{"id":8266,"date":"2021-12-05T20:20:12","date_gmt":"2021-12-05T19:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1532002"},"modified":"2021-12-05T21:01:18","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T20:01:18","slug":"doctor-who-the-vanquishers-16-biggest-questions","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/doctor-who-the-vanquishers-16-biggest-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Doctor Who: The Vanquishers\u2019 16 biggest questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Morgan Jeffery\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Sunday, 05 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

And that\u2019s the end! After six episodes, a couple of great surprise cameos and endless madcap theories (RIP, Swarm is a secret Time Lord) Doctor Who<\/a>: Flux has finally come to an end in hour-long finale The Vanquishers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Flux was averted, the Sontarans destroyed, Jericho (and the Lupari) lost and a new companion (welcome aboard, Dan) officially born, and just about every dangling story thread was tied off.<\/p>\n

Well, more or less. As ever, you may still have a few lingering questions after episode six \u2013 we certainly did \u2013 and here at RadioTimes.com<\/a> we\u2019ve done our best to provide you with some answers. Starting with the possible return of an old favourite\u2026<\/p>

Is the Master returning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Sacha\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

It certainly seems so! Despite saving the (remaining) universe from the Flux and defeating both Sontarans and Ravagers, the personification of Time still had a stark warning for Jodie Whittaker\u2019s Doctor.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can leave here, but you can\u2019t outrun me. Your time is heading to its end. Nothing is forever. No regeneration, no life. Beware of the forces that mass against you\u2026 and their master.<\/p>\n

\u201cI restore you, Doctor, reunify you \u2013 but for how long?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Doctor was quick to pick up on the double meaning of Master \u2013 and as we explain here<\/a>, it\u2019s not the first piece of evidence we\u2019ve seen to suggest Sacha Dhawan\u2019s rogue Time Lord will be making a return soon.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that this is the first time we\u2019ve seen the series itself acknowledge the Doctor\u2019s imminent regeneration, which could have interesting repercussions for the upcoming specials\u2026\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What was the scary house?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""The\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Sorry to disappoint, Virgin New Adventures fans \u2013 the spooky house which has been haunting the Doctor\u2019s black-and-white dreams throughout Flux was not the house of Lungbarrow<\/a> (the Doctor\u2019s ancestral home, as introduced in a spin-off novel published in the 1990s). Well, probably not.<\/p>\n

Instead, it\u2019s made clear in The Vanquishers that the house is simply a psychic representation of the Doctor\u2019s lost history \u2013 step inside and she\u2019d regain the memories of everything she\u2019s ever done and everyone she\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n

One might wonder, though, why these erased memories would take the form of a rickety old house. Could the Doctor\u2019s mind be drawing on a real location from her forgotten past? Like\u2026 the house of Lungbarrow? (We refuse to let this theory die, OK?)<\/p>\n

Did the Doctor commit genocide?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

Look, the Doctor\u2019s position on killing has always been a little bit wobbly. In one adventure, it might be the worst thing in the world to kill a load of Daleks \u2013 in another, they might happily trick someone into a vat of acid. But The Vanquisher\u2019s position on wiping out entire species did have us a little confused.<\/p>\n

After all, in Flux: Chapter Two (aka War of the Sontarans<\/a>) the Doctor was furious when retreating Sontarans were blown up by human soldiers \u2013 but in this episode, she knowingly allows the deaths of millions of Cybermen and Daleks at the hands of the Flux. Worse, her actions actively kill off the entire Sontaran fleet, which seems like a complete volte-face on her position earlier in the series.<\/p>\n

Perhaps the difference is that this time, the Sontarans were on the attack, and their own actions inadvertently led to their own demise. Still, it\u2019s interesting to see how much more ruthless this deceptively cheerful incarnation can really be\u2026<\/p>\n

What happened to all the bits of the universe the Flux destroyed earlier in the series?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

Good news! The Doctor and co. managed to stop the Flux (aka antimatter introduced to our universe) from destroying the Earth. Bad news! As we saw earlier in the series it did already destroy loads of other planets, with the series\u2019 third episode (Once, Upon Time<\/a>) suggesting that there was hardly anything left beyond Earth and some shattered, barely-habitable worlds.<\/p>\n

Presumably, this means the universe is in a pretty sorry state now \u2013 but it\u2019s unclear whether this is the case, as it\u2019s not referenced in any way during the finale. And while the Earth was protected from the Flux by the Lupari fleet and Passenger, what about the rest of our solar system? What about the moon (which, lest we forget, is also an egg)?<\/p>\n

Somehow, it doesn\u2019t seem like this series\u2019 victory is quite as positive as it first appears.<\/p>\n

How did the three Doctors work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

With an awful lot of action to get through, the Vanquishers had a novel solution \u2013 why have one Doctor when you can have three?<\/p>\n

