Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S02.E08 (BBC/D+): The Reality War

DanaK

By DanaK
in Doctor Who

Recommended Posts

DanaK

DanaK

(edited)
Quote

Premiering Saturday May 31 at 6:50pm in the UK linearly on BBC One and and streaming on BBC iPlayer and Disney+ internationally (In the US, that would be 1:50pm ET Saturday morning). Yes, it's all at the same time (or nearly so) for this episode, including for the theater showings. **SEASON FINALE**

Synopsis: Battle rages across the skies as the Unholy Trinity unleash their deadly ambition. The Doctor, Belinda and Ruby have to risk everything in the quest to save one innocent life.

Writer: Russell T. Davies

Director: Alex Sanjiv Pillai

Runtime: 1 hour 6 minutes

Full production listing https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002d3lr

Note: Disney+ had it starting at 7pm UK time/2pm EDT in their May press release and it's not clear if and when they'll change the time. If not, then wait the 10 minutes and and don't be on social media at the time

Edited by DanaK
Updated
DanaK

DanaK

  • Author
(edited)

What the hell just happened!?! I was aware of various spoilers due to a clearly accurate leaker, like Jodie showing up and that Ncuti was probably going to regenerate, but I was floored by Billie showing up at the end because I thought the leaker only said the new Doctor was female and known but didn’t give a name and then the fans ran with Billie. 

Yeah, it’s going to take some time to process all of that. Loved Jodie Whittaker showing up as the 13th Doctor. I was not actually expecting Billie as the new Doctor, though she wasn’t credited as such in the credits 

That was fun and nuts, yet sad that Ncuti left after only 2 seasons. It was bonkers. I have to give it a full 10 (ETA: Rethought it and I’ll give it a 9 due to some slow spots and Susan being left a dangling plotline). I’ll think of more stuff later

Edited by DanaK
  • Like 1
  • Mind Blown 1
Llywela

Llywela

Okay, that...did not pan out at all how I'd anticipated!

Too much to take in, I haven't processed it yet, beyond that the reality the Doctor left Belinda in was definitely not the same reality that he picked her up from. Does that mean it isn't trruly over? Or was it just the way reality adjusted to accommodate the existence of Poppy?

I did not want Gatwa's Doctor to leave so soon. We were just barely getting to know him!

  • Like 8
rwlevin

rwlevin

1 hour ago, baldryanr said:

When the Curator told 11 that he'd be revisiting some of his old favorites, I didn't think this is what he meant.  Doesn't this count as identity theft?  

Not really. 12 did it with the father from The Fires of Pompeii, albeit subconsciously, and Romana did it when she took on the form of Lady Astra.

 

In other news, the mystery of Susan continues.

  • Like 1
DoctorAtomic

DoctorAtomic

Oh yes. The Time Hotel. Well played. Anita is exactly what Doctor Who is. You spend time with the Doctor, learn, grow. Then you move on and do better. That just kills me everytime. 

 

When they dig in, no one does bonkers like Doctor Who. 

 

Ah, not so subtle with Rosie. Take that Connie! Take that dudeflakes! 

 

I'm not well versed in the Lore, so I didn't realize Mel fought the Rani. The actor (Mel) really brought that history. Well done. 

 

So much Doctor Who speak. Genetic explosion. Excitation of atoms (which is a thing). 

 

Brits say "Omega" different. 

 

After all that build up, the Rani gets eaten?

 

Well I wasn't expecting Thirteen!

 

Rose? 

 

 

  • Like 3
Starchild

Starchild

2 hours ago, springbarb said:

Very displeased with the reappearance of Billie Piper.

I'm hoping she's just a bridge for a special or two, like Tennant was for the 60th anniversary.

I'm thinking Ncuti was ready to go, but they didn't have a replacement lined up because they're not sure what Disney is going to do.

