Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday was greatly teased to be special in Doctor Who season 14, and even though the mystery behind the first companion of Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor has already been seemingly solved, I’m convinced the upcoming run will bring an unexpected reveal about Ruby. Even though Gibson left as a member of the main cast at the end of Doctor Who season 14, the trailers for the next batch of episodes confirm that Ruby is returning to be part of Doctor Who season 15’s story. Hopefully, showrunner Russell T. Davies has something mindblowing in store for her.
Ruby had the potential to become one of the best Doctor Who companions across all eras, but her arc was ultimately hurt by overly-deceptive writing choices. After debuting in 2023’s Doctor Who Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road,” Gibson’s character was set up as a massive enigma to be unraveled. Several theories could have explained her mysterious lineage and the strange phenomena that followed in her wake, but Davies went with what I believe to be the most disappointing option. However, there is still time to correct that flaw, which could just be more deception.
Doctor Who Season 14’s Big Ruby Sunday Reveal Was A Letdown
Ruby’s mother turning out to be a regular human was shocking in the worst way
Like so many others, I had formulated theories about why no one could track down Ruby’s parents – not even the TARDIS. Where she had really come from was one of the biggest questions running throughout Doctor Who season 14, reinforced by the mysterious hooded woman leaving Baby Ruby on the church doorstep. I was so sure that Ruby would turn out to be a new Time Lord, or perhaps another member of the Doctor’s true species. I’d even seen some very convincing theories that Ruby would turn out to be Susan – the Doctor’s granddaughter. Annoyingly, Davies took another route.
Ruby’s mother (Faye McKeever’s Louise Miller) was revealed to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill human who didn’t feel capable of becoming a mother at such a young age.
Ruby’s mother (Faye McKeever’s Louise Miller) was revealed to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill human who didn’t feel capable of becoming a mother at such a young age. After a full season of tension and intrigue, I still remember feeling incredibly deflated at the twist. It was reminiscent of the Rey (Daisy Ridley) storyline in Disney’s Star Wars trilogy, and I wasn’t a fan of that either. The difference with Rey is that she was actually revealed to be a (kind of) descendant of the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid), which could foreshadow what’s to come for Ruby.
Ruby Sunday Could Still Be Special Through Her Unseen Father
Millie Gibson’s character may have half-alien lineage
Louise may not have been special, as Doctor Who season 14 was so heavily implying, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Gibson’s character is 100% human, or at least not 100% regular. The season 14 finale “Empire of Death” reveals that Ruby’s father is called William Benjamin Garnet, but little else beyond that information is currently known about the character. He hasn’t been seen onscreen yet, and Ruby had his address and was preparing to meet him when we saw her last. So, William could be the compelling link in Ruby’s past that her mother failed to be.
Related
Ruby’s Mother In Doctor Who Season 14 Explained (In Full)
The mystery of Ruby Sunday’s mother has taken up the entirety of Doctor Who season 14, with the finale providing answers about her identity.
There’s a fact about William that perhaps means he’s ordinary like Louise. Ruby’s mother tells her long-lost daughter that both parents were only 15 years old when Louise fell pregnant. It’s tough to imagine how Davies could make a human teenager anything too mindblowing when it comes to a compelling backstory, but there are several sci-fi tropes available that could help him do this. Plus, Louise never told William about Ruby after they split up shortly after conception. It remains to be seen how William will react, or whether it will even be a major part of the story.
I suppose only time will tell whether Ruby will be revealed to have finally met her father in Doctor Who season 15, and whether that moment will even be shown on screen.
I suppose only time will tell whether Ruby will be revealed to have finally met her father in Doctor Who season 15, and whether that moment will even be shown on screen. It could just be left as an unseen meeting between father and daughter, although I doubt a writer like Davies would tease such a scene if it wasn’t going to have some sort of narrative significance. Then again, if it did turn out to be nothing special, it would just be an extension of what happened in season 14.
How Ruby Sunday’s Father Being Special Can Explain Doctor Who Season 14’s Unanswered Questions
William Garnett’s potential powers could account for Ruby’s weirdest moments
Most of the biggest headscratchers surrounding Ruby remain unsolved. For example, Ruby being able to make it snow wherever she went was never really given a satisfying explanation. There was also the matter of Ruby being unable to enter the TARDIS without the Doctor in “73 Yards,” among other mysteries. It’s clear that Louise isn’t the answer to these enigmatic storylines, but William still could be. For example, it’s possible he was masquerading as human, and passed on alien DNA to Ruby when he impregnated her mother.
Related
Ncuti Gatwa’s first season as Doctor Who’s leading man featured an interesting TARDIS storyline that season 15 looks like it might be trying to copy.
Although William hasn’t been confirmed to have been present that night on Christmas Eve 2004, when Louise left Ruby at the church, he could have been there, lurking in the shadows. That way, he would have seen Louise and found out about their child. Plus, he would also have laid eyes on the Doctor and the TARDIS. If William does have hidden abilities, then he could have used them to make that moment so important, and caused things like the recurring snow to follow his daughter through the universe, hoping she would find his way back to him.
How Ruby Sunday’s Father Can Tie Into Doctor Who Season 15’s Story & Mrs. Flood
Mrs. Flood could also be connected to Ruby’s mysterious past
As mentioned, Ruby’s coming back, despite being replaced as Fifteen’s companion by Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra. So, if Millie Gibson’s character is going to be a factor in season 15, then that opens up the door for her father to appear as well. The trailer doesn’t give a lot away about what Ruby’s role will be in the upcoming run, but that only leaves more narrative avenues open for exploration. For example, Belinda has already been confirmed to be connected to Sethu’s season 14 character, Mundy Flynn. With two “mystery girl” companions in a row, William could be involved.
Related
I Have Concerns About Doctor Who Repeating The 15-Year Trope That Amy Pond Started
Doctor Who season 15’s trailer confirms something interesting about the show’s new companion, but it draws heavily on Moffat’s era and season 14.
Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood is yet another unresolved element from Doctor Who season 14, with the character also making her debut alongside Gibson in “The Church on Ruby Road.” Mrs. Flood has repeatedly broken the fourth wall and displayed knowledge that a character who is seemingly just an unassuming neighbor should not have. So if William does have a more compelling lineage than just being a regular human, Mrs. Flood’s connections to the Sunday family would mean yet another enigmatic figure lurking in Ruby’s past, so William and Mrs. Flood could also be linked in Doctor Who season 15.
Doctor Who
5/10
- Release Date
-
December 25, 2023
- Directors
-
Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
