‘Doctor Who’ Recap: ‘The Timeless Children’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

If there’s one thing that most Doctor Who fans can agree upon in regard to this year’s collection of stories; it would be that Series 12 has been quite the incredible ride. After all, we’ve been treated to some amazing adventures through time and space, the kind that allowed for us to hang with another big name from history, and you cannot go wrong with the surprises this season sent our way since no one saw the return of the Master coming, nor did anyone expect to meet another Doctor. But while these moments left us elated and stunned all at once, the various mysteries that Series 12 introduced have left us hungry to learn exactly how the heck another Doctor can exist in this universe and seemingly have no ties to Thirteen and of course, we need to know the details surrounding the Timeless Child.
 
But thankfully, the wait to learn these ancient secrets of the universe came to an end last night. For the Series 12 Finale, ‘The Timeless Children’, took the time to answer all of our questions, and well… what we learned was quite powerful and groundbreaking to say the least. Because this particular tale actually managed to change the entire mythos surrounding Gallifrey and the Time Lords and well, nothing will ever quite be the same for this series after what we learned. But before we start diving into those burning questions, we do need to take a quick moment and reflect upon another important part of this particular episode; specifically, what became of Team TARDIS shortly after they were separated from the Doc.
 
Because they were facing impossible odds with the Cybermen nipping at their heels at every turn. And really, Ryan is the one who faced the ugliest odds in this tale. For the Lone Cyberman sent forces down to the planet where Ko Sharmus watches over the portal, meaning that Ryan and Ethan and Mister Sharmus had to fight these unrelenting monsters and that went about as well as expected. And their salvation from a horrific fate only came about by way of Yaz and Graham’s wild plan to hide within Cybermen suits, since it allowed them to blend in and get the drop their foes and once that was finally wrapped up, they had a little time to ponder upon their next move, since something had to be done to save the Doctor.
 
Which brings us to the big reveals of the night. Because after the Master took the time to show his longtime friend his disgusting handiwork, with glee for that matter, he finally decided it was time to explain to her the lie of the Timeless Child. As it turns out, the real truth about Gallifrey’s storied history, is that the Time Lords were not always able to defy death twelve times before expiring into the great beyond. No instead, they had a single and regular lifespan and they were curious in nature. And one in particular, named Tecteun, decided to indulge that curiosity and went to explore the stars and eventually stumbled upon an abandoned child standing near a powerful portal during her travels through the universe. Which should be no big deal since space is full of many beings. But this one in particular was quite special, for an accident revealed that this little one… could regenerate into a healthy humanoid if death came calling.

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​Of course, it didn’t take long for this ability to become quite the obsession for Tecteun, to the point where she spent the rest of her life trying to understand how this child was able to continually regenerate its flesh despite the damage incurred. In fact, multiple regenerations had to happen before she finally stumbled upon the secret of this incredible ability and once she tried the power of this gift upon herself, the Time Lords of Gallifrey were born, and their regenerations were limited to a dozen iterations to keep some semblance of control over the process. But what matters more, is that this majestic and revered civilization was founded upon notions of torture and a stolen ability, forever tarnishing their grace and while that alone should have shattered the Doctor to her core, the Master still had one more revelation to provide her with in the hopes of breaking her, specifically the true identity of the Timeless Child.
 
As it turns out, this mysterious young one… was the Doctor all along and the realization that her life was shrouded in lies put the Doc in a tough place. For it dawned upon her quickly that she had experienced far more regenerations than she ever thought was possible, and that the gift Gallifrey gave her as the Eleventh Doctor, was nothing more than a lie designed to keep the myth going. And her spirit began to sink once she realized that the vast majority of memories from her incredibly long life were missing from Gallifrey’s databanks and this grand betrayal started to drag her down. And despite Ruth’s best efforts to lift her spirits with a lovely little chat about what the Doctor means to the universe, these revelations finally broke her and sent her spirt spiraling into the darkest places imaginable.
 
In fact, she sank so low that she opted to take extreme measures when the Master’s true plan was revealed. Because the whole reason he brought her and the Cybermen to Gallifrey was to get his hands on the Cyberium and merge with it, making him a powerful being, one that could finally assemble the perfect weapon and well, he did just that in the most twisted way imaginable. For he brought together Cyberman and Time Lord into one body, creating a killing machine that could never die and that motivated the Doctor to use a powerful weapon known as the Death Particle to destroy Gallifrey and the Master and his twisted creation. Something that the Master was hoping for, since she would at last sink to his level and take the ugliest risks imaginable to win. But at the last minute, the Doctor stayed true to herself, and with an assist from Ko Sharmus, Gallifrey was reduced to ashes and the Master faces an uncertain future, and for now the universe is safe.
 
If anything, this was quite the powerhouse finale. For it truly shakes up everything we’ve ever known about Gallifrey and the Time Lords and it makes the Doctor, a more powerful figure than ever before. For she has apparently been traveling through time and space for longer than anyone has ever known and in the future, the series can now explore her true origins and help us to understand how she got separated from a dimension where death clearly has no meaning. Plus, it now means the character is free of the constraints of traditional regeneration, allowing for the Doctor to save the universe for as long as television will have her. And hopefully, she will be around for a long time, because the Doctor’s adventures are a delight to watch and celebrate and in the end, it should be interesting to see where Thirteen’s journey takes us in Series 13, especially when one considers that the Doctor is now locked up tight in a Judoon Maximum Security facility. Until next year. 

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