just watched a video on this ep, idk why maybe to torture myself, and god i hate this episode 
i loved the 1st part, especially THAT cliffhanger but this episode… rough. ruby’s mum, the waste of sutekh, the not explaining to new audiences who 4 was, the random spoon woman… yeah.
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I just wanted to link to one of our newest member’s welcome thread as he has some fascinating things to say about Ruby’s search for her birth mother from a personal perspective and I think people might miss in in Introductions
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I was actually considering merging them into here, with James’ permission, because they are great and would get lost in Introductions eventually.
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They knocked it out of the park by yet again serving up a terrible NuWho finale. What a pile of rubbish this is/was.
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It’s fairly decent, relative to the production situation. I think when you’re openly having to cut whole subplots for time, and having to cut part of your part 1 opening for budget (and plenty else besides, as DWM and video commentary did indicate), nothing can be ideal.
Would I rate it highly? No.
Do I think it’s operating in the same kind of situation as those finales before it? Probably not.
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honestly… really disappointed me on a huge scale. thank god for big finish, idk how the tv only stans do it cause i’d switch off
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I think the cut that bothers me most on this one is the deleted scene that actually shows where the whistle came from. That really should’ve been in the final episode.
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Trust me, many are doing and have been doing for a while. I’m only stuck with it out of sunk cost fallacy and some bizarre feeling of loyalty.
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In reality I kid, I’d never ever part with Doctor Who. I’ve put too much time into it and too many £’s and two tattoo’s But really I’m very much glad BF is a thing now idk how you TV only fans do it, cause I feel so sad at the current state of affairs.
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I don’t know how BF fans do it either, for different reasons, but that’s a whole other topic. 
At present, I’m just grateful we have an abundance of classic and earlier NuWho which I think holds up well.
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Ooh what are the tattoos of? Quotes? 
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I’ve got the seal of Rassilon on my wrist (basic I know…). Fun fact, I was booked in for 1 tattoo (my good omens one) and then Mandip Gill leaked a pic on insta from the set of The Timeless Children with the seal in the background and I’d always wanted a Doctor Who tattoo so I got that the day of The Timeless Children alongside my good omens tattoo!
The other one I got years later, 2023 I think? Its a Dalek firing a laser pointer from its gun and a cat is staring at the laser pointer I’ll need to send a pic sometime.
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I would love to see that Dalek & Cat one. That sounds great 
If I ever got a tattoo (which I probably never will…) I think it would be a Seal of Rassilon 
(Or the figure hanging on the wall on Voga 
)
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I love that
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That is a great one
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I think what would’ve helped with Ruby’s birth mother being made powerful because of the power of belief is that throughout the series, we saw her gaining strength. Like how the Doctor said in Empire of Death that each time the TARDIS would land the idea of Susan Triad would get stronger and stronger until becoming a monumental figure in 2024.
So it starts in The Church on Ruby Road, and Louise is in normal clothes, with a hooded duffle coat.
Then in Space Babies with Ruby’s subjective memory and perception of her birth mum becoming real, because the night she was left became raw and open due to the Doctor bringing Sutekh on the TARDIS with him, and as time is memory and memory is time, that makes her invisible from everyone, shadowing her face and cloaking her appearance.
Then in The Devil’s Chord, perhaps after Maestro discovers the hidden song in Ruby, they go back in time to 2004 to find out, but when they try to approach Louise, due to Ruby’s perception of not knowing who her birth family is becoming everyone’s perception, anytime Maestro tries to get near Louise they can’t move. So Maestro returns to 63 and uses the tuning fork to bring Ruby out of the hypnosis.
In Boom, have the Doctor and Ruby bond over being adoptees and foundlings, and she opens up about how all her birth family have ever been to her are nothing, invisible, and only has her imagination, setting up that Ruby’s perception of her birth mum is why Louise can’t be seen.
Then have another episode with a member of the Pantheon before the finale, and them trying to get near Louise but again, they can’t get near.
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I’m still a bit unclear as to why time changed and the lamp signpost that wasn’t there in The Church on Ruby Road suddenly was in Space Babies for Louise to turn and point at. Either Ruby’s wish of her birth parents leaving her with something became real, because if you think about when time changed and Louise left Ruby with a name in Space Babies:
The Doctor: You don’t know anything about your birth mother or your father? They didn’t leave a note or a scrap of paper…?
Ruby: Nothing. I was… I was just left.
The Doctor: By the church.
Ruby: In the snow.
The Doctor: On Ruby Road.
Time Changes and Louise leaves Ruby with a name because Ruby wished that she’d been left with something.
Or this is something that’ll be explained in Season 2.
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Anyone else really hate the way the Doctor just doesn’t explain 4/Sarah-Jane to Ruby?
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Not really - I always assume that sort of thing always happens off-screen.
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