The Time Lords of Omega were tyrants and murderers!
The Doctor
Synopsis
Battle rages across the skies as the Unholy Trinity unleash their deadly ambition. The Doctor, Belinda and Ruby have to risk everything in the quest to save one innocent life.
Review
I’ve held off on reviewing The Reality War for just under a week. I think that it has helped to let the dust settle and gain a little bit of distance from it. I think that it has helped me get a healthy sense of perspective on the episode and what works and what doesn’t, rather than giving an instant reaction. I felt really disappointed with this finale after watching it for the first time. On rewatching, I have been able to identify some things that I like about the episode. The Reality War is deeply flawed.
I’ve toyed with how I was going to address the regeneration, but I think that it’s best to address the elephant in the room first off. The regeneration of Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor was a shock, because it felt like this Doctor had so much more potential, enough for at least another series. I can understand why Gatwa might want to move on – he has his sights firmly on Hollywood and theatre – but it feels a little bit too soon. I suppose that with the show’s future reportedly uncertain, Gatwa may have been wary to commit to the future and moving on at the end of the series would have made sense. I was hoping that we might get a conclusion to the Pantheon storyline and when the show returned, we might get Gatwa meeting the Daleks or the Cybermen before he left the show. I’m not a massive fan of the decision to cast Billie Piper as the next Doctor, if that is indeed the case. I really want to move away from the show looking backwards, especially with the reverance that the show seems to have towards the first Russell T Davies era. I really hope that I’m wrong, and the show goes from strength to strength, when it does return.
I stated in my review of Wish World that this episode felt messy and this is certainly something that continues to bleed into The Reality War. Part of that feeling is due to this story having to serve as a farewell to the Fifteenth Doctor, something that has not been seeded at all through this series. Whilst kudos must be given for the fact that the regeneration was not announced formally, I do think that The Reality War suffers as a result. It also suffers from a desire to cram in as many characters as possible, the vast majority of whom have very little to do. This is part of paying tribute to the Fifteenth Doctor’s era; we have Anita back from Joy to the World, as well as Susan Triad and Rose Noble, who all feel rather superfluous to the action. We also have the return of Ruby, which could work well but ultimately the sheer weight of characters means that Belinda feels utterly sidelined. It’s a real shame as Belinda had real potential to be a great companion and feels as though she was written out in favour of Ruby. It’s not a criticism of Millie Gibson, who does a really good job, especially in her scenes with Conrad, but rather the writing. Despite Ruby’s prominent role in this story and the Fifteenth Doctor’s era as a whole, she does not get a chance to say goodbye to this Doctor. Varada Sethu’s Belinda gets written into being a mother, and whilst she does a great job, that does feel disappointing after her feeling like a breath of fresh air at the start of the series. Then there is the issue of the dangled carrot of a reunion with Susan, which is not even referenced in this story.
There are positives amongst the general mess of this series finale. The final moments of the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda together are really nicely written, as are the Doctor’s final moments before his regeneration. There’s enough to show that the spark is still there withinThe idea of the UNIT tower being able to swivel to fire at the Bone Beasts is also so ridiculous that it feels entirely in keeping for Doctor Who. Finally, given how the show has attempted to rehabilitate the Timeless Child since Davies has returned, the cameo for the Thirteenth Doctor was a delight and Jodie Whittaker slots back into the role really well.
I think that it’s painfully obvious that Russell T Davies is not really interested in Gallifrey. When bringing back the show in 2005, he made the Doctor the last of the Time Lords, only bringing the Master back in 2007, and then bringing the Doctor’s home planet back right at the end of his era. His successor as show runner, Steven Moffat, brought Gallifrey back in The Day of the Doctor, but didn’t use this to dominate the show. It was enough to know that it was out there somewhere, for the Doctor to return to if he needed to. Chris Chibnall then destroyed Gallifrey again, and as we learn here, the genetic explosion rendered all Time Lords infertile. Whilst Davies uses this to give some justification to the concept of bigeneration, it does feel as though we may never get Gallifrey back again. That’s not a terrible thing – for every Deadly Assassin, there’s an Arc of Infinity – but I do feel like the last of the Time Lords thing has really run its course. Davies doesn’t even really feel interested in the Rani or Omega. It is notable that the latter has barely been seeded at all throughout this series and feels as though he is an afterthought. Both incarnations of the Rani have little to do, and Davies insists on telling us rather than showing us that they lack morals. Archie Panjabi’s incarnation of the Rani is dispatched quickly without ceremony, Anita Dobson’s disappears with no further reference. There seems to be little point to having two incarnations of the Rani in this story beyond a Two Ronnies joke, which I can only imagine went over the heads of a lot of the audience. Panjabi is very good as the Rani, so it was surprising to see to that incarnation killed off. Beyond escaping Gallifrey, the Rani doesn’t have the same track record of escaping death as the Master, so I would be surprised to see her come back. Omega is dispatched within minutes of him appearing on screen, blasted by the Vindicator, which has powers previously included to. It’s all rather disappointing.
As this is Ncuti Gatwa’s final performance as the Doctor for now, I just want to play tribute to his acting and performance as the Fifteenth Doctor. Gatwa has boundless charisma and enthusiasm, which has bled through to this incarnation, making it difficult to take your eyes off him in all of the stories in which he has featured. The Reality War, probably the weakest story of his era, is no exception. His acting opposite Whittaker in his final scene is one of the highlights, which feels sincere and well-performed. Actors following Gatwa into the role have a tough act to follow.
