#Doctor Who Theories

[humanstein]

Be careful where you step.

It has to mean something.

[musicalcompanions]

Another thing, Ruby says she’s on her first alien planet, but on the previous episode it was as if she had been with the Doctor for a while and I think it’s weird that she hasn’t visited another planet yet so:

1. I missed something

2. I’m looking too much into it

3. It’s deliberate and someone is messing with the timelines

[noisybatzone]

right ok but did anyone else think this was a weird shot unless it was to highlight the red nail polish on Kate?

And does it tie into the mystery hand at the end of The Giggle?

[ohmerricat]

slight case of derangement today! you’ve been warned.

anyway has anybody considered… what if ruby sunday turns out to be river’s daughter from the 24 years she spent on darilium with twelve. plenty long enough to begin to raise a child. river could have wiped the doctor’s mind of all memory of their daughter for some kind of safety reason, likely to protect ruby (not that it works for long). would explain her tabula rasa heritage, and, more importantly, act as the obvious reasoning behind the bbc adamantly refusing to reveal the name of the leaked future companion played by varada sethu after millie leaves post-s1/14: it would be a massive spoiler for the series finale since she’s a regenerated ruby, 3/4 gallifreyan (or 1/2 weird time vortex augmented human?? one heart or two for ruby then? what even is river species-wise? many questions zero answers) another clue backing this concept up is the nature of the ruby/doctor relationship being completely non-romantic from what we’ve seen, with the doctor probably finding a male love interest in s1. just imagine a final two-parter — the doctor and ruby are facing some world-ending stakes, the universe is in peril, ruby ends up fatally wounded and… her hands start buzzing with a familiar golden glow

one more tidbit in corroboration: in a recent panel at some con (i can’t remember the video link now but if someone asks for receipts i will find it) alex kingston was quoted saying that river’s journey “may not be over just yet”. of course this could mean big finish or it could mean nothing at all but what if it hints at her showing up in a flashback sequence. what if she’s behind the black cloak, carrying baby ruby to the church? what if the doctor didn’t approach the hooded woman because of a subconscious recognition…

now, disclaimer so none of you start weird discourse for whatever reason, of course this could end up being a completely idiotic theory that’s way off the mark. or it could accidentally turn out to be spot on. imagine if i got it right. what would be the odds. would i feel vindicated or disappointed?

p.s. adding stuff i initially left in comments because it completes the post

post-postscriptum: (mrs) flood… river… pond…

[radiantlyrey]

Ruby Sunday: Thoughts & Theories (SPOILERS)

WARNING: LONG POST. SPOILERS & SPECULATION AHEAD. MOVE ALONG TO NEXT POST IF YOU WANT TO REMAIN UNSPOILED!!!!!

The Facts Were These:

Ruby Sunday was abandoned by as a newborn baby by her birth mother. (Note A: Her birth mother's name is unknown, but has been promised to us. Note B: Her birth mother's provenance is equally unknown, and has not been promised to us.)

Ruby Sunday has been taken out of time twice--once by the goblins on the night of her birth, and once by her stepping on a prehistoric butterfly and changing history.

Despite a genetic test, Ruby Sunday apparently has no relatives on Earth who her DNA can be matched to.

The snow from the night of Ruby Sunday's birth and abandonment appears when the memory of Christmas 2004 is invoked. (Note A: It also seems to appear when she is feeling some strong emotion.)

Maestro, a child of the Toymaker and a part of the pantehon, believes Ruby Sunday is human until Christmas 2004 is invoked. They then think Ruby may be connected to "the oldest one" (another child of the Toymaker? another god?) before calling Ruby a "creature" who is "very wrong."

The events of "73 Yards" appear to show Ruby Sunday trapped in a loop of time (perhaps more a Möbius strip of time) that only breaks when she dies.

The Doctor at times is discomfited by Ruby Sunday and her existence. (Note A: He is surprised by the Butterfly Incident detailed in Point 2. Note B: He hides his concern about the snow with a hug. Note C: He runs a genetic scan of Ruby after their first adventure.)

The Doctor has been following Ruby Sunday since before they properly met. He has admitted this to her, but he has not explained why.

Ruby Sunday and the Doctor have a lot of common in their backstories--they were both abandoned as children; they were both adopted; they are both somewhat unconnected to their adopted societies. Coincidence seems to be tying them together, and to their adventures. (There have been a lot of parentless children in these stories.)

So those are the facts.

Now for some metafictional facts: There are a lot of strange things going on with Ruby Sunday. She has yet to properly, by herself, save the day. (In fact, in two of her five episodes, she has been absent for the climax entirely.) Most modern companions do this in their first couple of episodes. Despite her moment of defiance in "Boom", she has yet to make the Doctor angry with her actions, which most companions have done by now. It's almost as if she only exists as a character on a purely surface level. She has little depth, hardly any flaws; she and the Doctor get along like breezy best friends, but there's not much of substance about her. Given RTD's reputation as a character writer (especially as concerns Doctor Who), the characterization of Ruby Sunday has seemed more than a little flat. And I can't help but wonder if maybe this is all deliberate.

