UNADULTERATED BOORISH OPINION: HOW I THINK THE 60th ANNIVERSARY WILL "WORK"

Taking another break from Season Reviews to indulge in something that I always seem to fail miserably at: Speculating. I'm going to take a shot, anyway, on how I think the next few episodes of Doctor Who are going to play out. You can, at least, enjoy the post and then laugh at me when all my predictions prove wrong!  

Once more, it's an interesting time to be a fan. We have a couple of huge episodes coming up back-to-back. As I write this, The Power of the Doctor is coming out any day, now (and, like so many other fans, I sure would be a whole lot happier if the Beeb could actually give us a release date!). This looks to be a pretty huge-scale last story for Thirteen. Lots of returning villains and heroes with a strong emphasis on the idea that the Doctor is finally dying rather than regenerating. 

And then, of course, in the far-flung future of 2023, we're getting a whopper of a 60th Anniversary Special. We've all seen the leaked location shooting photos of David Tennant in a costume we've never seen before with Catherine Tate at his side. And we're like: "What's all this about?!"

Like a lot of other fans, I'm kinda foaming at the mouth, here. What does all of this mean?! How will these vague glimpses at upcoming episodes actually play out? How much of a bitch will I cry like when Jodie goes? Should I continue to keep my mouth shut that I'm not  really all that excited about RTD returning (oops! I guess I just blew my cover!)?!  

For this particular entry, I thought that I'd take a genuine shot at interpreting some of the stuff they've been showing us. Basically, I'm going to share my theories on what I think will be happening to the Doctor in the next two episodes.

IN THE IMMORTAL WORDS OF THE BLACK GUARDIAN: "FOCUS"

Based on the little teases we've gotten, there's a lot to speculate about. Those scant few images have tremendous implications behind them. Rather than try to explain every little detail of where I think these two stories will go, I'm going to try to home in on just few of my notions. I will discuss some general concepts of what I think the main plot of the stories will be. But, more importantly, I'm going to try to figure out how Jodie Whitaker is going to turn into David Tennant. 

While I do think both of these tales will be amazing (Chib-bashers, of course, have probably already decided that Power of the Doctor will suck!), there's no point in trying to figure out too many specific details of the plot. No doubt, there will be twists and turns in both adventures that I will have absolutely no hope of accurately anticipating. Some of the images we've seen, I think, are just meant to genuinely confound  or even mislead us. So I just don't see a point in embarrassing myself that much with wildly inaccurate predictions. Instead, I'll just make a few major ones that will, hopefully, only cause marginal humiliation.. 

I also really don't think people want to read about every single little theory I've been building up inside my furiously-spinning brain. There have been all sorts of things that I've been wondering about: Why is the TARDIS crew running around in space suits? What's up with Yaz holding a gun?! Why does the Master look like Rip Van Winkle in one shot? 

I have come up with my own answers to such nagging questions (as I'm sure many of you have), but I'm pretty certain no one in my readership wants to take that deep of a dive. 

So I'm just going to focus on a few of the bigger issues. The really urgent questions like: What's actually going to happen to Thirteen that causes her to suddenly become Ten in a weird outfit? 

THE BASIC PLOT OF POWER OF THE DOCTOR 

After waiting 96 years (I may be exaggerating slightly - but it's certainly felt that long!), we finally get a proper trailer (but still no release date!) for Power of the Doctor. We did, of course, also get that teaser at the end of Legend of the Sea Devils that displayed a vague idea of some basic plot points. When it came out this week, the trailer didn't really reveal much more about what the story was actually about. But, in all honesty, I didn't really expect it to. In fact, I hate when a trailer does show too much. I have been quite amused by fans complaining that the trailer is just showing us some enticing images and not really telling us anything. I couldn't resist making comments to the nature of: "You do know what the actual purpose of a trailer is, right?!" 

From the teaser, alone, I had gathered most of what I needed. As expected, the Master escaped Gallifrey before the Death Particle could go off  at the end of The Timeless Children. This was no huge surprise. We could, after all, hear him yelling to his entourage that they need to get out as the Particle was about to be released. When the Doctor actually has a conversation with Time at the end of The Flux, she makes a massively unsubtle hint that the Master is soon to return. Finally, of course, there's the plain and simple fact that this is the Mater we're talking about. He always finds a way out (guy got burnt to cinders and still survived, somehow!).