So they plugged in a fan favourite as a spacer (some fans anyway)

  • Like 3
j5cochran

j5cochran

Two things:

  • When the Doctor, Belinda, Poppy, and Ruby finally got back to the TARDIS, with Poppy in the crib, Belinda took off Poppy's jacket. Then she and the Doctor started to talk about traveling, while folding the jacket. It kept get smaller and smaller as they passed it back and forth. On the third pass (or so), I realized that something bad was about to happen with Poppy. Nice bit of foreshadowing with that business!
  • There was a point when the Rani and Mrs. Flood were together, and someone said something about the two Ranis, and they replied "that's goodnight from us" (or something like that. I need to rewatch but it's too late tonight.). Does anyone besides me remember the Two Ronnies? They were a comedy duo with a British television series from the 1970s. And when they ended each episode, they said "it's goodnight from me... and it's goodnight from him."
  • Like 8
PurpleTentacle

PurpleTentacle

This finale was really nice. A lot happened. I guess I'll have to digest it first.

Sadly I watched this a bit late and so the official doctor who channel on youtube spoiled the regeneration for me in a thumbnail, in my subscriptions. :/

9 hours ago, monkeypox said:

Thank goodness I avoided all spoilers.

Yeah. I at least avoided spoilers for the big things. Like Jodie showing up or Billie being the new doctor.

9 hours ago, baldryanr said:

When the Curator told 11 that he'd be revisiting some of his old favorites, I didn't think this is what he meant.  Doesn't this count as identity theft?  

Just taking a page out of Romana's book.

 

  • Like 3
PurpleTentacle

PurpleTentacle

What is interesting. First things in the cedits are "Ncuti Gatwa as the doctor", "Jodie Whittaker as the doctor", "and introducing Billie Piper".

Seems weird that she isn't credited with "and introducing Billie Piper as the doctor". So maybe this is some kind of weird fakeout? Maybe it's Rose and she got switched in for some reason? Or it's a mundane production reason, such as trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible. Once you write down "Billie Piper as the doctor", anybody might read it.

  • Like 4
Lantern7

Lantern7

(edited)

The ending. It's a lot to absorb.

I'd rather Ncuti get a third season. Al the other Doctors from Tennant forward got three seasons. I'm hoping he felt that was enough for him, because now we have the Doctor looking like an older version of what many fans figured was RTD's vision of the Doctor's OTP. And that's a little off-putting.

Rest of the episode was fun, weird bits and all. Only thing missing? "Hey! Omega! Remember me? I Aikido-flipped you a bunch of times, then you got blown up by my old recorder!!” No, I haven’t seen Arc of Infinity.

The Doctor gets saved by deus ex whatever “hotel” is in Latin. The Fifteen Era team meets up for one last ride. Another old foe is CGIed the heck out, then winds up defeated. And then we get way too much time seeing Ruby getting attached to Polly the Time Baby. BTW, she wasn’t CGI, was she? She was just too cute to be real.

Jodie! I never had a problem with her or the Chibnell run. I guess RTD brought her in as an apology of sorts to the fans. I dug her perkiness, and her Doctor played well with Ncuti’s.

At least Mrs. Flood is still out there. The main Rani kinda went out like a punk . . . which is a bit sad because she made one helluva impression before Omega ate her.

There’s probably more I could talk about, but it’s late and the thread page is a bit glitchy. It keeps switching between the top and the posting box. Does that make sense?

I’m hoping Ncuti comes back. I think he deserves better.

Edited by Lantern7
  • Like 4
John Potts

John Potts

Well that was... definitely an RTD finale. Overlong, overblown and with rather too much time of people telling each other how important they are to each other rather than actually saving the world/Universe/Reality (it would have definitely benefited from being standard length, IMO). Omega was a massive disappointment (he turns up just to eat the Rani?) - I get that he had a lot less time than he did in The Three Doctors, but he did at least seem to be an actual antagonist with his own plans rather than just a giant skeleton that the PCs just have to pull a magic sword to kill (or at least banish). There were good points (loved that it was Ruby got to defeat Whathisname) and I did like seeing Jodie again (however briefly), but sometimes I wish RTD would be forced to stick to a 45 minute Finale (well, 90 over the two episodes).

