***The following review contains major spoilers for 208, "The Reality War." A recap is also available***

“The Reality War,” the season finale of Doctor Who, dropped later than usual this Saturday on Disney Plus, as this afternoon it was simulcast with the UK. In the episode, the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) faces off against the Rani (Archie Panjabi) as she prepares to open a door to Omega (voiced by Nicholas Briggs). The Doctor must not only stop the threats and save the planet, but rewrite reality to save an innocent life that could mean the end of his own.

There is a lot to unpack with the episode, which was jam packed with craziness and timely-wimey that only the Doctor can bring. First off, out of the gate, I loved Anita (Steph De Whalley) coming from the Time Hotel to save the Doctor. She was a great one-off character originally, and I also was delighted with the bits in this episode of old footage with her visiting other incarnations of the Doctor. Although her arrival was a way to a quick resolution to the conundrum that the Doctor (and the rest of the world for that matter) found himself in at the end of the previous episode, with him plummeting to the disintegrating Earth, it worked and left room for the rest of the action in an already extra-long episode. It also brings more examples in this season that have been throwbacks to earlier episodes in the current Doctor’s run as well as the classics.

I always love the characters at UNIT and was pleased with the way everyone there was brought back into their own reality and started to finally remember the truth. Mel (Bonnie Langford)’s arrival was also a lot of fun. Bringing back Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney) was a nice touch and done in a way to drive the point home that she didn’t exist because she wasn’t seen, without overdoing it.

The battle against the Bone Beasts was also thrilling and just part of the fantastic visuals that the episode was overflowing with. I love how the tower turned into an enormous gun as they fought them off. The move to Disney Plus and the huge budget increase definitely showed in the two-part finale, and while I sometimes enjoy the rubber suits and cheesiness of Doctor Who villains, it was put to really good use in the finale.

I found the Doctor’s standoff with the Rani in the episode entertaining, including how he tricked her with his sonic screwdriver. It’s interesting that what she really wanted was to bring Gallifrey back, although I was a bit surprised the Doctor stood back to let her release Omega. I know that he was curious, but it put the Earth in danger. I do though think this part felt very rushed. There was a big buildup about bringing Omega back, and it was a huge deal, and for it to only last a few minutes was a bit disappointing. I think that these last two episodes, especially since the finale was longer, could have probably been stretched into three episodes easily and would have made a better, more complete story arc. But to be fair, I can’t say it wasn’t exciting, it definitely was, and using the Vindicator as the weapon of choice, which had been there from the beginning, was a cool twist, and the breadcrumb left previously about the power it contained was threaded well. There were some great comedic moments in this scene too, with the demise of the Rani and how Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) abandoned the fight.

The wrap-up with the baby, Desiderium, was exactly what I expected, placing him with Ruby (Millie Gibson)’s family, which was nice, and I even liked that Conrad (Jonah Hauer-King) got a second chance and that Ruby was able to understand what it was that made him the man he became, because that’s who Ruby is.

I do have to say they though, they did leave without really giving Ruby a proper send off after taking the time to bring her back, especially when she was the one who rallied for the Doctor to do something about Poppy (Sienna-Robyn Mavanga-Phipps). I also was disappointed that she and Shirley (Ruth Madeley) didn’t try to stop Conrad’s signal as had been hinted at in the previous episode. Again, having another extra episode may have left more time to pick up that thread. I guess there is the possibility she could be coming back or show up in the UNIT spinoff, The War Between the Land and the Sea, down the road, though there hasn’t really been any indication of that happening.

I feel like this episode had a fake ending almost, where it could have been left but then turned the corner, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Using the Zero Room to save Poppy originally as a way to end the wish and keep her alive really worked, although I was a bit shocked that the Doctor expected Belinda (Varada Sethu) to just put Poppy in by herself with the possibility his own daughter would be left for eternity all alone. However, I did question how the story would continue in the future with a baby around, and it would have become a problem later if the Doctor just left her behind with Belinda to go gallivanting around the universe. Having him change reality again so that she always was Belinda’s daughter worked even better. Although I do still very much feel Belinda was underused and sidelined way too much in the story this season and would have liked to have gotten more time with the Doctor and her going on adventures.

Regardless, the Doctor using regeneration energy to shift reality back made perfect sense to me, and although I would have preferred to see a different Doctor return, it was fun to have the return of Thirteen (Jodie Whittaker) for a bit. While I did appreciate the conversation the two Doctors had about love and that Thirteen admitted she loved Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill), personally, I would much rather have seen Twelve (Peter Capaldi) say this about Clara (Jenna Coleman). I did love though Gatwa’s comment about it usually being a different version of himself that turns up.

As the Doctor did finally regenerate, I also again appreciated there was another callback, with him talking to Joy (Nicola Coughlan), even if we didn’t see her.

As for the regeneration itself, I’m left unsure how to feel. Overall, I really liked Gatwa as the Doctor and other than a few hiccups last season, I truly enjoyed the ride. Honestly, if anything, my overall complaint with these two seasons with the Fifteenth Doctor in general is that there was not enough time to get to know both him and Belinda, or really even Ruby. These last two seasons were way too short, and now we are already losing him. Billy Piper was a great companion as Rose, and I’m sure she’ll do a smashing job as the Doctor, but I’m not sure that it makes a lot of sense yet. That being said, I wasn’t sure where the story with the fake reality and the craziness with the Doctor and Belinda as a couple was going last week, but I really liked what Russell T. Davies did in the end, and the payoff was worth it, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt that he will be able to write a compelling story, and I do believe Piper has the ability to pull off the role.

If this wasn’t a season finale and the show going on hiatus for awhile, I would question this reality would stick, since it still is a shift in reality different then what was originally supposed to happen. It seems pretty definitive the way BBC is now advertising the exit of Gatwa. I do wonder if this was Davies’ plan all along since Gatwa’s run was extremely short.

While the main season-long story was wrapped up, there are still questions we are left asking and holes that were left. For instance, why did the Doctor meet Belinda, who was apparently a descendant of the character in “Boom”? I know it was just a way to explain Sethu’s return, but it was made to be a big deal at the beginning of the season. I know in the finale the Doctor said something about the reason being because of Poppy, but in the end, she ended up not being his child, so I’m not sure that still fits, and if it is the reason, it’s a bit of a let down.

Also, why did the Doctor see Susan (Carole Ann Ford) multiple times. I did expect a payoff with that.

We also of course are also left wondering what happened to half the Rani, Mrs. Flood. She’s still around somewhere and will probably pop back up at some point in the future. Does this mean though that we have seen the end of the Gods of the Pantheon story? I guess only time will tell.