Jack Harkness, an object holding the Doctor's persona while their body is human and has no memory of being the Doctor, the Judoon and the Master is back. Someone was a fan of series 3!
Also kind of weird but the Titan Comics are currently doing a retelling of Blink from Thirteen's perspective where she encounters Ten after he's sent back by the Angels.
BBC on series 10: "WE'RE BRINGING THE MASTER BACK!" ...so much for surprises this year. BBC on series 12: "WE'RE BRINGING THE JUDOON BACK!" (and Jack Harkness, and a new Master, and a new Doctor, and revealing/rewriting the origins of Gallifrey, and destroying Gallifrey again.) "JUDOON EVERYBODY! AND MAYBE A CYBERMAN!"
The ratings for the show are in the dumpster because of how bad Whittaker and Chibnail are. Not surprising they're doing everything they can to attempt to bring it back, but they're failing hard.
@@ThisisCitrus Actually the ratings for series 11 were far better than for the Capaldi era and about en par with most of Smith and lots of Tennant. Series 12 isn't that strong so far in rating numbers, that's true, but they couldn't know that for the commercials beforehand. And frankly: I really don't get why. It's the first season of Doctor Who in a while that really catched me!
I *adore* any scene with the companions questioning the Doctor. "Don't talk to him like that." Go on, Yaz! They really are a family unit, and it works. I mean, the Doctor searching for the Master when the trio term their back. That's subtle and it's genius. I love it. This is Jodie's best performance imo. I know people are saying "look how easy she gets overshadowed", but I was rooting for her all the way.
I honestly agree, we saw a darker part of her character as she goes through all this confusion and... intrapersonal difficulties (? XD), and I love the way she handled that.
@@SplotchTheCatThing did you watch Dr who after he lost the Ponds?? Interpersonal difficulties. 50 times worse. Jodie was the 2nd best doctor in this episode alone.
@@ThisisCitrus They do need to flesh out Yaz more. At this point it feels like we know Ryan and Graham pretty well but Yaz still feels like a blank slate. I swear they've given Yaz's dad more character than they've given her. :/ Personally I think Season 11 was uneven and Season 12 is a lot stronger so far. But if you find Doctor Who destroyed, at least you still have the preceding 50-years-worth of episodes. :)
Where that Doctor is in her life, the fact she has a more classic console room, that she was formerly working for the Timelords special forces and is now on the run from them, that she's been taught what might just be Venusian Aikido.... It all just fits so perfectly with Series 6B - the idea that before Jon Pertwee stumbled out of his TARDIS to begin his exile on earth, that the second Doctor had been forced to work for the Celestial Intervention Agency. This was started in the Doctor Who Comic which continued to write me Troughton stories set between Troughton's last episode and Pertwees's first and a lot of people have used or to justify why both Jamie and the Second Doctor were so much older when they appeared in multi Doctor stories. And if they can pluck a potential future regeneration out from the Doctor's future timestream to make the Valeyard, doesn't it make sense the Timelords could also erase or revert a regeneration and force a Timelord to retroactively go down a different path? In other words, the 2nd Doctor was forced to work for the CIA and even regenerated into Ruth during that time. But Ruth discovered something she shouldn't have - perhaps the same secret that The Master has now discovered - and rather than kill the Doctor they removed the regeneration that made the discovery, effectively reverting the Ruth Doctor back to Patrick Troughton and then forcing him to regenerate into Jon Pertwees's third Doctor instead of her and this removing all the secrets she learned and erasing this incarnation from the Doctor's timestream (which is also why she doesn't show up when Clara enters his timestream)
This is what I thought! That Ruth is between Troughton and Pertwee, and it would WORK, because there’s no set time period between Troughton going all spin-around-y and Pertwee falling out of the TARDIS. They could, theoretically, insert anything there and then wipe it from the Doctors mind.
I like the idea of the Time Lords undoing the regeneration. Other people have suggested that they just mindwiped them and gave them an extra regeneration but this seems like a more interesting option.
Kai Creech yeah he’s really not very good when he does his own thing... at some point they’ll realise broadchurch series 1 just had really good directing and producing 😂
@@kaicreech7336 I mean, if what I can expect from the rest of Chibnall's tenure is that he'll keep the show of good quality and make it fun, but it won't be very original, I'm not complaining.
one thing i was really happy with in this episode, (aside from, you know, a certain person being back and the big plottwist), was that the fam were starting to push back when the dr just went into moods. like they're not forcing her to come out of her zone, but i'm glad they're not putting up with it and letting her be rude without telling them what's going on. i really liked that they were like "listen if you're going through something, we respect that, but also don't snap as us for asking questions when you're not telling us ANYTHING"
Also one of my favourite parts like when yaz said to the doctor "don't talk to him like that" defending Jamie like a sister the family side is finally coming to shape one thing I've been looking for 👌
@@ilionmmai5982 Jamie came back, too?? Must've missed that...^_~ But agreed, it's long past time we got some conflict here, everyone's been way too friendly since their first season. Remember how both Rose and Martha refused to budge another inch until the Doc told them something...in their second episodes? Took this lot an entire season just to approach that point!
Spoilery comment. Theory here on why the companion's/Jack plot was detached from the rest: 1) set-up for the future 2) The Doctor is clearly pushing away the companions and they sense it, they also care for her and want to be there even if she doesn't (because that's what family is supposed to do); so giving the companions a direct connection to the main plotline of the season means they'll have a huge part in the resolution (either in the "message" of the season or something like that). 3) every significant adventure the doctor has had this season has happened away from the companions (which may affect her mood, as we see at the end of the episode). Basically, it was detached because of plot and character development reasons. Also, can we make a list of all the plotlines? Maybe they'll successfully thread them together at the end 😁
@@HOTD108_ I think judging this episode's storytelling before the series is even finished is a bit unfair. I think it'll be worth it so long as Chibnall knows how to tie up such bold plot arcs (cough cough Moffat cough cough).
Couldn't agree more. The remixing of old ideas into something new as well as the actual attempts to bring the overarching story to the forefront at times (rather than just repeating a word or phrase) is making more engaged with series 12 than I have with past few series'
I enjoyed Torchwood except for those scenes lol, but then I'm a repulsed ace so what do we expect? Just wish there was less screwing in the media I want to enjoy is all so I don't HAVE to stick to children's stuff. (I say Children and not Young Adults because even YA stuff has screwing it, when they're underage as well, if it's not straight up r-pe classed under romance. -_-)
Seriously, it's a choice what attraction is? You just proved a lot more people right. But as a bi person I want to see more than a stereotype because I can't relate to Jack.
Who Fandom when Chibs got the gig: "Sure, he's a lifelong Who fan. But just the show. He doesn't even know much about Big Finish. He's never gonna reference stuff from the expanded universe like Davies and Moffat did." Chibs: *makes Marc Platt, Kate Orman, Lawrence Miles and Lance Parkin's mythos from the 7th & 8th Doctor novels and Faction Paradox novels & audios mainstream* I AM FUCKING HERE FOR THIS!!!
@@kirstyshadowdancer5095 No Kate Orman was an author of the Virgin New Adventures books. There is a Lethbridge Stewart in the books, but she's a distant descendant in the far future. Her name is Kadiathu.
@@quinnsinclair7028 Sorry for the late reply. I worked overnight doing inventory and needed some sleep. Platt was a writer during Andrew Cartmel's tenure as showrunner (the 7th Doctor's era) and continued the "Cartmel Masterplan" in the 7th Doctor novel Lungbarrow. Miles and Parkin are considered among the greatest Expanded Whoniverse writers ever. They (along with Kate Orman) created their own mythos not only in Virgin's 7th Doctor novels and BBC's 8th Doctor novels (and some short stories for charity works and fanzines), but also the standalone novel/serialized audio spin-off Faction Paradox which Miles spun off from the 8th Doctor novels. Parkin's also written a 10th Doctor novel that ties into their mythos (The Eyeless), a 5th/7th Doctor novel that does the same (Cold Fusion, which he also adapted to audio for Big Finish himself) as well as a novel featuring an ambiguously placed Doctor (The Infinity Doctors) that ties in as well. Parkin also wrote the Big Finish story "Davros" plus an episode of their miniseries I, Davros, but they don't tie into the mythos. MASSIVE SPOILERS for the 7th & 8th Doctor novels plus some elements from Faction Paradox and Big Finish's Gallifrey audios. In a nutshell: The Doctor's father (the Time Lord Ulysses) was a renegade explorer who lived on Earth for a time as "Professor Daniel Joyce" and fell in love with a human scientist (Penelope Gate) who discovered time travel. They fell in love, moved back to Gallifrey and had a kid. Gallifrey was extremely xenophobic, so they had to keep her origins and their child's half-human heritage a secret. Eventually, they are found out by higher ups in the Gallifreyan government so they (with some help from fellow Time Lord Larna) messed with time and rewrote their child's history to protect the kid. Now, rather than being half-human and womb-born, their child was full-Gallifreyan and Loom-born. They were also now Loomed from the genetic material of "The Other", a mysterious Gallifreyan from ancient times that (along with Rassilon and Omega) founded Gallifreyan society as we now know it. The three created time travel as well as the ability to regenerate. The Age of the Time Lords was now upon us. Years later, the Lord President of Gallifrey Pandad VII discovers the truth of the Doctor's half-human heritage and orders them and their granddaughter (aka, the President's daughter) killed. Presumably to cover-up their own half-human heritage (if Pandad's The Doctor's kid) or that of their spouse (if Pandad's The Doctor's son-in-law), they order the two of them killed. He dispatches his "Lord Burner" (aka personal assassin) Braxiatel to "burn" the two of them from history. Braxiatel was also The Doctor's half-brother. The Doctor and Susan fled in a stolen TARDIS. The very same day, President Pandad died when a power relay in his office overloaded. An inquiry headed by Braxiatel found that this was an accident. The Eighth Doctor in the BBC novels would have conflicting memories of their childhood. They are a living paradox. Both half-human and fully Gallifreyan. Both womb-born and Loom-born. Presumably, "Ruth" is "The Other" from Gallifrey's distant past.
Do you mean the meta crisis doctor? Because he couldn't regenerate or are you saying that universe could have it's own doctor? If so it's an interesting idea but I prefer it when the cybermen are the ones that originate in the main doctor's universe
@DJ Maysonic They're saying that universe's own Doctor, not the meta-crisis Doctor. It's something I've considered to but that universe was completely locked (they could write around it course), so I'm thinking it's one of the multiple other universes. Even if Ruth (and maybe The Master) is from an AU, the Cybermen could still be from ours and not the Lumic version.
I hope it's a parallel universe doctor, not a doctor from a regeneration cycle before Hartnell that was all female like it was rumored it could be, because I'm not a fan of rewriting canon.
@@MusikloverinZ Ikr, can writers stop doing that. We got through 26 years of Classic Who without anyone screwing with the Doctor's past. Why can't New Who writers do the same.
Aside from him needing hair dye I agree he looks practically the same every time hes on TV. Nobody ages better than him it seems from returning characters
He still looks great, IMO. But they did a lot of obvious hair and makeup work to make him look younger. IMO it was especially obvious with the odd diagonal view that his face and neck are wider, but they tightened that up in the straight-on shots. Not knocking him, he's five years older than me and I'd be fine with them showing him more as he looks now.
I feel we'll get more answers on Ruth/Doctor and her been the timeless child before the Hartnell incarnation/cycle but I don't expect every answer to be done this season I think some will drip into series 13 Chibnall has had these ideas planned since he was child and he grew up in the era where we "Morbius Doctors" and Cartmel Master plan
@@theneekofficial8829 yeh that's one thing I can't understand BUT the TARDIS is alive maybe she remembers been the police box before as decides to get stuck that way cos she prefers it. No matter how it's worked I can't see it been another hidden incarnation like Hurt in the 13 we had it seems clear from way it's wrote to not be a future one due to Gallifrey status and I don't think we can have alternate universe Time Lords/Doctor think RTD said back around Petes world in s2 that time Lords can only exist once and can't be other versions due to fact they can easily pop in out of universes. Chib could ignore it but I'm still heavy looking towards pre Hartnell and even though I'm not a fan of the idea it's not like it has been considered before
So here's my prediction halfway through the season as to how this all ties together. I'm thinking Ruth is a version of the doctor from the parallel universe. Which has somehow crossed over in much the way the Cybermen did in Army of Ghost. Somehow the Time Lords discovered they were currently two copies of the Doctor in our universe and attempted to hunt her down. Enlisting the help of the Judoon along the way, before the Master went and destroyed Gallifrey because he discovered the "Timeless Child" is the existence of Ruth's parallel Doctor someplace in the Universe. The lone Cyberman Jack mentions is a survivor from the Canary Wharf that's been attempting to travel back to its own universe, and that's how the Aliens in episode one were able to appear and the warning means if the Doctor give s the cyberman what it wants, a way back to its own Universe the door will once again be open for that version of the Cybermen to cross back over and re-establish themselves in our universe.
Hold on I'm sorry but I have to do an OBJECTION! I just remembered something: Didn't the 10th Doctor mention that travelling between parallel worlds was impossible? And doesn't the Tardis sense disturbances in space and time? How could Ruth!Doctor and Sacha!Master travel to The Doctor's world without the universe imploding?
