Doctor Whoseason 15 has already taken some major swings with its bold, ambitious storytelling, most notably in the second episode, “Lux”, where the Doctor learns that his entire life is merely a television show. It’s a huge moment in the Doctor’s story, and it continues thistrend ofDoctor Whobreaking the fourth walland pushing boundaries that the show hasn’t crossed before. It’s a stylistic choice that’s been met with mixed reception by long-time fans, but it could be indicative of a much larger plot twist coming in the Doctor and Belinda’s futures.
Incidentally, “Lux” wasn’t the first time thatDoctor Whohas made a direct reference to the fact that it’s a television show rather than reality. There have already been several moments in seasons 14 and 15 that have given audiences pause, andwe are all beginning to put the pieces together. Russell T. Davies may be shaping up for one ofDoctor Who’s biggest plot twistsever, in which the Doctor realizes that he’s in a television show and loses his grasp of reality.
The Doctor Who Fans In Season 15, Episode 2 Don’t Disappear At The End
Their Survival Has Serious Implications For The Doctor’s Future
There have been several moments in the most recent season in which elements ofDoctor Who’s outside world (i.e., external to the narrative) have appeared in the story itself.The most obvious was the inclusion of theDoctor Whofans in “Lux”- and the scene at the end of the episode, which revealed they still existed. They had presumed that when the Doctor went back to the “real world”, they would cease to exist. But the fact that they’re still around suggests that something is blurring the lines between fiction and reality.
Another clear example of reality bleeding intoDoctor Whois when the Doctor notices that police box toys are becoming very popular during “Joy to the World”.This seemed like an innocent nod towardsDoctor Whomerchandise being everywherein the real world, but with the added knowledge thatDoctor Whofans now exist in-universe, it seems much more conspicuous. There have been several interestingtheories aboutDoctor Whoseason 15, but this one is beginning to seem much more plausible.
The Doctor Says “Cut” When Running Away From Lux
Who Was He Talking To?
Even if you’re willing to dismiss these details as harmless Easter eggs that were included merely to incite speculation, it’s much harder to ignore the fact that the Doctor himself seems aware that something isn’t right.Hisaltered perception of the world became obvious in “The Devil’s Chord”; in the episode, the Doctor hears some music in a nearby room and exclaims, “I thought that was non-diegetic.” This term refers to music that’s inserted into a scene in post-production, so the fact that he’s evenawareof non-diegetic sound at all is alarming.
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Lux
This is built upon in “Lux”, when the Doctor yells “cut”during one of the episode’s most intense moments, just to then question “who am I saying ‘cut’ to?”.In both of these examples, the Doctor is caught off guard by the way he casually implies he’s in a television show, suggesting that his mind has somehow been suppressed to ignore it. It’s looking increasingly likely that there’s some substance to this theory, and while it would risk ruining theending ofDoctor Whoseason 14, it may be the show’s most ambitious subplot ever.
Mrs. Flood Also Seems To Know The Doctor Isn’t Real
Anita Dobson’s Character Is The Key To The Puzzle
The final piece of evidence for this boldDoctor Whotheory is Mrs. Flood, perhaps the biggest enigma of the entire show.Anita Dobson’s character has continually broken the fourth wallsince her first appearance in “The Church on Ruby Road”, which has led to endless speculation aboutMrs. Flood’s true identity.
Her ability to break the fourth wall and spontaneously appear wherever she needs to be suggests that Mrs. Flood isn’t held back by the storytelling rules of the show, which subsequently implies that she exists outside the realm of fiction. Like theDoctor Whofans from “Lux”, she could be a real-world character who’s somehow entered the television show and is using her knowledge of the Doctor to influence events. This would also explain why she wasn’t particularly afraid of Sutekh’s arrival in “Empire of Death” - she knows that none of it is real.
