Doctor Whoseason 15is off to a strong start with two of the show’s most creative episodes, “The Robot Revolution” and “Lux”, kicking off Ncuti Gatwa’s second outing on the show. In tandem with these new, original adventures,Doctor Whohas also touched on several returning mysteries from the previous season - the most obvious being thesecret behind Mrs. Flood’s true identity. So far, the character has returned in both of this season’s episodes, breaking the fourth wall each time and adding new layers of mystery to her subplot.
“Lux” was the first “historical” episode ofDoctor Who’s fifteenth season, taking the Doctor and Belinda back to 1950s Miami, where they encountered anothermember of the Pantheon of Gods. It was a very high-stakes, boundary-pushing episode for the show, and audiences could be forgiven for not picking up on the importance of Mrs. Flood’s appearance at the end of the story. As the Doctor and Belinda go back into the TARDIS,Anita Dobson’s character teases that they’re on a “limited run”and that the “show” will end on May 24th.
Mrs. Flood Could Be Foreshadowing The End Of Doctor Who In “Lux”
Her Character May Be Aware She’s In A TV Show
Given how much knowledge Mrs. Flood seemingly has about the Doctor’s life, it’s safe to assume that her words hold more weight than those around her realize.Throughout her appearances onDoctor Who, Mrs. Flood has continually broken the fourth walland spoken to the audience, seemingly aware that she’s part of a television show. This continues in “Lux”, as Lux Imperator traps the Doctor and Belinda in a piece of film reel, where they, too, learn that their lives are being broadcast as a piece of fiction. It’s a major reveal, and it showsDoctor Who’s willingness to bend the rules of television.
Because of this, it’s not too much of a stretch to assume that Mrs. Flood’s words at the end of “Lux” aren’t referring to the Doctor and Belinda at all, but rather to the show ofDoctor Whoitself.There have been countless rumors circulating aboutDoctor Who’s cancellationin recent months, and Mrs. Flood explicitly stating“[the] show ends on May 24th”feels like too much of a coincidence to merely be an in-universe comment. Mrs. Flood may have always been aware that she’s in a TV show (perhaps thanks to Lux Imperator), and knows that it’s ending.
Mrs. Flood Surely Wouldn’t Be So Ominous Over A Simple Regeneration
The Time Lord Is Used To Changing His Face
Of course, it’s also possible that Mrs. Flood’s words are intended to refer to the “limited run” of the Fifteenth Doctor, merely teasing his rumored regeneration at the end of this season. ButThe Doctor has regenerated numerous times before,so it seems unnecessarily dramatic for Mrs. Flood to be so theatrical about that.
The way she delivers these lines is playful on the surface, but she seems genuinely excited about whatever’s to come in the Doctor’s future.
The way she delivers these lines is playful on the surface, but she seems genuinely excited about whatever’s to come in the Doctor’s future. Given how much she knows about him already and her knowledge of Belinda and Ruby’s lives,it would be underwhelming if this were just a regeneration tease. Showrunner Russell T. Davies has continually built excitement among fans regarding Anita Dobson’s character, suggesting that she’s going to play a major role in her upcoming episodes; this means her words simply can’t be taken at face value, and there’s likely something more.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten that May 24th is the date thatDoctor Who’s upcoming finale will be released, lending even more credence to the theory that Mrs. Flood is speaking outside the confines of the fictional show. She could simply be referring to the date that Belinda is supposed to return to Earth, but it seems like too much of a coincidence for this to be the exact same date thatDoctor Who’s fifteenth season will end.
Could Doctor Who Really End On The Doctor’s Permanent Death?
There’s been lots ofspeculation about howDoctor Whoseason 15 will end, but the idea that it could end with the Doctor’s permanent death and the official end of the show is something that hasn’t been widely discussed. There have been plenty of rumors thatDoctor Whois going to be canceled in the near future (though the BBC has denied these), but even if that ends up being true,actuallykillingthe Doctor feels like an unnecessarily dark and depressing way to end the show.
Even whenDoctor Whooriginally ended in 1989, the show didn’t kill its protagonist. His fate was left open-ended, and the TV movie helped flesh out the (intended) final moments of his story. Of course, this is slightly different since the original run ofDoctor Whowas canceled fairly suddenly, but it still feels unlikely.Doctor Whohas teased the Doctor’s death on countless occasions, and theupcoming spin-offThe War Between The Land And The Seaessentially confirms thatDoctor Whowill continue in some capacity.
Doctor Who Won’t End, Even If It Takes Another Long Break Before Season 16
The Show Has Too Large Of A Following To End Forever
Despite Mrs. Flood’s warning, it seems very unlikely thatDoctor Whowill end permanently with its fifteenth season. It’s possible indeed that Mrs. Flood’s words could hold some weight about the show’s “limited run”, but even ifDoctor Whogoes down this fourth wall-breaking route,it’s more likely to be a hiatus than a cancellation. Even if it takes a few years,Doctor Whowill certainly be back in some form.
Despite all the rumors, there has been no official confirmation from either Davies or the BBC thatDoctor Whois ending. In fact, the showrunner has repeatedly claimed thatthe show’s future is undecided. When Disney got involved with the show following Jodie Whittaker’s exit, they signed on for two initial seasons, to greenlight moreafterthey’d both been released. This means that it won’t be until after May 24th that Disney makes their decision about renewing the deal. If the studio doesn’t even know yet, it’s very unlikely that Mrs. Flood does.
