8 Doctor Who Episodes Ruined By Their Endings
3. Last Of The Time Lords
Series 3's Utopia/The Sound Of Drums/Last Of The Time Lords is the most underappreciated finale in the Russell T Davies era. Sure, people generally like it, but compared to The Parting Of The Ways, Doomsday, Journey's End, and The End Of Time, Last Of The Time Lords is definitely the red-headed stepchild of the bunch.
There are many possible reasons why people don't give it as much credit as the others, and a big one has to be the episode's weak conclusion.
In Last Of The Time Lords, the Doctor faces one of the most devastating predicaments of his time-travelling career, having been reduced to a weak and frail old man by the Master, who reigns supreme over planet Earth. It feels like there's no way out for the Doctor, setting the stage for that clever and satisfying moment where he manages to overcome the odds and save the Earth from its tyrannical dictator.
Unfortunately though, "satisfying" cannot be used to describe Last Of The Time Lords' ending, in which the Doctor magically turns into space Jesus after everyone on planet Earth chants his name at the exact same time.
This resolution of an epic and thoroughly engaging three-part story was a massive letdown. It felt as though Davies had written himself into a corner and couldn't figure out a compelling solution, forcing him to go with something stupid and easy instead.