Verdict: Messy and disjointed, but featuring some strong performances, The Reality War is a disappointing end for the Fifteenth Doctor. 3/10
Cast: Ncuti Gatwa (The Doctor), Jodie Whittaker (The Doctor), Varada Sethu (Belinda Chandra), Millie Gibson (Ruby Sunday), Archie Panjabi (The Rani), Anita Dobson (Mrs Flood), Steph de Whalley (Anita Benn), Sam Lawton (Winnie Petheridge), Jonah Hauer-King (Conrad Clark), Sam Lawton (Winnie Petheridge), Ruth Madeley (Shirley Bingham), Michelle Greenidge (Carla Sunday), Sienna-Robyn Mavanga Phipps (Poppy), Jemma Redgrave (Kate Lethbridge-Stewart), Susan Triad (Susan Twist), Alexander Devrient (Colonel Christofer Ibrahim), Aidan Cook (The Vlinx), Yasmin Finney (Rose Noble), Bonnie Langford (Melanie Bush), Angela Wynter (Cherry Sunday), Nicholas Briggs (Voice of Omega/The Vlinx/Dalek) & Nila Aalia (Lakshmi Chandra), and introducing Billie Piper.
Writer: Russell T Davies
Director: Alex Sanjiv Pillai
Producer: Chris May
Composer: Murray Gold
Original UK Release Date: 31st May 2025
Best Moment
The moment that the Doctor and Belinda start folding up Poppy’s jacket, as it gets smaller and smaller does really pack a punch.
Best Quote
He walks around like he’s one of you, but you’re like insects to him.
The Rani
Previous Fifteenth Doctor review: Wish World
For more Fifteenth Doctor reviews, click here.
The Impossible Blog 
For any Doctor Who season finale that sparks plenty of controversy about where the show could go next, my curiosity may be peaked enough with whatever is planned in the case of Billie Piper. I’ll easily agree that Ncuti’s era deserved a third season even if the reasons for any actor to want to move on can often be quite respectable. I can share anyone’s disappointment with how Omega was treated in this one. Personally, especially after how Omega was seen in a specific Amsterdam scene in Part 4 of Arc Of Infinity (sharing smiles with a kid and then smiling at the musical entertainment he clearly likes), the sympathetic and tragic portraits of this Time Lord villain work much better for me. He deserved a more redeeming and relieving closure. Maybe that can still be possible one day and of course with the most thoughtfully creative person at the helm at that time.
Thank you for your review.
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Omega went from a mad God to tragic villain to CGI abomination. There was a moment when I half-thought Peter Davison would walk through the door, but that might have been a bit too confusing!
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It was similar with the return to an all-out evil Master after the potential redemption that Missy’s incarnation showed at the end of Capaldi’s era. How far they can go in any sci-fi universe with keeping the villains evil is an ongoing debate. We saw Darth Vader in Return Of The Jedi and the Klingons in Star Trek VI find their redemption. I think that Russell T. Davies has made some specific mistakes upon his return even if other examples may still to some extent encourage my optimism. When it comes to returning villains between the classic series and the modern series, great care can be crucial in appealing positively enough to bold old and new fans. Davies took that to heart the very first Dalek return in Eccleston’s era. Hopefully he can improve on the Sea Devils (after how poorly they were treated in Jodie’s era) via the newest spinoff.
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Great review. I’m incredibly mixed on this new era of the show so far. There’s some great individual episodes, but the finales have consistently brought my mood down.
Belinda was such a waste of a character, literally shoved into a box and forgotten about until she’s turned into a single mum at the end. Which is especially weird after Wish World were I thought the whole point was that acting like it’s still the 50s and women are only fit to pop out children was bad.
RTD also seems to have forgotten how to make returning villains work, giving them little to no build up, then unceremoniously dispatching them. Maybe it’s the reduced episode count to blame, but in the first RTD era we always got an episode to build up the final boss before the actual finale.
On tthe plus side Ncuti is electric in every scene he’s in and I’m going to miss him so much. I get why he left and the blame is 100% on Disney dragging their feet on the next series commission.
As for Billie I’m interested in what she’ll do with the role. I recently rewatched Day of the Doctor and her performance as Bad Wolf has some very Doctor-ish vibes. But on the whole I think it’s time for some fresh blood to take a crack at the show. The current crop feel like they’ve done all they can at the minute.
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I agree that this era is very incoherent at times. This series started very strongly but tailed off at the end.
Excellent point re: Belinda!
Omega felt very last minute. I felt that RTD didn’t have enough faith that the Rani could sustain a finale and so he was a last minute inclusion. I agree about the lack of build up – if Omega had been teased at all, then it might have made more sense. I think the frustrating thing is that he clearly knows he should be doing it – having Mrs Flood/Susan Triad pop up every episode, but you need to provide some answers along the way. That’s why I like the Series 5 arc so much: we get some answers about the cracks in time early on, but there’s still an ongoing mystery.
Ncuti has been phenomenal. I just wish we had more of him. I’m veering towards being curious about why Billie is back. She is good in Day of the Doctor. It’s more the “stunt casting” feel that bothers me.
I agree about the need for fresh blood. I’d even welcome another returning writer, in the vein of Jamie Mathieson or Sarah Dollard.
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There’s still a part of me that hopes Toby Whithouse could one day be showrunner. Excluding Lie of the Land, I like all his episodes. That and I really like his show Being Human.
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After how honorably Toby wrote Sarah Jane’s return in School Reunion, I think that he would be great at the helm in arranging the returns of other classic series companions.
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