  • Like 2
libgirl2

libgirl2

(edited)
7 hours ago, tv-talk said:

Is the new Doctor supposed to somehow be Rose? That'd be awful. However so would having Piper be the Doctor despite having played Rose. I'm hoping piper is a temp.

I don't think she will be the Doctor or at least I hope she isn't. Is the Doctor gene pool so small that RTD has to go back to the past? And what if 16 encounters 14 (who is out there).... No, no, no.... 

Anyway, I think the show will go on hiatus and we won't see how this pans out. They might even do like from McGann to Eccelston. We might have a totally different Doctor if and when the show is rebooted. 

Edited by libgirl2
  • Like 2
  • Useful 1
DanaK

DanaK

  • Author
3 hours ago, DanaK said:

Overnights: 2.17 million viewers. I don’t know the chart rank right now, but it was #1 for BBC One for the night 

Per the below article, 2nd for the night behind Britain’s Got Talent

https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/doctorwhoratings-therealitywar-overnight#google_vignette

 

15 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I don't think she will be the Doctor or at least I hope she isn't. Is the Doctor gene pool so small that RTD has to go back to the past? And what if 16 encounters 14 (who is out there).... No, no, no.... 

Anyway, I think the show will go on hiatus and we won't see how this pans out. They might even do like from McGann to Eccelston. We might have a totally different Doctor if and when the show is rebooted. 

I think she probably is, they are likely waiting for some event before they fully announce it, like Disney making their decision or the spinoff being broadcast. It’s likely Billie is a short term Doctor like David was for the 60th specials, doing some specials or just one season. She’s busy enough and has said she wants to direct more that I don’t see her doing a full 3 seasons

  • Like 1
  • Useful 1
tv-talk

tv-talk

Oh is the show cancelled or at least in limbo? I did not know that. So there arent actually any plans for filming eps with Piper as the Doctor and there is a chance that was just some crappy RTD thing we get before the whole series is entirely rebooted years from now (if ever)?

Tbh I wouldnt mind one bit if that was the case. This finale was everything 'wrong' with Doctor Who at thise point. How many people did he hug? How many times did he tear up? How many people did he tell he loved? And he is the doting father to a baby with Belinda who he clearly loves while also being a gay man who loves that other guy who died last season? WTH is all this lol? They really do need a reboot to get away from all the emo stuff and get back to being more of Who the Doctor has generally been for so many decades.

I loved when the Rani was saying that to the Doctor the humans were insects to him and really just a fetish of some sort. Of course not that she was entirely correct, but what the character is actually supposed to be IS more like what the Rani described. Lo and behold he DID want to see Omega and was intrigued with returning the Time Lords. That could have been a great dynamic with the Doctor completely torn about what to do...but instead was quickly shelved in favor of him basically just being an overemotional human who tends to cry a lot.

Time for a reboot says me.

There has been so much talk over the recent years about the series being "too woke" and having a woman and then black man as the Doctor was just bowing to wokeness blah blah blah. I hate all that, but I also dont enjoy much what the series has become with so many tropes pushed almost in response to whatever bros and incels are saying online. 

Well if the series showrunners want to continue in the vein of pushing against the bro-verse...let's get a harder Doctor who is often battling directly against obvious fascism and isnt prone to lots of tears and hugging but rather determinedly doing what needs to be done. While being quirky as hell along the way of course.

Just my two cents!

  • Like 4
  • Applause 1
DanaK

DanaK

  • Author
43 minutes ago, tv-talk said:

Oh is the show cancelled or at least in limbo? I did not know that. So there arent actually any plans for filming eps with Piper as the Doctor and there is a chance that was just some crappy RTD thing we get before the whole series is entirely rebooted years from now (if ever)?