At least a few CyberMasters have appeared to escape with him. He, now, seems to have formulated a plot to eliminate the Doctor once and for all. The Daleks and Cybermen appear to be involved in it or they may be a side-plot of some sort. It's difficult to tell. UNIT and a few other old friends seem to be helping the Doctor to defeat the menace. Ultimately, however, it looks like the Doctor is about to die. The energy swirling around her as she calls out Yaz's name in that one shot doesn't look that much like it's been caused by a regeneration. But, rather, something more fatal. 

The trailer does seem to elaborate slightly. Somehow, the Master appears to have devised a way to completely erase the Doctor from Time. We get a better look at the shot I just mentioned and she does appear to be in some sort of death chamber. The Cybermen seem to be involved in the whole operation as we see both a CyberMaster and a regular Cyberman in the background of that shot. 

We still don't know if the Daleks are also part of this plan or are up to something entirely different that, perhaps, only vaguely relates to this particular plot-strand. All the weird cross-fire going on between multiple planets might be something the Skarosian Tyrants have engineered that the Doctor must also deal with as she fights the Master. Or this might all be part of a much bigger plan that results in her destruction at the Master's hands. It's too difficult to tell from what we've seen. 

Whatever the case, the Master seems to be succeeding in his latest sinister plot. It appears as though the Doctor has been, somehow, trapped into facing her execution and had no choice but to enter the Death Chamber. From what we can see, the Doctor is definitely going to be eliminated as the story reaches its conclusion. 

But then, this is the Doctor we're talking about. She always finds a way out. 

HOW SHE MIGHT GET OUT....

I really do think that Power of the Doctor ends with no actual regeneration. The Doctor will just be executed and completely removed from Time. More than likely, she'll just wink out of existence (in some glorious manner that will involve quite a bit of CGI!). To all intents and purposes, her existence will end.  

But then, along comes Neil Patrick Harris! Or, more accurately, whatever character he appears to be playing for the 60th Anniversary Special. The Big Opinion Among Fandom is that he will be the Celestial Toymaker. Which does seem to make sense on several levels. He's a Classic villain who would look nice returning for such an occasion. Harris, somehow, seems to have a similar vibe that Michael Gough once gave to the character (presumably, the Toymaker can change shape at will so that it can be a new actor in the role). And, like Gough, he is also garbed in  period costume. 

So there is some evidence to support this idea. Not a lot, but some...

Whether or not he's the Toymaker, he will still be one of those god-like beings that inhabit the Doctor Who Universe that will have the ability to, somehow, rescue the Doctor from being erased from her timeline. But restoring her to reality will be conditional: The Doctor must succeed in a game he's devised.  

The Neil Patrick Harris God won't be able to deal with the current version of the Doctor - she's too recent. Her part of the timeline is too close to when she was deleted. So past Doctors will have to come forward and face various challenges. If they succeed, the Doctor will be restored to the Universe.

That's what I think will be the basic premise of the Special. We will see various incarnations with their companions dealing with different types of crises created by Neil Patrick Harris' character. Some of them might involve some past monsters so that Daleks, Cybermen, Sontarans and suchlike can be involved, too. All of it will culminate in the different incarnations succeeding and the Doctor being brought back into existence. 

This idea especially supports the notion that Harris is the Toymaker. This is just the sort of game he would play with the Doctor. Rather than just save the Time Lord, he will make him compete for his existence. Yes, the Toymaker is pretty malevolent. But, like most god-like cosmic entities, he's probably pretty amoral, too. He lives for all eternity and craves entertainment. While he probably resents the Doctor for beating him all those many years ago, he would still enjoy the opportunity to play this sort of game against him. 

It's still possible Harris isn't the Toymaker. He could be another Immortal we've seen before or even one we've never met. But all these eternal beings tend to have similar temperaments. They are bored and seek sadistic ways to amuse themselves. Putting the Doctor through a major challenge to save his existence would be right up their alley! 

HOW TENNANT FITS IN

Now, there's all kinds of discussions going on about who else will be in the 60th Anniversary Special. We know, for sure, that David Tennant, Catherine Tate and Bernard Cribbins will all be in it. We've seen the pics of the location filming, of course. So it can't be denied. 

Other actors who have played the Doctor are being somewhat vague about their involvement. Or, in some cases, are swearing they won't be in it at all. Naturally, those who are saying they don't have a part could be lying through their teeth! There's been a tonne of disinformation going on regarding which Doctors are coming back. More than likely, some of it has been completely intentional. 

I do seem to recall Tennant saying in an interview or two (and I'm pretty sure it wasn't in print, either, we actually heard him speaking) that he and Catherine were photographed because they were the only ones that had outdoor shooting. That there were plenty of other returning actors that haven't been sighted because they were in a closed studio. He seemed to insinuate (and this could be my own wishful thinking altering my recollection!) that it wasn't just returning Doctors - but companions, too.  

