My DOCTOR WHO observations and theories for s10e12:

My DOCTOR WHO observations and theories for s10e12:
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Something's been bugging me since I saw "World Enough and Time" last night at Whovians, and that's just how much this two parter might remember the two part finale of s8, "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven". Both involve the Master/Missy creating Cybermen, and making a companion into one - Danny Pink in s8, and Bill in s10.

This can't just be a coincidence. We've had nasty stuff happen to companions in series 8, 9, and 10. Danny (yes, I include Danny as a companion) is killed, revived, and converted to a Cyberman where he finally dies, having shown - like Yvonne Hartman in "Doomsday" - that a strong promise or commitment trumps emotional removal and cyber control. In series 9 Clara is killed because she tried to behave like the Doctor. And despite the Doctor not being able to save her - since he can't double back on the event because he's been there - he manages to retrieve her before she dies. Not that this ends well for the Doctor. And now we have Bill, seemingly sharing Danny's fate. So, in three consecutive series, the Doctor's lost three companions !

But there's more similarities. Bill has been converted into a Cyberman, and one of the Claras was converted to a Dalek. Also consider Missy last series tricking Clara into a Dalek shell so that she might get killed by (or accidentally kill) the Doctor. And here we have the Master tricking Bill into conversion. So where does this get us?

Let's assume that the Master we saw in "World Enough and Time" is a later version of the same Master we last saw in "The End of Time, and who disappeared with Rassilon and the others from Gallifrey. This might seem obvious, but for all we know he could just be a much later Master who's gone back to a "favourite face". Remember, both the Doctor and the Master lie. We also assume that Missy is a later regeneration. If - as presented - this is the case, then Missy creating an army of Cybermen for the Doctor, might be based on what happens in the current story, a misread memory after the Master regenerated into Missy. It would explain (in part) Missy tricking (a) Clara into the form of the Doctor's enemy, because she'd already done it as the Master with Bill!

So why would Missy have been so "luvey dovey" with the Doctor? Well we have two time lords with a potential of THREE regenerations coming up soon. We KNOW that the Doctor will regenerate, but it's also likely that either the Master or Missy will regenerate as well (we know that Michele Gomez is leaving the show). My guess is that BOTH regenerate. But let's backtrack for a bit.

Adam Richards (of Whovians) has suggested that the Doctor has been in the process of regeneration all through series 10. Perhaps rather than rigging the execution equipment so that Missy wasn't executed, instead he GAVE her some of his REGENERATIONS (or regeneration energy) instead. But the only way for him to do that was during a regeneration himself. So maybe the scene at the start of "World Enough and Time" isn't a flash forward to the end of the series at all, but a flashback to after that event. The Doctor refuses to regenerate because he can't guarantee what "the new guy" will do. He stays on for almost one thousand years. so that at least she can be freed at the end of her incarceration. However, delaying the regeneration by such a long period would have its toll. This is why he could restore his sight, and why his injury on his left hand (still bandaged in ep 11) hasn't healed.

So, here we are at the very end of that one thousand years, with the Doctor, the Master, and Missy. There's a good chance that the Cybermen will turn on the Master, so he will probably be fighting with the Doctor (for a short time). How about, Missy gets hit and starts dying, but DOESN'T regenerate. The Doctor gives her even more regeneration energy enabling her to either regenerate or at least still live, and this takes place in front of the Master. The Master is puzzled but pleased, because he now knows that his future self will survive. Then the Master's hit and starts regenerating - into MISSY! Missy has a vague recollection of what's just happened and is appreciative of the Doctor. The Master-now-Missy escapes. The Missy-now-next-regeneration might also escape.

All this takes a toll on the Doctor and he also regenerates. But he staggers off with Nadole first. And then he regenerates to-

And this I think is the "point" of Bill. I think the Doctor will regenerate to a non-white woman, because of the guilt he feels over Bill's conversion and perhaps later death. We don't see Bill saved, because that's the point. Like the Gallifreyan General who became the new President in series 9, his guilt causes him to make the most drastic change ever!

And that's it. There are variations, of course. The Master may be a LATER version of Missy (which would explain why Missy doesn't remember anything of what he's done). Missy might regenerate to another version of the Simm Master. But these are small details, and don't affect the idea of the Doctor sacrificing himself to save Missy, and feeling guilt of Bill's fate.

Think about it. How many people would be watching the Xmas special see how the new non-white woman Doctor shapes up!