Davies has said they are waiting for Disney to decide whether it reups or not and Disney was waiting to do that until after the season was broadcast. That wait might be what made Ncuti decide to leave. Once the BBC/Bad Wolf know what Disney has decided, they can then go ahead and work to make more episodes/specials with either a new streamer or other channels/networks internationally. I think Billie is playing the next Doctor but whether she's there for one special, a season, or 3 seasons is yet to be seen

madhacker

madhacker

(edited)

Ok I've had roughly 24 hours to process the ending and while I really like Billie if she's the new Doctor she's got her work cut out for her. She'll have to convince us that while she looks like Rose Tyler, she's nothing like her. Can she do that? Absolutely. To me, the challenge is going to be the writers because if they have her do or say anything that even slightly seems like Rose it's game over. Also, her look must be something completely opposite of what Rose would wear (like by the end of the episode she looks kinda like Katheryn Hahn at the end of the first episode of Agatha all along, hair up and something kinda formal looking)

Part of me kinda wishes that Billie was only seen on the set as a diversion, and the new Doctor was secretly filmed in another location as a complete surprise. Say somebody like Pierce Brosnan or Timothy Dalton or anybody to be honest.......

Edited by madhacker
grammar
  • Like 2
Llywela

Llywela

16 hours ago, DoctorAtomic said:

I'm not well versed in the Lore, so I didn't realize Mel fought the Rani. The actor (Mel) really brought that history. Well done.

Sylvester McCoy's first adventure - the Doctor is full of regeneration fog, so the Rani dresses up as Mel and pretends to be his companion to trick him into helping her, leaving poor Mel out in the cold trying to save the day all by herself. It's a classic!

  • Like 1
ichbin

ichbin

I had hopes for Ncuti portraying The Doctor, but I haven't been thrilled with the result. He can certainly act so I have to blame it on the writing and direction. I wasn't spoiled or even aware he was going to regenerate so when things started to point toward that I did a quick peek on the internet and realized I was excited to learn this was going to be his last episode. I wish him luck in his future endeavors but I honestly cannot say I am sad to see him leave this role.

  • Like 1
proserpina65

proserpina65

I thought Cibnall had very nearly ruined Doctor Who and had hoped that maybe RTD could fix it, but this shit just puts the final nail in the coffin for me.  I honestly got to the point where I could not stand Billie Piper and bringing her back like this is just ridiculous. Won't break my heart to see the show get cancelled, and that's coming from someone who was really upset back when BBC shelved it before.

  • Like 3
  • Applause 1
libgirl2

libgirl2

(edited)
30 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I thought Cibnall had very nearly ruined Doctor Who and had hoped that maybe RTD could fix it, but this shit just puts the final nail in the coffin for me.  I honestly got to the point where I could not stand Billie Piper and bringing her back like this is just ridiculous. Won't break my heart to see the show get cancelled, and that's coming from someone who was really upset back when BBC shelved it before.

I like her but this feels like pandering and a ratings grab. Like Susan, why bring her back and that was it? Or the Rani? Or Omega? It is like he was throwing everything at the show just to get people to tune it. How about just writing a good show? 

Like you, I was upset when it was shelved in the McCoy days and I didn't even care much for his stories. Sure, I still don't understand Ghostlight but it was better than some of what we have been seeing the last few years.

It needs to take a rest, it needs fresh blood in both writing and acting (though Gatwa was at least a try). 

Edited by libgirl2
  • Like 3
proserpina65

proserpina65

(edited)
28 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Sure, I still don't understand Ghostlight but it was better than some of what we have been seeing the last few years.

Does anyone actually understand Ghostlight?  I mean, I liked it, but I didn't understand it.  Unlike The Curse of Fenric, which I understood (and loved) but which also scared the crap out of me.

Edited by proserpina65
  • LOL 1
Sakura12

Sakura12

Well I definitely wasn't expecting that ending. I'm going to miss Ncuti, I was really enjoying him this season and had no idea he was going to regenerate. 