This would fit my theory of separate Doctors facing different challenges from the Toymaker nicely. We only see Tennant and Tate because they are on their own mission. Other incarnations with their companions are doing their own thing but they were shot indoors away from prying eyes. There will probably be some scenes where all the Doctors meet. Something akin to the Tomb of Rassilon sequence in The Five Doctors. The incarnations will unite for a few moments, probably argue a bit and then go their own ways. Having beaten the Toymaker's Challenge (there will probably be some extra treachery involved on the Toymaker's part that one of the Doctors will anticipate and nullify), the Doctor will be restored to the Universe. But it will still come at a cost. The Doctor will have to lose another life. Jodie Whitaker will be brought back in for the final minute or two and regenerate into Ncuti Gatwa. The Adventure will continue. Hopefully, at least, for another 60 years!    

BUT WHY DO TENNANT'S CLOTHES LOOK DIFFERENT, ROB?! 

There might, of course, be some variations to the storyline I just provided, Neil Patrick Harris, for instance, might actually be a benevolent god-like being that really wants to help the Doctor and is putting the past incarnations on special quests that will create the conditions to save him. Those quests might just be something that has been running through the Doctor's lives all this time and we've just never seen this plot thread up until now (like all the Doctors coming to save Gallifrey in Day of the Doctor). So it's not the Doctors, so much, being pulled out of time by Harris' character as it is something the near-omnipotent being just threaded through his whole timestream.  

The possibilities of variation on my basic premise are, of course, huge. But the core essence will remain the same: Harris is a god of sorts that has recruited past incarnations to ensure the Doctor has a future. 

There is just one more issue to deal with. A certain incongruity that could put a whole new complexion on it all:  

Why is Ten wearing an outfit we have never seen him wear before? 

The answer could be quite simple. For whatever reason, the Doctor decides to wear a different costume just this once. He might even need it to, somehow, blend in a bit better with whatever it is he's up to in his particular story thread. Once the adventure is over, he never bothers to wear it again. It really could be that plain of a reason. 

Or it could be something more: What if we are seeing Ten in a different costume because he's not quite the Ten we know? What if he's actually Ten from a parallel universe? 

Let's put one more twist on this whole Game of the Toymaker concept: The Doctor has been completely erased from this Universe. There is no way the Toymaker can issue his challenge to past incarnations. But what if he went into alternative realities and got a version of the Time Lord from there to participate in his shenanigans? He approaches Ten from a dimension where, perhaps, the Series Four finale didn't happen (or happened differently) and he is still travelling with Donna. He explains how he can help save himself in another Universe if he participates in the Game. He does this with several other Doctors from other realities, too. 

It would certainly add an interesting new dimension to a multi-Doctor story if RTD went this way. Rather than just ask the actors to come back and reprise their roles, they get to put a slightly different spin on the character. We. as an audience, get the added bonus of enjoying the new interpretation of the part. We also have the fun of trying to figure out what happened in the parallel universe that is causing this previous incarnation to behave in a different manner. Imagine, for instance, an Eleventh Doctor that Amy does leave Rory for. Maybe Rory still travels with them and is trying win his fiance back. Even a slight twist like that gives us a whole new dynamic to enjoy. 

Of course, it really could be the much simpler explanation of: The Doctor just decided to wear a different outfit! 

"WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL OF THOSE GLORIOUS PREDICTIONS?!" 

So, there you go. My ultimate idea of how I think things will go over the next few episodes. If I'm to be honest, I'm actually really excited about it all. To be even more candid, I'm more enthusiastic about Jodie's last episode than I am about the Anniversary Special. I know there are dissenters out there, but I think this has been a fantastic period for the show and am sad to see it over. But, at least, this final story looks incredible. Whereas, I did find RTD's era to be a bit hit-or-miss and am, therefore, slightly leery about his return. 

But this is my own personal theory of how things fit together from what we've seen, thus far. When Power of the Doctor actually comes out, I may have to re-think things. She may just regenerate into David Tennant after all!  

But it wold be cool if, just this once, a prediction proves correct. What I came up with for the Anniversary Special might be entirely wrong, But I would be thrilled if I was, at least, a bit right and we really do see the Doctor die, once and for all, at the end of Power of the Doctor. 

Did I just say I would be happy to see the Doctor die?!!!

SPECIAL NOTE: As I completed this, we finally got a release date for Power of the Doctor. I was tempted to do a re-write but it's much more fun to leave all my complaining in!