By this point in the season, when we've hit the halfway point, everyone has a theory about Ruby Sunday. The writing has encouraged the mass theorizing, piling on mystery after mystery with gusto. There are even theories (mostly driven by the fourth-wall breaks in "The Devil's Chord") about the whole season being some kind of misdirect or fakery. But those theories, I think, go slightly too far.

I have theories of my own, of course. My crack theory is that Ruby is either related to the Time Lords or even the Doctor's mysterious species. There is a little evidence for this--her disappearances and reappearances from the timeline, the time loop stuff from "73 Yards"--and it might be true, but I'm starting to shy away from it slightly. Another theory I've seen in this line is that Ruby is part of the pantheon, another god-like being who's been disguised as a human. This seems a little likelier, but I have another idea.

Maestro refers to Ruby Sunday as a "creature" in "The Devil's Chord"--and the word "creature" has the same Latin root as the word "create." I think it's entirely possible that Ruby was created as a trick or a trap for the Doctor, that she's merely an idea that's been given human form. The idea is this: "someone who travels with the Doctor." Fans have already pointed out the numerous parallels Ruby has with other New Who companions--she phones her mum from the future like Rose in "The End of the World"; her existence mirrors the mystery of Clara Oswald in Series 7; she has a lot of the spitfire spunk we've seen from Donna Noble; she even dies and comes back to life like Rory constantly did during his tenure!! Given the teasers we've received for the penultimate episode, "The Legend of Ruby Sunday"--an image of a monitor with the episode's title on it, and [NOTE: I cannot seem to find a source for this; please help!!!!!] a line of teaser dialogue about the Doctor's life playing out on multiple screens [AGAIN: cannot seem to find a source; if you know where teaser dialogue lines for this season were released---or if they're even real--PLEASE LET ME KNOW], it seems to me that the Doctor's life has been studied in order to create the perfect companion, a tailor-made trap for the Doctor and the Doctor alone.

I don't think RTD is stupid enough to pull a "gotcha! it was all a dream/TV show/hallucination!" trick for the whole season, which I know a lot of people are theorizing about. That is a hard needle to thread in the best of situations, and if it doesn't land effectively, then a good chunk of your audience will leave in disgust and never come back. But I think it's very possible you could pull the same trick with one character.

My theory is this: Ruby Sunday is a simulacrum, or hybrid (ha), or something else entirely! But she is not Real. She was created to be thrown away, a lure for the Doctor meant to be eaten or discarded. It might be that she's part of the Doctor's species, but caught by the pantheon (or something else) and changed into a tool or toy or something not-quite-Real. There's been talk about how Doctor Who is gaining more fantastical elements (goblins and gods and so on), and what is more fantastical than a fairy tale? I think the legend of Ruby Sunday is one such fairy tale, and I think I know how it's going to end.

Ruby will, at last, assert herself. She will break free of what she's been created (written) to be, and claim her personhood/characterhood. She will re-enter the world fully herself and fully three-dimensional. She will finally become Real, with all that that implies.

And nothing is more fairy tale than that.

[crowleysgirl56]

SPOILERS SWEETIE.

EDITED: Now that season is over I’ve edited below to remove the predictions that didn’t come true. But also to ask the question WHO THE FUCK IS MRS FLOOD?!

So I’ve decided to formulate all of my theories as to who Mrs Flood is (the woman from Church on Ruby Road who speaks to the camera at the end of the episode and says haven’t you ever seen a TARDIS before).

She’s Susan.

She’s Ruby’s mother.

She’s Susan AND Ruby’s mother.

She’s Ruby watching over herself.

She’s the Rani.

She’s the Harbinger for the One Who Waits.

She IS The One Who Waits.

She just another one of the Toymaker’s children (like Maestro).

She used to work for Torchwood or UNIT which is why she knows what a TARDIS is.

She’s Kate Lethbridge Stewart’s mum.

She’s no one and just a strange woman who spoke to the camera at the end of that episode for a cute wink at the audience.

One of these HAS to be correct and when it is I can laugh triumphantly and say “Oh look how clever I am at predicting things!”

Also all these theories can be applied to the mysterious old woman who keeps popping up through the show.

[b4si1wh0]

From what I can tell, I can classify the mysteries so far into 5 main mysteries:

The Mrs Flood Mystery

The Susan Twist Mystery

The Mystery of The One Who Waits

The Mystery of Ruby Sunday’s Mother(??) Parent

The Mystery of Ruby Sunday

And here are my thoughts and theories on each of them (as well as fourth-wall breaks, and theories I do not like):

Mrs Flood:

She is Susan. I believe that ‘Susan’ Twist is a red herring, and Susan deserves her return. The fact that Ruby mentioned that she would be living in her time makes me even more sure, especially considering Ruby’s tendency to make things ‘happen’ - Strictly, Star Trek - more on that later.

