There was a lot to like about this episode, but the conflict between the Unholy Trinity and the Doctor’s crew was resolved way too easily. Omega, a complex and terrifying villain from the classic Doctor Who era, is reduced to a single scene where he is handily beaten by the Doctor using a weapon that we didn’t really know could act as a weapon. The Rani is eaten by Omega before that, and the Mrs. Flood Rani escapes. There’s a lot of to-do about wishes and a war with the Underverse, but most of it feels like fluff and filler before the final act.

So, let’s dive in and see what that was all about.

Let’s be clear, when it was revealed that Omega was returning, I was excited. His appearances in “The Three Doctors” and “Ark of Infinity” are memorable and chilling. He is a brilliant, yet mad, Time Lord engineer out for revenge on the Time Lords who exiled him to the anti-matter Underverse. Here, he is a CGI monster who appears for all of two minutes and is defeated with the power of a billion suns in the Doctor’s Vortex Indicator (“Vindicator”). The most terrifying this creature got was when he ate Archie Punjabi’s Rani, leaving the Mrs. Flood Rani to pick up the Rani’s vortex manipulator and flee. This was all accomplished in relatively short order.

Ruby managed to defeat Conrad by getting him to cry about his dad. She then snatched up the wish child and wished Conrad a happy life. This is later revealed to mean he is now a short-order cook in a diner. Okay, I guess.

The Ranis had a few good scenes with the Doctor and his companions. Seeing Mel face off against her was almost worth the slog we went through to get there. The battle between UNIT HQ and the bone creatures of the Underverse was flashy, but ultimately felt dull and pointless.

Things really only got interesting when the Doctor wished for no more wishes. But, boy, did it get interesting then. Yasmine Finney returned as Rose Noble, previously MIA because Conrad could not imagine a world with transgender people in it. Another bit of biting commentary on the perfect world of straight white men. National borders were off. Ernest Borgnine was still alive. But worst of all, the Doctor’s daughter with Belinda, Poppy, no longer existed. The Doctor had worked to save Poppy from being wished away with another fantastical device, but alas, it didn’t work. The universe was one degree off center, and the Doctor had to make it right.

The Doctor flies off in the TARDIS, preparing to release the Regeneration energy from the Last of the Time Lords into the Time Vortex and reset reality. Before he can, he is visited by the 13th Doctor (Jodi Whitaker) who tells him effect and cause are getting a little out of order. She also gives him some advice on repairing reality, which confuses the 15th Doctor. Shouldn’t he have remembered that if the 13th Doctor knew it? Timey-wimey!

After the 13th Doctor leaves, the 15th Doctor initiates a regeneration sequence, blasting the power into the Time Vortex via the TARDIS console. He wakes up a short time later in Belinda’s back yard. Belinda introduces the Doctor to her mother, who is quite taken by this man. She then introduces him to Poppy, her daughter with her former partner Ritchie. The Doctor is devastated to realize he is not the father, but perhaps not surprised. Earlier in the episode, he and the Rani both stated that Time Lords are sterile. This, of course, raises the question of Susan, the Doctor’s granddaughter from the first couple of seasons of the classic show.

Alas, the Doctor says his good-byes to Belinda and Poppy and heads off to parts unknown. Yet, he’s not entirely alone. He looks out at the stars and sees the star Joy became in the Christmas special. Then, the end comes.

Yes, folks, Billie Piper is back, and it looks like she’s playing the 16th Doctor. This is an interesting twist because while the Doctor has regenerated into familiar faces in the past, they’ve never taken on the face of a Companion. Rose may be the most interesting choice for this face because she was my least favorite companion of Russell T. Davies’ first era of Doctor Who. That said, I am willing to be open to the possibilities this represents because Piper has grown and matured as an actress since her days flitting around with David Tennant and Christopher Eccleston. She showed some range in “Day of the Doctor” as the Bad Wolf Girl.

So, while I am sad to see Ncuti Gatwa leave the show after only two seasons and two specials, I am excited for the future of the show. What’s next. Who knows?

Who. Knows.