Doctor Who left viewers in an emotional place last week, but amidst all the angst there’s a fact that we need to explore — where is the Doctor going?
Given what happened to Clara in the last episode, it is easy to lose track of the other major plot point. The Doctor was tricked into giving up his TARDIS key, and a transporter cuff was put on his wrist by Ashildr. Why would Ashildr do that?
Ashildr, at this point in her immortal life, is running what could best be termed a refugee camp for aliens suffering with PTSD. She has rather an odd group tucked away in her “Trap Street.” There are combinations of aliens that normally don’t get along with humans, or any species for that matter. For example, a Cyberman was clearly having a romantic relationship with an Ood (raise your hand if the mechanics of that relationship have you puzzled) up until a raven claimed his life.
The other thing to consider, is that Ashildr has a security force maintaining the peace in her refuge. We had a brief glimpse of two Judoon. The Judoon usually work for The Shadow Proclamation. So, does this mean that Ashildr’s refuge is given a nod to exist by The Shadow Proclamation? If so, is it they who wanted the Doctor?
It seems a bit unlikely that the Shadow Proclamation would go through all that cloak and dagger just to get the Doctor. On top of that, having a countdown death timer doesn’t really seem within their wheelhouse. Sure, Shadow Proclamation is all about swift justice, but they have a very strict moral code. Their ideas of right and wrong are codified, and very precise with the punishment fitting the crime. The arbitrary transferal of a death timer via free will doesn’t quite seem like something they would support.
This brings us to who else wants the Doctor? Who wants him so badly that they don’t care who gets hurt in the process? Who Ashildr is intimidated by or willing to work with to achieve these ends? Of course the Daleks immediately leap to mind, as they hate the Doctor. The only problem is, Daleks don’t negotiate. Why would the Daleks strike a deal with Ashildr, and moreover, why would she ever make such a deal? The Daleks, and by extension Davros, are more likely to destroy everything, and then grab the Doctor. Given this, we think they can safely be eliminated.
There seems to be one path that this is all leading to, and it all comes down to Ashildr and what she is. If you are an immortal, who wants to do things in your own way, who do you fear? The answer may be simple, the only thing you fear are beings who have more depth of knowledge and longevity than you — the Time Lords. The Time Lords as a race pose the only real threat to Ashildr, so why not turn the Doctor over to them if they ask? There’s even a spot of revenge in it for her since the Doctor made her what she is.
We think that Ashildr made the deal, not because she went looking for it, but because she had to. Ashildr isn’t afraid of much, but we bet the Time Lords could intimidate her. She has a colony of seriously dangerous aliens all bunched together on earth. These aliens, we are led to believe, are ones whose lives have been disturbed due to encounters with the Doctor. She’s caring for the innocent bystanders, or the collateral damage of the Doctor’s travels. What if the Time Lords found out about this refuge, and don’t care for it. It’s a bit of an embarrassment to them as a race. It was a win-win deal. Ahsildr gets revenge, and the Time Lords get the Doctor back on Gallifrey.
The reboot era of Doctor Who has largely been founded on the premise that the Doctor locked the Time War, the war fought between the Daleks and Time Lords, in another dimension so that the universe was not destroyed. This single event colored the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Doctor’s every action. The only thing is, the Time War was momentarily unlocked during the last moments of the Tenth Doctor, and given the information revealed in the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special, the Time Lords and Gallifrey may have been unlocked for over a year. The Twelfth Doctor told Clara he couldn’t find Gallifrey, that it wasn’t there — rule number one, the Doctor lies. He is still running from Gallifrey.
The Time Lords and the Doctor have never had an easy relationship. Essentially, the Doctor is a screw up, or the black sheep of the Time Lord race. The Time Lords tend to be a haughty bunch who consider themselves a bit above it all. The Doctor is a do-gooder who likes hanging out with humans. He’s kind of an embarrassment. At this point, with the Time Lords being around again, they want their wayward son to come home, and they aren’t above using force and trickery to make this happen. They may have a bone to pick with him since he hasn’t visited on his own.
It’s probably even more complicated than just the Time Lords as a whole wanting the Doctor back. One Time Lord in particular comes to mind, and that is their leader, Rassilon. Rassilon, would easily want the Doctor back on Gallifrey to answer for what he has done. He is charismatic, power hungry, and ruthless. The only remaining question is what is the big picture? Why do the Time Lords, and in particular Rassilon, want the Doctor back? What is the end game?
Doctor Who has just two episodes left in season 9 to see if this theory pans out.
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