I get the feeling that The Master and Ruths Doctor is all linked with The Timeless Child and is actually a whole other regeneration line of both that neither can remember which would put both lines possibly before Hartnells Doctor or Delgado's Master
Another regenaration cycle before Hartnell is the worst thing they can do. Not only it doesnt make sense, theres no need for something like that. Do we need another 13 doctors suddenly? why? why diminish Hartnell as the first one? why contradict him being the one who stole the tardis and got it stuck as a police box? If thats the case i'm going to be very pissed at Chibnall.
meguminton To be fair, they’ve already gone there. In the Big Finish audio dramas the Doctor was originally one of the founding fathers of Gallifrey, like Rassilon. At the time called “The Other”. It was the Other that was Susan’s grandfather. (Don’t quote me word for word on this cause it’s been awhile) Rassilon plotted against the Other who was lost in the Untempered Schism as a result. His consciousness reformed some years later as the Doctor though having no memory of his time at The Other Susan still recognized him as her grandfather.
@meguminton I completely agree. I would totally screw things up for the last 50+ years and isn't needed at all. It's one thing to introduce the War Doctor, to give the warrior aspect to the Doctor and fill out the first 13 incarnations (along with 10 version 2), but it's a whole other thing to bring in complete set of unknown incarnations from a time before our first. A future version is possible (still unlikely IMO) but I'm currently going with an AU version, alternate timeline or something similar. The Doctor but not our Doctor.
@Quinn Sinclair The TV show hasn't gone there and that's what counts. Despite what some people claim, Big Finish is not main-canon (only the show itself is that). The only thing that was made main-canon were the names of Eight's companions, nothing more. Although to be fair, the classic show itself has made vague reference to the Doctor being around much longer than we think, possibly back as far as Rassilon and before the Time Lords but nothing definite was ever stated and they never went anywhere with it.
@@quinnsinclair7028 Thats clearly not what they are doing here. Ruth clearly says she is the doctor, has a Tardis. And strictly speaking, Big Finish only counts when the main series makes it canon, i dont think anything of that has ever transfered to the screen.
Even though the companions have mostly been pushed to the side lately, it was nice to have them reassure the Doctor at the end. Yet again it shows why the Doctor needs companions...even if they’re just running alongside her and asking a bunch of questions.
Except Series 6 didn't threaten to fuck with the lore. If Series 6 arc is shit at least it's self contained. If this one is Then this Series will end with me throwing a hammer at the screen.
Obsidius Nightbrother If Jack could keep his head out of the gutter and stop hitting on people that are at least probably centuries younger than him, that would be better. But that's just my opinion. I hated having to go 'Jack FFS, focus!' All the way through Torchwood and his scenes in this episode.
@@Roadent1241 Jack flirts with everyone, that's his character. What's the problem, it's still better than Smith and Whitaker going off on massive tangents and spouting absolute nonsense just to try and look quirky. Also it's hard to find people in your age group when you're thousands of years old. I imagine it just becomes a number after a while. As long as their both adults what's the problem with age.
Call me cynical but I don't see a possible way to make a satisfying conclusion to everything. Even if they dedicated every single episode left in the series to the arc, I still don't think you could balance all the plot points introduced here. I really hope I'm wrong though.
Honestly, with what we've seen with the rest of the season, I feel like Orphan 55 was a rushed filler episode to make the first half not entirely major plot My theory on Ruth was that she's Season 6B (between 2 and 3's incarnations, CIA work, etc, memory can be explained away because 3 was forced to forget a lot anyway, and iirc some Doctor in a book (I want to say 8?) said that their lives before 3 are pretty foggy to them), but being a split incarnation like the Valeyard is very interesting. I'm curious to see what they do, and also how long all these arcs will go. Timeless Child was last season, but it's a Series 12 appearance, so maybe Lone Cyberman is for Series 13 and will lead to 13's regeneration?
Plus, besides the Ruth Doctors interior being very much classic, the exterior of her tardis is a classic who design, not any of the designs from NuWho, plus the timelord(?) who Ruth has shoot herself and the implication she was working for other timelords in a period where Gallifrey is still very much fine makes it seem she was doing possibly CIA work.
Between Troughton & Pertwee is pretty much the only place I can think that Ruth can fit if she's from the main timeline for much the same reasons you said. I'm 98% sure we didn't see Troughton actually become Pertwee. Ruth's in trouble with a Gallifrey that is clearly before the Time War. She knows what a sonic screwdriver is (Troughton used one) but says she's smart enough not to need one, which could be an example of different incarnations of the Doctor ribbing each other for their differences. This would mean that Tennant's half-Regeneration and the Metacrisis Doctor no longer counts as blowing a whole one, which I'm ok with. We shall see.
DrT999 could be that the timelords purposefully put them back in that prior to them regenerating to trick the doctor further or something since 3 would likely be confused if they stumbled out wearing women’s clothes despite knowing their last incarnation (in their mind) was male. That would kinda explain how 3 was so adept at martial arts despite the first two doctors really not doing that sort of thing, residual muscle memory or something
The problem is that we’ve seen all thirteen of the Doctor’s first regeneration set. If Ruth existed between Two and Three then Ten would have died during the End of Time having blown his last regeneration on the medicrisis. She either has to be before Hartnell, Between Smith and Capaldi or Between Capaldi and Whittaker.
Nathaniel did mention Torchwood. Though really Torchwood Jack almost might as well have been a different character. It was *really* jarring when he showed back up for Utopia and suddenly was back to being the same old Jack we last saw on Dr Who.
@@PaulusAlone Chibnall tends to be a more character-based writer, but that's not necessarily "soapy" or a bad thing. To make the obvious comparison, Moffatt is the most imaginative, clever writer but his characterisations tend to be superficial and almost entirely composed of big moments. He can also basically only write one type of female character. Chibnall has a history of character-based writing stories with a variety of different perspectives. Episodes like the Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (DW), Adrift (TW), etc. thrive by throwing sympathetic characters with different perspectives into conflict. His stories tend to have more emotional heart. Which is why it was so incredibly disappointing when Season 11 was so shallow. This season he seems to be borrowing a bit from the Moffatt playbook but he also seems to be injecting some of his own writing strengths into the newly complicated relationship between the Doctor and her "Fam". I'm interested to see where it goes.
@@irrevenant3 To me the difference between Torchwood Jack and Doctor Who Jack revolves around the fact that in TW Jack is the big name, he has to (try to) take on the weight of the situation, in DW he's more like a sidekick, he has the Doctor to rely on, so he's freed to act more like the Jack we met in S1 of new Who. At least that's my headcanon.
The whole "Doctor doesn't notice the companions are missing" made some sense to me, because for one thing they'd already agreed that Ryan and Yaz would distract the Judoon while the Doctor got Ruth to safety, and for another it seemed pretty clear especially after Ruth took down the Judoon leader that The Doctor thought they were on a pretty tight time limit to figure it out. The only part of it that might have been a bit weird was that she didn't mention them at all in the meantime. I will say I think I figured out the chameleon arch part fairly early because the first shot in the episode was of Ruth's watch... even though it was a regular watch that worked, that was still a pretty cheeky sort of hint.
Cartnell Masterplan. There were Easter eggs about it scattered throughout new who, and it was actually where classic who was going to go if there were two more seasons. That is the current destination. Look it up
Oh boy. Well, literally the first thing that made me happy was that the Judoon ship looked right. We haven't really seen those ships since Smith and Jones, but they got it right, and it's little bits of attention to detail like that which can make a big difference. It follows that getting the Judoon right in terms of how they operate makes sense as well. They are pretty thick after all. 13 trying to do Judoon rhymes was cute, too. Speaking of 13. It hit me while watching this one that the thing that keeps throwing me off about how secretive she is comes down to how 13 presents herself. She comes across as very open, but actually isn't. She's very energetic, very excitable, and rambles off stuff ninety miles a minute, but to borrow a line form Donna, says nothing. It seems like she'd tell her companions everything, from how she presents her personality, and I think back in series 11, it was easy to assume she had told them off camera. Having it sink in that she never did, and even now isn't, clashes with how she seems to be. It's very curious, and I think, very deliberate. Then Jack showed up, which I had no idea was coming, as I don't pay any attention to rumors. Pretty sure John Barrowman had a lot of input on Jack's lines and delivery, as he literally knows the character better than anyone. Mind you, his arrival was the point where I started going Wait, What? a whole lot. Still, knowing he'll be back makes me very on board, as I have no doubt he'll play a crucial role in whatever is coming. Ruth. That threw me. Didn't see the Time Lord angle coming. When she broke the glass, it was familiar enough I knew just what it meant, but my first thought was that the Rani was back. Especially when she grabbed the gun. That got shattered fast, cause Tardis. Okay, so future Doctor? Wait, no, she doesn't recognize 13, so she can't be a future Doctor. Tardis interior is old style, though not entirely classic, so definitely a past Doctor, but not one we've ever seen, and neither has 13. Doesn't know the sonic, either, so it can't be a divergent timeline, as the sonic has been around since at least the 4th Doctor. While not every Doctor has used one, Ruth would still have to know what it was. I was so very confused at that point, but loving it, since I could not figure out what was happening for sure, and that always makes me happy. The alternate universe theory holds water, but I don't think that's what going on here. I think this ties into the Timeless Child, and I think someone, after the destruction of Gallifray, is trying to rewrite time. They are trying to rewrite all of it so the Time War never happened. I think the Master is an alternate version, as is Ruth, but not from another universe, so much as from an alternate possibility created deliberately by someone who is trying to maybe fix things they see as wrong. I also think they are messing it up horribly, and this is going to end up being the big five year story arc Chibnall has planned. He's not ignoring the history of the show this way. He's just having a lot of fun with time travel and what you can actually do with it if you have a mind to, as well as the terrible ramifications of that. Yeah, lots of thoughts. This episode got my brain spinning, and that always makes me very happy.
very interesting theory! especially considering the way that the concept of alternate timelines were handled in orphan 55... yeah maybe i'll stick with that for now.
@@uncledarren4262 Ah, yes. I couldn't recall for certain when it showed up, but I remember Baker using it. Troughton having one blows the theory that Ruth is between he and Pertwee out of the water, though.
@@greathuntergrimalkingrayco6975 At the moment, it's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. Well, the only thing that doesn't obliterate everything we know of the history of the show, anyway. I don't think Chibnall is going to toss history in the trash can, either, so rewriting time seems like the best possibility.
The problem is that we have all thirteen of the Doctor’s first set of regenerations accounted for, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, War, Nine, Ten, Medicrisis, Eleven. Ruth can’t be slotted in between somewhere. There isn’t room. As for the sonic, Ruth asked what it was Thirteen said a sonic screwdriver and Ruth’s response was “I don’t use one them.” That indicates she knows what it is but hasn’t seen this particular model. The style of Ruth’s Tardis isn’t indicative of when she’s from. It is in the old style but the Doctor has been shown to be sentimental before. They may simply have gone back to a familiar look. More important is that Ruth’s Tardis has an ability that Thirteen’s doesn’t, a teleport. Ruth brought herself and Thirteen inside using it when the Tardis door was blocked by being buried in the ground. The Tardis has never had that ability before, there have been numerous times when it would have been useful (Tardis was buried up to the light in Rebel Flesh). Which means that Ruth’s Tardis is more advanced than Thirteen’s. It might not be an entirely different model but it has had upgrades which means that Ruth has to be ahead of Thirteen. She can’t be behind.
@@quinnsinclair7028 All fair points. I am simply theorizing, really, as I have no actual idea what the hell is even going on. However, I suspect that Ruth would have known a sonic simply from the sound, and how the Doctor was using it. That she had to even ask is odd. Unless, of course, a sonic is an idea she had, then discarded as unnecessary in her own personal timeline. By which I mean she is an alternate version of Troughton, or even Pertwee, which explains the interior, and possibly even the teleport, as this Doctor seems to have worked for a Time Lord agency, who could have upgraded her Tardis with a teleport. I just can't shake the sense that this Doctor, and even the Master we met in Spyfall, is an alternate timeline that has been created in an effort to undo the fall of Gallifrey. Of course, this creates a paradox, as two timelines can't coexist. Just a theory, of course, but I think this is going to end up being the big thing, the mystery box as it were. Not of this season, either, but of Jodie's entire run. Does she rewrite her own personal history and save Gallifrey, or not? I could well be wrong, I admit, but this is sure a better theory than a pre-Hartnell Doctor.
The thing a lot of people are ignoring in regards to the theories of parallel doctors is the lack of recognition of the sonic screwdriver, this was introduced in the 2nd doctor, so either this a very divergent doctor, which seems pointless or she really is a future/previous regeneration.
Ruth can’t be a previous “lost” incarnation anywhere on the doctor’s list prior to Eleven unless she was before Hartnell. We have seen all thirteen of the Doctor’s first regeneration set. If Ruth was slotted in somewhere it would mean that Ten should have died in End of Time having blown his last regeneration on the medicrisis.
What if the time lords repressed the Doctor's memory of this incarnation, and granted them an extra regeneration so they wouldn't get suspicious? It's possible this Doctor could slot between Troughton and Pertwee.
