Actor Jodie Whittaker Engages in an Unusual Countdown for the Initiation of 'Doctor Who's Final Chapter
In a bizarre and convoluted twist, the latest episode of Doctor Who, titled "Wish World," bears striking similarities to last season's "The Legend of Ruby Sunday." Both episodes share a common theme of ambiguous villains, delayed reveals, and an overwhelming sense of anti-climax.
At its core, "Wish World" is essentially a rehashing of the Doctor's encounter with a classic villain, the Rani, who's been lurking in the shadows, manipulating events throughout the season, and the Doctor's ensuing struggle to make sense of it all. But here's the problem - we, the audience, already know that the Rani is up to something nefarious. So the tension and mystery that should build up as the Doctor catches on, is completely undermined. It's like watching a Mongol invasion knowing that the Mongols are going to lose, or a school play where the ending is a foregone conclusion.
The episode follows the Doctor and Belinda, aka Mr. John Smith and his wife Belinda, living a phony retro-modern nuclear family life complete with a baby daughter Poppy. Meanwhile, an overtly bigoted dude named Conrad rules over this backstabbing utopia, where women are expected to be good daughters, good wives, and good mothers, and anything outside of that is seen as an affront to the world. To add to his list of hate-based prejudices, Conrad also has it out for the disabled population, rendering them practically invisible.
Rebellion comes in the form of Ruby Sunday, who teams up with Shirley and her friends in the underground disabled camp. Together, they start investigating what's going on, though their efforts largely get derailed as they look up at Conrad's bone palace from below. This part of the episode feels like a wasted opportunity, as the weird, creepy vibes it establishes could have been expanded upon to create a more engaging narrative.
In the end, "Wish World" seems to have lost its way, focusing more on the countdown to the big reveal rather than building a compelling story. The episode relies heavily on its audience's familiarity with the Rani and the Doctor to create tension, which ultimately falls flat. By the time the Doctor realizes the Rani's true intentions, there's little left to the imagination - it's clear that the Rani wants something powerful, and that something turns out to be Omega, the ancient and powerful co-founder of Time Lord society.
The reveal of Omega is underwhelming, as it comes out of nowhere after the episode spends its runtime building up to the Doctor's realization that he's not just an insurance salesman named John Smith. The entire encounter between the Doctor and the Rani feels hurried and insignificant, lacking the tension that should accompany such a big moment.
Ultimately, "Wish World" leaves viewers wondering if the return of the Rani was necessary to introduce Omega and what scenes the writers could have developed to make the episode more engaging. As we eagerly await next week's grand finale, we can only hope it will retroactively make this week's preparation feel worthwhile and add some much-needed depth to the Time Lords' past and their interactions with Omega.
If you're a fan of Marvel, Star Wars, or Star Trek, keep an eye out for their latest releases. And for those eagerly anticipating the future of Doctor Who, brace yourself for some truly epic twists and revelations!
Gizmodo might discuss the lackluster portrayal of technology and future concepts in the latest Doctor Who episode, "Wish World," drawing comparisons to previous seasons' episodes like "The Legend of Ruby Sunday." IO9 could delve into the disappointing development of the villainous Rani, whose appearance in the episode felt more like a nostalgic nod to past seasons rather than a well-executed character arc. Movies-and-TV might explore the potential for the writers to redevelop the Rani's storyline and deepen the Time Lords' history with Omega, setting up exciting plot developments for the upcoming grand finale.