Yes, like Journey\u2019s End before it this finale helped spread the story by having more than one version of the Time Lord, this time achieved through strange inter-universe transference rather than accidental cloning.<\/p>\n

Though how this all worked is a little less clear. To begin with, it seemed like the Doctor was phasing in and out of different places and times \u2013 but later, it\u2019s clear there are three separate Doctors, two of whom are able to work together and coexist. But did they all know the same things? Did the united Doctor at the end get three sets of memories at once?<\/p>\n

We might need to take an aspirin and fill a few sheet notebooks before we can work this whole thing out\u2026<\/p>\n

What is Time?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

It\u2019s almost a throwaway reveal in what\u2019s a jam-packed episode but the discovery that Time is not just a concept or a fourth dimension but an actual sentient being \u2013 one that can take on many different forms \u2013 is a pretty game-changing one for the Doctor Who universe.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s more, it seems Time isn\u2019t a particularly nice sentient being, first obliterating Swarm and Azure for failing in their mission to destroy all of space and then taking on the Doctor\u2019s appearance to warn her of her impending doom. (Be honest, who expected \u2018Time\u2019 to be revealed as the Master when that purple cloud of particles first started to take shape?)<\/p>\n

Will Time return? Will it play a role in Jodie Whittaker\u2019s final episodes? Certainly, it would seem odd to introduce such a radical twist and then never address it again. (Plus, Time\u2019s ability to shape-shift means you needn\u2019t rely on one returning actor to play the part.)<\/p>\n

Why was Diane spared?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

We do get an explanation of sorts as to why Diane (Nadia Albina) was left behind inside Passenger while the rest of the kidnapped folks across the universe were used to built Swarm and Azure\u2019s portal to Division HQ. \u201cTo them, I\u2019m insignificant,\u201d she tells Vinder (Jacob Anderson).<\/p>\n

But if she was deemed \u201cinsignificant\u201d, why was she allowed to live? And why did Swarm and Azure kidnap Di in the first place if not for the same purpose as their other captives? Was she just a plaything, being used to toy with the Doctor and Dan (John Bishop)?<\/p>\n

Why didn\u2019t Diane want a drink with Dan?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Nadia\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

Forget the various tragic deaths in this episode \u2013 the biggest gut-punch has to be when Diane refuses to join Dan for a delayed drink, apparently blaming him for all that befell her when she was captured by Azure.<\/p>\n

This seems\u2026 a little harsh, no? As Dan points out, he wasn\u2019t really<\/em> late to meet her \u2013 he\u2019d been captured by an alien! \u2013 and even if he was there, what was he supposed to do against Azure? Presumably Dan could have just as easily been caught by Karvanista while out for a drink anyway, and Diane would have been picked up by Passenger regardless.<\/p>\n

Also, Diane\u2019s terrors mainly seemed to involve being bored, hanging out in an alien landscape for a few days\/weeks. Dan spent three years in the 1900s! Guess he still doesn\u2019t have much luck in love\u2026<\/p>\n

Will Bel, Vinder and Karvanista return?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC Studios\/James Pardon<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019re calling it \u2013 the end of The Vanquishers sets up the Doctor Who spin-off we all want to see as grumpy dog-alien Karvanista (Craige Els) flew off with Vinder and Bel (Jacob Anderson and Thaddea Graham) for possible future adventures.<\/p>\n

Technically, any and all of these characters could return \u2013 and as Anderson told us recently, he\u2019d certainly be up for it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love that. Who knows? You never know how the story ends. But I would be so excited to bring Vinder back, and for him to be brought back into the story,\u201d he told RadioTimes.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Els, meanwhile, has his pitch for the spin-off already\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m living for it. I\u2019m waiting for the phone call. It\u2019s a Dog\u2019s Life, starring Karvanista and Bel and Vinder,\u201d he laughed \u201cBring it on.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019re sure Big Finish will be in touch any day now.<\/p>\n

Is that the end of the Division?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

Last week saw Division boss Tecteun (Barbara Flynn) destroyed by Swarm (Sam Spruell) \u2013 but was that the end of the organisation?<\/p>\n

They were curiously absent from the finale, it\u2019s true, but we did see some other Division operatives earlier in the series (guarding Swarm) suggesting that there are more people out in the field. With their leader gone, does the organisation carry on? Or has the Doctor truly closed that chapter of her life?<\/p>\n

Guess we\u2019ll find out in the coming specials\u2026<\/p>\n

Will Kate Stewart return in the specials?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Jemma\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Having made a grand comeback last week and showing the Grand Serpent (Craig Parkinson) who\u2019s boss, Kate (Jemma Redgrave) didn\u2019t get a huge amount to do in The Vanquishers \u2013 she spent most of the episode wandering Joseph Williamson\u2019s tunnels, though did at least score a victory over her snaky nemesis, banishing him to an isolated asteroid.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like this regeneration \u2013 I hope I meet it again,\u201d she tells the Doctor as they bid farewell \u2013 and we\u2019re certainly hoping we\u2019ll see Kate again before the Jodie Whittaker era is over.<\/p>\n