She'll have been before Hartnell, chances are Ruth will be the last in a cycle of Thirteen regenerations, the Time Lords will grant her thirteen more life's but at the cost of her memories, and then she'll regenerate into a young child who eventually grows up to become Hartnell's Doctor. Maybe child Doctor will be the Timeless Child because as far as the rest of Gallifrey is concerned this child came from nowhere.
Karkat Vantas Cause that’s not really how regeneration works. We’ve seen cases where they have granted new regenerations to a dying or dead timelord where would have been more advantageous to give a very limited amount. Yet they were granted an entire set. Moreover the president of Gallifrey in his quest for immortality was not able to simply continually grant himself regenerations without limit. The on screen evidence suggests that timelords can only be granted new regenerations in groups of twelve.
I've always thought the Cybermen were underrated because the show treats them like substitute Daleks. It's for that reason that I like Nightmare in Silver more than most.
I enjoyed this episode a lot. I also suspected that Ruth was a hidden Timelord when she broke the glass, and I was initially annoyed when we saw the buried TARDIS, because it wouldn't make any sense for another Timelord's TARDIS to look like a police box... then I was very excited when she introduced herself as The Doctor, because I've always wanted to see a multi-Doctor episode where The Doctor meets some future regeneration. I'll be pretty much happy with any explanation for who this Doctor is, as long as she is NOT actually a past version. Future version, fine (although they seem to have ruled that out). Alternate universe, okay. Something else I haven't thought of yet? Sure. But if they try to insert some "lost" regeneration into The Doctor's past, I'm going to be annoyed. It worked with the War Doctor, but only because we had a "gap" between the 8th and 9th where there was a regeneration we'd never seen. We've seen them all now though, and all of The Doctor's regenerations are accounted for. Anything but a past version though and I'm on board, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Honestly, I'm always excited to see new Doctor Who, but I'm more excited to see what comes next than I've been in a while.
Jack Dearnley yes, but we need to know why we haven't seen this Doc before and why the current Doctor doesn't remember. It is possible she comes before Hartnell, but I really don't want that to be the case.
Yes. This. Please don't let Ruth be some forgotten past regeneration. Parallel or alternate would work just fine. I'm seeing people saying maybe she's from before Hartnell, but that's the last thing I want. Honestly sounds like a terrible idea.
When she appeared behind the doctor and introduced her I thought yes you are and I want to know all about you it felt familiar maybe the outfit hints at the time she's from
Terrence Hulke once stated in Doctor Who: The disContinuity Guide..."To be successful in TV all you need is an original idea, it just doesn't necessarily have to be your original idea."
The whole Ruth thing made me go WTF!! but I'm excited to see how this plays out I hope we get the answers to the questions that whole thing raised and I have a bit more faith because we don't have moffatt doing this so we might get a good pay off this time
Having avoided spoilers and rumours, I had no idea Jack might be coming back, so when he appeared on screen, my reaction was "Oh YES!" and applause, because I love him :) The Ruth Doctor... didn't see that coming, and interested to see where they go with it. Alternate reality? Split timelines? Something like the Valeyard? A forgotten incarnation between Troughton & Pertwee?
"I'm excited to see what comes next." It's been a long time since I felt this way about Dr Who. It's also nice to have some excitement back. Thanks for clarifying how I feel :D
I would add, that not only is it dangerous to show Whittaker vs Ruth but the whole Cap'n Jack vs three bland companions is not playing out so well for Chibnall... and to have Ryan call Jack "cheesy" *grr* But yay! for excitement being back.
*The writing of this episode:* Vinay Patel: Hi, boss, remember me? I wrote Demons of the Punjab, one of the best stories of Series 11, I've brought to you a Judoon invasion of Gloucestershire story. Chibby *his head is buried in an illegal substance*: OH YES MATE! GOOD SCRIPT, JUST LET ME CHANGE ONE THING! *He pulls out a full size guillotine and chops off 30% and replaces it with his High School fan fiction* NOW GO AND GET IT MADE!
The surprise person, at least for me, made me nearly throw my phone. Like I was so happy captain cheeseball returned. Rest just confused the hell out of me.
Also, the mirror on her wall she was using was a hexagon about the same size as those in many classic TARDIS interiors. That was my first clue when watching. It was just a little detail, but it looked very specific.
Personally i love how the doctor just forgets about the companions (they should of had a line of her realising near the end though) it shows how alien she is and how preoccupied and distracted she is with Ruth
The Doctor noticed Graham was missing fairly quickly. She walked out of the cafe with companions following and assumed all 3 were behind her. She was preoccupied with locating the Judoon Captain to try and avoid bloodshed and was suddenly on a 5 minute countdown to negotiate with the Fugitive. She then twigs that Graham was missing probably within 5 minutes of his vanishment but doesn't have time to give it much thought. At the 5-minute mark of the negotiations the plan is for the Doctor to get Ruth to safety while Yaz and Ryan stall the Judoon - they deliberately split up. It's not unreasonable for the Doctor to assume Yaz and Ryan would also try to locate Graham. The Doctor would have no reason to notice that Yaz and Ryan had also disappeared, especially as she was still trying to get Ruth to safety.
I kind of thought that she was going to be the introduction to modern Doctor Who of that other Time Lord villain from classic Doctor Who, The Rani. Kind of surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to go in that direction. (Unless they are and we're currently being tricked? As I understand that character from reading about her online though, it doesn't sound like she would be one to go for deception. That's more The Master's style.) I saw a comment on another video pointing out another possibility that would have been good. She could have been a regeneration of Jenny, the daughter / female clone of The Doctor that was created in an episode with Tennant's version of The Doctor. This way could have even had an excuse for sticking her Tardis with the same police box disguise that's so iconic of the actual Doctor, being able to write it off as some sort of weird sense of nostalgia for whatever impression her dad's (or "mother's" now) memories left on her. Anyway... After the reveal that she was some form of The Doctor (which doesn't seem to make sense at this time) though... I was very quickly having thoughts along the lines of "This version is far more interesting than Jodie's version!" and "Can we just get her series, instead?"
Torchwood Jack was practically another character. He was like an alternate universe Jack who had been born without a sense of humour or much of a personality.
The scene with how Ruth uses the gun felt very much like a reference to The 7th Doctor series Remeberance of The Daleks. I am definitely curious to see how this all resolves.
Yes, glad someone else caught that!! I was half expecting her to throw it in 13's face when she objected! It's not like she hasn't done something very similar haha...
Loved Jack Can’t say I’m a massive fan of a bunch of dr’s before Hartnell (god please don’t mention the other) maybe between 2 and 3 Good episode all round will need to wait and see the implications going forward, who hired the judoon and that Feels like we’ve a series of disconnected stories in series 11 to massive multi series mystery box, never ending question arcs and it is insane
kevin merchant If Ruth’s Tardis was close enough to key in on Thirteen’s Tardis it would also be close enough to create a paradox roughly the size of Belgium and we don’t exactly have a black hole and supernova to fix that this time.
DJ Maysonic It can be pre-Hartnell because plot. I don’t trust the current team to be consistent with cannon. They’ve already said “everything you thought you knew was a lie.” It feels like they’re making a move to change the lore of the show.
HappyandAtheist there is not much in all of who that I haven’t watched, read or listened to. I’m just more prepared to enjoy the Journey and not make assumptions until the end of the season and we have ALL the facts.
My instinct is that Ruth is another circle of regenerations before 'our' Doctors generations and that is the core of what the Master said that all was a lie, that there was history before history known to us and our doctor. How that works out, I don't know, but that's how I read from the episode.
According to Chris Chibnall, she is a real doctor, not from a parallel universe or any other tricks. I personally now think she is the next doctor, and all of this with Jodie's doctor is going to be an ongoing thing between now and when she regenerates (probably in series 13). Somehow, because of the timeless child, the timelords have reset the doctor's life by wiping her memory. OR Ruth's doctor or Jodie's doctor could be the individual who fixes Gallifrey and she sacrifices herself and her memories to fix it. So somehow, the doctor starts again...
@@HereComesPopoBawa then what is the point of a mystery? It is getting people excited for an answer aka explanation I don't want them to over explain it, just enough to make sense
@@Nabil-nz2zs - That's the problem - there is no point to a mystery. I prefer to ask my own questions, rather than be baited to ask the questions that somebody else wants me to ask because it makes their creative job easier. It's part of "death of the author", I don't privilege the author's questions or answers over yours or mine. Theirs is merely one more possible interpretation.
This episode was a WILD ride, and "WHAT?!?" is still pretty much my reaction. I'm not sure I've ever actually used this word, but I'm completely gobsmacked! We're watching it again today in hopes of catching a few more details. OUTSTANDING, Mr Chibnall (please, just make it pay off!)! Great review!
I HAVE NO WORDS! I'm still a bit a taken aback by what I had just experienced! I mean, it's one thing having the Judoon come back, but to have a new unknown version of the Doctor (which A) could be a past version that has existed long before William Hartnell and is possibly an adult Timeless Child before she became reincarnated as the Doctor we know, or B) is perhaps an alternate version of her from a parallel Gallifrey), more possible Gallifreyan history, Captain Jack himself coming back (which was friggin' awesome btw!), and the foreshadowed return of the Cybermen. I don't know if all of these concepts are connected or are two completely different story arcs entirely but it does have me very intrigued in what's in store for the future, although I'm still torn about whether or not this was a truly great standalone story or just a glorified setup episode for future episodes to answer much like with 2011's 'A Good Man Goes to War'. So far, I think this is easily the best Doctor Who story since Capaldi's swansong, but that view could change depending on how well Chibnall can stick the landing. After all, we don't need another Wedding of River Song or Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos!
I feel the need to reiterate, "too many companions" is not the show's problem. The problem is not giving them enough to do, and honestly especially with how this season has been written and paced so far I think even ONE companion might feel like "too many".
It's been over a season. I think we have a pretty decent feel for Graham and Ryan now but it's unjustifiable how little we still know about Yaz. It almost feels like we know her family better than we know her at this point.
That split regeneration idea of yours is an interesting one and one I hadn’t thought of before. I’m not sure it fits with having other Galifreyians around as well when all of Gallifrey should be dead. Unless I missed something in your theory if course.
I LOVE the direction this arc is going. Jack, the Master, The Timeless Child, the other Doctor, the Lone Cyberman... fascinating as hell. Personally I think that Jo Martin is a parallel universe Doctor or a Doctor from an aborted timeline. I don't like the idea of Doctors before Hartnell. The issue is though that I think the episode itself, whilst very entertaining and fun, doesn't stand out as a piece of standalone entertainment and exists just to set up other arcs, which is a bit of a shame. It means that the way this episode is viewed in the future depends entirely on how the arcs are resolved.
Chibnall has apparently ruled out it being a parallel universe. Personally I think the episode did a pretty good job of balancing setting up other arcs with being a complete story itself. The premise of the episode was: the Judoon have cordoned off Gloucestershire and are going about trying to find a fugitive in their usual heavy-handed way. New questions were raised along the way, but the original premise was addressed over the course of the story.
Love your enthusiasm. Not everything can be perfect (nor should it necessarily try to be) but this episode gave a lot and it mostly pulled it off, especially as a mid-season episode. From someone living in Stroud, who was delighted the town got a mention!
Jo Martin was very interesting and I 100% agree, I love her TARDIS interior much better. Her exterior looked a lot like the David Bradley exterior from Twice Upon A Time. The classic look, but the window frames are painted the same as the box with no St. John logo. Okay, here we go with my theories. 1) I do believe she's an alternate timeline or parallel universe Doctor. Some people have theorized she's before Hartnell, but that can't work (or at least would destroy canon already established) because we saw Clara in the timeline introducing the 1st Doctor to the correct TARDIS. If Ruth's TARDIS perhaps was just the silver cylinder or anything else, then perhaps it could work as just a different TARDIS, but that isn't what they did. 2) Another option, she's the Doctor right after the 2nd Doctor. Because the 2nd Doctor was taken by the Time Lords and then we saw him again in The Two Doctors, people believe that the High Council was using the 2nd Doctor as an agent. Well, that lines up with Command Gat. Now, here we go... 2nd Doctor runs away (as the Doctor is known to do), regenerates into Ruth, perhaps has countless adventures with Lee and then decides to hide because the heat was coming down upon her. Chameleon Arch, leading to here. Now, Ruth/Doctor is on the run again, eventually will get caught, forced to regenerate into Pertwee and mind-wiped to protect the High Council's secrets and all the missions they had the Doctor do.
We've seen, thanks to the Master and Rassilon, that the High Council can give regenerations, from singles to whole cycles. It's possible to erase their involvement, they gave the Doctor back one regen.
And gave him an extra regeneration so he wouldn't notice he had one left? My theorie is the timelords made several versions of the doctor and the master during the time war for soldiers. A version of the doctor and and a master went AWOL. Used the chameleon arch to turn themselves human. Then got separated. The master was found at the end of the universe by the doctor and captain Jack. The doctor hid in Gloucester. Ruth did say she had moved there in 1999. In our terms that's when the time war was happening. I just can't think why this would make the master so angry.
Remember how we all thought the white figures in Spyfall were Cybermen? And how we all thought the story would explore parallel earths? Very specific red herring there. I anticipate all of this will come back in the finale. With Captain Jack and the Master too, of course.
