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And just like that , the later season ofDoctor Whohas come to an conclusion . The long - track down BBC sci - fi serial kicked off its current , Russell T Davies - run earned run average lately last twelvemonth with a trio of David Tennant - lead 60th anniversary special that were , in turn , followed by the show ’s 2023 Christmas special , The Church on Ruby Road . That installment officially introduced watcher to Ncuti Gatwa ’s Fifteenth Doctor and his first companion , Ruby Sunday ( Millie Gibson ) , and it position up a series of cosmic , prison term - hopping adventures to make out .
The season that has since air did n’t prove to be the full - bollix up home run that some may have need . It did , however , successfully breathe spirit back intoDoctor Whoand brought with it more than a few memorable novel entranceway in the series ’ ever - originate lean of bully installment . With that in mind , now that Gatwa ’s firstDoctor Whoseason is over , here are all nine of its episodes — rank from worst to best .
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9. Space Babies
Space Babiesis an admirably unearthly , zany sci - fi adventure that does n’t ultimately go anywhere specially interesting or surprising . Its secret plan , which follows the Doctor and Ruby as they witness themselves trap on a baby manufactory that is being stalked by a slimy monster , is fair tame and by - the - numbers byDoctor Whostandards . It give the episode lot of opportunities for both stress and humor .
Like a lot of the Russell T Davies - indite episode ofDoctor Whothat do n’t totally come together , though , it ’s a tonally odd slice that never really finds its terms or a cycle that works . As its season ’s first non - holiday special instalment , it ’s a bit of a letdown . Fortunately , the time of year only really got better from this point on .
8. The Church on Ruby Road
Like 2005’sThe Christmas Invasion , The Church on Ruby Roadtries to give birth all the minute of wintery cheer that everyDoctor WhoChristmas special should while also introduce the show ’s latest looping of the Doctor . ToThe Church on Ruby Road‘s credit , there ’s an mad vim run through the integral installment that is highly endearing , and both Gatwa and Gibson emerge as equally luminous , likable shape betimes in its runtime .
However , the scenes feature its singing , clip - traveling goblin scoundrel , who feast on both the temporal power of coincidences and the flesh of human babies , are too preposterous and ridiculous even forDoctor Who . The episode , accordingly , gets Gatwa and Gibson’sDoctor Whoera off to an uneven start — one that leaves you promising but nervous to see what they do next .
7. The Devil’s Chord
labialize out the time of year ’s lackluster opening trio of episodes isThe Devil ’s Chord . Featuring a conniption - steal keep going turn from Jinkx Monsoon as the villainous Maestro , the 1960s - set installment is better and more well - realized than bothThe Church on Ruby RoadandSpace Babies .
It overstays its welcome , though , and pushes itself to such an ill - fitting megahit shell that its last acts ends up becoming more mildly irritating than thrillingly entertaining . It ’s an instalment that is brim with genuinely astonishing stylistic touch and moments of formal experiment , but it does n’t know when to slow up down or stop , and that greatly limits its overall impact .
6. Dot and Bubble
ABlack Mirror - esque exploration of the dangers of social medium bubbles , thisDoctor Whoepisode starts off strong and only gets better in its last 10 minutes . put in the futuristic , domed city of Finetime , the episode follows Lindy Pepper - Bean ( Callie Cooke ) , a occupier of Finetime , as both the Doctor and Ruby endeavor to carry through her from an invasion of human - eating , germ - similar aliens by chatting with her through her VR societal medium meshing .
compose , once again , by Russell T Davies , Dot and Bubbleis the slowest installment ofDoctor Who‘s modish season , but its slow - burning nature pays off in coon when Davies makes the bold pick to reveal that the person the Doctor has maintain so much effort to save is , in her own way , just as flagitious as the animate being he ’s tried to protect her from . The wind in question bringsDot and Bubbleto a conclusion that is as dark as it is scathing , and which gives the episode ’s larger themes the sharpness they take .
5. Rogue
Written byLokiseason 1 director Kate Herron and Briony Redman , Rogueis silly , romanticistic , light on its feet , and so , so much fun . rig in the early 1800s , the episode espouse the Doctor and Ruby as their tripper into the past is cut off by the presence of murderous , shapeshifting aliens who , like them , are do-or-die to live out their own , Bridgerton - urge fantasies .
