Doctor Who airs its season 9 penultimate episode tonight, and the Doctor is now quite alone.
Last week on Doctor Who we said goodbye to Clara. Of the Doctor’s five main companions in the reboot era, only one left of her own accord, Martha Jones. Clara Oswald’s departure was on par with that of Rose Tyler’s and Amy Pond’s. All were sudden, with little to no warning, and with realistically no way out.
Once the Doctor loses a companion, his life tends to mirror Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief. If the preview video is any indication, he’s currently on that anger phase.
It looks like anger and revenge are on the menu despite the fact that last week Clara’s final words to the Doctor included, “Heal yourself. You have to. You can’t let this turn you into a monster. So, I’m not asking you for a promise, I’m giving you an order. Do not insult my memory! There will be no revenge. I will die and no one else here or anywhere will suffer.”
The title of tonight’s episode is “Heaven Sent,” and it will conclude next week with “Hell Bent.” The official synopsis of the penultimate episode reads, “Trapped in a world unlike any other he has seen, the Doctor faces the greatest challenge of his many lives. One final test. And he must face it alone. Pursued by the fearsome creature known only as the Veil, he must attempt the impossible. If he makes it through, Gallifrey is waiting.”
If our speculation is correct, it’s not just Gallifrey that wants the Doctor back, but a very specific person from Gallifrey, and that is Rassilon. Rassilon is a power broker. What does the Doctor have that Rassilon specifically wants this time out? He’s as dangerous and conniving as any villain. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Doctor Who airs on BBC America tonight at 9:00 pm.