I love the placement of the midroll ads just before the spoiler sections of the videos. Much better than when people drop them in randomly. I had a good time with this episode. I freaked out when jack returned and really enjoyed the Ruth reveal. I’m looking forward to see where they take this
Personally, I hated Jodie Whittaker's Doctor But I LOVED Jo Martian's Doctor, the TARDIS, the costume, the attitude... PERFECT. Martian’s Doctor commanded every scene she was in, Whittaker’s Doctor can barely command a sentence. #JoMartinIsThe13thDoctor
I remember back when the Judoon were revealed to be back, you talked about how you'd like it if they returned them not to build the entire story around them, but sort of as a fill in for something that easily could have been something else. I feel like that is this exact situation. I also feel like this is their best appearance, better than Smith and Jones
Honestly I think the better “appearance” of the Judoon, is the book Judgement of the Judoon a 10th Doctor story. Although I might be biased on the TV appearances because Smith and Jones was my first full episode of Doctor Who... 13 years ago... ohh that’s a long time ago.
I dunno, Jodie is growing on me as the Doctor now. The Fugitive Doctor seems a bit harsh to be the Doctor - closer to John Hurt's War Doctor than the *Doctor* Doctor.
I loved Jack's return, he was just as charasmatic as ever! Unfortunately he did make the rest of the companions seem so stale. Seeing him bounce off Rose, Mickey, Martha etc seemed so much more fun than him talking to Yaz or Ryan. They just don't give anything back. I do hope we see him again, it'd be nice to see him and Thirteen.
When it comes to the spoilers, putting the comment below: you were worried three episodes ago about what would happen if the Cartnell Masterplan Pandora's Box was opened ... it's been opened, and it was done in the most respectful way to classic Who, while also being badass and stylish. By this, I mean Ruth. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better way to introduce the vague doctors, (doctors before the numbered regen system) I think that the Revelation is going to occur Rassilon salon wiped the memories of Omega and the other. Is that Omega wound up turning into the master, and the other round of turning into the doctor, which has already been pretty much confirmed regardless. This means there were regenerations between then and the number doctors. I'm thinking that their memories got wiped again when they got captured after being on the run for so long. The reason I think this is because when the Timeless child was mentioned back in the second part of the premiere, the same effect was applied to the image of the Timeless child standing in front of the gate pillars of ancient Gallifrey as was applied to Ruth's sealed memories. Meaning, there is a way to seal away memories without completely deleting them that would make erasing the memory of a timelord way easier. Also, Missy was right, she knew the doctor from way back when the doctor was a little girl! had to bring that up before I finished the comment. On the lone Cybermen, I don't know but it might be a reference to a radio drama. There have been Torchwood radio dramas in the last few years, and they are, for the most part, considered Canon/side canon. So maybe it's pulling from that lore. Also, I think that the time Lord that was sent to apprehend the doctor was a previous incarnation of the master, from before classic era as well. Remember what the master said during the first episode, "caught you, finally!" This means that this master remembers this doctor, even if this doctor doesn't remember this master. I also think that the time war that was sent to arrest her is the master before the master betrayed Gallifrey the first time. She also recognizes dr. Ruth ... Oh I see what they did there , anyway. It would make sense out of those loose plot thread from this series and open up a world of possibilities of story elements from classic era. So, well done Chibnall.
Jeronis Leror I’m with you. I hope they finally make the Doctor was the “Other”.. I will hate it if they take the easy way out and go don’t worry she’s (Ruth) just from a parallel world or different universe..
Just, 1 word: WHAT?! Okay, so, we're gonna have to pin a bunch of plots to a board now and wait to find how the hell they're connected. One thing they really should've asked each other: "What did your last one look like?"
I've been looking forward to this so much Nathaniel! Ths reason being: Your reviews feel more grounded. You take the episode, establish what it's doing, and give constructive criticism. I wanted to watch this so bad because after this episode...I had trouble wrapping my head around it. I was panicking if I must be honest. Going to your theories: yes I'm more into the parallel missy/master and ruth/13. Not only is it new. But it 1) Does NOT retcon the entire franchise (which I feared) 2) It's actually a comfort to know that no matter what universe, there will always be a Doctor to protect it. Something about that gives me warm fuzzies ☺️
But then what would the lie be? They have to do something with the time lore retcon wise. Honestly at this point I’m glad we’re doing something new with the time lords.
@@bigwave1713 I...honestly don't know. Maybe the lie is Rassilon stole Time Lords and Gallifreyans from other worlds to create our world's Gallifrey? I don't know this is the first thing I could think of. Still working on it
I think Chris is throughout the season is referencing different eras, he’s copied the jadoon pretty much exactly there looking for a fugitive. Spyfall is like old doctor who, I think Chris’s next episode will be a reference once again, and it’s all because “time is bending around her” so like there’s a master that would be more like the classic serious but then this which is rtd, if that makes sense, lo it isn’t that original I think the idea of old eras of doctor who slamming together is a very interesting concept I really hope it’s a parallel universe or time messing up, the idea of a secret cycle is borderline overkill
I loved this episode. The Judoon are an enemy i desperatly want to see more of. And wow this doctors story is about to get spicy ... i hope ....please....chibnall ...please
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where the show is going. I did find it a little odd that when Graham, Yaz, and Ryan were passing on Jack's message, then neglected to mention that somebody is using a time traveling weapon, or that Jack will be there to give backup when he's needed.
I thought this episode was incredibly good and I thoroughly enjoyed both the return of Jack and the reveal of the Ruth Doctor and can't wait to see more of them. My only issue I have with this is that there was ana rumour going about before Spyfall that Chibnall would be revealing that there was a whole regeneration cycle of all female Doctor's before Hartnell. And if that does turn out to be the case, whilst I like the idea in theory I just think it's pretty disrespectful towards Hartnell and Verity Lambert and everyone else who worked to create the show to basically retcon the entire 57 year history and go 'no this is how it started'. I don't know. We'll see where it goes. For now I am extremely thrilled and excited to see more.
Only really wanted to watch it coz it was filmed and based in my home city, Gloucester. Turned out to be probably my favourite episode this season so far
GREAT intro again! Sums up the episode PERFECTLY! I was up all night and shared feelings and messages with Torchwood Boy, Liam Catterson and even The Who Addicts. Finally feels good to be a Whovian again!....
It's certainly impressive. But I'm not sure if I like it. Don't get me wrong, the twists and turns were FANTASTIC and I don't think anyone had any idea what was going on. However, if this doesn't get a decent ending, I'm going to be very annoyed and I'm really worried this is going to be the case. I don't WANT it to be bad, I want it to be brilliant, a standout episode of the show, but I'm afraid this amazing idea starting point could just collapse and implode. The same goes for if Jack doesn't appear again, as then it would just be for a weird expositional plot point, and the "Gayest Man in Space" deserves FAR more than that. He's arguably the best thing in Doctor Who.
Posting this before I watch the review just to say I'm looking forward to hearing a big ol' rant about Mystery boxes. There were quite a few that came out in this episode. Edit: Guess I was wrong.
I have a feeling that "O" is prior to Professor Yana... but unfortunately I doubt that'd be the case. The Doctor is the timeless child probably. Why does "The Lone Cyberman" actually sound kinda creepy?
![DID IT SUCK? | Doctor Who [FUGITIVE OF THE JUDOON REVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/fmGZkPYHQAo/mqdefault.jpg)
Jack Harkness, an object holding the Doctor's persona while their body is human and has no memory of being the Doctor, the Judoon and the Master is back. Someone was a fan of series 3!
It was a good one until the magic prayer deux ex machina happened.
Also kind of weird but the Titan Comics are currently doing a retelling of Blink from Thirteen's perspective where she encounters Ten after he's sent back by the Angels.
To be fair the Chameleon Arch is nothing new
A savage future mutated breed of humans
Considering where you put the Christmas special as the dvd box sets include it, female alien queen based of if a multi legged creature
The running joke of everyone thinking Graham is the Doctor is hilarious 😂
I don't know about hilarious, but I do think it's cute. Especially how perplexed Graham looks when it happens.
The kiss. THE KISS
GLORIOUS
I think it might be a tougue-in-cheek reference to the fans complaining that Graham was more doctor-y than the doctor in series 11.
The chameleon ark has been reintroduced... maybe he is.
Though I hope not.
It worked so much better here for me I loved it
BBC on series 10: "WE'RE BRINGING THE MASTER BACK!" ...so much for surprises this year.
BBC on series 12: "WE'RE BRINGING THE JUDOON BACK!" (and Jack Harkness, and a new Master, and a new Doctor, and revealing/rewriting the origins of Gallifrey, and destroying Gallifrey again.) "JUDOON EVERYBODY! AND MAYBE A CYBERMAN!"
They've confirmed the Cybermen at least three times
I know, I was actually impressed that they kept the Captain Jack stuff a secret.
The ratings for the show are in the dumpster because of how bad Whittaker and Chibnail are. Not surprising they're doing everything they can to attempt to bring it back, but they're failing hard.
Sadly all if this was spoiled for me cause people posted the spoilers in video titles, thumbnails, and other stuff without any warning
@@ThisisCitrus Actually the ratings for series 11 were far better than for the Capaldi era and about en par with most of Smith and lots of Tennant. Series 12 isn't that strong so far in rating numbers, that's true, but they couldn't know that for the commercials beforehand. And frankly: I really don't get why. It's the first season of Doctor Who in a while that really catched me!
I *adore* any scene with the companions questioning the Doctor. "Don't talk to him like that." Go on, Yaz! They really are a family unit, and it works.
I mean, the Doctor searching for the Master when the trio term their back. That's subtle and it's genius. I love it.
This is Jodie's best performance imo. I know people are saying "look how easy she gets overshadowed", but I was rooting for her all the way.
I honestly agree, we saw a darker part of her character as she goes through all this confusion and... intrapersonal difficulties (? XD), and I love the way she handled that.
Yaz is by far the worst of the entire cast, with Whittaker a close 2nd. Seasons 11 and 12 have entirely destroyed Doctor Who.
@@SplotchTheCatThing did you watch Dr who after he lost the Ponds?? Interpersonal difficulties. 50 times worse. Jodie was the 2nd best doctor in this episode alone.
@@ThisisCitrus They do need to flesh out Yaz more. At this point it feels like we know Ryan and Graham pretty well but Yaz still feels like a blank slate. I swear they've given Yaz's dad more character than they've given her. :/
Personally I think Season 11 was uneven and Season 12 is a lot stronger so far. But if you find Doctor Who destroyed, at least you still have the preceding 50-years-worth of episodes. :)
Where that Doctor is in her life, the fact she has a more classic console room, that she was formerly working for the Timelords special forces and is now on the run from them, that she's been taught what might just be Venusian Aikido....
It all just fits so perfectly with Series 6B - the idea that before Jon Pertwee stumbled out of his TARDIS to begin his exile on earth, that the second Doctor had been forced to work for the Celestial Intervention Agency. This was started in the Doctor Who Comic which continued to write me Troughton stories set between Troughton's last episode and Pertwees's first and a lot of people have used or to justify why both Jamie and the Second Doctor were so much older when they appeared in multi Doctor stories.
And if they can pluck a potential future regeneration out from the Doctor's future timestream to make the Valeyard, doesn't it make sense the Timelords could also erase or revert a regeneration and force a Timelord to retroactively go down a different path?
In other words, the 2nd Doctor was forced to work for the CIA and even regenerated into Ruth during that time. But Ruth discovered something she shouldn't have - perhaps the same secret that The Master has now discovered - and rather than kill the Doctor they removed the regeneration that made the discovery, effectively reverting the Ruth Doctor back to Patrick Troughton and then forcing him to regenerate into Jon Pertwees's third Doctor instead of her and this removing all the secrets she learned and erasing this incarnation from the Doctor's timestream (which is also why she doesn't show up when Clara enters his timestream)
literaltruth it’s confusing but I kinda like this
Also explains why she would be a fugitive
This is what I thought! That Ruth is between Troughton and Pertwee, and it would WORK, because there’s no set time period between Troughton going all spin-around-y and Pertwee falling out of the TARDIS. They could, theoretically, insert anything there and then wipe it from the Doctors mind.
I like the idea of the Time Lords undoing the regeneration. Other people have suggested that they just mindwiped them and gave them an extra regeneration but this seems like a more interesting option.
@@JekyViews not really as Troughton had the sonic screwdriver in Fury from the Deep so she would know what it is.
Btw, it said ‘And introducing Jo Martin as The Doctor” in the credits, so it’s definitely legit if they added that tiny detail!
Friendly Fronds That was a different scenario, it was the big end scene revel so it fit in better. This happen in the middle of the episode
I'm glad they did that, it shows it's not another Jackson Lake situation. (Although I loved David Morrisey's performance}
Spyfall was a send up to the Pertwee era stories, and this one felt like RTD... I think the best parts of Chibnall are when he remixes older elements.
Kai Creech yeah he’s really not very good when he does his own thing... at some point they’ll realise broadchurch series 1 just had really good directing and producing 😂
@@gobatron6589
I don't mean that he's bad, series 12 proves he's competent, I was just inditifying what was making this season work.
