Critique of Doctor Who: The Flaws in 'Empire of Death'

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Күн бұрын

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@LeeDawson 3 ай бұрын

You two are great, so refreshing to watch an enthusiastic and fair Doctor Who review that doesn't just attack every corner of the state of the show and still sharing valid critiques. Love the high production value too

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for the support

@richardgale1287 3 ай бұрын

"Was Sutekh attached to the outside of the TARDIS when...?" is now the new party game.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Yessuh!

@riddersjc 3 ай бұрын

I reckon Sutekh should have 'entered' when the TARDIS was duplicated, given that it was a god's 'state of play' that allowed it to happen, that would be the price for the doctor's prize. The cost of life is death. The affect on the story would be Sutekh only being able to start destroying all life in the universe from locations visited within this season, not everywhere the doctor has been since OG season 4. Less impactful? Slightly, but also avoiding a hundred plot holes. This would give the doctor more time (pun intended) to try and fix it - allowing this to be the three parter it should have been. This would crucially explain why Sutekh cares so much about Ruby, if the first thing he sees on his return is this mystery child, his villainous 'first face this face saw' if you will, you could have one or two lines of dialogue about 'the first you saved doctor will be my last' to justify his sparing of Ruby, and also why he waited for the time window incident to properly re-enter. Spoon sequence should have been cut, or have had a proper reason - the last place / person the doctor would ever visit, so therefore furthest from the 'death wave'. Would it be too much for that person to be Susan? Probably. Something of at least a little significance would have been nice. There. Fixed it. Kinda. Sutekh being trapped by the 'i rememberries' rope should also have been something less shoddy. How about closing the time window when Sutekh is 73 yards away from the TARDIS to keep him from latching on again, bind him to the memory TARDIS and send it back to his original destruction? First draft idea. Money for old rope. Apart from that... This episode had it's moments and plenty of potential. I personally disagree with Mr Know-it-all, the Ruby mum café scene actually made me cry, and then laugh because I was crying and the doctor wasn't for once (was it 4 times this episode?)

@richardgale1287 3 ай бұрын

@@riddersjc All of this excellent.

@Benlovescheese 3 ай бұрын

@@riddersjcrussell confirmed that because the tardis left the time vortex, it left a hole so he just cloaked himself and waited until he was more powerful and when the doctor was at his weakest to strike.

@unouwantme61183 3 ай бұрын

@@riddersjcthis is excellent!! Love your ideas!!

@m.stewart8094 3 ай бұрын

Good fantasy has rules too. "Fantasy" is not an excuse to get rid of logic. RTD is just being lazy. 7 is too kind. its 4 maybe a 5.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

I hear you so much

@JacksMelancholy 3 ай бұрын

I think y’all missed the Doctor’s explanation that the rope had the same molecular bonding as Rouge’s trap.

@ericjefferson6249 3 ай бұрын

I’m 100% with you on your review. RTD is awesome at part 1 setups but most of his part 2s fail to stick the landing. I would have given this episode a 6/10 but the overall season was pretty good albeit too short. Theory on Ms. Flood, I think she’s an inter dimensional being who is clearly aware of being a character on a tv show because she’s like Mr Mtyztplk or Bat Mite, a 5th dimensional being who may be a Dr Who fangirl.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Ooooh I’m intrigued by this possibility ok ok

@Tototoo88 3 ай бұрын

I think the cord was intelligent rope, from the Goblin episode

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Yeah that would make sense

@Tototoo88 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitall As you asked what people liked about the episode. I personally loved that Sutek didn’t kill the Doctor and Ruby because he was simply invested in who Rubies mum was. It showed that, although he gave the gift of death, he was just as invested in life as the rest of us. Also, in classic Who, Sutek wanted to destroy life to prevent anyone potentially being more powerful than him. So his lack of knowledge about Rubies mum made him worry that they could be potentially dangerous to him. In the end, she was just a normal person but who she was didn’t matter. It’s the characters belief that she was important that made her important. Sutek desiring answers to this mystery was how Ruby managed to get close enough to him to attach the intelligent rope. This episode was both disappointing as well as exceeding expectations. There’s so much to read into, and I think more will be understood with time. Ruby, her family and Mrs Flood are all coming back. Also, does anyone think that the spoon woman was his future daughter and the baby was Susan, his granddaughter?