She is River Song. A huge jump in likelihood, because I do believe her story is over, but you never know, and I don’t think I would be complaining about her return particularly. We don’t know Mrs Flood’s first name, which might be for a reason. Melody Pond, River Song and then xxxx Flood.

She is the One Who Waits. I’m going to probably say this about everyone but… idk what else to say. sHe’S tHe RaNi!!!11!!

Susan Twist:

She is the One Who Waits/part of the Pantheon of Gods. It just seems likely.

She is Ruby/Ruby’s mother. Seems the least likely, but in that case it would be a situation of ‘watching over’ Ruby in a way, but Susan Twist looks nothing like Ruby, so very unlikely.

She is no one/a spy. This works well for my first point regarding Ruby’s parent, but I think she might be a spy for The Trickster to keep an eye on the Doctor/Ruby. They could also be the same thing as the ‘Bad Wolf’, ‘Torchwood’ and ‘Vote Saxon’ - they don’t make sense until the finale, she might not make sense until the finale.

The One Who Waits:

Obviously one of the pantheon of Gods - I do believe the most powerful.

Probably Ruby’s mother, or someone related to Ruby.

We don’t know who they are yet. Some new guy. Hoping any one of these.

Ruby’s Parent:

THE TRICKSTER FROM THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES! The hood and cloak are the same, the desolate London is so similar and the theme when Maria has The Trickster’s box in her bed and when Ruby was hoisted into the air is the same - please just search on youtube, it will probably be there. Plus, The Trickster would work well with the Pantheon of Gods - the Gods of CHAOS - what The Trickster thrives on.

A powerful being from the Gods of Chaos - an evil thing, the One Who Waits.

Someone the Doctor may recognise - though I doubt it somehow.

Ruby:

The daughter of one of the Gods of Chaos - you cannot deny her powers, in terms of the snow, mentioning things and then they exist - she mentions the Butterfly Effect- it happens. She mentions Star Trek in Space Babies, and the crew are dressed in uniforms eerily similar to the Star Trek ones. She mentions Strictly - who come but Johannes and Shirley from Strictly.

A supernatural entity - like a changeling, or something like that. The DNA scan said she was human, but it was only 70% done - that might be foreshadowing something - in terms that she is not human. In The Wild Blue Yonder, The Doctor let superstition come in - maybe he also let Ruby in.

A bad guy. One of the Gods of Chaos, the One Who Waits. Getting close to The Doctor all this time… maybe this won’t even be revealed until series 15. That would be great in my opinion honestly!

The last episode - ‘The Legend of Ruby Sunday’ makes me believe that she is older than she is. It is not the story, it is the legend - the Google definition being ‘a traditional story sometimes popularly regarded as historical but not authenticated. Not a word being used for a 19-year-old girl from Manchester, methinks.

Fourth-wall breaks: The Legend of Ruby Sunday seems to be based on a TV show - now we get to the ‘Doctor Who’ is a TV show in ‘Doctor Who’ - e.g. The Doctor can hear the non-diegetic music. I think this is a great idea. (I have written a fan-fiction about this 2 years ago hehe).

I DO NOT think these theories are true: 

The Doctor is Ruby’s parent. Nope. Too obvious, lazy and just plain weird.

Ruby is Ruby’s parent?? Weird and impossible. Very very timey-wimey.

The Master is returning - I don’t think they are this series - keep in mind that we only last saw them 6 episodes as of now (after Boom - not counting The Tooth).

THANK YOU READING IF YOU’VE READ ALL OF THIS!!!

[carrymelikeimcute]

Thoughts on Dot and Bubble - We haven't seen the last of Lindy

The final scene of D&B shows the remaining inhabitants of 'Finetime' sail off into the wilderness instead of accepting help from a black man. And that is a very stark and memorable moment. Not as shocking as the death of Ricky because...well, you can read the racism in the room from the moment main character Lindy thinks the Doctor is just another black guy who looks 'the same' as the one before. Yikes.

HOWEVER, this episode put me in mine of 2 things, the first was obviously Nosedive, the Black Mirror episode which was also pastel and social media inspired.

But also, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or specifically the Golgafrinchans.

(Spoilers for Hitchhikers Guide) but the Golgafrinchans were a race of people on a planet who rid themselves of all the 'nothing jobs' by tricking those who weren't 1. geniuses or 2. skilled labourers onto a ship which they then launched into space. This ship hit the newly designed planet that would become earth, where the Golgafrinchan hairdressers and telephone cleaners wiped out the apes that were thought to be the precursors to mankind, and despite their total lack of intellect or skills, became the dominant lifeform, and the ancestors of all humans.