@@kaicreech7336 I mean, if what I can expect from the rest of Chibnall's tenure is that he'll keep the show of good quality and make it fun, but it won't be very original, I'm not complaining.
one thing i was really happy with in this episode, (aside from, you know, a certain person being back and the big plottwist), was that the fam were starting to push back when the dr just went into moods. like they're not forcing her to come out of her zone, but i'm glad they're not putting up with it and letting her be rude without telling them what's going on. i really liked that they were like "listen if you're going through something, we respect that, but also don't snap as us for asking questions when you're not telling us ANYTHING"
Also one of my favourite parts like when yaz said to the doctor "don't talk to him like that" defending Jamie like a sister the family side is finally coming to shape one thing I've been looking for 👌
@@ilionmmai5982 Jamie came back, too?? Must've missed that...^_~ But agreed, it's long past time we got some conflict here, everyone's been way too friendly since their first season. Remember how both Rose and Martha refused to budge another inch until the Doc told them something...in their second episodes? Took this lot an entire season just to approach that point!
I dig your identifier👍🏽
Spoilery comment.
Theory here on why the companion's/Jack plot was detached from the rest:
1) set-up for the future
2) The Doctor is clearly pushing away the companions and they sense it, they also care for her and want to be there even if she doesn't (because that's what family is supposed to do); so giving the companions a direct connection to the main plotline of the season means they'll have a huge part in the resolution (either in the "message" of the season or something like that).
3) every significant adventure the doctor has had this season has happened away from the companions (which may affect her mood, as we see at the end of the episode).
Basically, it was detached because of plot and character development reasons.
Also, can we make a list of all the plotlines? Maybe they'll successfully thread them together at the end 😁
Chibs is copying off the pandorica arc. This episode was utopia mixed with The Eleventh Hour. Team chibs sucks.
@@HOTD108_ I think judging this episode's storytelling before the series is even finished is a bit unfair. I think it'll be worth it so long as Chibnall knows how to tie up such bold plot arcs (cough cough Moffat cough cough).
"I'm sorry, what?" is just what I thought after I watched this episode.
Couldn't agree more. The remixing of old ideas into something new as well as the actual attempts to bring the overarching story to the forefront at times (rather than just repeating a word or phrase) is making more engaged with series 12 than I have with past few series'
Biggest twist: making Gloucester seem a nice place to live
aha omg so true
Doctor Foster went to Gloucester.
@Varangian Was it actually Gloucester or a stand-in location? Never been there myself.
@@lwaves everything but the cafe i believe
Lemon_Hayd there was some Cardiff in the mix too
Captain Jack means a lot to me. He kinda turned me bi... The gay sex scenes in Torchwood made me first realize I liked men too.
That's what he does! Brings out the best in everyone...
Your hormones turned you bi, you can’t blame captain jack for that, you just have good taste
OMG me too, sort of. It was Jack that made me more accepting and more open to being bi.
I enjoyed Torchwood except for those scenes lol, but then I'm a repulsed ace so what do we expect?
Just wish there was less screwing in the media I want to enjoy is all so I don't HAVE to stick to children's stuff. (I say Children and not Young Adults because even YA stuff has screwing it, when they're underage as well, if it's not straight up r-pe classed under romance. -_-)
Seriously, it's a choice what attraction is? You just proved a lot more people right. But as a bi person I want to see more than a stereotype because I can't relate to Jack.
Who Fandom when Chibs got the gig: "Sure, he's a lifelong Who fan. But just the show. He doesn't even know much about Big Finish. He's never gonna reference stuff from the expanded universe like Davies and Moffat did."
Chibs: *makes Marc Platt, Kate Orman, Lawrence Miles and Lance Parkin's mythos from the 7th & 8th Doctor novels and Faction Paradox novels & audios mainstream*
I AM FUCKING HERE FOR THIS!!!
OCD Geek Could you elaborate. I don’t recognize those names.
@@quinnsinclair7028 guessing Kate Orman is Lethbridge Stewarts daughter in a book.
@@kirstyshadowdancer5095 No Kate Orman was an author of the Virgin New Adventures books. There is a Lethbridge Stewart in the books, but she's a distant descendant in the far future. Her name is Kadiathu.
Id rather the Koch media/Reeltime spin-offs become canon
@@quinnsinclair7028 Sorry for the late reply. I worked overnight doing inventory and needed some sleep. Platt was a writer during Andrew Cartmel's tenure as showrunner (the 7th Doctor's era) and continued the "Cartmel Masterplan" in the 7th Doctor novel Lungbarrow. Miles and Parkin are considered among the greatest Expanded Whoniverse writers ever. They (along with Kate Orman) created their own mythos not only in Virgin's 7th Doctor novels and BBC's 8th Doctor novels (and some short stories for charity works and fanzines), but also the standalone novel/serialized audio spin-off Faction Paradox which Miles spun off from the 8th Doctor novels.
Parkin's also written a 10th Doctor novel that ties into their mythos (The Eyeless), a 5th/7th Doctor novel that does the same (Cold Fusion, which he also adapted to audio for Big Finish himself) as well as a novel featuring an ambiguously placed Doctor (The Infinity Doctors) that ties in as well. Parkin also wrote the Big Finish story "Davros" plus an episode of their miniseries I, Davros, but they don't tie into the mythos.
MASSIVE SPOILERS for the 7th & 8th Doctor novels plus some elements from Faction Paradox and Big Finish's Gallifrey audios.
In a nutshell: The Doctor's father (the Time Lord Ulysses) was a renegade explorer who lived on Earth for a time as "Professor Daniel Joyce" and fell in love with a human scientist (Penelope Gate) who discovered time travel. They fell in love, moved back to Gallifrey and had a kid. Gallifrey was extremely xenophobic, so they had to keep her origins and their child's half-human heritage a secret.
Eventually, they are found out by higher ups in the Gallifreyan government so they (with some help from fellow Time Lord Larna) messed with time and rewrote their child's history to protect the kid. Now, rather than being half-human and womb-born, their child was full-Gallifreyan and Loom-born. They were also now Loomed from the genetic material of "The Other", a mysterious Gallifreyan from ancient times that (along with Rassilon and Omega) founded Gallifreyan society as we now know it. The three created time travel as well as the ability to regenerate. The Age of the Time Lords was now upon us.
Years later, the Lord President of Gallifrey Pandad VII discovers the truth of the Doctor's half-human heritage and orders them and their granddaughter (aka, the President's daughter) killed. Presumably to cover-up their own half-human heritage (if Pandad's The Doctor's kid) or that of their spouse (if Pandad's The Doctor's son-in-law), they order the two of them killed. He dispatches his "Lord Burner" (aka personal assassin) Braxiatel to "burn" the two of them from history. Braxiatel was also The Doctor's half-brother. The Doctor and Susan fled in a stolen TARDIS. The very same day, President Pandad died when a power relay in his office overloaded. An inquiry headed by Braxiatel found that this was an accident.
The Eighth Doctor in the BBC novels would have conflicting memories of their childhood. They are a living paradox. Both half-human and fully Gallifreyan. Both womb-born and Loom-born. Presumably, "Ruth" is "The Other" from Gallifrey's distant past.
I've been calling her Ruthless. 🥁 🥁
Totally agrees with that!
Could this be the doctor from Pete's universe? Could that be how it relates to the cyber men?
Do you mean the meta crisis doctor? Because he couldn't regenerate or are you saying that universe could have it's own doctor? If so it's an interesting idea but I prefer it when the cybermen are the ones that originate in the main doctor's universe
@DJ Maysonic They're saying that universe's own Doctor, not the meta-crisis Doctor. It's something I've considered to but that universe was completely locked (they could write around it course), so I'm thinking it's one of the multiple other universes. Even if Ruth (and maybe The Master) is from an AU, the Cybermen could still be from ours and not the Lumic version.
I hope it's a parallel universe doctor, not a doctor from a regeneration cycle before Hartnell that was all female like it was rumored it could be, because I'm not a fan of rewriting canon.
@@MusikloverinZ Ikr, can writers stop doing that. We got through 26 years of Classic Who without anyone screwing with the Doctor's past. Why can't New Who writers do the same.
Apparently Chibers has said it has nothing to do with a Alt. Universe.
Biggest question for me. How does John Barrowman still look so young???
Is he actually immortal??
god he’s a handsome guy.
Aside from him needing hair dye I agree he looks practically the same every time hes on TV. Nobody ages better than him it seems from returning characters
He still looks great, IMO. But they did a lot of obvious hair and makeup work to make him look younger. IMO it was especially obvious with the odd diagonal view that his face and neck are wider, but they tightened that up in the straight-on shots. Not knocking him, he's five years older than me and I'd be fine with them showing him more as he looks now.
Yes, but unlike Captain Jack John just has a creepy portrait in his attack.
Yea it was alot of make up , he was on I'm a celebrity get me out of here you could see him without any make up and his age is starting to show
The first words out of my mouth when I saw this were: "Well, that was an episode of Doctor Who". And I stand by that.
Couldn't agree more
Took them a series but they got there in the end.
Chibnall ran Torchwood for two series. He's written for Jack more than anyone else
He worked better on Torchwood in my opinion. It was more his style.
And he fucking ruined him.
I feel we'll get more answers on Ruth/Doctor and her been the timeless child before the Hartnell incarnation/cycle but I don't expect every answer to be done this season I think some will drip into series 13
Chibnall has had these ideas planned since he was child and he grew up in the era where we "Morbius Doctors" and Cartmel Master plan
yeah, i was thinking about her being before hartnell, but that can’t make sense, since her tardis is still the exact same police box used forever.
@@theneekofficial8829 yeh that's one thing I can't understand BUT the TARDIS is alive maybe she remembers been the police box before as decides to get stuck that way cos she prefers it. No matter how it's worked I can't see it been another hidden incarnation like Hurt in the 13 we had it seems clear from way it's wrote to not be a future one due to Gallifrey status and I don't think we can have alternate universe Time Lords/Doctor think RTD said back around Petes world in s2 that time Lords can only exist once and can't be other versions due to fact they can easily pop in out of universes. Chib could ignore it but I'm still heavy looking towards pre Hartnell and even though I'm not a fan of the idea it's not like it has been considered before
Ryan and Yaz ran off to distract the Judoon while the Doc and Ruth escaped, so that kinda explains why she didn't address their disappearance
Cribbing, I think you mean 'Chibbing' am I right?...
I'll see myself out.
Equivalent of the "Moffat Moment"?
You'll see yourself out 😉.
The Davies Dazzle!
When I heard Jacks voice on the intercom thingy i though it was him, but when he actually appears I literally jumped out of my seat!!!!
How many of you, when he asked "Didja miss me?!" screamed "YES!!" at your tv??
I hyperventilated. And than it wasn't even the biggest surprise in the episode.
So here's my prediction halfway through the season as to how this all ties together.
I'm thinking Ruth is a version of the doctor from the parallel universe. Which has somehow crossed over in much the way the Cybermen did in Army of Ghost. Somehow the Time Lords discovered they were currently two copies of the Doctor in our universe and attempted to hunt her down. Enlisting the help of the Judoon along the way, before the Master went and destroyed Gallifrey because he discovered the "Timeless Child" is the existence of Ruth's parallel Doctor someplace in the Universe. The lone Cyberman Jack mentions is a survivor from the Canary Wharf that's been attempting to travel back to its own universe, and that's how the Aliens in episode one were able to appear and the warning means if the Doctor give s the cyberman what it wants, a way back to its own Universe the door will once again be open for that version of the Cybermen to cross back over and re-establish themselves in our universe.
Good theory there!
Why would Ruth existing trigger the Master and cause him to kill everyone?
@@FortoFight Maybe he thought it was HIS Gallifrey? Him and Ruth!Doctor might be trapped in The Doctor's world but they don't realise it yet 🤔
Hold on I'm sorry but I have to do an OBJECTION! I just remembered something:
Didn't the 10th Doctor mention that travelling between parallel worlds was impossible? And doesn't the Tardis sense disturbances in space and time?
How could Ruth!Doctor and Sacha!Master travel to The Doctor's world without the universe imploding?
Eriol_Mits that’s what I think too
I get the feeling that The Master and Ruths Doctor is all linked with The Timeless Child and is actually a whole other regeneration line of both that neither can remember which would put both lines possibly before Hartnells Doctor or Delgado's Master
Another regenaration cycle before Hartnell is the worst thing they can do. Not only it doesnt make sense, theres no need for something like that. Do we need another 13 doctors suddenly? why? why diminish Hartnell as the first one? why contradict him being the one who stole the tardis and got it stuck as a police box? If thats the case i'm going to be very pissed at Chibnall.
meguminton To be fair, they’ve already gone there. In the Big Finish audio dramas the Doctor was originally one of the founding fathers of Gallifrey, like Rassilon. At the time called “The Other”. It was the Other that was Susan’s grandfather. (Don’t quote me word for word on this cause it’s been awhile) Rassilon plotted against the Other who was lost in the Untempered Schism as a result. His consciousness reformed some years later as the Doctor though having no memory of his time at The Other Susan still recognized him as her grandfather.
@meguminton I completely agree. I would totally screw things up for the last 50+ years and isn't needed at all. It's one thing to introduce the War Doctor, to give the warrior aspect to the Doctor and fill out the first 13 incarnations (along with 10 version 2), but it's a whole other thing to bring in complete set of unknown incarnations from a time before our first. A future version is possible (still unlikely IMO) but I'm currently going with an AU version, alternate timeline or something similar. The Doctor but not our Doctor.
