The second 60th anniversary Doctor Who special references a controversial plot point. Will Davies go forward with this story?
The Timeless Child storyline was perhaps the most controversial aspect of Chris Chibnall’s tenure as Doctor Who showrunner. In this plot thread, the Thirteenth Doctor learned that she was not originally from Gallifrey, but that she had been discovered as a child by a Gallifreyan woman named Tecteun, who took her in and raised her. This unknown child possessed the power of regeneration, and it was through them that the Time Lords learned those secrets. Unlike other Time Lords, though, the Timeless Child could regenerate infinitely. The Doctor has actually had many more than thirteen forms, but the Thirteenth Doctor couldn’t remember all of her previous regeneration cycles.
Many fans of the show took issue with the idea of the Timeless Child, because of how radically it changed the lore of the Whoniverse. It essentially threw away everything that had been established about Gallifrey and the Time Lords. A few, though, found it intriguing. Doctor Who is fundamentally about change, and sometimes that means reexamining what we think we already know. But considering the largely negative reaction to Chibnall’s concept, many wondered if Russel T. Davies, upon returning to Doctor Who for the first time since 2009, would retcon this storyline to pacify fans.
However, the latest special suggests that this does not appear to be the case. Trapped at the edge of the universe, the Doctor confronts a mysterious entity who seems to know every aspect of his mind. This entity alludes to the fact that the Doctor is not from Gallifrey, suggesting that Davies may in fact plan to pursue the Timeless Child narrative. What Happens in «Wild Blue Yonder»?
Episode Title
«Wild Blue Yonder»
Director
Tom Kingsley
Writer
Russel T. Davies
Cast
David Tennant, Catherine Tate
Air Date
December 2, 2023
In the second 60th anniversary special, The Doctor and Donna are stranded on a spaceship at the edge of the universe after the TARDIS goes haywire and proceeds to fly off without them. There are no life signs aboard the ship, but they soon discover that they are trapped with two mysterious entities who originated out in the nothingness. These two beings, as they terrorize and observe Donna and the Doctor, learn to copy them, from their appearance to their voice to their very thoughts.