What does this have to do with Lindy the racist?

Well, the assumption is that Lindy and all the other members of the 'Finetime Youth' will die out in the wilderness. They can't even walk without an AI telling them the direction (which is kind of a nonsensical part of the episode but oh well) and need to be reminded to pee. They're destined to perish.

EXCEPT.

In the episode we see Lindy adapt, and within the space of a day she is walking without her bubble, as are the other survivors. More importantly she shows herself to be ruthless and willing to kill to survive - thinking quickly on the spot to save herself.

Imo the lingering last look from Lindy to the Doctor, potentially sets her up to return in some form - perhaps when they later visit the same planet only to find it greatly changed (as in S1 on NuWho with Satellite 5) or similar to the reveal that humans were turned into Toclafane - showing that the picture perfect pastel finetimers have become monsters on the outside, later on.

[thedarkangel74]

I think we all agree that Ruby Sunday is Susan right? Ruby Sunday's Mom is the Doctor's future daughter (Jenny?) and Ruby is a little baby time lord jr.

[cosmic-chelonian]

Okay but what do you get if you combine a river and a storm?

A flood.

Mrs Flood could be their daughter and Susan's mother.

[superanimepirate]

I'm getting into the Doctor Who TV show theory, and I think Rogue justifies it somewhat. With the cosplaying birds acting out Bridgerton and all.

I've also seen a few complaints about how race is treated this season and I wonder if that is a part of it too. Racism is brought up when it's convenient for the plot and for a Racism Episode, but ignored when it would just complicate other plots like being in the 1960's or 1820's.

Bridgerton has a colorblind cast after all...

[humanstein]

I am extremely convinced that we are just beginning to unwrap what's going on with Ruby Sunday.

Ruby received the perfect fairy tale outcome—wish-fulfillment-level picture perfect. No New Who companion has had such a mellow and completely amicable resolution.

The mystery of her mother resolves with a blameless biological mother who made the right choice and a father who didn’t know she existed. And the mom who raised her is there too. She gets to have everyone. That happy ending was like a picture-perfect Christmas card, narrated by Mrs. Flood.

Additionally, I will need to rewatch to make sure but it did not seem like winter when they were at the coffee shop, yet it’s snowing at the end when we pan up to Mrs. Flood. Unless that was supposed to be much later...?

They also kinda raised more questions about 73 Yards than they answered. They confirmed that Ruby did not prevent the timeline in 73 Yards and additionally made that timeline essential to uncovering who Ruby's mother was. They also emphasized 73 Yards as the limitations of the TARDIS perception filter. Were the people in 73 Yards seeing beyond a filter on Ruby? Is the TARDIS projecting something on Ruby? Did both Rubys cancel each other's out? What did they see?

I'm completely willing to accept that ending if it’s just what it says on the jar, but I'm very suspicious right now. The "watch where you step" thing hasn't paid off yet either.

Something is still up. I’m starting to think the TARDIS is hiding something about Ruby and might have even conjured up Ruby's mom and dad out of nothing to keep hiding it. I know thats a little crack pot.

To clarify, I really liked the episode and I can certainly appreciate the themes of having her mother be normal and having intense value projected onto her.

However, that doesn't explain why the memory was changing, why it snowed, or why Sutekh would be especially interested. Certainly, the TARDIS has encountered more intriguing mysteries. Additionally, I feel like we would have been shown her face in the time window or the video somehow. It's either something or a bit of a missed opportunity in the script.

I feel like “projections of Ruby's subconscious” and “TV show” might still be on the table. Tell me if I'm off my rocker, but combine this with the fact that we know Ruby will be back, and, well, I think there's much more still to come.

So, basically, I'm thinking this is some sort of fake-out.

[aannaira]

so I went to check the italian wikipedia page for this season (because italian is a gendered language) and the 'one who waits' has been translated as 'he who waits' (colui che aspetta)

now, this might not mean anything and maybe they will re-translate this concept in the finale should the one who waits not actually be in a male form, but this would make me rule out Susan for now

I would love for it to be the Trickster though (is the Trickster considered male?)

[my-brain-on-mars]

okay- folks take your bet on who Mrs. Flood is!

[kris-py-president]

Hehehe Ruby Sunday timelord. Ruby Sunday non human. Ruby Sunday as a daughter figure instead of romantic interest. Ruby Sunday kicking ass and taking names. Hehehe Ruby Sunday.

[ronanlynchdefender]

I’ve gone from thinking that Mrs. Flood is the master to Mrs. Flood is Incensor, god of disaster, that was name dropped in the last episode. Guys, her name is Mrs. Flood. Flood. As in she named herself after a literal natural disaster.