@Quinn Sinclair The TV show hasn't gone there and that's what counts. Despite what some people claim, Big Finish is not main-canon (only the show itself is that). The only thing that was made main-canon were the names of Eight's companions, nothing more.
Although to be fair, the classic show itself has made vague reference to the Doctor being around much longer than we think, possibly back as far as Rassilon and before the Time Lords but nothing definite was ever stated and they never went anywhere with it.
@@quinnsinclair7028 Thats clearly not what they are doing here. Ruth clearly says she is the doctor, has a Tardis. And strictly speaking, Big Finish only counts when the main series makes it canon, i dont think anything of that has ever transfered to the screen.
John barrowman is cool met him down here a few years.
Even though the companions have mostly been pushed to the side lately, it was nice to have them reassure the Doctor at the end. Yet again it shows why the Doctor needs companions...even if they’re just running alongside her and asking a bunch of questions.
17:57 And let's not forget about nanogenes always comming for Jack
They want their Mummy back lol
*The amount of plot points is giving me Series 6 anxiety.*
SPOILER!
Ruth Doctor is a Tesselecta hunting The Master. Also Winston Churchill. Also Stetsons!
I actually loved Series 6, but that's just bc I personally love overcomplicated plot arcs
nightowl to be fair I loved Series 6 and I’m loving this too.
Except Series 6 didn't threaten to fuck with the lore. If Series 6 arc is shit at least it's self contained. If this one is Then this Series will end with me throwing a hammer at the screen.
@@cameroncaws8506 - that's true
"I don't think Chibnall's ever written for Jack before"....he was the showrunner on Torchwood for 2 seasons
Uncle Syrus I was looking for this comment as I was enraged by the ignorance here
Which series did he do? Miracle Day and Children of Earth?
Rhys Causon nah the first 2
Obsidius Nightbrother If Jack could keep his head out of the gutter and stop hitting on people that are at least probably centuries younger than him, that would be better. But that's just my opinion. I hated having to go 'Jack FFS, focus!' All the way through Torchwood and his scenes in this episode.
@@Roadent1241 Jack flirts with everyone, that's his character. What's the problem, it's still better than Smith and Whitaker going off on massive tangents and spouting absolute nonsense just to try and look quirky. Also it's hard to find people in your age group when you're thousands of years old. I imagine it just becomes a number after a while. As long as their both adults what's the problem with age.
Finally, Doctor Who has a direction. I did enjoy this.
And Jack is back!
This episode had either just set up one of the best series arc in years, or signed a cheque it can't cash. I hope this lands.
That's what I've seen saying. This could go down as being the best exposition ever for a gigantic storyline, or as the biggest disappointment.
Call me cynical but I don't see a possible way to make a satisfying conclusion to everything. Even if they dedicated every single episode left in the series to the arc, I still don't think you could balance all the plot points introduced here. I really hope I'm wrong though.
@@OfficialDuckox I don't even think it will finish this season.
Honestly, with what we've seen with the rest of the season, I feel like Orphan 55 was a rushed filler episode to make the first half not entirely major plot
My theory on Ruth was that she's Season 6B (between 2 and 3's incarnations, CIA work, etc, memory can be explained away because 3 was forced to forget a lot anyway, and iirc some Doctor in a book (I want to say 8?) said that their lives before 3 are pretty foggy to them), but being a split incarnation like the Valeyard is very interesting.
I'm curious to see what they do, and also how long all these arcs will go. Timeless Child was last season, but it's a Series 12 appearance, so maybe Lone Cyberman is for Series 13 and will lead to 13's regeneration?
Plus, besides the Ruth Doctors interior being very much classic, the exterior of her tardis is a classic who design, not any of the designs from NuWho, plus the timelord(?) who Ruth has shoot herself and the implication she was working for other timelords in a period where Gallifrey is still very much fine makes it seem she was doing possibly CIA work.
Between Troughton & Pertwee is pretty much the only place I can think that Ruth can fit if she's from the main timeline for much the same reasons you said. I'm 98% sure we didn't see Troughton actually become Pertwee. Ruth's in trouble with a Gallifrey that is clearly before the Time War. She knows what a sonic screwdriver is (Troughton used one) but says she's smart enough not to need one, which could be an example of different incarnations of the Doctor ribbing each other for their differences. This would mean that Tennant's half-Regeneration and the Metacrisis Doctor no longer counts as blowing a whole one, which I'm ok with. We shall see.
@@ZoeMalDoran We didn't see Troughton regenerating into Pertwee, but the when he stumbles out of the TARDIS, #3 was wearing #2's outfit.
DrT999 could be that the timelords purposefully put them back in that prior to them regenerating to trick the doctor further or something since 3 would likely be confused if they stumbled out wearing women’s clothes despite knowing their last incarnation (in their mind) was male. That would kinda explain how 3 was so adept at martial arts despite the first two doctors really not doing that sort of thing, residual muscle memory or something
The problem is that we’ve seen all thirteen of the Doctor’s first regeneration set. If Ruth existed between Two and Three then Ten would have died during the End of Time having blown his last regeneration on the medicrisis. She either has to be before Hartnell, Between Smith and Capaldi or Between Capaldi and Whittaker.
Chibnall wrote alot for jack, in Torchwood.
Yep, Chibnall wrote 8 Torchwood episodes - 4 each in seasons one and two.
Yeah, I had to laugh when Nathaniel said Chibnall hadn't really written for Jack. ;)
Nathaniel did mention Torchwood. Though really Torchwood Jack almost might as well have been a different character. It was *really* jarring when he showed back up for Utopia and suddenly was back to being the same old Jack we last saw on Dr Who.
@@PaulusAlone Chibnall tends to be a more character-based writer, but that's not necessarily "soapy" or a bad thing. To make the obvious comparison, Moffatt is the most imaginative, clever writer but his characterisations tend to be superficial and almost entirely composed of big moments. He can also basically only write one type of female character. Chibnall has a history of character-based writing stories with a variety of different perspectives. Episodes like the Hungry Earth/Cold Blood (DW), Adrift (TW), etc. thrive by throwing sympathetic characters with different perspectives into conflict. His stories tend to have more emotional heart. Which is why it was so incredibly disappointing when Season 11 was so shallow. This season he seems to be borrowing a bit from the Moffatt playbook but he also seems to be injecting some of his own writing strengths into the newly complicated relationship between the Doctor and her "Fam". I'm interested to see where it goes.
@@irrevenant3 To me the difference between Torchwood Jack and Doctor Who Jack revolves around the fact that in TW Jack is the big name, he has to (try to) take on the weight of the situation, in DW he's more like a sidekick, he has the Doctor to rely on, so he's freed to act more like the Jack we met in S1 of new Who.
At least that's my headcanon.
The whole "Doctor doesn't notice the companions are missing" made some sense to me, because for one thing they'd already agreed that Ryan and Yaz would distract the Judoon while the Doctor got Ruth to safety, and for another it seemed pretty clear especially after Ruth took down the Judoon leader that The Doctor thought they were on a pretty tight time limit to figure it out. The only part of it that might have been a bit weird was that she didn't mention them at all in the meantime.
I will say I think I figured out the chameleon arch part fairly early because the first shot in the episode was of Ruth's watch... even though it was a regular watch that worked, that was still a pretty cheeky sort of hint.
I have no idea where the plot is going, it's so chaotic and just what, but I'm excited for the ride.
Cartnell Masterplan. There were Easter eggs about it scattered throughout new who, and it was actually where classic who was going to go if there were two more seasons. That is the current destination. Look it up
TBH that's one thing I liked about the last series, much easier to follow because the plots weren't jumbled or following an ongoing story arc.
Oh boy.
Well, literally the first thing that made me happy was that the Judoon ship looked right. We haven't really seen those ships since Smith and Jones, but they got it right, and it's little bits of attention to detail like that which can make a big difference. It follows that getting the Judoon right in terms of how they operate makes sense as well. They are pretty thick after all.
13 trying to do Judoon rhymes was cute, too.
Speaking of 13. It hit me while watching this one that the thing that keeps throwing me off about how secretive she is comes down to how 13 presents herself. She comes across as very open, but actually isn't. She's very energetic, very excitable, and rambles off stuff ninety miles a minute, but to borrow a line form Donna, says nothing. It seems like she'd tell her companions everything, from how she presents her personality, and I think back in series 11, it was easy to assume she had told them off camera. Having it sink in that she never did, and even now isn't, clashes with how she seems to be. It's very curious, and I think, very deliberate.
Then Jack showed up, which I had no idea was coming, as I don't pay any attention to rumors. Pretty sure John Barrowman had a lot of input on Jack's lines and delivery, as he literally knows the character better than anyone. Mind you, his arrival was the point where I started going Wait, What? a whole lot. Still, knowing he'll be back makes me very on board, as I have no doubt he'll play a crucial role in whatever is coming.
Ruth. That threw me. Didn't see the Time Lord angle coming. When she broke the glass, it was familiar enough I knew just what it meant, but my first thought was that the Rani was back. Especially when she grabbed the gun. That got shattered fast, cause Tardis. Okay, so future Doctor? Wait, no, she doesn't recognize 13, so she can't be a future Doctor.
Tardis interior is old style, though not entirely classic, so definitely a past Doctor, but not one we've ever seen, and neither has 13. Doesn't know the sonic, either, so it can't be a divergent timeline, as the sonic has been around since at least the 4th Doctor. While not every Doctor has used one, Ruth would still have to know what it was.
I was so very confused at that point, but loving it, since I could not figure out what was happening for sure, and that always makes me happy.
The alternate universe theory holds water, but I don't think that's what going on here. I think this ties into the Timeless Child, and I think someone, after the destruction of Gallifray, is trying to rewrite time. They are trying to rewrite all of it so the Time War never happened. I think the Master is an alternate version, as is Ruth, but not from another universe, so much as from an alternate possibility created deliberately by someone who is trying to maybe fix things they see as wrong. I also think they are messing it up horribly, and this is going to end up being the big five year story arc Chibnall has planned.
He's not ignoring the history of the show this way. He's just having a lot of fun with time travel and what you can actually do with it if you have a mind to, as well as the terrible ramifications of that.
Yeah, lots of thoughts. This episode got my brain spinning, and that always makes me very happy.
very interesting theory! especially considering the way that the concept of alternate timelines were handled in orphan 55... yeah maybe i'll stick with that for now.
@@uncledarren4262 Ah, yes. I couldn't recall for certain when it showed up, but I remember Baker using it. Troughton having one blows the theory that Ruth is between he and Pertwee out of the water, though.
@@greathuntergrimalkingrayco6975 At the moment, it's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. Well, the only thing that doesn't obliterate everything we know of the history of the show, anyway. I don't think Chibnall is going to toss history in the trash can, either, so rewriting time seems like the best possibility.
The problem is that we have all thirteen of the Doctor’s first set of regenerations accounted for, One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, War, Nine, Ten, Medicrisis, Eleven.
Ruth can’t be slotted in between somewhere. There isn’t room.
As for the sonic, Ruth asked what it was Thirteen said a sonic screwdriver and Ruth’s response was “I don’t use one them.” That indicates she knows what it is but hasn’t seen this particular model.
The style of Ruth’s Tardis isn’t indicative of when she’s from. It is in the old style but the Doctor has been shown to be sentimental before. They may simply have gone back to a familiar look. More important is that Ruth’s Tardis has an ability that Thirteen’s doesn’t, a teleport. Ruth brought herself and Thirteen inside using it when the Tardis door was blocked by being buried in the ground. The Tardis has never had that ability before, there have been numerous times when it would have been useful (Tardis was buried up to the light in Rebel Flesh). Which means that Ruth’s Tardis is more advanced than Thirteen’s. It might not be an entirely different model but it has had upgrades which means that Ruth has to be ahead of Thirteen. She can’t be behind.
@@quinnsinclair7028 All fair points. I am simply theorizing, really, as I have no actual idea what the hell is even going on.
However, I suspect that Ruth would have known a sonic simply from the sound, and how the Doctor was using it. That she had to even ask is odd.
Unless, of course, a sonic is an idea she had, then discarded as unnecessary in her own personal timeline. By which I mean she is an alternate version of Troughton, or even Pertwee, which explains the interior, and possibly even the teleport, as this Doctor seems to have worked for a Time Lord agency, who could have upgraded her Tardis with a teleport.
I just can't shake the sense that this Doctor, and even the Master we met in Spyfall, is an alternate timeline that has been created in an effort to undo the fall of Gallifrey. Of course, this creates a paradox, as two timelines can't coexist.
Just a theory, of course, but I think this is going to end up being the big thing, the mystery box as it were. Not of this season, either, but of Jodie's entire run.
Does she rewrite her own personal history and save Gallifrey, or not?
I could well be wrong, I admit, but this is sure a better theory than a pre-Hartnell Doctor.
The thing a lot of people are ignoring in regards to the theories of parallel doctors is the lack of recognition of the sonic screwdriver, this was introduced in the 2nd doctor, so either this a very divergent doctor, which seems pointless or she really is a future/previous regeneration.