I'm wondering since 15 put his regeneration enegy into the vortex and the last person that took in the vortex was Rose. Thats why her face was chosen. But I do think shes going to be Specials Doctor and they will announce the 17 Doctor. Depending on if they get picked up. 

I think Billie has grown as an actress since her first appearance on this show, so if we get to see it I'm excited to see what she does. 

 

  • Like 5
gonzosgirrl

gonzosgirrl

19 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

I'm wondering since 15 put his regeneration energy into the vortex and the last person that took in the vortex was Rose. That's why her face was chosen. But I do think shes going to be Specials Doctor and they will announce the 17 Doctor. Depending on if they get picked up. 

These are my thoughts exactly. I think there's a reason the end credits only said 'Introducing Billie Piper', and not 'as The Doctor'. Maybe what we're seeing isn't The Doctor at all, but a personification of the Vortex, or perhaps The Moment, or another personification of the TARDIS. Or maybe The Doctor and the Vortex/ or Moment/ or TARDIS mixed up together and she will be both (I'm imagining something like Steve Martin in All of Me :)) for the specials and then generate or bi-generate into the new Doctor if/when the series is renewed. Is Billie a strong enough actor to pull that off? Dunno. But All of Me is the film that sold me on Steve Martin, who I did not care for prior, so who knows? 

  • Like 1
jacehan

jacehan

I did like Ncuti as the Doctor, so I’m kinda sad he’s done. Especially because they teased in the last episode that they, in fact, did not forget about Rogue, so having a storyline about that next season would have been nice, and I don’t think it’ll be quite the same with Billie (although perhaps interesting in a different way, if they do pick it up).

  • Like 2
tv-talk

tv-talk

21 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I like her but this feels like pandering and a ratings grab. Like Susan, why bring her back and that was it? Or the Rani? Or Omega? It is like he was throwing everything at the show just to get people to tune it. How about just writing a good show? 

And the worst part about that is it wastes potentially better storylines and arcs. For instance, Omega could have been like a Master on steroids. They could have written such an interesting character whose goal was to reestablish Galifrey and he could have been recurring. Instead he was a CGI monster the Doctor shot with a gun he just happened to back into. So weak.

  • Like 9
Sakura12

Sakura12

(edited)

I don't think Omega was killed just pushed back into his tomb so he can come back as well as Miss Flood's Rani. 

I'm hoping the Susan thing is answered next season/special. Maybe they want the very first companion to meet the first companion of new Who? Although the actress is older so they can't wait to long if that story is going anywhere. 

 

Edited by Sakura12
  • Like 4
tennisgurl

tennisgurl

This has been such a good season, with a pretty satisfying finale, but it makes me sad that Gatwa's run is ending so quickly. I feel like we were just getting to know him, I was finally connecting with him, and now he's gone just like that. This has been one of my favorite seasons in ages, all of the episodes were winners and the overarching plot mostly worked, although I am annoyed that we still don't know what up with Susan. I am also curious if its going to matter that the world is just a bit different now, especially for Belinda, but I still liker this ending. Especially after last season's finale, which was utterly stupid. 

I am sad to see Archie's The Rani eaten up, but Mrs. Flood is still around so its not going to be the last we see of the Rani at least. Omega was underwhelming, I was hoping for a Time Lord, but I still liked the finale and would be happy to see him again in a different form. 

I love that as soon as UNIT realized that they were in a fake world, before anything else, they were horrified by what they were wearing and immediately went to change. 

Loved seeing Anita and the Time Hotel again, and am very intrigued by who "they" are at the Hotel. Like the Doctor, I'm putting a pin in that. 

I liked seeing Jodi's Doctor again, I miss her madcap perky energy. I will miss Gatwa's Doctor, even if he took the emotional stuff too far sometimes. Did we really need to see him cry in almost every single episode? Even with that though, he shined this season and I wish he could have stayed longer. 

Billie? What now? I am guessing she is going to be a place holder for a special until we get a new official Doctor, but what?

  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...