Anchored by Gatwa ’s playful chemistry with guest star Jonathan Groff , who almost steal the episode as a time - traveling bounty hunter , Rogueis the platonic ideal of a standard , mid - seasonDoctor Whoepisode . It does n’t take itself too in earnest , but it is n’t so brash as to be distracting , either , and its final minutes are just voluminous enough to institutionalize the episode out on a high .
4. Empire of Death
Empire of Death , the second half ofDoctor Whoseason 14 ’s two - part conclusion , is a profoundly atmospherical , surprisingly propel hour of television . It follows the Doctor , Ruby , and Mel Bush ( Bonnie Langford ) as they hide away in a “ retentiveness TARDIS ” and attempt to find a way to reverse the effects of Sutekh ’s dust of death . fix in a universe that has endure quiet from widespread release and bone - deep despair , Empire of Deathnot only forces Ncuti ’s Gatwa ’s Fifteenth Doctor to outfox one of his most powerful foe for the second fourth dimension but it also pushes him to make the coloured decision of hisDoctor Whotenure to date .
The instalment is , for the most part , completely thrilling and piquant . Its placement this low on this list is , therefore , due to the potency of the remaining entries , its own inability to replicate the same sentience of little terror and operatic drama as its contiguous predecessor , and the slightly anticlimactical nature of its final reveals regarding Ruby ’s mysterious mother .
3. The Legend of Ruby Sunday
The Legend of Ruby Sundayis a masterclass in steady construct tension and dread . After repeatedly teasing the arrival of a hefty god known only as “ He Who look ” across its first seven chapters , Doctor Whoseason 14 in conclusion reveals its Big Bad ’s individuality in an episode that is perfectly paced , emended , and , in its closing minutes , absolutely shuddery . The episode ’s high tip is undoubtedly its climactic sequence , which brings a relatively obscureWhovillain named Sutekh back into the fold with an entrance that is about as dramatic and terrific as any of the show ’s antagonist have ever meet .
As expertly conceive and constructed as the installment ’s climax is , though , its preceding minutes are full of notable moments , including a digital reconstruction of Ruby ’s origin story that is both eery and heartbreaking . The Legend of Ruby Sundayalso gets fillip points for pay Jemma Redgrave what might be her best swing at at-bat yet as the occasionally frustrating but increasingly appealing Kate Lethbridge - Stewart .
2. Boom
A edgy slice of pure , ungoverned stress good manners of former showrunner Steven Moffat , Boomis about as outright attacking as an episode ofDoctor Whowill ever get . As concise , economical , and dispense with as its title suggests , the episode follows the Doctor as he tries to figure out how to step off a futurist landmine without killing himself and everyone else present on the war - torn planet he and Ruby have get themselves on .
Like a lot of greatDoctor Whoepisodes before it , Boomserves as a showcase for both its writer and maven . It gives Ncuti Gatwa more to do emotionally than much any of the time of year ’s other installment , and the actor does n’t let the opportunities presented byBoompass him by . He chews his way through every one of the installment ’s tense beats — all while stand almost the intact time on one leg , no less — and helps pushBoomto the explosive , gripping heights that so many longtimeWhofans went into it hop it would touch .
1. 73 Yards
A doc - lite episode,73 Yardsfollows Ruby after the accidental break of a Welsh fag circle seemingly erases the Doctor from existence , locks her out of the TARDIS , and resultant role in her being relentlessly stalked from a distance by an sometime woman whose simple bearing makes anyone who gets stuffy to her run in fear from Ruby herself . A melancholiac , haunting meditation on the very human fearfulness of being abandoned,73 Yardsbounces effortlessly between genre — transforming seamlessly from a Welsh folk revulsion tale to aDead Zone - esque sci - fi political thriller to a dramatic speculation on growing up , aging out of your onetime fears , and reconnecting with your immature self .
The episode ’s orbitual determination answers just enough questions while also creating entirely new ones . In doing so,73 Yardsleaves the room access unfastened for repetition viewings and different rendering — warrant that viewers will return to it in the years to come just to experience its many mysteries and emotions , as well as Millie Gibson ’s astonishing key public presentation , all over again . As a result , of all the episode thatDoctor Whohas produce over the past six months,73 Yardshas the best luck of being remembered in 10 year asone of the show ’s very best .
All nine episodes ofDoctor Whoseason 14 are streaming now on Disney+ .
