@monkeyshaver kind of summed up a lot of what I feel about this episode. It isn’t the actual plot-line that was the problem, not even that it was a bait-and-switch. It’s just the switch was, well, nothing. All bait, basically. And they’re right, it wasn’t like we were wildly theorizing on a Rani comeback, we were following the breadcrumbs that he was putting down.
Once Kate got dusted and made her really pathetic attempt at last words (someone else mentioned and I’m glad because good GOD did that clunk out), all stakes were gone. And even worse, the defeat of Sutekh, AND the reveal of the Ruby mystery came at absolutely no price. Everyone is back safe and sound, nobody died. Russell’s finales work because the victory usually incurs a cost - losing Rose, losing The Master again, DYING OF RADIATION POISIONING. Here, nope. Everything is resolved in a big tidy Disney bow (they found BOTH her parents? F u c k i n g h e l l.)
This is why I can’t buy the idea that this was borne out of anything other than laziness or a last minute total plot re-write.
Also yea let’s talk about how Ruby immediately invests all her eggs into her very white and blonde biological mother, and is presumably willing to do the same for her very white and blonde biological dad, giving the characters far more importance and weight than Carla Sunday, who was only there so Russell could try and cheaply yank heartstrings and had no real character details. Once again, a Black woman is underwritten and looked over at the expense of the white people once they show up.
Thank you for this insight. I had not really noticed that before but yes it’s so obvious now you’ve highlighted it. Carla is very much an equivelant to the Black Maid character in old movies, she has no children of her own but is maternal looking after ‘the good white folks kids’.
Oh my goodness you’ve articulated my point even further though.
Not only does Ruby have an entire FAMILY of Magical Black People (not gonna use the actual tvtropes name because slur) but then, The Doctor is ALSO her Magical Black Person. Kind of icky.
Also sadly I’m not even that hyped for the idea of new writers coming in, because the one episode penned this season by new writers was probably the worst one.
I will give RTD the benefit of the doubt here that it wasn’t intentional but that doesn’t make it any better & highlights how more diversity in the show would probably alert him to how it could be seen & how it could be avoided. Not having a blonde blue eyed companion for instance.
Isn’t Millie’s hair colour totally irrelevant here? Ncuti was a part of the casting process himself and advocated for it to be Millie because they had such chemistry together.
Besides Ruby calling Louise her “real” mom (what? Carla adopted you, raised you and loved you for 19 years - that sounds like the “real” mom to me), I don’t quite see an actual issue here.
Sutekh: Typical, finally ready to reveal myself to the Doctor. Got my speech done, all that I am the God of Death stuff. & I get painted pink! How embarrassing.
I pointed out RTD’s problems with Black characters all the way back with Space Babies, when I mentioned it’s the second episode in a row to introduce a Black woman with no children of her own who takes care of a bunch of (mostly white) babies/children, which is a well known negative trope. I am not surprised that he pushed this character aside for his perfect, white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed “real” mum.
I was already wary of a second RTD era with all the issues of the first, but now I can really say I think he learned nothing, and in fact has gotten considerably lazier with his writing. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the next season, let alone the Christmas special (how much more anti-Semitic will he be this time?)
Am I totally alone in not being particularly enamoured by Neil Gaiman’s Doctor Who stories?
The Doctor’s Wife was fine but I don’t quite get the immense love that so many have for that one. The concept of putting the TARDIS in a human body is really great, but I don’t think it translates that well onto the screen.
Nightmare in Silver is probably the worst Cyberman story there has ever been. Plus I really feel as if Matt Smith was phoning it in as the Doctor right around then.
Ok, I really loved “Rain Gods”, but it was like 3 minutes long.
