf's return was a great moment, I do feel like it's going to overshadow the quality of the actual story, which imo felt clunky and slow due to the episode feeling the need to spend a long time on Ruby's arc and rush through the Sutekh set up, making the more interesting plot threat feel less prominent
It will either be really cool or really disappointing and there is no in between. The choice to have Sutekh be a CGI dog monster makes me very nervous. They might have been better off sticking with the spooky cloud and let Gabriel Woolf carry the terror. After all, he made it work for whatever cardboard the original was made of. Also, didn’t the Toymaker defeat the Gods of Osiris?
Felt this episode was a bit of a mess honestly, does not really feel earned. Hoping for a twist next episode that reveals everything was some sort of simulation because it just feels like a hodge podge of weaker versions of concepts RTD had prior. Despite the extreme toxicity of the showrunner and those involved in the shows production actively trying to encourage fan division, I want the show to remain on air and the only way that happens is if the writing improves to encourage viewership. I'm certain some will reply with 'too long did not read' or by trying to direct hatred, but this comes from a place of passion in a show that is and was a massive part of my life. As such, here is a small glimpse into what doesn't work in the hopes a conversation can be generated to try and ensure these aspects can avoid being repeated in future series or storylines: • Implication of the Doctor having other adventures where he spots Susan Twist is neat, but it would have been nice to see more variations of her as prior to this episode she'd only appeared as humanoid and would have added more mystery to see her show up as varying aliens. • Insufficent build-up to Sutekh in this episode and throughout the series, we have the pantheon of gods and we have the remark of 'The One Who Waits' but we don't have anything to really tie it to Sutekh. Should have built up the notion of the different types of gods more. • No real explanation for Ruby's past despite the title of the episode being 'The Legend Of Ruby Sunday' • Sutekh implies that he is the god of 'loss' which implies he's going to be beaten by Ruby Sunday overcoming her trauma of the loss of her mother through abandonment - this is a neat set-up but I don't feel we've already tackled her overcoming some of her abandoment issues prior with 73 Yards's flawed timeloop/curse episode. • Lack of set-up of the Time Window, feels like RTD just throwing out remarks to set-up a potential UNIT spin-off series as opposed to developing concepts to explore. • Feels disjointed with a desperate attempt to misdirect the audience that Susan Twist was the Doctor's Granddaughter. • Lack of explanation as to why Sutekh has an influence over technology (Or why Sutekh bothered to spend so much time creating this whole reveal scene) It can't simply be for revenge as he simply wants to kill the Doctor, so why wait? • The emancipated characters face visuals just weren't handled well, they look like they are just wearing day of the dead masks as opposed to the implication that the skin has been removed. It's simply blended too well with the skin and the thickness of the face is off. • Predictable anagram, that isn't really an anagram if you are changing letters. Fans of the classic series predicted the twist because RTD relies on these twists as opposed to original ideas, there were other ways that Sutekh's reveal could have been handled, you didn't need the Susan 'Sue' 'Triad' Tech aspect also. • Misleading musical choices such as playing music referencing The Master or The Beast, feels rather insincere to create the hype for the villains reveal by leeching off previously established villain theme as opposed to an original theme or encorporating parts of the original classic era episodes' music. • Heavily reliant on classic episodes which the episode is simultaniously contradicting (Sutekh going from a Time Corridor to being outside of the Universe instead) • Sutekh influencing a business lady for decades is just kinda dumb, his focus is on death and he's spent ages orchestrating a presentation and dropping Susan Twist throughout time to lure the Doctor here? • Sutekh was presumably on the Tardis since the 60th anniversary, so he's just kinda being sitting around on it doing nothing for at minimum 6 months (as we had a 6 month timeskip between the Christmas special and Space Babies). • How was Sutekh influenced by the splitting of the Tardis in the 60th anniversary, as he must have been attached to the Tardis at that time? • It's difficult to value the Doctor and Ruby's reactions to the horrors around them throughout the episode when they've reacted the same or worse to prior monsters and villains throughout this series. While the companion can often be scared, having the Doctor be scared and emotional all the time diminished the impact of him being frozen in fear at Sutekh. • By introducing Sutekh now as the most powerful of the pantheon they've squandered the opportunity to explore other pantheon gods, which is a massive waste considering this could have easily been explored over Series 16 also. • Sutekh as the most powerful pantheon god also risks the escalation of power problem, in which each finale is going to have to keep pushing the boundaries. It feels like that here, the entire of existence is at threat yet again for the third finale in a row. • CGI Sutekh just is not intimidating at all, it doesn't feel like a threat as much as an obstacle that will be defeated. Sutekh getting the Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer Galactus treatment by becoming a cloud of sand is just underwhelming. Just overall, a collection of weaker concepts that RTD has already done in the past. The lack of defining Sutekh's abilities means we can pretty much do anything next episode - which we already have seen him become a giant cloud of sand in the trailers so where do you go from there? It doesn't feel exciting it feels messy. Can we get past RTD recycling his ideas and tropes from his prior series and move on to more original concepts?
I feel like the seeming malevolence of Mrs. Flood is another red herring. We didn't see her again in the episode, so she wasn't a harbinger, and while the line delivery seemed sinister, she could be an ally of the doctor.
Defo one finale for clasic Doctor Who fans. I didn't know who Sutek was....but after watching the classic Doctor Who story arc afterwards -(Pyramids of Mars)...I understand. He is Set the ancient God of Death. Great scary episode...but because hes an old villain iv never heard of....i did feel slightly out of the loop on this build up. Im thinking i probably wasn't the only one left comfused. I get now why RTD said to go watch certain past episodes first, that he listed.
I remember after the 2023 Christmas Special, RTD was asked about Mrs Flood, and he said it will be a slow burner for her - well 7 episodes into the new season, with 1 episode left, and we have had no clues about her at all. Did RTD forget he created her, and only remembered when writing episode 7?
