The Legend of Ruby Sunday | Digesting The New Doctor Who Episode | OMG Or Oh Deary Me??? 

I felt much the same. The Doctor turning up and just asking UNIT to help him solve the season-long mystery felt very forced, and left the rest of the episode feeling 'off' because of those shaky foundations.

You are not alone Chris. Exactly the same here. A bit of a bloated, illogical mess with eratic pacing, *partially* saved by some good character beats.

There was originally a pre-title sequence in which the Doctor and Ruby would've encountered a few more of Susan Twist's characters (These were: A nanny in Pennsylvania in 1946 pushing a pram past Albert Einstein and Paul Robeson, A blue-skinned waitress in an alien diner and an astronaut on an alien world - who would've referenced the Zarbi!!) However this was cut at the scripting stage which is a real shame as I think that would have made the lead in to Doctor and Ruby arriving at UNIT a bit smoother and made more sense as it feels like them arriving at UNIT comes a bit out of nowhere really. That said I still really enjoyed this episode and THAT cliffhanger was *wow* I can't believe Sutekh is actually back AND voiced by Gabriel Woolf again which is awesome!

It's time to rename the channel - Chris Stokes: Doctor Who Grump 😅

Yeah I totally understand in some aspects agree. It is just a case that I was on the edge of my seat for Sutekh and had fun purely on that. It’s superficial and basic. But that’s it. It does make me VERY wary about the finale. It could easily crumble and collapse and I kinda feel how well this finale does is gonna determine a lot for the show going forward.

My biggest issues with the story was the Dr needed help from UNIT where in the past he would of done the digging himself. The fact UNIT had every bit of technology to solve every problem or riddle made the Doctor redundant. I was waiting for the Doctor to bend the rules of time or create a short lived device to solve some of the problems but nope UNIT had everything. When Goofy the Destitute appeared I was thinking wow he's been toned down as I'm sure Sutekh would of wiped every one in that room in a moment but no he just hugged the TARDIS and chuckles to himself. I can see where the final part will go. The Doctor is unable to solve it and either Ruby or Ruby and Rose will join forces and unleash special super Companion or companions magic to save the day and reverse time so that nobody got killed - typical NuWho trope. Was never a fan of Mel back in the day and dreaded her return but was so surprised how developed her character is and likeable. My confusion is Sutekh in the original story wasn't a God and the Doctor sent him beyond his natural life span even Sarah asked if he was dead and the Doctor says "Yes". So I'm interested to see how they explain this if they do 😂. I would of preferred Sutekh bring unseen and have that wonderful evil voice do the work or seeing partial images of a updated Sutekh mask obscured by the smoke and dust and glitching through time streams.

1:15 looks fine to me! You could've worn an eyepatch and presented this as 'Inferno Chris'? (But seriously, another great review and love the Bond stuff too)

Very much in agreement with you, as per usual! To be honest, as evidenced by a lot of these comments, I’m sure we’re not as on our own in this as it sometimes may seem. I always have to remind myself that very few of the millions watching are actually the ones online, sharing their thoughts, so it’s very easy for the vocal minority of fans to get the most noticeable say, even if they are in fact a tiny percentage of the audience, and not demonstrative in terms of the overall consensus (as much as there can ever be one with doctor who!) I am hoping the second part does much better with the story, but like you, I’m often a bit wary of RTD’s finale writing!

Its refreshing to hear someone not as enamoured with Tennant as the many are. While there is no doubting DT is very talented, , his 10th Doctor grated on me. I enjoyed tbe 60th Anniversary Specials and The 14th Doctor,, however i confess to expecting more from them. Unfortunately I don't share your positive view of Series 1, but I'm in total agreement about your opinion of "Legend..."

I'm actually sorry to see that you weren't fond of this episode. I do understand your points and I can see what you're pointing out but somehow these were not issues for me personally and there was a lot more that I enjoyed. Still, as everyone everywhere has pretty much agreed, there was virtually no need for Rose Noble to be there in this episode - she could have a larger role in the second part but I somehow doubt it. The reason why there were so many UNIT characters is likely because they're sort of planning to have this as a backdoor pilot for the fabled and as-of-yet unconfirmed UNIT spinoff. If you look at it from that perspective I believe it works a lot better; it still doesn't add much to the story but it's not meant to. And I think the reason why some of the scenes felt "long" is just because this is the first part of the thing and since we can't have the second part yet we're left unsatisfied. I feel like watching it back to back when the finale airs will prove to work better. I expect Empire of Death to be really full of stuff and I really hope it's not too crammed.

