Warning! The following contains spoilers for the Doctor Who episode “Empire Of Death.” Stream it with a Disney+ subscription and read at your own risk!
It feels like Doctor Who has just returned, and it’s already time for the season to say goodbye! Fortunately, “Empire Of Death” answered so many questions viewers had about coincidences after the return of the classic villain, Suketh the Destroyer. It also seems the series laid the foundation for The Doctor’s next big adventure after resolving the Ruby Sunday mystery; at least, that’s my theory.
Ruby finally connected with her birth mother in the season finale, and while it wasn’t a Doctor Who legend like some theorized, it does seemingly lay the groundwork for what’s next for The Doctor with Ruby staying behind. Don’t worry, we already have confirmation that Millie Gibson is returning to the series, but while we wait for her comeback and the upcoming Christmas special, here’s where I think the adventure is headed.
How I Think Ruby Reuniting With Her Birth Mother Will Impact The Doctor
I’ve mentioned previously how I was concerned with how Russell T. Davies would handle Ruby’s adoption storyline because I have close connections with adoptees in my personal life. My stomach dropped when they finally tracked down her mother, and The Doctor suggested Ruby leaving her be since her mother had all that time to find her and didn’t seek her out.
Fortunately, Ruby ignored him, and it ended up being a beautiful reconciliation that resulted in her two mothers finally meeting.
The Doctor’s apprehension was unsurprising, considering what he revealed to Kate Stewart in the previous episode. The Time Lord admitted that he actively avoided seeking out any of his family members after traveling with his granddaughter out of fear of endangering them by engaging. In his mind, it was best to remain lonely to keep them safe.
The Doctor actively said Ruby changed his perspective on family, so I have to wonder if this means he’ll finally start looking into his origins.
Will We Finally Meet More Of The Doctor’s Family And Learn The Time Lord’s True Origin?
For so long, The Doctor has been defined by his loneliness. He’s the last of his kind and a protector with few people in his life to hold onto. After Ruby Sunday, Russell T. Davies has a chance to change that narrative and allow Doctor Who to finally send the Time Lord on a journey to explore his own origins and find more of his family in the universe. Is this what the plan for the show is?
I can’t say for certain, though it would explain why Russell T. Davies has leaned so heavily into the storyline of The Timeless Child. There’s a big opportunity to pull back the curtain on the mystery of the character and figure out the origins that he himself is oblivious to.
Again, I don’t know if that will happen, but I’m down for seeing it if it does. It’s much better than the alternative of constantly saving and seeing Gallifrey destroyed!
Doctor Who is done for now on Disney+, but we already know that a Christmas special is coming later this year on the 2024 TV schedule and that the next season was shot with the intention of the series airing more consistently. In short, the wait likely won’t be as long as in past years, but it still feels agonizing, considering how great this season was and what the finale seemingly set up!