@floppyfairy99 3 ай бұрын

The Angels are quantum locked when SEEN. Snooptek was detectable on a quantum scanner. Snooptek saw everything where ever the Tardis went. The angels should be frozen anytime the Tardis is in scene.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Ooooh true true

@mostamused2797 3 ай бұрын

Mrs. Flood on the roof is not dressed as the Rani. Flood is dressed exactly like Romana 1 in "Ribos Operation". So, she's dressed like another of the companions, like Clara. However, in 7th Doctor story, "Time and the Rani", the Rani dressed up as and immitated Mel.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Great catch! You are absolutely correct!

@GeoffTrowbridge 3 ай бұрын

Hmmm... It's just a white fur coat. The coat itself is a completely different design from the cloak that Mary Tamm used to wear. I suppose it's possible that it was intended to invoke comparisons to Romana, but if that's the case, they should have used a coat that more accurately matched the original design.

@therajaofashbourne8483 3 ай бұрын

nobody mentioning how Sutekh was just there when river was being concieved👀

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

That’s creepy

@therajaofashbourne8483 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitall your welcome 💀💀

@jkinghorn 3 ай бұрын

Great review, my wife and I had some of the same feelings, especially about the crying, it's good that this Doctor shows some more emotion, but way too much crying, and the screaming into the void felt really empty especially after the same kinda scream in Dot and Bubble. The Ruby ending was very much Rey's parents in the Last Jedi, and same kind of let down. Also the Suketh being there the whole time, like what about when the Tardis was in the Doctor's Wife, why didn't she say "oh yeah Suketh is wrapped around me so better fix that", as you said like the line about "the worst monster I've ever faced", just falls hollow when there's literally almost 1,000 episodes of stories. So I dunno, we'll still watch it, sometimes it takes Doctors at least a season to get on their footing, especially the last couple, I feel like the actors have never been the issue, it's been the writing, and seems like the bigger budget they have the less they focus on writing sadly, hopefully even with Disney money they come back around and focus on story.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

That’s our feeling too so we will see as well I’m glad you guys are watching it that’s great. Mrs. Know-It-All says “Hey!”👋🏼

@sowhatchajen2846 3 ай бұрын

Ruby’s mom said she didn’t find her because she was scared Ruby wouldn’t want to see her after so long. However we were introduced to Ruby doing a Christmas special about foundlings with a famous TV presenter. It was obvious she wanted to find her mom. I guess you could just say that she didn’t catch that but you think her mom would being watching a show about foundlings.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Ok this right here is sobering Mrs Know-it-all brought up to me just a couple nights ago she remembered that bit and was like “who doesn’t watch tv?!”

@krathoon2338 3 ай бұрын

The bungie cord was a cord that the Doctor enhanced like the gloves. It made a molecular bond with it's hook. Yes. It was stupid.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

😝

@rickkiricci784 3 ай бұрын

Am Believing that MRS FLOOD IS ACTUALLY """RIVER SONG""""🎉🎉🎉🎉

@AlannaBorden 3 ай бұрын

Alex doesn’t watch the show Anymore. And she’s pretty busy.

@lorrainesheridan496 3 ай бұрын

RT D wants you to believe anything look at how he ended Ruby. I no longer care who Anita Dobson is playing. I could be wrong and season two could rectify but session one was often meh! Have been watching Matt Smith because being the Doctor mattered then

@joeylawrence3865 3 ай бұрын

She's Iris Wildthyme. The ending was a dead giveaway.

@RicardoVermeltfoort 3 ай бұрын

I agree so much with this analysis. But for the Maestro thing, I believe that was more about Maestro seeing the link back to that day on Ruby Road and that "he who waits" Sutekh was there. BTW only discovered you from this video, immediate subscriber!