Is UNIT gone for good?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Osgood\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

The Grand Serpent might\u2019ve been exposed, but does that mean UNIT can be restored? For the first time in its history, the malignant presence of \u2018Prentis\u2019 will no longer be manipulating events from behind-the-scenes \u2013 but presumably it won\u2019t be a simple task reviving such a well-resourced outfit after several years of inaction and government apathy.<\/p>\n

Perhaps, though, the events of The Vanquishers could be the very thing to bring UNIT back from the brink \u2013 and we\u2019re not just talking about the Doctor and Kate despatching the Grand Serpent. After all, surely the ease with which Earth was occupied by the Sontarans could be used as proof that the planet needs UNIT more than ever?<\/p>\n

Will the Doctor ever get her memories back?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC Studios \/ Sam Taylor<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

The final scene of The Vanquishers sees the Doctor decide not to open that fob watch and recover the lost memories she\u2019s been pursuing all this time. It\u2019s not entirely clear why \u2013 but presumably, now that she literally has what she wanted in the palm of her hand, she\u2019s frightened by what she might discover.<\/p>\n

She can\u2019t quite let go entirely, though \u2013 dropping the watch inside the TARDIS console, the Doctor instructs her ship to keep it hidden, even from her. \u201cUnless,\u201d she adds, \u201cI really<\/em> ask for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will the arc of the Doctor\u2019s lost memories \u2013 which was very much at the heart of the six-part Flux storyline \u2013 continue into the remaining three Jodie Whittaker \/ Chris Chibnall specials, or will that watch remain buried until a future showrunner decides to dig it out?<\/p>\n

Where was Jo Martin\u2019s Doctor?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Doctor\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC Studios\/Ben Blackall<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

We\u2019ll be honest \u2013 we expected to see a little more of Jo Martin\u2019s Fugitive Doctor this year. Yes, it was great to see her cameo in episode three during a twisted flashback to the Doctor\u2019s Division days, but could they not have squeezed her in to the finale? Surely more Jo Martin is never a bad thing!<\/p>\n

Fingers crossed the Fugitive Doctor will fly again in one of the upcoming specials. Our money\u2019s on Jodie Whittaker\u2019s final adventure next November. Assuming, of course, the Doctor survives that long.<\/p>\n

Did the Doctor, Yaz and Dan just get exterminated?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Death\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

Though it might be the end of Doctor Who: Flux, we do get a trailer for the New Year\u2019s Day special after the credits have rolled, offering our first look at guest stars Aisling Bea and Adjani Salmon, who play ELF storage owner Sarah and her customer Nick.<\/p>\n

We also get a brief glimpse of a Dalek, confirming that the Doctor\u2019s greatest foes will again feature in a New Year\u2019s Day special, with Chris Chibnall having also included them in 2020\u2019s Resolution<\/a> and 2021\u2019s Revolution of the Daleks<\/a>. Could this new episode be the final chapter of a trilogy?<\/p>\n

\u201cNot like this!\u201d protests the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) in the brief teaser, before she and companions Yaz (Mandip Gill) and Dan (John Bishop) are apparently exterminated. Only 27 days to wait till we find out how our heroes will get out of this one!<\/p>\n

Eagle-eyed fans will also have spotted that this particular Dalek has upgraded its arsenal, sporting a gun that\u2019s able to hit multiple targets instead of the standard single shot device. Snazzy!<\/p>\n

Does Karvanista count as a companion?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\""Jodie\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
BBC<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s a question that can divide Doctor Who fandom: who counts as a companion, and who doesn\u2019t? Is the Brigadier a companion? Is River Song? Adam Mitchell? Astrid Peth?<\/p>\n

But it now seems clear we can add Karvanista to the esteemed list. \u201cWere you my companion?\u201d the Doctor directly asks her furry friend, who was previously part of the same Division squad as the Fugitive Doctor. He can\u2019t talk about it in any detail \u2013 there\u2019s an implant in his brain, courtesy of Division, preventing that \u2013 but it\u2019s revealed that the pair were definitely close and that Karvanista felt abandoned when the Doctor left him behind to explore the universe.<\/p>\n

Will we ever glimpse more of this duo\u2019s time together? Craige Els is certainly keen on the idea, telling RadioTimes.com<\/strong>, \u201cIf the character were ever to come back, it\u2019d be really interesting to explore that idea of who he was before, and at what stage in the Doctor\u2019s life he was the companion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more about Doctor Who:<\/strong><\/p>\n