WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Doctor Who’s season 14 finale, “Empire of Death”.
Summary
Doctor Who’s season 14 finale wraps up the story of Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) and her origins, but leaves several unanswered questions for Ncuti Gatwa’s second season to answer.Doctor Who’s season 14 finale, “Empire of Death” revealed who Ruby’s mother was, and explained why the TARDIS has been wheezing and groaning more than usual. However, the packedending ofDoctor Whoseason 14leaves various mysteries up in the air, answers to which will likely be forthcoming in season 15.
Doctor Whoseasons 14 and 15 have been shot back to back, which suggests that showrunner Russell T Davies has storylined both seasons with this in mind. The strange cliffhanger ending to “Empire of Death” in whichDoctor Who’s Mrs Flood(Anita Dobson) teases the end of the Fifteenth Doctor’s story suggests that she’ll have a larger role to play next year. However, the identity and intentions of the enigmatic Mrs Flood are just some of many questions left behind by the ending ofDoctor Whoseason 14.
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8Who Is Mrs Flood?
Old friend or new enemy?
Mrs Flood outwardly appears as a slightly batty old lady, who lives next door to Ruby Sunday, Carla (Michelle Greenidge) and Cherry (Angela Wynter). However, Mrs Flood has an enigmatic and slightly sinister edge to her character, and has knowledge that far exceeds an everyday pensioner. Firstly,Mrs Flood knows what a TARDIS isand, like Maestro (Jinkx Monsoon) is able to interact with the audience by breaking the fourth wall. This ability suggests that she could be amember of the Pantheon of theGods. Does her petty argument with Abdul in “The Church on Ruby Road” suggest she’s the God of Spite?
Gods of Malice, Mischief, and Misery
Dread
Child of The Incensor
There are various other possibilities for who Mrs Flood is, perhaps hinted by her final appearance inDoctor Whoseason 14. Standing on the roof of Ruby’s flat, Mrs Flood addresses the audience dressed in a white fur coat, which has led to speculation that she could be one of two characters from the Tom Baker era.The white fur coat and hood is very similar to that worn by Romana (Mary Tamm)in her debut appearance in “The Ribos Operation”, a story that also introduced The White Guardian (Cyril Luckham). Could Mrs Flood be the Time Lady or the personification of good in the universe? Time will tell.
7What’s Going On With Ruby’s Father?
RTD says the story of Ruby’s family will continue.
WhenRuby leaves the TARDISat the end of “Empire of Death,” she tells the Doctor that they may have tracked down her father. William Benjamin Garnet was 15 when he conceived Ruby with Louise Miller, and has been similarly hard to find. While the resolution to the story of Ruby Road was rooted in the mundane, there could be the possibility that Ruby’s father is tied to something much larger.Russell T Davies has teased that the story of Ruby Sunday’s family will continue intoDoctor Whoseason 15, so what if Ruby’s father is linked to next season’s big bad?
ADoctor Whovillain masquerading as Ruby’s father would be an ideal way to wheedle their way into the Doctor’s life.
The Doctor’s bio-scan inDoctor Whoseason 14, episode 1, “Space Babies” confirmed thatRuby’s mother and father are 100% human. However, something could have happened in the interim 20 years that means William has been replaced by an alien impostor. ADoctor Whovillain masquerading as Ruby’s father would be an ideal way to wheedle their way into the Doctor’s life. Such a deception would be light work for the Master, for example. Alternatively, the Trickster fromThe Sarah Jane Adventureshas a way of using figures from companions' pasts to influence their lives for the worst.
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6Where Is The Doctor’s Granddaughter?
“Maybe I’ll find her again, one day.”
There have been more references to theDoctor’s granddaughter Susan Foreman(Carole Ann Ford) in the past eight episodes than in the 50+ years since she first leftDoctor Who.Sutekh’s elaborate Susan Triad trap was designed to make the Doctor vulnerableas he reckoned with the possibility of meeting his granddaughter again. That didn’t happen, but the Doctor’s parting words to Ruby suggested that he was hopeful of a reunion further down the line.
It’s interesting to draw a similarity between Ruby and Susan’s exits, with the Doctor leaving both companions behind to embark on a life with their new families.
With so many references to Susan inDoctor Whoseason 14, Russell T Davies appears to be making her return inevitable. It’s interesting to draw a similarity between Ruby and Susan’s exits, with the Doctor leaving both companions behind to embark on a life with their new families. Perhaps that’s all that the Susan references were building up to, but by name-checking such an important character in the Doctor’s life,RTD is seriously courting fan ire if he doesn’t pay it off inDoctor Whoseason 15 or beyond.
5Where Did Rogue End Up?
Doctor Who must bring back Jonathan Groff.
Jonathan Groff’s Roguewas dispatched to a barren dimension at the end ofDoctor Whoseason 14, episode 6. The Doctor stated to Ruby thatrecovering Rogue would be impossiblebecause there are as many dimensions as atoms in the universe. However, this does feel like evasion on the Doctor’s part, and now that he’s traveling on his own, he may decide to save Rogue. After all, the Doctor surely kept Rogue’s “engagement ring” for a reason.
The last thing Rogue says to the Doctor is “find me”, so refusing that request is nothing less than cruel.