Mel really made the ep for me, and it was great to see Kate get really good scenes rather than just Unit boss. It’s a shame the series is sooo short. This finale was too soon and I feel like we have hardly spent any time with these characters, the whole thing risks being very rushed overall.

Agree with your assessment. All the anagram stuff is too meta. Is Sutekh a Batman villain? It's how people might operate if they knew there was an audience... OK we have had fourth wall breaking this series, so maybe, but past experience with Nu Who suggests they haven't thought it through. There's no story, just fan teasing and fan pleasing.

I wasn't particularly concerned with Morris being put in danger, but I just couldn't suspend my disbelief that an international intelligence/security agency like UNIT would have a 13 year-old as a Scientific Adviser. I understand that one of RTD's aims is to grow a younger audience, but this was frankly ridiculous. Nothing against Lenny Maine, who did a good job, but imho it would have been infinitely more believable if they'd cast him as a teenage IT whizz-kid. But Scientific Adviser? No way. Liz Shaw must be spinning in her grave.

I agree with most of your points, bar Rose. It's good to see her, UNIT is keeping her on safe jobs, and the Doctor is her chosen uncle. They want to train her up and honestly her being there made more sense than replacing Shirley with Morris. She helps tie the show back into the 60th 3 episode era without bringing back worn out 14 or Donna. Some other thoughts: my reaction to Sutekh was "WOW! Russel did it! The crazy bastard!" which tbh was great, it's good to see him but I far prefer his older design. I don't think his 1975 design looks dated as some are claiming, I think, if anything, its worn out look is its charm and what makes it far more menacing than a CGI... thing. This episode was practically all setup but I still enjoyed it on first viewing which is what matters, I may skip through some bits on a rewatch but I'd place it in the middle of my series 14 ranking.

I think one of my issues with the episode is that we spent so much time in the time window with no real payoff. I know it will come back to being important in the second half but if felt like a long time to spend there just to set up what the time window does. I feel like that whole section could have been a lot more truncated and it would have helped the pace of the episode, because it gets really good after that when The Doctor goes to see Susan Triad (in part thanks to that great score).

I really feel like the reduced episode count is really working against this season. It's a huge improvement compared to the last run, but they really needed a few more episodes to space it all out a bit further and more establish Ruby's friendship with the Doctor

I think I know what you're saying about the Doctor going to UNIT for the answers that elude him. It was only after watching the episode and thinking it over that I realised it makes no sense to for the Doctor to think that UNIT are the ones who can help, when they are nowhere near him in knowledge or scientific advancement. I mean, he mocks their equipment for producing a time window, so surely he could come up with something better, or find something better. It may be that he feels that UNIT are the only friends he has left in the Universe - it still seems odd that his only thought is to rely on them and their resources

Fair comment. Veneer over substance. Yet that is very much how modern shows and movies are structured these days. It is true but sad that our attention spans have more than halved in just a few years so many feel this need to have continual noise. I believe the classic series aren't actually slow paced and a bit of a drag. The stories of that era haven't changed rather the viewer's capacity for patience and anticipation has declined dramatically. I hope we get to a point soon in this world where narrative becomes more important than vibe and breathing space is given importance. More slow moments especially for characterisation. Too end this post on a positive, I agree with you Bonnie Langford's older Mel is so great and likeable. She has been well written this time and she is a good actress. This is a great intelligent, balanced, articulate channel. I'm in.

I think whether or not you enjoy this episode hinges on whether the second episode carries the energy, I won't lie I enjoyed it a whole hell of a lot even though I saw the flaws but that's probably because my 19 year old sister and only sibling died 3 weeks before I watched it and I was fairly drunk at the time, but aside from that I think it could have been worse, I guess we will see tomorrow.

I thought this one was fun but it did feel a bit like a 45 minute trailer. I haven't actually rewatched any of this series, some of it being lack of time but I haven't felt much impetus to look at them again. Russell has a habit of dropping the ball in the finale so I will grip the chair tightly in case I need to evacuate the room.

i mostly agree, i think this was an incredibly weak first half of a finale, especially as someone who hasn't gotten all the way through classic who and had no idea what the significance of the reveal was until I googled it. I will say though, as a trans woman, Rose being there felt nice, even if she didn't have much to do

I accidentally deleted this comment before posting so found an old version in a shoebox that everyone forgot about and doing it again. Hope your eye is getting better. I suffer eye problems and know how miserable it can be. I am at the party looking out of the window pointing to you and making some beckoning hand gestures that you can’t see. I loved this episode and the building tension and jump scares. Sutekh is one of the best villains to bring back though I'd rather it’s not just CGI. I was fine the Doctor getting help from UNIT but as others have said not only why was Rose there but why did she react to the Doctor the way she did as from what we know she hasn’t met 15. Mel is fantastic, the grizzling scene the best. So pleased Bonnie has some substance to work with now given Mel was down with Dodo and Ryan as one of my least favourite companions. And Susan Twist being the new Marcus Scarman even using lines was chilling. She has been haunting TimeLords for decades given her regular role in Brookside where her neighbour was Mary Tamm 😂 So for the first time will watch the finale at midnight. Looking forward to it.

