Warning: Spoilers ahead forDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 1, “The Robot Revolution.“Doctor Whoseason 15’s premiere, “The Robot Revolution,” ends with a compelling exchange between the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), and Fifteen provides just enough of a clue about who sent him to look for Belinda that I think I’ve worked out who it was. Of course, theending ofDoctor Whoseason 15, episode 1is about more than the mystery behind the Doctor’s new companion, but it’s still a huge part of the installment’s finale. After debuting as Mundy Flynn in theDoctor Whoseason 14 cast,Varada’s return as Belinda raises many questions.
After Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday being at the heart of season 14’sDoctor Whocompanion mystery in 2024, season 15 is also getting enigmatic with Fifteen’s new sidekick.The biggest question throughout Gibson’s episodes was the identity of Ruby’s mother,butSethu’s character is at the heart of what appears to be a more complex and timey-wimey scenario. Although two characters sharing the same face isn’t exactly a new thing inDoctor Who,the Mundy/Belinda connectionis already set up to be a far more prominent edition of the trope.
Doctor Who Theory: The Fifteenth Doctor Tells Himself To Find Belinda At The End Of Season 15
Although the start of the episode shows Fifteen on the hunt for someone’s address while speaking to the receptionist at Belinda’s hospital, it’s not revealed until a little later that it’s Sethu’s character the Doctor is looking for. The reason why he wants to find her is pretty much sidelined for the entire episode, but their conversation in the TARDIS at the end of the installment shines a light on this topic again. Although he is coy about the exact details,the Doctor does mention that someone he refers to only as “he” told Fifteen to find Belinda.
I think the Doctor sends a message back in time to tell his past self just how important it is that he locate Sethu’s character. Alternatively, both versions of Fifteen could physically cross paths.
My theory is that “The Robot Revolution,” and, by extension, the entirety ofDoctor Whoseason 15, is quietly a multi-Doctor story. When I say that, I mean thatI think the person Fifteen is referring to is a future version of himself. At the end of - or during - the adventure Fifteen and Belinda are about to embark upon, I think the Doctor sends a message back in time to tell his past self just how important it is that he locate Sethu’s character. Alternatively, both versions of Fifteen could physically cross paths.
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The fact the Doctor refuses to tell Belinda who he’s really talking about supports this theory. He tells her: “I have to be careful about timelines,” which would make perfect sense if he were taking advice from his future self. Although he would arguably have said “I” instead of “he” when mentioning where he got the information about Belinda, this would have revealed certain details he’s clearly trying to keep secret from his new companion. Alternatively,Fifteen may have referred to his future self as “he” because it was a coming regeneration of the Time Lordthat he spoke with.
Belinda & The Doctor Are Clearly Connected On A Cosmic Level In Doctor Who Season 15
Russell T. Davies has written Belinda’s story to tie intricately into the Doctor’s
Doctor Whocompanions can largely be divided into two main categories, especially in the show’s modern era. Some encounter and end up traveling with the Doctor due to sheer happenstance, and others seem almost fated to meet the Time Lord and are brought together by far more than coincidence. For Fifteen and Belinda, the latter is quite obviously true, and their situation is one of the most extreme examples. They don’t just bump into each other on the street or during a planet-wide emergency. Instead,season 15 begins with the Doctor on a determined mission to seek her out.
Fifteen’s encounter with Mundy Flynn, Belinda’s identical 51st-century descendant, is also impossible to ignore.
Of course, the Doctor’s tip-off could technically have come from a relatively benign place, but the hidden identity of the individual in question strongly suggests there’s a big reveal around the corner. Plus, withFifteen now integrated throughout Belinda’s timelineafter rescuing her from the paradox near the end of “The Robot Revolution,” showrunner Russell T. Davies has made it abundantly clear that the story’s two characters have become incredibly intertwined. Plus, Fifteen’s encounter with Mundy Flynn, Belinda’s identical 51st-century descendant, is also impossible to ignore. So, the Doctor speaking with himself through time fits with this arc.
If It Was Anyone Else, The Doctor Probably Wouldn’t Have Trusted Them
Doctor Who’s main character doesn’t listen to just anyone
One of the biggest reasons why the Doctor has lived so long (other than the ability to regenerate) is that he has a pretty good sense of who is trustworthy and who isn’t.The Time Lord isn’t necessarily against giving people the chance to prove him wrong, but scenarios such as these are often highly calculated risks. However, being told to travel to a specific era of human history and seek out one particular person isn’t the sort of order the Doctor would follow from just anyone.
Fifteen wouldn’t have thought finding Belinda was a good and necessary idea unless it came from a reputable source.
So, the Doctor listening to and obeying a future version of himself is one of the most likely explanations when it comes to who he spoke to about finding Belinda. There are other species and organizations capable of traversing the timeline, and they aren’t always as altruistic asDoctor Who’s main character. In fact, some are downright nefarious. So, Fifteen wouldn’t have thought finding Belinda was a good and necessary idea unless it came from a reputable source. As far as he is concerned, there is often no source more reputable than himself.
I Can Only Think Of 2 Other People Who Could’ve Told The Doctor About Belinda
Although it kind of ties into my theory about the Fifteenth Doctor speaking with his future self, another possibility when it comes to who told him to find Belinda is David Tennant’s Fourteenth Doctor. Davies insists Fourteen’s story is over and that he won’t be returning to the story, but the process of bi-generation is still far too new, and little is understood about exactly how it works. It’s unclear ifFourteen will eventually become Gatwa’s Doctoror ifTennant’s return in 2023 means there is now a fully autonomous version of the Time Lordwho will remain separate.
Despite Fourteen’s retirement, he still has a TARDIS. So he could have accidentally witnessed something on his limited travels that involved Belinda, and informed Fifteen about it.
Another, perhaps more grounded theory, is that Belinda’s father is the person Fifteen is talking about in “The Robot Revolution.” Althoughneither of Belinda’s parents has appeared onscreen yet, she mentions them when being taken away by her robotic captors. Belinda asks Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) to alert her parents to the unexpected turn of events. While Mrs. Flood doesn’t appear too concerned with helping Sethu’s character, Mr. Chandra could still have found out about his daughter’s fate and told Fifteen before the events ofDoctor Who’s season 15 premiere.
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“The Story and the Engine”
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