The first season of Doctor Who has come to an end and “Empire of Death” and “Sutekh” have delivered on their promise of a considerable number of fatalities.
The finale also answered some of the big, burning questions fans had been asking all year, while also posing a few new ones in its final moments. All in all, there was a lot to unravel and unravel as Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor rushed to save time and space.
Below is our guide to the ending of Empire of Death, summarizing what happened and focusing on the main story highlights and talking points before the TARDIS flies off again.
But first a warning: MAJOR Doctor Who spoilers ahead. This is your last chance to click away.
Empire of Death ending explained: What happened in the Doctor Who season 1 finale?
Empire of Death begins with Sutekh’s victory and the Doctor’s defeat. There is no fakery here: the god’s death dust spreads across the earth and kills everyone – including Kate, Carla and the people of UNIT.
The Doctor, Ruby and Mel manage to escape, but not without facing Sutekh. The Doctor realises that the God of Death will not kill him. Why? Because he needs to find out Ruby’s mother’s secret.
While escaping in the Remembered TARDIS (a TARDIS composed of parts of her history, as seen in the spin-off Tales of the TARDIS), the Doctor discovers something even more sinister: Sutekh has clung to his TARDIS and rolled out versions of Susan Triad on every planet he has ever visited.
Not only are all people on Earth dead, but so are the people and creatures on all the worlds he has visited – including Skaro, the home of the Daleks.
The Doctor eventually heads to an unnamed planet, in the last clutches of the dust. There he meets a woman who hands him a spoon. The piece of metal opens the time window again. Ruby, holding the block, provides a new clue: it shows Roger ap Gwilliam, Prime Minister of 73 Yards, in 2046. This gives the Doctor a brilliant idea: in the not-too-distant future, DNA testing will become mandatory, which will finally answer the question everyone has been asking, including Sutekh: who is Ruby’s mother?
Ruby lures Sutekh with her mother’s name, but then smashes the datapad and holds him captive.
The Doctor controls his own TARDIS with a whistle and fires a laser that destroys Sutekh’s herald, Harriet Arbinger. He then ties Sutekh to the console and pulls him into the time vortex.
This action brings “death to death” by reversing the effects of the dust and bringing everyone everywhere back to life at once.
The Doctor then says, “Sutekh wins” by making him betray his own principles and become Death. The only way to ensure Sutekh never returns is to close the TARDIS doors, sever the connection, and let Sutekh burn in the vortex.
Then we get some answers. Ruby’s mother is… nobody special. Ruby’s mother is a woman named Louise Miller, 35, played by Faye McKeever. Her father is a man named William Garnett, who we don’t meet here. Louise was only 15 when she had baby Ruby, and she left her at the church on Ruby Road because, it is implied, she came from an abusive home.
As it turns out, Ruby’s mother was just “ordinary.” As the Doctor explains, she was important because, as in history, religion, and great events, we often give importance to humble figures, creating a myth that is “more powerful” than any god.
It is also revealed that Ruby’s mother pointed to the name of the street because she wanted to name her little daughter that.
Ruby later visits her mother and befriends her at a cafe. She brings her back to see Carla. They also discover that her father is still there and intends to visit him soon.
Ruby leaves the Doctor, but they promise to see each other again. Ruby says she loves the Doctor.
In a final preview, Mrs. Flood is shown on the roof, where she once again breaks the fourth wall, turns to the camera and warns us that the Doctor’s story “ends in absolute terror.”
Who dies in “Empire of Death”?
First? Everyone – except Sutekh, Harriet, the Doctor, Ruby and Mel. Sutekh’s death dust wipes out all life in time and space.
However, they are eventually brought back to life after Sutekh is pulled through the time vortex and “brings death upon death.” This reverses the effects of the dust, leaving only Sutekh (and previously Harriet) as the primary victims in “Empire of Death.”
How was Sutekh defeated?
Never underestimate the Doctor’s ability to defeat gods with little more than a few ordinary items. In this case, a whistle, a rubbery rope and the Doctor’s smart glove – first seen in the Christmas special.
After following the Doctor to the year 2046 in search of the identity of Ruby’s mother (he must have been reading Reddit theories all week, like the rest of us), he seems to be on the verge of discovering the one secret that has been troubling him in a universe gone silent.
Ruby, however, has other plans. As she approaches Sutekh with the datapad containing the answer, she smashes it and holds him. The Doctor then takes the cord and ties him to the TARDIS console, pulling him into the time vortex. There he disintegrates and appears to die.
Who is Ruby’s mother?
No, it wasn’t River Song or anyone else the speculatively insane horde of Whovians on the internet are speculating about. Ruby’s mother is Louise Miller, a perfectly normal human who gave Ruby away after a teenage pregnancy. No special abilities, no god-like powers, nothing. But, as the Doctor explains, everyone – including the audience, a possible meta-commentary from showrunner Russell T Davies – gave her more importance because that’s what we’ve always done with people throughout history.
Where does Ruby’s name come from?
Ruby was the name her mother had given her. In fact, that’s the meaning behind her cryptic pointing: she was pointing to the name of the street – Ruby Road.
Who is Mrs Flood?
For now, Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) is still an enigma. However, given her words in Empire of Death, we can safely predict that she will become a villain in the years to come.
She announces that the Doctor’s story “ends in absolute terror,” but at the moment we have no idea what that will look like.
Mrs. Flood also said earlier in the episode, “Tell your maker that I will come to storm down the golden gates and conquer his kingdom in my true name.”
So her “true name” remains a secret. She will probably reappear and reveal herself in season 2 of Doctor Who. Speaking of which…
What’s next for “The Doctor” and “Doctor Who”?
Yes, the credits say “Doctor Who will return” – in case there was ever any doubt. In fact, filming has already finished on the second series of Doctor Who, again starring Ncuti Gatwa.
Before that, a Christmas special will be broadcast during the holidays – written by Steven Moffat and starring Nicola Coughlan from “Bridgerton”.
As for the Doctor himself, it seems he’s going to be alone for a while. Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday will However, he returns as a companion in the second season of Doctor Who, alongside Varada Sethu, who previously appeared in this year’s “Boom” as the oddly named Mundy Flynn.
Doctor Who is now streaming on Disney Plus and BBC iPlayer. For more, check out the latest new TV shows 2024.
