Sometimes the things that go bump in the night are a product of your imagination. Sometimes they’re created by immortal beings hellbent on satiating their appetites for fear.
Doctor Who has always had a way of making the mundane creepy, and last night’s episode had me turning on a night light. The episode started off with the Doctor separating from the companions and each of them catching up with the people they’ve been abandoning since they began to explore the universe.
Yaz visits her sister. Graham plays cards with some friends. Ryan catches up with his best pal. The Doctor … heads to Aleppo circa 1390, where nightmarish monsters are attacking a hospital.
Each of the companions sees strange images, including Ryan’s friend who says a creepy, elderly man has been appearing in his nightmares for weeks. Ryan stays the night because he’s obviously seen weirder, and he catches the man disassembling his own finger before kidnapping Ryan’s friend in a puff of smoke (try to name something stranger than that). The same creepy man shows up in Yaz’s flat.
The episode led up to a moment in which the Doctor accidentally unleashed villains not seen since the fifth reincarnation of the doctor in the ’80s. The story of Eternals Zellin and Rakaya was retold in an unexpected animation that was welcomed by fans.
The creepy immortals were best friends who turned two entire planets against each other for fun. They find pleasure in making people — specifically humans — suffer as a way to make living for eternity less dull. (Whatever it takes, I guess.) When the people of the universe understood what the two had done, they trapped Rakaya in an intricate prison for eons. Zellin escaped, waiting for the day he could trick someone into setting her free. Enter the Doctor. Zellin used her instinct for saving people against her, and she saved the God-like woman. The murderous friends then trapped the Doctor and her companions and headed toward Earth.
The show was wrapped up neatly in about 10 minutes — the Doctor broke free and saved the day — but not before it touched on mental health and Yaz’s development into a character who finally seemed more relatable. (I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry when she found the police officer who saved her life.) I’m nervous that the character development means that one of the companions (or all three) is going to meet a tragic end in the finale that premieres in three weeks. Right now, our hearts are warm and full, which any fan of Doctor Who knows can’t last long.
Check out our favorite tweets about the episode below before delving into your fan theories.
character development #doctorwho pic.twitter.com/tKG1Fmt1JU
— lucy 😀 (@venicevampires) February 9, 2020
‘That’s what humanity is.’ ✨
Favourite 13th Doctor speech so far ❤️ #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/3mdj8a4ilV
— The Time Ladies (@thetimeladies_) February 9, 2020
This animated sequence 😍
Thought it was very good and the graphics were pretty good too.
Just reminded me of something during my childhood #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/H37iCsleIe
— Safe Space Who (@SafeSpaceDrWho) February 9, 2020
Not even the Doctor can resist a good pun. #DoctorWho pic.twitter.com/EhcLfSpBHe
— Doctor Who on BBC America (@DoctorWho_BBCA) February 10, 2020
Photo: BBC
