Doctor How?
- The Geeky Gays
- Jan 27, 2020
- 4 min read
No, the title of this article isn't a silly typo. It's very real. Just HOW did that reveal come to be in Fugitive of the Judoon? In a rollercoaster of an episode we were bombarded with information and left shaken by ominous warnings, faces from the past (the Judoon look better than ever) and a punch-in-the-face-twist that nobody saw coming.
If you haven't seen the episode yet, please, in the nicest possible way, do not read on. There are major spoilers coming.
I mean it. Don't.
Seriously. You don't want this episode spoiling.
So. Let's start with the first surprise.
Captain Jack's Return:
This by itself could have been a twist that made the episode shine and rocket it to a 10/10 without even trying...but this was just the start. This was the baby shocker.
Captain Jack Harkness was last seen on-screen in the Whoniverse in 2011's Torchwood: Miracle Day. That was 9 years ago! It's 10 years since his last appearance in Doctor Who where the 10th Doctor set him up with Alonso before going off to regenerate. It was only a fleeting moment, which means Jack's last proper encounter with the Doctor in series 4's finale, Journey's End was 12 years ago! So it goes to say, Jack's return to Doctor Who has been a LONG time coming.
His role in the episode was hilarious. He accidentally scooped up the companions and missed the Doctor who was dealing with other troubles. In fact, he didn't get to meet the Doctor at all, which I think is a really nice little twist and once again owes to Chris Chibnall having a bigger story in mind. While it began as all fun and joy to have him back, it quickly turned dark when Jack delivered a stark warning before exiting, which leads us on to the next point in question.
The Lone Cyberman
It's no secret that the Cybermen are returning this series but Jack brings a warning which is guaranteed to give you chills.
"The Lone Cyberman. Don't give it what it wants. At all costs."
It's reminiscent of the prophecy "He will knock four times." And we all know how that turned out. Traumatic. What does this mean for the Doctor and the gang? I think we'll find out soon.
At least Jack also said that whenever the Doctor needs him, he'll be there. A hint that Jack will return. I'd assume to assist in regeneration. It seems safe to say that we'll be seeing more of Jack, whether it's sooner or later. Again, Chibnall knows what he's doing and he's playing a long game. We may have to wait for answers, but we'll get them.
Also, from this, it feels almost like Jack has lived through the Lone Cyberman scenario and potentially seen Jodie regenerate (though that might be debatable) and if that's the case, why doesn't he recognise Graham, Yaz and Ryan? Could this potentially hint at them leaving soon?
The New/Old Doctor
This episode's biggest surprise was by far the reveal of Jo Martin as the Doctor. Jo played Ruth, a tour guide from Gloucester who is dragged into the craziest day of her life when Judoon attack the town, searching for a fugitive.
The clues to the reveal of Jo's Doctor were there all along. The episode began with a shot of a ticking watch. The 10th Doctor once disguised himself as a human, hiding his time-lord essence in a fobwatch. Ruth's job as a tour guide - what is the Doctor, other than a glorified tour guide through time and space?
Instead, Ruth's Time-Lord essence was hidden within a fire alarm in a lighthouse where her "parents" were buried. When she pressed the glass to break it, she became Time-Lord again and it wasn't her parents buried on the grounds. It was her TARDIS!
At this point we just assumed she was another Time-Lord, possibly The Rani, but in a massive twist, the likes of which we haven't seen in YEARS, it was revealed she's actually the Doctor! THE Doctor. History is made. We finally have not only another female Doctor, but a woman of colour too!
The maddest part is that 13 has no recollection of her. That means she could exist anywhere in her timeline, much like the War Doctor. However, going on the 12 regenerations per cycle, it seems that this Doctor would have had to come from another cycle before Hartnell.
It seems wild and crazy but we only know the Doctor from Hartnell. In Tom Baker's story, The Brain of Morbius, it was hinted that the Doctor had lived through multiple regenerations before becoming who we knew as the "First Doctor." For years "The Morbius Doctors" have been speculated about and this introduction to our newest Doctor might make them canon.
But where does all this fit into the arc of the series? After Spyfall, I had a feeling that something was a little off with the Master. I assumed he might be an alternate universe version of the character. The same could be said for our new/old Doctor. I really hope it isn't the case. I'm desperately hoping they're just from earlier cycles, which I think would work very well and give us an interesting history to be excited about. It also ties into the "Timeless Child" arc, which we know little to nothing about other than "everything you think you know is a lie."
Well, this episode certainly cleared that up and left us with more questions than answers.
There's a quick flash at the end of the clip - the Doctor sees a small child. It's too early to really know yet, but we were definitely shown that for a reason. Could that be Ruth's Doctor as a child? Is Ruth The Timeless Child?
Having only seen the episode once, there are probably a few things we've missed out or not noticed. It's time to go and watch it again!
It feels like a very long time since Doctor Who was this good and we can't wait to see what happens next.
What are your thoughts on the episode? Have you got any theories you'd like to share?
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