Ruth can’t be a previous “lost” incarnation anywhere on the doctor’s list prior to Eleven unless she was before Hartnell. We have seen all thirteen of the Doctor’s first regeneration set. If Ruth was slotted in somewhere it would mean that Ten should have died in End of Time having blown his last regeneration on the medicrisis.
Could have happened between Troughton and Pertwee to be fair, as we don’t actually see Troughton take the form of Pertwee.
What if the time lords repressed the Doctor's memory of this incarnation, and granted them an extra regeneration so they wouldn't get suspicious? It's possible this Doctor could slot between Troughton and Pertwee.
She'll have been before Hartnell, chances are Ruth will be the last in a cycle of Thirteen regenerations, the Time Lords will grant her thirteen more life's but at the cost of her memories, and then she'll regenerate into a young child who eventually grows up to become Hartnell's Doctor.
Maybe child Doctor will be the Timeless Child because as far as the rest of Gallifrey is concerned this child came from nowhere.
Karkat Vantas Cause that’s not really how regeneration works. We’ve seen cases where they have granted new regenerations to a dying or dead timelord where would have been more advantageous to give a very limited amount. Yet they were granted an entire set. Moreover the president of Gallifrey in his quest for immortality was not able to simply continually grant himself regenerations without limit. The on screen evidence suggests that timelords can only be granted new regenerations in groups of twelve.
@@christophersmith3272 she would known what the sonic srewdriver is as Troughton used it lol
The lone Cyberman storyline sounds really interesting. Can't wait to see it unfold.
I hope we get an episode where a single cyberman seems menacing like the daleks were in jubilee dalek and resolution
11 + Handles = "Luv Handles: the Lone Cyberman"
I've always thought the Cybermen were underrated because the show treats them like substitute Daleks. It's for that reason that I like Nightmare in Silver more than most.
I enjoyed this episode a lot. I also suspected that Ruth was a hidden Timelord when she broke the glass, and I was initially annoyed when we saw the buried TARDIS, because it wouldn't make any sense for another Timelord's TARDIS to look like a police box... then I was very excited when she introduced herself as The Doctor, because I've always wanted to see a multi-Doctor episode where The Doctor meets some future regeneration.
I'll be pretty much happy with any explanation for who this Doctor is, as long as she is NOT actually a past version. Future version, fine (although they seem to have ruled that out). Alternate universe, okay. Something else I haven't thought of yet? Sure. But if they try to insert some "lost" regeneration into The Doctor's past, I'm going to be annoyed. It worked with the War Doctor, but only because we had a "gap" between the 8th and 9th where there was a regeneration we'd never seen. We've seen them all now though, and all of The Doctor's regenerations are accounted for.
Anything but a past version though and I'm on board, and I can't wait to see what comes next. Honestly, I'm always excited to see new Doctor Who, but I'm more excited to see what comes next than I've been in a while.
There is actually still a possible gap between 2 and 3 where it makes a lot of sense for her to fit
Jack Dearnley yes, but we need to know why we haven't seen this Doc before and why the current Doctor doesn't remember. It is possible she comes before Hartnell, but I really don't want that to be the case.
I think her outfit introduced her as the Doctor before she herself did! Who would wear that? XD
Yes. This. Please don't let Ruth be some forgotten past regeneration. Parallel or alternate would work just fine. I'm seeing people saying maybe she's from before Hartnell, but that's the last thing I want. Honestly sounds like a terrible idea.
When she appeared behind the doctor and introduced her I thought yes you are and I want to know all about you it felt familiar maybe the outfit hints at the time she's from
Terrence Hulke once stated in Doctor Who: The disContinuity Guide..."To be successful in TV all you need is an original idea, it just doesn't necessarily have to be your original idea."
The whole Ruth thing made me go WTF!! but I'm excited to see how this plays out I hope we get the answers to the questions that whole thing raised and I have a bit more faith because we don't have moffatt doing this so we might get a good pay off this time
@Skeptic Psychologist I noticed that a bit too I think they tried it with capaldi too but they had to change his character after season 8
Having avoided spoilers and rumours, I had no idea Jack might be coming back, so when he appeared on screen, my reaction was "Oh YES!" and applause, because I love him :)
The Ruth Doctor... didn't see that coming, and interested to see where they go with it. Alternate reality? Split timelines? Something like the Valeyard? A forgotten incarnation between Troughton & Pertwee?
"I'm excited to see what comes next."
It's been a long time since I felt this way about Dr Who. It's also nice to have some excitement back.
Thanks for clarifying how I feel :D
I would add, that not only is it dangerous to show
Whittaker vs Ruth
but the whole
Cap'n Jack vs three bland companions
is not playing out so well for Chibnall... and to have Ryan call Jack "cheesy" *grr*
But yay! for excitement being back.
@@proquar9173 LoL, Jack *is* cheesy. It's part of his charm.
*The writing of this episode:*
Vinay Patel: Hi, boss, remember me? I wrote Demons of the Punjab, one of the best stories of Series 11, I've brought to you a Judoon invasion of Gloucestershire story.
Chibby *his head is buried in an illegal substance*: OH YES MATE! GOOD SCRIPT, JUST LET ME CHANGE ONE THING! *He pulls out a full size guillotine and chops off 30% and replaces it with his High School fan fiction* NOW GO AND GET IT MADE!
The surprise person, at least for me, made me nearly throw my phone. Like I was so happy captain cheeseball returned. Rest just confused the hell out of me.
I literally jumped from my seat and said "Yes!!!" 😂
@@th3_l1nk14 best reply ever
I love the moment between the doctor and the companions at the end when they gave her reassurement.
ManiacMadness11 Really? It was cringeworthy.
Ruth's TARDAS console room looks like a throw back to the classical area. did anybody catch that?
When I saw it, I wondered if she was the First Doctor, somehow.
I think you just answered your own question.
I think that she's the Second Doctor at the end of his regeneration
Look! The round things!
Also, the mirror on her wall she was using was a hexagon about the same size as those in many classic TARDIS interiors. That was my first clue when watching. It was just a little detail, but it looked very specific.
After the church scene where Ruth says she doesn’t know what she did, and all that, I though she was gonna be River.
Personally i love how the doctor just forgets about the companions (they should of had a line of her realising near the end though) it shows how alien she is and how preoccupied and distracted she is with Ruth
Kalabak how poorly written I think you mean. Previous Doctors tore down Universes to save Companions, 13 is such a weak character.
The Doctor noticed Graham was missing fairly quickly.
She walked out of the cafe with companions following and assumed all 3 were behind her.
She was preoccupied with locating the Judoon Captain to try and avoid bloodshed and was suddenly on a 5 minute countdown to negotiate with the Fugitive. She then twigs that Graham was missing probably within 5 minutes of his vanishment but doesn't have time to give it much thought.
At the 5-minute mark of the negotiations the plan is for the Doctor to get Ruth to safety while Yaz and Ryan stall the Judoon - they deliberately split up. It's not unreasonable for the Doctor to assume Yaz and Ryan would also try to locate Graham.
The Doctor would have no reason to notice that Yaz and Ryan had also disappeared, especially as she was still trying to get Ruth to safety.
@@carpelibrarium8522 exactly it wasn't such a big deal to me
I kind of thought that she was going to be the introduction to modern Doctor Who of that other Time Lord villain from classic Doctor Who, The Rani. Kind of surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to go in that direction. (Unless they are and we're currently being tricked? As I understand that character from reading about her online though, it doesn't sound like she would be one to go for deception. That's more The Master's style.)
I saw a comment on another video pointing out another possibility that would have been good. She could have been a regeneration of Jenny, the daughter / female clone of The Doctor that was created in an episode with Tennant's version of The Doctor. This way could have even had an excuse for sticking her Tardis with the same police box disguise that's so iconic of the actual Doctor, being able to write it off as some sort of weird sense of nostalgia for whatever impression her dad's (or "mother's" now) memories left on her.
Anyway... After the reveal that she was some form of The Doctor (which doesn't seem to make sense at this time) though... I was very quickly having thoughts along the lines of "This version is far more interesting than Jodie's version!" and "Can we just get her series, instead?"
"I don't think Chibnall has ever written jack before"
You do know that Chibnall was one of the main writers for Torchwood?
I did self correct if you kept watching.
@@CouncilofGeeks I know you corrected it. But I wasn't sure about how exactly you meant it. So jic.
He almost immediately addressed that like 30 seconds afterwards.
Torchwood Jack was practically another character. He was like an alternate universe Jack who had been born without a sense of humour or much of a personality.
The scene with how Ruth uses the gun felt very much like a reference to The 7th Doctor series Remeberance of The Daleks.
I am definitely curious to see how this all resolves.
Yes, glad someone else caught that!! I was half expecting her to throw it in 13's face when she objected! It's not like she hasn't done something very similar haha...
Ruth doctor was great loved her for all the right reasons
Loved Jack
Can’t say I’m a massive fan of a bunch of dr’s before Hartnell (god please don’t mention the other) maybe between 2 and 3
Good episode all round will need to wait and see the implications going forward, who hired the judoon and that
Feels like we’ve a series of disconnected stories in series 11 to massive multi series mystery box, never ending question arcs and it is insane
It can't be a pre Hartnell doctor because it was Hartnell's doctor that got the police box TARDIS and she had a police box TARDIS
@@DJ_Maysonic That's easily fixed. The new doctor's TARDIS is being lazy just copying our Doctor's TARDIS
@@kevinmerchant2478 maybe, but I think it's unlikely
kevin merchant If Ruth’s Tardis was close enough to key in on Thirteen’s Tardis it would also be close enough to create a paradox roughly the size of Belgium and we don’t exactly have a black hole and supernova to fix that this time.
DJ Maysonic It can be pre-Hartnell because plot.
I don’t trust the current team to be consistent with cannon. They’ve already said “everything you thought you knew was a lie.” It feels like they’re making a move to change the lore of the show.
I saw some people call her doctor ruthless 😂! I loved this ep so much!
HappyandAtheist there is not much in all of who that I haven’t watched, read or listened to. I’m just more prepared to enjoy the Journey and not make assumptions until the end of the season and we have ALL the facts.
My instinct is that Ruth is another circle of regenerations before 'our' Doctors generations and that is the core of what the Master said that all was a lie, that there was history before history known to us and our doctor.
How that works out, I don't know, but that's how I read from the episode.
I think you may be right but I hope not.
If that’s true there’s a whole cycle we don’t know about...
Same maybe the sisterhood of karn could work in here somehow
Daniel Bustos yeah that’s what it seems which I think pretty much everyone HATES that though
@@gobatron6589that's what it looks like as of now that's a massive retcon to most of what we know if it's true
According to Chris Chibnall, she is a real doctor, not from a parallel universe or any other tricks. I personally now think she is the next doctor, and all of this with Jodie's doctor is going to be an ongoing thing between now and when she regenerates (probably in series 13).
Somehow, because of the timeless child, the timelords have reset the doctor's life by wiping her memory. OR Ruth's doctor or Jodie's doctor could be the individual who fixes Gallifrey and she sacrifices herself and her memories to fix it.
So somehow, the doctor starts again...
The surprise person, at least for me, made me nearly throw my phone. Rest just confused the hell out of me.
i love whittaker's little doctor ticks- especially how she makes a face that's essentially tHaT sPOngeBoB mEmE
10:45 Eccleston! Surely!
"I don't think Chibnall's ever written for Jack before"
*flashbacks of Cyberwoman flood my brain*
We all noticed BENnnnI missing but not the companions 🤣
Do you mean Bernie? ;-)
Great review! You’ve gotta be one of my favourite channels!
I'm so scared about this season finale but in a good way, if that makes sense. It's an excited fear.
What if rather then the next series be a continuation of Jodie's Doctor, we go back and watch Ruth Doctor? Would that be interesting?
They are doing some confusing shit dude. They really need some good explanations for them to stick the landing I don't want to see this fail.
Explanations are always a bad idea IMO
@@HereComesPopoBawa then what is the point of a mystery?
It is getting people excited for an answer aka explanation
I don't want them to over explain it, just enough to make sense
@@Nabil-nz2zs - That's the problem - there is no point to a mystery. I prefer to ask my own questions, rather than be baited to ask the questions that somebody else wants me to ask because it makes their creative job easier.
It's part of "death of the author", I don't privilege the author's questions or answers over yours or mine. Theirs is merely one more possible interpretation.
@@HereComesPopoBawa I understand that, we both want different things from the show it seems. I hope it remains enjoyable for both of us
This episode was a WILD ride, and "WHAT?!?" is still pretty much my reaction. I'm not sure I've ever actually used this word, but I'm completely gobsmacked! We're watching it again today in hopes of catching a few more details. OUTSTANDING, Mr Chibnall (please, just make it pay off!)! Great review!
I HAVE NO WORDS! I'm still a bit a taken aback by what I had just experienced! I mean, it's one thing having the Judoon come back, but to have a new unknown version of the Doctor (which A) could be a past version that has existed long before William Hartnell and is possibly an adult Timeless Child before she became reincarnated as the Doctor we know, or B) is perhaps an alternate version of her from a parallel Gallifrey), more possible Gallifreyan history, Captain Jack himself coming back (which was friggin' awesome btw!), and the foreshadowed return of the Cybermen. I don't know if all of these concepts are connected or are two completely different story arcs entirely but it does have me very intrigued in what's in store for the future, although I'm still torn about whether or not this was a truly great standalone story or just a glorified setup episode for future episodes to answer much like with 2011's 'A Good Man Goes to War'. So far, I think this is easily the best Doctor Who story since Capaldi's swansong, but that view could change depending on how well Chibnall can stick the landing. After all, we don't need another Wedding of River Song or Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos!