Given what a quietly groundbreaking moment the Doctor and Rogue’s relationship was, it would be disappointing for their story to end there.Not returning to the story of Rogue inDoctor Whowould also cast Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor in a poor light. The last thing Rogue says to the Doctor is “find me”, so refusing that request is nothing less than cruel. This could be some elaborate set-up to make Rogue a futureDoctor Whovillain, but it would be much more narratively satisfying for both characters to have a romantic reunion instead.
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4Where Does The Shalka Doctor Fit Into Canon?
Richard E Grant’s surprise cameo will likely remain unexplained.
One of the most leftfield moments inDoctor Whoseason 14 was the cameo byRichard E Grant’s Shalka Doctor. While it was more likely to be a nod to “Rogue” co-writer Kate Heron’s work onLokiseason 1, the cameo does canonize Grant’s Doctor as a legitimate incarnation. Since the revelations of the Fugitive Doctor (Jo Martin) and “The Timeless Children”,the numbering of the Doctors no longer holds together. Among Morbius, Fugitive, and Timeless Doctors, it’s only fair that the Shalka Doctor joined the party after being overshadowed back in 2003.
Richard E Grant has played the Doctor twice, once in 1999’s unofficialComic Reliefsketch “The Curse of the Fatal Death”, and again in the 40th anniversary animated web seriesThe Scream of the Shalkain 2003.
It’s unlikely that there will ever be a definitive confirmation as to where exactly the Shalka Doctor sits in the agreed order ofDoctor Who’s incarnations. However,the existing working relationship between Kate Heron and Richard E Grant creates a very small possibility that he could have a more substantial cameo or guest role in the future. For now, audiences have Richard E Grant added to the canon, which may have implications for the past and future lives of the Doctor in season 15 and beyond.
3Who Is Meep & Rogue’s Boss?
“Wait til I tell…the Boss!”
Both Beep the Meep (Miriam Margoyles) and Rogue have referenced mysterious bosses in theirDoctor Whoappearances. They definitely weren’t working for Sutekh, meaning that the identity of this figure will likely be revealed in future episodes.Having seen Mrs Flood in a white fur coat at the end of “Empire of Death”, it could be possible that she’s the Meep’s boss, and has extracted a grusome price for their failure. There’s also another possible candidate for Beep and Rogue’s boss, who has their origins inDoctor Whocomics.
Russell T Davies is clearly a big fan of the comics, and Josiah W. Dogbolter is one ofDWM’s more iconic creations after Beep the Meep.
TheDoctor Whocomic characterJosiah W. Dogbolter was an alien crime boss, who placed a bounty on the Doctor’s headin theDoctor Who Magazinecomic strip, “The Shape Shifter”. That comic strip introduced the Sixth Doctor’s shapeshifting companion Frobisher, who initially tries to cash in on the bounty. Rogue was also a bounty hunter, who believed that the Doctor was a shape-shifter, and tried to cash in on his execution. Russell T Davies is clearly a big fan of the comics, and Josiah W. Dogbolter is one ofDWM’s more iconic creations after Beep the Meep. Could this deep-cut comic villain be the mysterious Boss?
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2What’s The Deal With The Fourteenth Doctor?
Doctor Who needs a clean break with David Tennant.
It still seems very odd that David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor is living on Earth, and doesn’t step in to help UNIT with Sutekh or Ruby’s mysterious stalker from “73 Yards”. The production reasons for the Fourteenth Doctor are obvious; Tennant would overshadow Ncuti Gatwa, and is also happy to move on fromDoctor Who. However,there’s yet to be a satisfying story answer given to why the Fourteenth Doctor isn’t helping out.The end of “The Giggle” gave the Fourteenth Doctor his own TARDIS, so maybe his holiday plans keep coinciding with alien incursions.
Doctor Whoseason 15 needs to definitively cut ties with David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor and stop highlighting his existence with questions about the uncle of Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney).
With all of time and space at the Fifteenth Doctor’s fingertips, it makes far more sense for him to be too busy keeping the galaxy safe because he trusts that Fourteen can be trusted to help out on Earth. However, given Russell T Davies' fondness for contemporary Earth and modern female companions, that likely won’t happen. Which means thatDoctor Whoseason 15 needs to definitively cut ties withDavid Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctorand stop highlighting his existence with questions about the uncle of Rose Noble (Yasmin Finney).
1Who Picked Up The Toymaker’s Gold Tooth?
Will the Master return for Doctor Who season 15?
After the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Doctors defeated the Toymaker in “The Giggle”, he left behind a gold tooth. This was said to house the essence of the Doctor’s arch-nemesis, the Master. In a callback toDoctor Who’s season 3 finale, “Last of the Time Lords”, a cackling woman picked up the tooth while nobody was looking.The theft of the Toymaker’s gold tooth is clearly set-up for a future return appearance from the Master. Resurrecting the Master inDoctor Whowould also answer the question of who picked up the tooth in the first place.
…by revisiting the Cult of Saxon,Doctor Whocould bring back the Master in a way that reflects our current times.
David Tennant’s final adventure as the Tenth Doctor, “The End of Time”, revealed that devotees of Prime Minister Harold Saxon acquired the Master’s ring to resurrect their political idol. Many current UK and US politicians trade off on the legacy of problematic political figures like Churchill, Reagan, and Thatcher. So, by revisiting the Cult of Saxon,Doctor Whocould bring back the Master in a way that reflects our current times.
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Doctor Who: Released on August 13, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
