BBC Doctor Who viewers fume over 'worst finale ever' as Ncuti Gatwa's first series ends

Doctor Who's season finale aired last night, complete with a special midnight cinema screening for the die-hard Whovians. Yet, despite the massive build-up, many fans were left feeling "underwhelmed" and branded the episode, titled Empire Of Death, as "boring".

Ncuti Gatwa's debut season as the iconic Time Lord ended on a nail-biting note last week when The Doctor's nemesis Sutekh made a comeback, threatening to obliterate all existence. The enigma surrounding Ruby Sunday's (Millie Gibson) lineage remained unsolved, along with the true identity of her neighbour Mrs Flood (Anita Dobson).

As the finale kicked off, UNIT members were decimated by Sutekh, turning them to dust, including the Doctor's allies Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave) and Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney). The Doctor narrowly escaped on a Vespa with ex-companion Mel Bush (Bonnie Langford), as Sutekh's lethal "death dust" annihilated every world the Doctor had ever cherished.

The solution to defeating the malevolent deity seemed tied to uncovering Ruby's origins. A breakthrough emerged via a news clip from twenty years ahead, where the then Prime Minister announced mandatory DNA testing for all.

Doctor Who

Despite the world's destruction, The Doctor managed to visit that time in a "remembered TARDIS", pieced together from fragments of his past selves, since he'd been there before. They found their answer, and in a bid to uncover the identity of Ruby's mother, Sutekh took control of Mel and forced her to bring The Doctor and Ruby to him, reports the Express.

Once they confronted Sutekh, they trapped the evil entity using items from the remembered TARDIS, with Ruby ensnaring him with "intelligent rope". At the same time, The Doctor blew a whistle to release the heart of the TARDIS, defeat Sutekh's harbinger (Genesis Lynea), and reclaim the ship. The Doctor then hurled Sutekh into the vortex, leaving him to perish in its fiery depths.

With the universe's life force restored, the mystery of Ruby's lineage remained, but it turned out all the fan theories were off the mark. Contrary to speculation that she was her own mother, the Doctor's granddaughter's daughter, or even his and River Song's (Alex Kingston) offspring, the reality was far simpler.

Her mother was actually Louise Miller (Fay McKeever), a 15-year-old teenager who had left her behind. She was not an alien or a supernatural being, just an ordinary woman. Mother and daughter finally met, and The Doctor departed alone, continuing his travels without Ruby.

Doctor Who

The true identity of Mrs. Flood was concealed behind a cryptic message that sparked exasperation among fans who swiftly took to the social media platform X, formerly Twitter, to air their grievances. One frustrated viewer expressed: "I still think this reveal was very underwhelming. It was built up to be so much, yet led to so little. How on earth could she make it snow if she was just... Human? #DoctorWho."

Another chimed in, writing: "First 25 minutes I really enjoyed. The rest... just didn't really sit right. Performances were all brilliant though, and production wise was on edge if my seat..... but the last half just didn't do it for me #DoctorWho." An annoyed fan voiced: "#DoctorWho finale was so boring! The entire storyline of Ruby and the mystery behind her birth is just useless. They kept building as it is some universe-altering event and ended up being a big bowl of nothing. This is what happens when the writers don't know how to end a story! " Another disgruntled user added: "No even kidding this was one of the worst finales ever, At least the Timeless Child was eventful. #DoctorWho."

In expressing their disappointment, one commented: "I loved lots about Empire of Death, but the mystery of Ruby's Mum must surely also be #DoctorWho's biggest anti-climax. I'm trying to think of other works of fiction that use that narrative technique and whether it's ever actually worked."

However, one viewer had a different opinion and admitted to enjoying the episode: "This is probably a controversial take but the episode only got BETTER as it went on, with the ending being easily the best part for me! #DoctorWho."

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