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Thank you so much

@terminatrix92 3 ай бұрын

It's so weird to end a character story like Ruby's with the Doctor leaving her behind as a definitive ENDING, only for RTD to insist she's coming back and soon. WHY pretend its the end? He could just pick her up by travelling forward a few months to when she's dealt with her family issues. And given that everyone in her family is so agreeable, what is there to deal with?! Didnt RTDs characters used to have flaws?? It all feels so hollow. By this point in Doctor Who there are literal companion clubs and UNIT, a place they can seemingly work at any time. So other than death (which never really happens) why does the Doctor even need a new companion?? Just pick up an old friend, or you know, stick with Ruby

@IsiahBradley 3 ай бұрын

THANKS for this!!!! HARSH, but I appreciate it!!! Too many questions. I *loved* it but wish it was tighter. Right about not enough. I think the "appropriation" comment had multiple meanings. We're supposed to be excited about Ncuti's two quests: for his lover and for Susan.

@steve-0493 3 ай бұрын

Must... have.. that... shirt!!!. Rabble rabble rabble rabble😂😅

@MultiDragon1313 3 ай бұрын

Him not croaking could have been something to do with the unexplained history of the Dr that chipnal threw out

@m5msm 3 ай бұрын

9:00 it's Intelligent rope

@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout 3 ай бұрын

Was Sutekh there when Clara hung on to the TARDIS in "The Time Of The Doctor"? Was he all "I'm not blowing my cover, but seriously, find your own."

@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout 3 ай бұрын

21:15 Except he never did, because Ruby kept him from doing it, but wibbly-wobbly whatever, I guess.

@MultiDragon1313 3 ай бұрын

I don't think he's been on since number 4 . I figured he by chance latched on after new who started possibly the 10th to the 13th

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

🤔

@emeraldknight72 3 ай бұрын

7:00 that’s been my theory. What does rain do? It floods. What’s an anagram of rain? Rani! I won’t be disappointed if that’s not true, but it’s fun to theorize. 17:19 I didn’t like that imagery. I didn’t see “take the dog for a walk,” I saw “dog getting dragged by car.” 24:56 this is where I thought it was a three-parter cut down to two. I think that part two was supposed to end with the Doctor screaming into the void and then part three would start up some time later (unknown amount of time) where he meets the woman on the planet for the metal.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Agreed with all your points and Mrs. Know-it-all was slapping me in the arm as I read her your comment going “See!!!”

@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout 3 ай бұрын

Wow do I hope they bring Sliders back now...

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Right! Lol

@MrShowoff27 3 ай бұрын

I didn't hate it, but i was disappointed 😢.

@MrShowoff27 3 ай бұрын

I loved the season, but it went out on a fizzle.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Yeah

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

That’s what I think

@OrishiBlackMoses 3 ай бұрын

As powerful as the Tardis is and the fact that she is alive and Sutekh can just ride around more or less on or around it and not be detected by the Tardis is just Wild to me. Plus wasn't that called intella rope with a molecular bonding hook 😂😂.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

It sure is named that now lol yeah it felt odd to me too

@warrenduncan1528 3 ай бұрын

“We’re Americans, you’re damn right!” Lol!

@terminatrix92 3 ай бұрын

I agree with these criticisms; RTD is treating the show now, even more than in his previous era, as fantasy over sci-fi. Moffat for all his flaws in writing characters, bound the show with a consistent and satisfying internal logic. Memory magic bungie cord is a huge stretch! Literally and especially, for a nacguffin introduced in the final episode! Sure I'll give him the gravity defying gloves, although I dont love them either... but at least they were set up previously. The memory TARDIS as a device has some merit. But all these concepts at once?!

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

I really dig your interpretation of things yes to all of this

@davidwebb4451 3 ай бұрын

Mavity defying gloves surely ?

@akshaytrayner1960 3 ай бұрын

Great vid guys

@OpinionsNoOneCaresAbout 3 ай бұрын

Was Sutekh there when the universe cracked and the TARDIS exploded?

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Clearly lololol

@PROdotes 3 ай бұрын

It's below 7 for me personally... it was sitting around a 6-7 for me, till the Ruby reveal... It's not that she can't be a normal girl... that part of the reveal is fine... it's just that what we saw felt like a fakeout and RTD going "ain't I clever?" and me going "no... no you are not..." The thing with the Maestro you pointed out, then also he wants me to believe the image of her skipped in the time window just cause everyone believed she's special... how would that affect it... and also her pointing through the doctor, through the tardis, at a sign, no one could see at the moment... And then there's also the snow and the doctors memory changing... I guess that was mrs flood and it will be revealed later, but the doctor just ignores it completely... So that part was just RTD trying to be clever and failing for me...

