The Doctor Is Officially Not Doctor Who Season 14’s Main Character

Ruby Is Clearly The Main Character In Doctor Who Season 14

Millie Gibson’s character takes the spotlight

The opening moments of Doctor Who season 14, episode 1, “Space Babies,” features a sizable exposition dump of the Doctor telling Ruby (and any new viewers) who he is, where he comes from, how the TARDIS works, and almost every other facet of his backstory. Since that moment, and arguably even before then, the mystery of Ruby Sunday has received far more attention than the Doctor’s character has. Instead, it’s been business as usual for the Time Lord while Ruby embarks on a compelling struggle to uncover her true lineage.

Of course, former Doctor Who companions have had compelling, mysterious backstories before, but Ruby Sunday’s essentially eclipses the Doctor’s arc. For example, Karen Gillan’s Amy Pond was a huge enigma during the Matt Smith era, but her arc bubbled away nicely in the background as the show surged onward, with Amy’s story coming to the forefront as and when it became relevant. Doctor Who season 14 has taken a much more direct approach to addressing the questions that surround Ruby Sunday, with Gatwa’s Doctor essentially being along for the ride.

There is no question that Ruby’s storyline has been a thrilling adventure, but it doesn’t leave much room for the Doctor to grow as a character. If Fifteen had an equally compelling season 14 arc to sit alongside Ruby’s, it would likely make for an even more effective version of the current formula. As it stands, the almost total focus on Ruby Sunday often leaves the Doctor with less to do than his predecessors.

Ncuti Gatwa’s Absence From Doctor Who Season 14’s “73 Yards” Is Odd

The Fifteenth Doctor vanishes too early in his run

In Doctor Who season 14, episode 4, “73 Yards,” Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor vanishes after stepping into the fairy circle during the story’s opening minutes. Although he does return right at the end of the episode, “73 Yards” is a shining example of how much attention is being given to Millie Gibson’s character. By extension, the same episode also exemplifies season 14’s neglect of the Doctor. Fortunately, the bold writing choice pays off, making “73 Yards” an incredibly enticing, thought-provoking episode. However, four episodes into Gatwa’s first full run still seems a little too soon to sideline his character.

“73 Yards” is an example of what’s referred to as a “Doctor-lite” episode, where the Doctor is used incredibly sparingly. Previous Doctor actors have also experienced this format, but never so early into their time as the show’s lead actor. For example, Doctor Who season 2, episode 10, “Love and Monsters,” came much later into David Tennant’s first season as the Tenth Doctor. Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor and Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth didn’t have a Doctor-lite episode in their first seasons, although they did have stories that reduced their workload.

This trend didn’t exist during Christopher Eccleston’s run as the Ninth Doctor, with Doctor-lite episodes originating during Tennant’s era. The Doctor-lite format fell away completely when Jodie Whittaker took the reins. What’s perhaps more interesting is that Gatwa’s first season as the Doctor is also shorter than usual, with many runs in the modern era consisting of 13 episodes. So, Doctor Who season 14 featuring a Doctor-lite episode further reduces his already-truncated screen time.

Modern Doctor Who Has Made A Companion The Main Character Before

Jenna Coleman led “Flatline” as Clara Oswald

Whenever the Doctor is sidelined, there’s no guarantee that a familiar character will be the story’s focus. For instance, Doctor Who season 3, episode 10, “Blink,” revolves around Sally Sparrow investigating the Weeping Angels, and with only brief cameos from David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor. However, Millie Gibson isn’t the first companion to be promoted to main character duties.

In Doctor Who season 8, episode 9, “Flatline,” Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald is tasked with leading the episode. With Twelve being trapped inside a shrunken TARDIS, Clara becomes something of an avatar for the Doctor, leading the heroics for the episode. Unlike “73 Yards,” the Doctor is present throughout “Flatline,” although he is far from in control of the situation. Like Tennant’s “Love and Monsters,” “Flatline” is also much deeper into Capaldi’s first season as the Doctor than “73 Yards” is in Gatwa’s.

Why Making Ruby Sunday Doctor Who Season 14’s Main Character Is A Problem

Gatwa’s brilliant take on the Doctor needs more attention

While slowly learning more about Ruby’s backstory has undoubtedly been one of the highlights of Doctor Who season 14, it hasn’t left much space for Ncuti Gatwa to develop his version of the Doctor and advance the character. He certainly has the charisma and capability to turn intense that’s required to embody the role, but his opportunities to display his full range as the Doctor have been few and far between. This problem is made worse by the actor missing what is essentially the entirety of “73 Yards,” where he’s limited to acting out two variations of the same scene.

With Millie Gibson’s presence in the show changing in Doctor Who season 15, the lack of attention given to Gatwa in his first run of episodes could result in viewers experiencing adventures with a new companion while also not knowing all that much about the Fifteenth Doctor. With only half a season left after the end of “73 Yards,” there’s not much time to correct this issue, either. In fact, it’s likely that Ruby’s story will be focused on with even greater intensity – especially with Doctor Who season 14’s penultimate episode bearing the title, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday.”