“The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” acts like any other Doctor Who season finale, but it doesn’t seem genuine. There are explosions, dramatic confrontations and a plot that starts as a rescue mission of two people and gradually ramps up into a mission to save not just planet Earth but nine other planets. However, it only draws on the season premiere for previous plot developments, leaving the other eight adventures the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and her companions went on to be forgotten. Though it has an engaging premise, it shows both the season’s greatest triumphs and most damning faults.
After receiving multiple distress signals from an alien planet, the Doctor and her companions land the TARDIS inside a spaceship containing only one remaining crew member, Paltraki (Mark Addy). It is quickly revealed to be Tzim-Sha (Samuel Oatley), still hilariously mispronounced as “Tim Shaw” by the Doctor, of the season premiere is holding the rest of the crew captive, killing one member and threatening to kill the rest if what was stolen from him was not returned. Written by showrunner Chris Chibnall, the stakes and tensions rise throughout the finale’s normal run-time of 50 minutes, with themes of revenge and forgiveness plaguing both Tim Shaw and season companion Graham O’Brien (Bradley Walsh).
Unfortunately for Graham, those themes come out of nowhere. It’s certainly not unbelievable he would want revenge after Tim Shaw indirectly killed his wife in the premiere, and the entire season gives focus to his and his step-grandson Ryan (Tosin Cole)’s grief. But until the finale itself, Graham had shown no significant desire to avenge her, making his sudden anger and recklessness jarring and out of character. Even more confusing is this theme is dismissively thrown away toward the end of the episode, leaving just as abruptly and without explanation as it appears.
Yaz (Mandip Gill), the third and most-often forgotten companion in the season, yet again serves as nothing for the episode but as someone to ask questions and follow orders.
Tim Shaw himself, however, is as frightening and maniacal as he was in the premiere, if not more. Now over three thousand years older, he aims to take revenge on the Doctor for marooning him on a desolate planet by destroying Earth, acting as a false deity for Andinio (Phyllis Logan) and Delph (Percelle Ascott), two extremely rare aliens with lifespans of millenia and near-supernatural powers that somewhat resemble the Force from Star Wars.
For the first season under new showrunner Chibnall, Doctor Who took a gamble.
Not only would it not feature any previous characters or alien creatures aside from the Doctor herself, but it would focus almost entirely on characters and episodic stories as opposed to overarching plots. In many ways, the gamble paid off, leading to a rich cast of characters and some of the most creative worlds and aliens in recent Doctor Who history.
But because of that, the show had to make certain sacrifices. This season Doctor Who has lacked much of the rich half-century of history previous seasons made full use of. The episodic nature meant there was very little plot moving the Doctor and her companions between space and time, with no real goal in mind other than wanderlust. Season 11 has had its fair share of brilliant episodes, but when viewed holistically, it’s hard not to miss that heart of the overarching story, driving the Doctor and his companions towards the finale.
“The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” is sweeping, dramatic and intense, in a season that is decidedly none of those things. It pretends to have payoff for events that never happened. Season 11 will be remembered for its many brilliant individual episodes, another fun and compelling iteration of the Doctor and two out of three deeply developed companions. But now that it has finished, it’s impossible to ignore the hole left by no overarching story, the glue that fits all the other episodes into one piece of a puzzle. Season 11 is a promising new start for the new cast and crew, but now that they’ve established an identity for themselves, it may not be a bad idea for them to look back at what made Doctor Who so celebrated in the past so it can continue to leave a legacy for the future.
Doctor Who will return New Year’s Day on BBC America.