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

“No no you are not” 😂😂😂🤣

@dutchessbarbie12369 3 ай бұрын

@Mr,KnowItAll What color is the Timeless Child's Dress when the Child is found? And What color is the baby's dress?

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

👀🤔😮 it did look the same didn’t it?! 🤯

@dutchessbarbie12369 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitall RTD snuck the Timeless Child's true home planet in and the Doctor did not even know he was home maybe even talking to family, He did say the Kind Woman would be important and now we know why. Oh and on Doctor Who Podcast RTD gave us a tease about Christmas and Season 2. Check it out cause he says Ruby's story is not done.

@brentbrooks3 3 ай бұрын

Fantastic video from a great channel. I feel sorry for all the fans of the show who have yet to find you folks. Keep .... Going.... We need you. Too many anti woke angry boy channels and too many "everything is amazing" channels. Fair analysis from people like you who love the show and can hold opposing thoughts in your head at the same time, sadly a precious commodity.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Hey thank you so much

@alfhughes6571 3 ай бұрын

Mrs Flood may be The White Guardian

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Ooooh great pull

@UberDr009 3 ай бұрын

2mins in and I agree. Not a BAD episode but just kinda meh. It's a gamble letting your audience come up with theories only to be like "Nah, actually she's an ordinary woman and everything is coincidental or oddly convenient" I really didn't like how Ruby was obsessed with her biological mother. It was like the woman who raised her and took care of her no longer mattered. I'll have to watch that ending again but yeah... Also, ngl, if I had spent money to watch that 2 parter in cinema I probably would of left disappointed. HOOOOOWEVER Ncuti is a great Doctor, We still have the Misses Flood mystery, and I'm looking forward to the next season. I just hope Ruby comes back because the actress was really good

@lorrainesheridan496 3 ай бұрын

Ncuti is a weak cry baby doctor sadly. Not the actors fault

@Hercules_Flexing 3 ай бұрын

26:30 man I wish I took it that way but ain’t no way I can give RTD credit for that. What with all the messaging this show has now, I just don’t see it

@rrstows3522 3 ай бұрын

Was the farther of ruby named ,G Williams? The name of the most dangerous pm in history. Strange coincidence.

@rrstows3522 3 ай бұрын

@Deathstroke-zm4vt owell sounds familiar. Must have something to do with all the goings on

@lorrainesheridan496 3 ай бұрын

No ap which means sonof. Too clever for RT D these days sadly

@CassidyShadewing 3 ай бұрын

For me, it feels like they threw out the old playbook becuase "oh now we got disney money!" Now they can have a budget and do things they never dreamed of, and becuase of that they don't need to write around how lacking or jank the sets and creature designs might be. They no longer have to be clever to cover or make up for the lack of Budget. They can just do whatever the fuck they want to do no, with no one to tell them no. And that always end up leading to an inferior product. Time and again across multiple series, multiple projects, one common thing I tend to hear is basically "Its becuase we're limited, means we got to be more creative to tell the stories we want."

@CassidyShadewing 3 ай бұрын

In regards to the episode shuffling... With the last episode I strongly got the feeling that we were missing episodes. Like RTD wrote this season as he would have previously; with like 13 episodes. Then he learned that not how streaming seasons work. You get higher budget, but lower episode count. So he had to scrap 5 episodes. This would explain why there were Susans we'd not seen, and why Ruby's mystery suddenly feels important that the episode starts with him skidding into UNIT HQ. And becuase he suddenly had to choose what 5 episodes needed to be dropped, he needed to shuffle what remains around. This is why Devil Chord's, which always felt to me like a midseason episode, comes early becuase after Space Babies they needed a more "tradtional" feeling episode, where both were working togeather. And its about the only episode this season that both feels like a tradtional RTD modern episode, while also having both Doctor and Ruby share the screentime.. I am hoping this much at least gets fixed in Season 2, if my belief is true and the season is written for 8-9 episodes (since Ruby's story starts in Church, that means a total of 9 episodes to try and explore her mystery)

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

True story. Every great director says they did better work on less money.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

I like the way you think #knowitallcertified right here primo speculation that has sound logic behind it!

