Doctor Who season 15 review: a tale of glitches, faces, and borrowed time

Doctor Who has always been a show about possibility, not just the “where” and the “when,” but the “how much can we twist the universe before it snaps?” As the 10th Doctor once explained:

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey… stuff.”

That’s exactly where the 15th season thrives and stumbles.

Across eight episodes, we saw timelines rewritten, realities glitched, faces shifted, and rules bent so far they practically looped back on themselves. At its best (The Story and the Engine), the season delivered standout emotional and creative highs, reminding us why Doctor Who has survived generations of reinvention. But it wasn’t without frustration.

The rise of The Rani, a long-awaited villain moment, fizzled out faster than expected, with plans undone and defeat coming a little too easily. The penultimate episode, Wish World, ended up being the season’s weakest, despite the emotional pull of showing just how important Rogue is to the Doctor’s life.

And even though the final twist, regenerating the Doctor into the face of Rose Tyler, was undeniably bold and exciting, the season often felt less like a full arc and more like an anxious build-up to what’s still to come.

Ruby Sunday remained a shining thread throughout, her story anchoring the season and her presence always feeling important, even when the bigger mythology sometimes got tangled. And the idea that rewriting reality leaves behind glitches stayed with us, a reminder that even when time gets stitched over, the past is never fully erased.

In the end, the 15th season left more questions than answers, more anticipation than closure. Emotionally, at least for me, it didn’t hit the towering heights of past farewells, like the heartbreak of the 10th or 11th Doctor’s exits, or even the powerful reunion of Donna Noble with the 14th. But it dared to end on a note of pure, chaotic possibility. And that’s Doctor Who at its most Doctor Who.

Main highlights and best moments

Every Doctor Who season has that episode, the one that reminds you why you love this show, why you stick around through all its wobbles and resets. For season 15, that moment was The Story and the Engine.

With its imaginative premise, layered emotional stakes, and clever twists, it stood out as the season’s crown jewel. It wasn’t just about spectacle; it was about heart, about pulling the Doctor and Ruby into a narrative that mattered, that lingered.

And then there was The Interstellar Song Contest, the kind of episode that Doctor Who excels at when it decides to go big, weird, and unapologetically camp. Set against the backdrop of an alien Eurovision-like event, it was the stage for the reveal that Mrs. Flood was, in fact, a version of The Rani, an ambitious narrative swing that made longtime fans sit up in their seats.

Throughout these highs, the chemistry between Ncuti Gatwa and Varada Sethu shone. Whether they were navigating crumbling realities, dealing with villains old and new, or simply sharing quiet moments of connection, they anchored the season emotionally, making the stakes feel real even when the plot veered into cosmic chaos. Millie Gibson added emotion and weight with her presence whenever she stepped into frame as well.

Frustrations and underused arcs

For all its high points, season 15 of Doctor Who wasn’t without its stumbles. One of the biggest frustrations came from the handling of The Rani. For a character whose return carried so much weight and expectation, her rise to main villain status felt strangely rushed.

She was positioned as the mastermind, the puppet master behind so many of the season’s glitches and timeline distortions, but her defeat came too easily, with plans unraveling faster than they were built. What should have been a major payoff for longtime fans instead felt like a missed opportunity, with the Rani’s full potential left untapped. And, yes, I know one of them is still out there.)

The penultimate episode, Wish World, became another sticking point. While it had moments of emotional significance, especially in showing how central Rogue is to the Doctor’s personal world, the episode as a whole felt the weakest of the season. Its plot was uneven, its pacing off, and it lacked the impact needed to set up the finale with full momentum.

Beyond individual episodes, the season sometimes struggled to balance its ambitious ideas. The concept of rewriting reality, of glitches left behind in time, was fascinating, but it didn’t always get the exploration it deserved. There were threads, hints, moments, but not always the depth that could have turned these ideas into something truly groundbreaking.

The Ruby Sunday factor

If there was one constant holding the season together, it was Ruby Sunday. From the start, Ruby has been a character designed to stand out, not just as a companion but as a mystery in her own right. And season 15 doubled down on that, making her not only the Doctor’s anchor but also the emotional thread tying the episodes into something coherent. In many ways, Ruby became the emotional core the Doctor needed, especially as the universe around them bent and broke in unpredictable ways.

What made Ruby shine wasn’t just her backstory or the big reveals. It was her presence, the way she faced the chaos, the glitches, the rewritten events, with determination and heart. Even when the bigger mythology of the season felt tangled or undercooked, Ruby’s journey grounded the show, reminding us why companions matter as much as, if not more than, the Doctor himself.

Implications for the future of Doctor Who

Season 15 of Doctor Who tells its own story while laying the groundwork for what’s coming next. By the time we reach the finale, The Reality War, the show pulls off one of its boldest moves: regenerating the Doctor into the face of Rose Tyler.

That decision shakes the fandom and opens a door full of possibilities. What does it mean for the Doctor’s identity, for memory, for continuity? And where is the 14th Doctor, the David Tennant version who’s still somewhere out there, left unseen?

The season’s exploration of rewritten realities and lingering glitches creates space for future arcs to play with. Nothing that was undone is fully erased. Just because events were rewritten doesn’t mean they never happened. This layered storytelling invites questions about what’s been hidden in the background, what consequences are still waiting to surface, and how the Doctor’s choices ripple forward.

The season avoids wrapping things up in a neat bow. There’s no grand farewell here, no emotional catharsis like the 10th Doctor’s heartbreaking “I don’t want to go” or the 11th’s bittersweet goodbye. Instead, we’re left in a place of transition, with a Doctor who is both familiar and unfamiliar and a universe full of cracks that haven’t been sealed. It’s a setup, a provocation, a challenge for the future.

Final verdict

Season 15 of Doctor Who brings ambition, bold choices, and moments of real magic. It gives us some emotional highs, some clever writing and emotionally chaotic fun moments, but, alongside these highs come missed opportunities, rushed arcs, and uneven pacing that sometimes leave the season feeling like a bridge rather than a destination.

Ruby Sunday stands out as the heart of this season of Doctor Who, carrying emotional weight even when the broader mythology struggles to land. And the Doctor’s transformation into Rose Tyler’s face signals that the show isn’t afraid to challenge its history and push into uncharted territory.

This season of Doctor Who doesn’t offer the sweeping, tearful goodbyes of past eras, nor does it deliver a perfectly polished arc. Instead, it builds anticipation, dares to experiment, and leaves the door wide open for what’s next.

Rating with a touch of flair: 4 falling stars, a timeline twisting on itself, anchored by Ruby’s heart and the Doctor’s daring, all set to the echoes of glitched realities and a universe daring you to look deeper.