I feel the need to reiterate, "too many companions" is not the show's problem. The problem is not giving them enough to do, and honestly especially with how this season has been written and paced so far I think even ONE companion might feel like "too many".
It's been over a season. I think we have a pretty decent feel for Graham and Ryan now but it's unjustifiable how little we still know about Yaz. It almost feels like we know her family better than we know her at this point.
My theory right now is that this Doctor is from the Cybus universe in relation to the lone Cyberman.
I don’t mean Meta-crisis, I mean the actual Doctor from than universe.
That split regeneration idea of yours is an interesting one and one I hadn’t thought of before. I’m not sure it fits with having other Galifreyians around as well when all of Gallifrey should be dead. Unless I missed something in your theory if course.
The Ruthless Doctor can easily fit between Pat and Jon.... But if they put her before Bill then I don't think I could defend that.
But she might not even be "The Doctor"
Trouble is, Ruthless didn't know about the Sonic Screwdriver, whereas Pat and Jon both had one.
YES! Was waiting for this vid. I love your reviews and insights! :-)
I LOVE the direction this arc is going. Jack, the Master, The Timeless Child, the other Doctor, the Lone Cyberman... fascinating as hell. Personally I think that Jo Martin is a parallel universe Doctor or a Doctor from an aborted timeline. I don't like the idea of Doctors before Hartnell. The issue is though that I think the episode itself, whilst very entertaining and fun, doesn't stand out as a piece of standalone entertainment and exists just to set up other arcs, which is a bit of a shame. It means that the way this episode is viewed in the future depends entirely on how the arcs are resolved.
Agreed. I thought the episode was decent, but if the set up given here has good resolutions I think I'll like it a lot more.
Chibnall has apparently ruled out it being a parallel universe. Personally I think the episode did a pretty good job of balancing setting up other arcs with being a complete story itself. The premise of the episode was: the Judoon have cordoned off Gloucestershire and are going about trying to find a fugitive in their usual heavy-handed way. New questions were raised along the way, but the original premise was addressed over the course of the story.
Love your enthusiasm. Not everything can be perfect (nor should it necessarily try to be) but this episode gave a lot and it mostly pulled it off, especially as a mid-season episode. From someone living in Stroud, who was delighted the town got a mention!
Jo Martin was very interesting and I 100% agree, I love her TARDIS interior much better. Her exterior looked a lot like the David Bradley exterior from Twice Upon A Time. The classic look, but the window frames are painted the same as the box with no St. John logo. Okay, here we go with my theories.
1) I do believe she's an alternate timeline or parallel universe Doctor. Some people have theorized she's before Hartnell, but that can't work (or at least would destroy canon already established) because we saw Clara in the timeline introducing the 1st Doctor to the correct TARDIS. If Ruth's TARDIS perhaps was just the silver cylinder or anything else, then perhaps it could work as just a different TARDIS, but that isn't what they did.
2) Another option, she's the Doctor right after the 2nd Doctor. Because the 2nd Doctor was taken by the Time Lords and then we saw him again in The Two Doctors, people believe that the High Council was using the 2nd Doctor as an agent. Well, that lines up with Command Gat. Now, here we go... 2nd Doctor runs away (as the Doctor is known to do), regenerates into Ruth, perhaps has countless adventures with Lee and then decides to hide because the heat was coming down upon her. Chameleon Arch, leading to here. Now, Ruth/Doctor is on the run again, eventually will get caught, forced to regenerate into Pertwee and mind-wiped to protect the High Council's secrets and all the missions they had the Doctor do.
@Kieran Spencer unless the timelords gave the doctor one extra regeneration to compensate but I can't think of any logical reason for them to do that
We've seen, thanks to the Master and Rassilon, that the High Council can give regenerations, from singles to whole cycles. It's possible to erase their involvement, they gave the Doctor back one regen.
And gave him an extra regeneration so he wouldn't notice he had one left?
My theorie is the timelords made several versions of the doctor and the master during the time war for soldiers. A version of the doctor and and a master went AWOL. Used the chameleon arch to turn themselves human. Then got separated. The master was found at the end of the universe by the doctor and captain Jack. The doctor hid in Gloucester. Ruth did say she had moved there in 1999. In our terms that's when the time war was happening. I just can't think why this would make the master so angry.
Remember how we all thought the white figures in Spyfall were Cybermen? And how we all thought the story would explore parallel earths?
Very specific red herring there. I anticipate all of this will come back in the finale. With Captain Jack and the Master too, of course.
AYO BOYS I COMPLETED MY SONIC COLLECTION YESTERDAY AT SCIENCE OF THE TIMELORDS
I love the placement of the midroll ads just before the spoiler sections of the videos. Much better than when people drop them in randomly.
I had a good time with this episode. I freaked out when jack returned and really enjoyed the Ruth reveal. I’m looking forward to see where they take this
And there is the caretaker doctor played bot the great Tom Baker at the end of 50th special
As a supposedly future doctor
Curator*
"Who" nose!
Personally, I hated Jodie Whittaker's Doctor But I LOVED Jo Martian's Doctor, the TARDIS, the costume, the attitude... PERFECT. Martian’s Doctor commanded every scene she was in, Whittaker’s Doctor can barely command a sentence.
#JoMartinIsThe13thDoctor
I remember back when the Judoon were revealed to be back, you talked about how you'd like it if they returned them not to build the entire story around them, but sort of as a fill in for something that easily could have been something else. I feel like that is this exact situation. I also feel like this is their best appearance, better than Smith and Jones
Honestly I think the better “appearance” of the Judoon, is the book Judgement of the Judoon a 10th Doctor story.
Although I might be biased on the TV appearances because Smith and Jones was my first full episode of Doctor Who... 13 years ago... ohh that’s a long time ago.
I'm calling it: The Lone Cyberman is Adric.
Jodie got out-doctored in her own episode.
I dunno, Jodie is growing on me as the Doctor now. The Fugitive Doctor seems a bit harsh to be the Doctor - closer to John Hurt's War Doctor than the *Doctor* Doctor.
I loved Jack's return, he was just as charasmatic as ever! Unfortunately he did make the rest of the companions seem so stale. Seeing him bounce off Rose, Mickey, Martha etc seemed so much more fun than him talking to Yaz or Ryan. They just don't give anything back. I do hope we see him again, it'd be nice to see him and Thirteen.
When it comes to the spoilers, putting the comment below:
you were worried three episodes ago about what would happen if the Cartnell Masterplan Pandora's Box was opened ... it's been opened, and it was done in the most respectful way to classic Who, while also being badass and stylish. By this, I mean Ruth. Honestly, I couldn't think of a better way to introduce the vague doctors, (doctors before the numbered regen system) I think that the Revelation is going to occur Rassilon salon wiped the memories of Omega and the other. Is that Omega wound up turning into the master, and the other round of turning into the doctor, which has already been pretty much confirmed regardless. This means there were regenerations between then and the number doctors. I'm thinking that their memories got wiped again when they got captured after being on the run for so long. The reason I think this is because when the Timeless child was mentioned back in the second part of the premiere, the same effect was applied to the image of the Timeless child standing in front of the gate pillars of ancient Gallifrey as was applied to Ruth's sealed memories. Meaning, there is a way to seal away memories without completely deleting them that would make erasing the memory of a timelord way easier. Also, Missy was right, she knew the doctor from way back when the doctor was a little girl! had to bring that up before I finished the comment. On the lone Cybermen, I don't know but it might be a reference to a radio drama. There have been Torchwood radio dramas in the last few years, and they are, for the most part, considered Canon/side canon. So maybe it's pulling from that lore. Also, I think that the time Lord that was sent to apprehend the doctor was a previous incarnation of the master, from before classic era as well. Remember what the master said during the first episode, "caught you, finally!" This means that this master remembers this doctor, even if this doctor doesn't remember this master. I also think that the time war that was sent to arrest her is the master before the master betrayed Gallifrey the first time. She also recognizes dr. Ruth ... Oh I see what they did there , anyway. It would make sense out of those loose plot thread from this series and open up a world of possibilities of story elements from classic era. So, well done Chibnall.
Jeronis Leror I’m with you. I hope they finally make the Doctor was the “Other”..
I will hate it if they take the easy way out and go don’t worry she’s (Ruth) just from a parallel world or different universe..
Just, 1 word: WHAT?!
Okay, so, we're gonna have to pin a bunch of plots to a board now and wait to find how the hell they're connected.
One thing they really should've asked each other: "What did your last one look like?"
I've been looking forward to this so much Nathaniel! Ths reason being: Your reviews feel more grounded. You take the episode, establish what it's doing, and give constructive criticism. I wanted to watch this so bad because after this episode...I had trouble wrapping my head around it. I was panicking if I must be honest.
Going to your theories: yes I'm more into the parallel missy/master and ruth/13. Not only is it new. But it
1) Does NOT retcon the entire franchise (which I feared)
2) It's actually a comfort to know that no matter what universe, there will always be a Doctor to protect it. Something about that gives me warm fuzzies ☺️
But then what would the lie be? They have to do something with the time lore retcon wise. Honestly at this point I’m glad we’re doing something new with the time lords.
@@bigwave1713 I...honestly don't know. Maybe the lie is Rassilon stole Time Lords and Gallifreyans from other worlds to create our world's Gallifrey?
I don't know this is the first thing I could think of. Still working on it
I think Chris is throughout the season is referencing different eras, he’s copied the jadoon pretty much exactly there looking for a fugitive. Spyfall is like old doctor who, I think Chris’s next episode will be a reference once again, and it’s all because “time is bending around her” so like there’s a master that would be more like the classic serious but then this which is rtd, if that makes sense, lo it isn’t that original I think the idea of old eras of doctor who slamming together is a very interesting concept I really hope it’s a parallel universe or time messing up, the idea of a secret cycle is borderline overkill
I loved this episode. The Judoon are an enemy i desperatly want to see more of. And wow this doctors story is about to get spicy ... i hope ....please....chibnall ...please
I don't really see them as villians. The are the police. The Doctor just gets involved with their cases.
@@anubusx true, and I dont want a story dedicated just to them as a world ending threat or anything. I'd like to see them used more though
@@anubusx Very callous, trigger-happy police so... yeah.
@@irrevenant3
I'm sure some of them are on the level.
@@luispither4216 A Judoon reality tv show.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing where the show is going. I did find it a little odd that when Graham, Yaz, and Ryan were passing on Jack's message, then neglected to mention that somebody is using a time traveling weapon, or that Jack will be there to give backup when he's needed.
I thought this episode was incredibly good and I thoroughly enjoyed both the return of Jack and the reveal of the Ruth Doctor and can't wait to see more of them. My only issue I have with this is that there was ana rumour going about before Spyfall that Chibnall would be revealing that there was a whole regeneration cycle of all female Doctor's before Hartnell. And if that does turn out to be the case, whilst I like the idea in theory I just think it's pretty disrespectful towards Hartnell and Verity Lambert and everyone else who worked to create the show to basically retcon the entire 57 year history and go 'no this is how it started'. I don't know. We'll see where it goes. For now I am extremely thrilled and excited to see more.
I hope it's not the female regen cycle thing. I know that DW canon is pretty flexible, but that's overkill and unnecessary.
Continuity has never been a one-way thing, not in reality and not in fiction. Causality is multi-dimensional.
@@HereComesPopoBawa I don't think I'm going to be offended if that is the case, it'll just take a lot of getting used to
Really loved this. The best we got so far.
Only really wanted to watch it coz it was filmed and based in my home city, Gloucester. Turned out to be probably my favourite episode this season so far
GREAT intro again! Sums up the episode PERFECTLY!
I was up all night and shared feelings and messages with Torchwood Boy, Liam Catterson and even The Who Addicts. Finally feels good to be a Whovian again!....
Nicolas Briggs should carry the heavy creative load
It's certainly impressive.
But I'm not sure if I like it.
Don't get me wrong, the twists and turns were FANTASTIC and I don't think anyone had any idea what was going on. However, if this doesn't get a decent ending, I'm going to be very annoyed and I'm really worried this is going to be the case. I don't WANT it to be bad, I want it to be brilliant, a standout episode of the show, but I'm afraid this amazing idea starting point could just collapse and implode. The same goes for if Jack doesn't appear again, as then it would just be for a weird expositional plot point, and the "Gayest Man in Space" deserves FAR more than that. He's arguably the best thing in Doctor Who.
Posting this before I watch the review just to say I'm looking forward to hearing a big ol' rant about Mystery boxes. There were quite a few that came out in this episode.
Edit: Guess I was wrong.
I’ve a sinking feeling the Ruth Doctor is going to be another. 🎁
I have a feeling that "O" is prior to Professor Yana... but unfortunately I doubt that'd be the case.
The Doctor is the timeless child probably.
Why does "The Lone Cyberman" actually sound kinda creepy?