As Earth collapses out of reality, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) is rescued by Anita Benn (Steph de Whalley), a friend from the past. She brings him to the Time Hotel and he learns that the Rani put Earth into a time loop with the Desiderium, an infant god that can transform wishes into reality. He and Anita use the Time Hotel’s doors to restore the memories of his companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) and everyone at UNIT. While Ruby Sunday (Millie Gurson) and some agents have their memories restored with chip implants. Many of his old friends from other episodes appear.
The Rani (Archie Panjabi) and Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) confront the Doctor and reveal their plan to bring the mad and evil Omega (Voice of Nicholas Briggs) into the universe and create a new race of Time Lords. The Doctor tells Belinda to take the baby Poppy into a special chamber to protect the child from being erased when reality is restored. He infiltrates the Rani’s palace as Omega comes forth in the form of a huge human-like skeleton. He threatens to consume all and proceeds to swallow the Rani alive. Mrs. Flood beats a hasty retreat as the Doctor forces Omega back into his prison using the vindicator (his new gadget). Ruby enters the palace to steal the Desiderium. Ruby wishes for Conrad to be happy and his wish undone. The Doctor rejoins her in the TARDIS and they wish for no new wishes to be granted.
Reality is restored, but with a few differences. The Desiderium is given to Ruby’s family and Anita moves to the Time Hotel. The baby, Poppy, is gone and never existed, except that only Belinda remembers him, and she convinces the Doctor that she is right. The Doctor thinks Poppy’s erasure is a mistake, and he thinks he knows how to fix it. He leaves in the TARDIS and assisted by the Thirteenth Doctor (Jodie Whittaker), he begins a regeneration so that using the Time Vortex he can shift the timeline slightly and bring the baby back. This works and Poppy is now Belinda’s daughter but not his. He says goodbye and continues his spectacular regeneration. He vanishes in an explosion of light and becomes Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).
The episode was written by Russell T. Davies and directed by Sanjiv Pillai. Jodie Whitakker’s cameo was praised by critics, but the Rani and Omega as the antagonists were criticized as kind of obscure for recent fans. So was the appearance of Billie Piper as the next doctor. Rose was a beloved character from the early new Doctor series, but she was not a Time Lord, and I can see how that would be a bridge too far for some. I think that Russell T. Davis, when he gets a cool idea, just runs with it and the hell with continuity. Maybe he figures he can write something later to straighten it out. In any event, the series went on hiatus in June 2026. Ncuti Gatwa said that he wanted to bow out of the role because it was too physically and emotionally demanding.
Indeed, it seems, the whole reason they had to get to 24 May 2025 this season, despite the end of the world in their way, was so that Belinda could be there for Poppy. Though the last two episodes were indeed a bit confusing at times, I thought it was all the things we expect Doctor Who to be—fast-paced, mind-boggling, energetic, full of surprises, and it all hinges on love. It always seems that no-matter how scientific the gadgets and fantasy-like the plot, it always comes down to an affair of the heart.
Ncuti Gatwa faced resistance when he became The Doctor, as did Jodie Whittaker, and some of that may be simple prejudice, but Ncuti Gatwa faced the misfortune of following David Tennant. But Gatwa's Doctor stands out as being particularly emotional, which is not a common character trait of Doctors. Gatwa was capable of showing several emotional states at once. We have seen him sad, joyous, angry, and loving in the same remarkable speech. The Doctor can be any age, any color, any sex, but we have seldom seen one so human.