Doctor Who Season 14 Review

Doctor Who (2005-)
Season 14 - 9 episodes (2024)

Watch Doctor Who on Disney+
Created by: Sydney Newman
Starring: Ncuti Gatwa, Millie Gibson, Susan Twist
Rated: TV-PG
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Plot
The Time Lord known as the Doctor travels through space and time with his companions, having incredible adventures and facing dangerous enemies.

Verdict
I enjoyed this season, and a large part of that was Ncuti Gatwa as the latest reincarnation of the Doctor. His performance and energy carry this season, and that's helped with the writing and variety of adventures this season that I've come to expect from the show. We get a myriad of experiences from creepy and heartfelt to fun and strange in the lead up to the big finale. This has a few really good episodes, and I wish the season was longer.
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Review
The marketing referred to this as "Season One" after Disney+ acquired international broadcasting rights. While this is the 14th season after the 2005 revival, it's the fortieth season overall. In his first season, Ncuti Gatwa plays the fifteenth Doctor, splitting from his predecessor, the fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant), rather than replacing him. Tennant played both the fourteenth and tenth doctor.

Ncuti Gatwa plays the Doctor

If you guessed the orphan in the first episode would become the Doctor's companion, you'd be correct. Ruby (Millie Gibson) and the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) are soon dealing with goblins, but a contrast is made between Ruby and her close knit family and the Doctor who states he has no family, no one.

Gatwa is just so much fun as the Doctor, possessing an infectious charisma. We get adventures like space babies and music eradicating demons, but Ruby's past is revisited throughout the season. Ruby wants to find her birth mother, but investigations return no information. Episodes without the Doctor like "73 Yards" have a different energy, but that episode is fun and creepy. The lack of the Doctor bolsters the feelings of isolation in the episode.

Millie Gibson, Ncuti Gatwa play Ruby Sunday, the Doctor

The previous seasons have lacked the fun and charisma this season and Doctor provide. While Capaldi's doctor was too dour, that was part of the character development.  While Jodie Whittaker's seasons weren't as fan as I had hope, I blame that on the writing. 

I like the big face off for the final episode of the season. It's a plot point the season has been building since the beginning, and it's a suitably big conclusion. This season feels like a return to form with a variety of adventures that cover various genres. I just wish we got more episodes.