Warning: Spoilers ahead forDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 6, “The Interstellar Song Contest.“Doctor Whoseason 15, episode 6, “The Interstellar Song Contest,” finally reveals the answer to the mystery of who Anita Dobson’s Mrs. Flood really is, but the twist leaves some notable loose ends. As it turns out,Mrs. Flood has been the Rani the entire time, a Time Lady who has a long history with the Doctor. The Rani hasn’t appeared sinceDoctor Who’s classic era, and with Mrs. Flood bi-generating instead of renewing herself in the traditional way for her people, the show now has two simultaneous versions of the character.
Originally played by Kate O’Mara,the Rani is a cold but brilliant scientistwho often shelves ethics in favor of progress. She falls roughly into the same category as the Master when it comes toDoctor Whovillains, but perhaps poses even more of a threat.Dobson now shares the role of the Rani with Archie Panjabi, with the latter immediately becoming the dominant iteration. Although it’s great to have her back after so long away from the show, her return comes with three main question marks that are hopefully addressed inDoctor Whoseason 15’s two-part finale.
Doctor Who Must Explain Why The Rani Is Breaking The Fourth Wall
The Rani acknowledging the audience isn’t typically a trait of her character
Like most bigDoctor Whocharacters, the Rani has several hallmarks that define her abilities and motivations. Breaking the fourth wall has never been established as one of these traits, and yet Mrs. Flood has been doing it pretty consistently since her debut in 2023’s “The Church on Ruby Road.“This ability led many to speculate that Mrs. Flood was a far more powerful being than “just” a member of the Time Lords, with some theories suggesting she belonged toDoctor Who’s Pantheonof Gods. However, “The Interstellar Song Contest” proves this is not the case.
Mrs. Flood has directly addressed the audience several times, suggesting an awareness of being in a TV show.
Mrs. Flood has directly addressed the audience several times, suggesting an awareness of being in a TV show. She isn’t the only character to have broken the fourth wall since the beginning ofDoctor Who’s Disney era, but she has certainly become the figurehead for actions like this due to being the main culprit.I was hoping the reveal of Mrs. Flood’s true identity would have paid off this trendof looking into the camera, but so far, it hasn’t. So, I’m left with the worrying possibility that Russell T. Davies was engaging in misdirection of the most frustrating order.
If I were to try and come up with my own theory about this as-yet-unexplained pattern for Mrs. Flood, I would focus on the Rani’s proclivity for scientific experimentation. So, it could be that during her research, the Rani worked out that her reality was a sci-fi TV show calledDoctor Who. This would explain the moments when Dobson’s character has spoken to those watching at home, and also several other recent scenes that have left the fourth wall hanging by a thread.
Doctor Who Hasn’t Addressed The Rani’s Interest In The Doctor’s Companions
Mrs. Flood has followed and dressed like some of the Doctor’s companions
Mrs. Flood has been especially prominent inDoctor Whoseason 15, appearing in every single episode. It would be easy to jump to the conclusion that her obsession with following the Doctor around is connected to the Doctor himself. That said, assuming this would ignore the fact that Dobson’s character has seemed inordinately interested in the Doctor’s companions far more than in the show’s main character. For instance,Mrs. Flood has now been the neighbor to two consecutive companionsof Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor.
Mrs. Flood is dressed like Jenna Coleman’s Clara Oswald inDoctor Whoseason 14’s two-part finale.
Beginning as the neighbor of Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday in “The Church of Ruby Road” andall ofDoctor Whoseason 14, Mrs. Flood was then revealed to live in the house next to Varada Sethu’s Belinda Chandra in the season 15 opener, “The Robot Revolution.” The fact that Mrs. Flood had a pre-existing relationship with both women before the Doctor had properly crossed paths with them feels like more than a mere coincidence.
There have been several instances where what she’s been wearing has been an almost-exact replication of what other former companions have worn across all eras ofDoctor Who.
Furthermore, Dobson’s character has been dressed in some very peculiar ways. There have been several instances where what she’s been wearing has been an almost-exact replication of what other former companions have worn across all eras ofDoctor Who. There was one instance wherethe Rani dressed like Bonnie Langford’s Mel Bush in the classic era, so this is at least a nod to the villain’s golden age.
It could all just be a coincidence, but it would annoy me if the Rani’s newDoctor Whoarc ends without this quirk being directly addressed.
So, one of the most logical conclusions is thatMrs. Flood’s interest in the Doctor has been secondary to those who have been traveling with him. It remains unclear just how long this pattern has been going on for, or whether it only started with Ruby. It could all just be a coincidence, but it would annoy me if the Rani’s newDoctor Whoarc ends without this quirk being directly addressed.
The Rani Knew About Sutekh In Doctor Who Season 14 - How?!
Sutekh’s return was no surprise to the Doctor’s ancient adversary
The Rani is a Time Lady who is native to Gallifrey. As such, she isn’t special in this regard compared to other members of her race - unlike the Doctor, who has now been retconned into originating from a mysterious unknown reality and taken in by those on Gallifrey. So,she shouldn’t really have any kind of proper connection to the Pantheon, nor should she be able to track the movement of the Gods. In fact, they only really started to rear their heads withthe Toymaker’s return in “The Giggle.”
It’s not unreasonable to assume that the Rani generally knows about Sutekh, but it’s a little harder to work out how she knows so much about his plan and timings.
Regardless,Mrs. Flood doesn’t seem fazed when Sutekh, the God of Death, returnsat theend ofDoctor Whoseason 14. She can be seen telling Cherry Sunday (Angela Wynter) all about Sutekh in “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” and even timing down to the second when he chooses to emerge from the TARDIS and release his Death Wave. It’s not unreasonable to assume that the Rani generally knows about Sutekh, but it’s a little harder to work out how she knows so much about his plan and timings.
Deepening the mystery, the Rani praises the Doctor when celebrating his victory, declaring “That clever boy!” with Cherry when they are restored from death. So, even though theRani seemingly had all the information regarding when Sutekh would emergeand what he’d do to the universe, it would appear she could still do nothing and was basically counting on the Doctor to win the day for everyone. I suppose this sort of makes sense for a villain in hiding who is also waiting to strike, but it also just feels a little bit off for an intricateDoctor Whoplot.
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“The Story and the Engine”
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