A thoughtful talk about the final episode, I'll be considering your points when I get to write my review (I am doing the two episodes together)

Wow you have the courage to speak what you think and you are neither a hater nor a sycophant. What a pleasant change.

I actually love that they got right to the point and that we didn’t have to wait for the drip feed. I liked that the Doctor was pro active in searching and using the resources available to him.

To be fair all the finales are like this - keep your wheels spinning, hype everything up, into the cliffhanger. I think the slight clunkiness of the exposition and moving parts hindered this weeks episode - but I can't really judge until I've seen how in resolves!

I loved it but its only the first half

I think the problem is that it was rushed

I agree with you that this was a 45 minute build-up to a cliff-hanger based on a villain that most modern era fans won't know - and I thought RTD aiming for new fans, not older fans - BUT, that said, this was still the second best episode of Gatwa's run (after 73 Yards) - but that isn't really saying much. Agreed, there were characters in this seemingly for the same of it, and the anagram thing - well, it wasn't an anagram at all was it? Not sure why RTD has won you over this time though, I think this is more of the same soap style drama, just this time with a heavier focus on social messaging that storylines. The only reason I prefer his original run is because of stories written by others, and both Doctors were much superior to Gatwa, who, although a presence in his own right, is not The Doctor in any way. I expect the final episode to be overblown, with a dues ex machina conclusion.

I too found this episode rather underwhelming. For much of its length, very little happens, and then it all kicks into place for the last 5-10 minutes. Plus, after setting Suketh up as this terrible malevolent force, without requiring a viewer to have seen Pyramids of Mars, he doesn't actually get a chance to do anything, so we won't know until this week's episode if RTD can do justice to the character. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I can't imagine anything as riveting as the Doctor/Sutekh face-off at the start of part 4 of Pyramids. It would be a nice opportunity for Gatwa if something similar happens.

I enjoyed this episode and yet I can't disagree with any of your points, Chris. You're right: the plot is a little thin, the Time Window sequence does run quite long, and the Doctor just showing up at UNIT for answers feels rather artificial. And yet all the tension and build-up all worked for me, and I'm very keen to see how it's all resolved. No accounting for taste, I guess. Here's a random question: is your copy of The Talons of Weng-Chiang missing? I try to read the titles on your shelf while listening to you, and I notice they go from The Robots of Death to Horror of Fang Rock. Just curious.

I love your videos, and I was afraid you're done with them, since you started doing materials on James Bond, I don't agree with everything you say on every episode but it's nice to hear other opinions, but this time I 100% agree with you, this episode was forced and messy, and It shouldn't be like that, also at this point I'm utterly frustrated with the mystery of Ruby's mother like, "Fine, you don't want us to know yet, but for Gods sake stop hinting it every time", it's just irritating, I really love the snowy gimmick with Ruby and such but the thing they force us to relive the same fragment of time again and again, it's just getting tedious.

Has it occurred to you that your lack of connection to Sutekh is because you weren't actually there in the seventies? Because this was a big deal to those of us who were!

I’ve enjoyed this era of RTD more than his entire first run. That being said, I cannot argue with your points. This episode is the first one I did not rewatch, yet. I do agree about Mel. Awesome job taking a companion I thought was ok and elevating her. Also with the too many characters point. I listen to hear the different thoughts than what I have. Thanks for sharing yours, even in the face of raging fans. 😂

Things I liked. Mel. This is how how Mel should have been written in JNT's time Maurice. He was played well and not annoying. The reveal of Susan Triad as a servant of Sutekh. That was a good scary reveal. Things I disliked. The Tardis flying into Unit like a crashing viper from Battlestar Galactica. WHY?. Is a proper materialization too boring now. The Doctor shouting out RUBY SUNDAYS name in unit. Why? It;s just too false Why is Sutekh (the god of death) playing at word games. is he that bored. Or has he got the Toymaker as his PR guy😀

Disagree with your opinion Chris because the writing has been very poor as well as disapopointing so can't be bothered any more as it just not good on the high standards we had previous to season 15.

I'm sorry, but as a life lont Who viewer and even surviving the wilderness years, this has been the worst era to ever effect doctor who. Gatwa is barely in his own episodes, his acting is limited and his companion out performed the lead.