@CassidyShadewing 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitall Not even just with less money, sometimes its network censorship, or something else preventing them from doing something; they have to find ways to do the story they want within whatever limits they have. And my big feeling this season, is the RTD has forgotten that; when he kinda literally wrote the book on that... I know there is a book about the DW writing process that he had input on.

@SKIP-yj3xp 3 ай бұрын

Davros plan in "Journey's End" was more interesting. I believe, since the 15th Doctor duplicated the Tardis, Sutekh still exists on the 14th Doctor's Tardis. This is the most disappointing finale since "The Blacklist" on NBC.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Whoopf!

@SIRXMAN 3 ай бұрын

I think Miss flood is the white Guardian

@unouwantme61183 3 ай бұрын

Was very disappointing…. I think what they could have done differently was to use the memory Tardis to go back to the Mavity situation, correct it… and maybe that reset the timeline and now, knowing Sutekh is on the Tardis, but before he attacks… stop him. As for Ruby… she should have been related to Mrs Flood or something because at the very end… what Mrs Flood is saying the Doctors fate is bleak, it’s snowing… maybe there should have been a connection there… but yeah I feel like RTD just straight up cheated and sadly based on his latest interviews, he doesn’t even care. I love Doctor Who but this disappointed me.

@esecallum 3 ай бұрын

SUTEKH LOOKED LIKE A DOG ON ACID...or a Rentaghost comedy programme horsehead....He was very impressive in POM when sitting and wearing that mask...

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

He was and I actually wished he had taken human form in a modernized version of that mask. It would have been pretty epic.

@thecaveofcreatures1728 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitallI suspect they avoided the classic look with mask because it would have been spoiled with set leaks. The CGI probably could be hidden for longer

@blackphoenix77 3 ай бұрын

I give it a 5. This episode did nothing for me; it was completely underwhelming.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

I feel that.

@williamwatson4354 3 ай бұрын

I don't see her being the Rani. There's been a rights issue for years preventing her return.

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Really? That’s new information so thank you very much!

@williamwatson4354 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitall The Rani was created by Pip and Jane Baker, who are now deceased. So their estate would have to approve any return.

@krathoon2338 3 ай бұрын

Ehhh.... I disagree. It is a bad episode. It makes no sense at all and is dumb.

@kendiggs 3 ай бұрын

Based on a several story points, I have to believe that Ruby's ending ISN'T REALLY her ending but is an in-universe fakeout engineered by the Doctor and/or UNIT to stop her from searching for the truth. She's SOMETHING other than an ordinary human, and her true form is scary and hidden by a perception filter. As you mentioned, the Maestro is terrified of her. Also, in 73 Yards the spectre of her elderly self follows her at the exact limit of a perception filter. She directs certain people to LOOK at young Ruby from just out of perception filter range, and they are *immediately terrified* of her after they see what she really is--even Carla! The whole "Ruby's mum is just an ordinary person, and so is Ruby" ending is a fakeout. Also consider that Ruby's bio-dad was named as William Garnet. "Ap Gwilliam," as in Roger Ap Gwilliam, future horrible Prime Minister, means "of William." There's much more to the story, and the simple ending is a fakeout. I HAVE to believe that.

@riddersjc 3 ай бұрын

We all hope you're right...

@arealknowitall 3 ай бұрын

Sigh yeah I can see where you’d want that. I would want that, I’m just not very hopeful

@kendiggs 3 ай бұрын

@@arealknowitall It's either that or all these unresolved clues were set up for *no reason at all.* Much much more is coming.

@thecaveofcreatures1728 3 ай бұрын

That theory doesn't quite hold up. In 73 Yards, Kate is also terrified of Ruby even when they're sitting right next to each other. I don't think it's a perception filter thing. Also nothing in their current relationship/interactions suggests the Doctor would fabricate a false narrative for Ruby.