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<\/a><\/div>\nRussell T. Davies tries his hands at a series finale villain that isn\u2019t the Daleks, the Cybermen or the Master, or both at the same time, in a move that brings back Sutekh; revealing his fondness for anagrams. We\u2019re back in the hotseat again when the TARDIS arrives; screeching and crashing, as odd as it\u2019s been acting all series, at the hotseat of it all. Rose is there, working for UNIT, and so too is Morris, a 13 year old child genius, wheelchair bound. Kate Stewart\u2019s recruitment policy probably breaks multiple employment laws and employing children needs to get UNIT investigated; but I do like the turnaround that \u201cespecially not the Prime Minister\u201d is allowed to get into the building when even Ruby\u2019s mum is dragged along. It\u2019s a way to get the band together for the finale in one building \u2013 a set-up for the horrors of what is to come.\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\nThere are two mystery women, two mystery answers. Who is Ruby Sunday\u2019s mother? And who is Susan Triad? We\u2019ve seen her show up on screen time after time; in various different forms, and the off-screen adventures that The Doctor has also encountered her in add to the what-if scenarios of a 13 episode run, but also showcase her true variety as a character. Russell\u2019s fondness for anagrams points Susan in the direction, sharing the first name as The Doctor\u2019s granddaughter, Susan, with the name Triad being an anagram for TARDIS \u2013 and it\u2019s something that UNIT clocked on immediately and started investigating \u2013 proving that they\u2019re much smarter than The Doctor was expecting, but it\u2019s an anagram-within-an anagram. She\u2019s not The Doctor\u2019s granddaughter \u2013 she\u2019s an emissary for Sutekh, the God of all Gods \u2013 continuing the tradition of following on from the Gods of Music and the Toymaker that we\u2019ve had in the past, but Sutekh might be the scariest of all.\n<\/p>\n
This is the best that Kate Stewart has been written ever; she\u2019s been used in the past as a way to make The Doctor seem right; but now, working with The Doctor, she brings out his vulnerability. Of course \u2013 to her, The Doctor is seen as a bringer of joy and hope \u2013 the bond that both of them share is shattered when The Doctor requests, in the Time Window, that one of her soldiers breaks the rules to try and get a better view at Ruby\u2019s mother \u2013 not at Ruby\u2019s mother, but what she\u2019s pointing at. Turns out she\u2019s not pointing at The Doctor at all, but instead something else. It\u2019s a chilling sacrifice and Kate saying that they have a staff member down helps emphasis just how even the little touches can have the biggest impacts; with Ruby and Ibrahim bonding over accents giving depth to him before his death.\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/div>\nIt feels weirdly paced, though. The Legend of Ruby Sunday<\/i> is very rushed towards the end in its attempt to bring Sutekh into the picture and maybe there\u2019s a bit too much in the way of introduction? We have Morris, Heather Arbinger, Mel, Rose, it feels a bit like UNIT could\u2019ve maybe shortened down their team a bit. It echoes Power of the Doctor<\/i>, such a wide sprawling ensemble it feels like a moment and so callbacks it feels like despite being an introduction to the new era; more of an appreciation of the old. We don\u2019t get much in the way of closure and if anything we get more answers \u2013 all this mystery and don\u2019t forget, Mrs. Flood is there as well, left to watch over Ruby\u2019s grandmother with a chilling fourth-wall break that\u2019s so much more sinister than any we\u2019ve had in the past. Just who is she, really? The mystery of Ruby\u2019s mother and the mystery of Sutekh having now been answered leaves several questions waiting to unfold. It almost feels too much \u2013 especially with a common criticism of this era is that it\u2019s been rushed.<\/p>\n
The little touches of humour in the bleak moments make this episode so fun! The fact that UNIT are gunning for Elon Musk was such a nice little touch \u2013 and the horror that Triad would be the Who-world equivalent of Musk; so they\u2019d be seeing him everywhere. And The Doctor\u2019s passion for everyone that he meets is infectious, his enthusiasm affects everyone in the room. I really loved the quirkiness of Mel and her vibrant, camp energy that she brings back \u2013 and the fact that she\u2019s stuck around for so long, too, it\u2019s been a real blessing \u2013 she\u2019s the Sarah Jane of this era and her role is key; and the Ace of the era of the 13th Doctor. Mel has had roles with 13, 14 and 15 now it\u2019s so commonplace to bring her back. Plus it\u2019s such a great callback to Spearhead from Space<\/i>, when The Doctor and UNIT worked together so well.\n<\/p>\n