With Ncuti Gatwa's sudden departure from Doctor Who and Billie Piper's (mostly) unexpected arrival, opinions on the latest season finale have been mixed to say the least.
Details about her new character have been left unclear: it's not been confirmed whether she's the Sixteenth Doctor, another version of Rose, or something else entirely – and it likely won't be for some time.
Russell T Davies has previously said that, in bringing Doctor Who back to screens in 2005, he had a secret weapon in Piper. More than that, though, he had a secret weapon in Rose.
Now, though, as Piper returns, it forces us to face how much we've been missing the character-led drama that made modern Doctor Who so successful in the first place.
Despite brilliant performances from Millie Gibson and Varada Sethu, who have worked beautifully with what they were given, Doctor Who's companions feel nothing short of neglected this time around.
As many fans have pointed out, that means we've lost small but important moments between the Doctor and the companions – for example, little moments in the TARDIS that show their connection and give us a sense of their dynamic.
There have also been some strange writing choices when it comes to Ruby and Belinda – perhaps due to the lack of time in the season, or for other reasons. Both companions appeared to have incredibly rushed and even unfinished exits by the end of season 15, with Ruby not getting a goodbye from the Doctor during her final scene in the TARDIS.
Meanwhile, Belinda, a character who began the season by rejecting expectations that were projected onto her, appears to have a personality transplant by the end of the season, giving up everything to be a mother. Sure, it's an arc that could certainly work within Doctor Who, but it didn't seem to fit with Belinda's character at all.
Then there was Carole Ann Ford as Susan Foreman, our first ever companion, whose long-awaited return was reduced to a series of brief and unexplained cameos. Presumably, there'll be more to come from her if and when Doctor Who returns, but it's a strange note to end the season on.
Now, Doctor Who seems forced to rely on nostalgia, taking a step back to reintroduce an actor who reminds fans of what could be seen as a golden age of the show – a worrying turn of events for a series whose entire point is to regenerate and move forward.
When it does, I'm hoping Davies will allow it to return to its roots, with longer seasons and a return to prioritising characters above all else. He's done it once before, and I have every faith that he can do it again.
After all, as Rose Tyler so beautifully represented, despite the monsters and the aliens and the big battles, Doctor Who has always been a story about humanity, and we urgently need to get back to that.
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