Rule one: the Doctor lies. And seemingly so does Chris Chibnall! We’re only two episodes into Series 11 and an ongoing story arc is already forming…
Well, that didn’t take long, did it? Before it began, Jodie Whittaker’s first season was billed as a completely new, completely standalone series of adventures. Time and time again, we were told that – character relationships aside – there would be no continuing plot threads between episodes. However, it seems that might not be the case after all! After The Woman Who Fell to Earth led directly into The Ghost Monument with a cliffhanger, we started to have our doubts. But now, two episodes in, there are plenty of (not-so-subtle) clues as to where this series might be heading…
The Return of the Stenza
It turns out the Series 11 opener was not the only time we’d hear a mention of the Stenza. Although Tim Shaw (sorry, Tzim-Sha) was defeated in The Woman Who Fell to Earth, the actions of these evil alien tooth fairies were felt again during The Ghost Monument. It’s very clear that this warrior race is causing mayhem across the universe. They were the ones responsible for Desolation’s, um… desolation. The planet was destroyed after the Stenza used it to create weapons, like robotic Sniperbots and the Remnants (more on those later). And considering the Stenza were also responsible for Grace’s death, we think it’s very likely we’ll end up seeing them again. Our characters (or at least Ryan and Graham) have got a personal score to settle.
It’s very possible then that Chris Chibnall is lining up the Stenza as Series 11’s big bad. After all, he confirmed that there would be no returning monsters this year. (But can we really believe that now…?!). It wouldn’t be the first time that a showrunner’s original idea stood firm as a finale villain. For instance, there are definite similarities between the Stenza and the Silence. Steven Moffat’s creepy creations were the threat in Series 6’s opening story, then mentioned throughout until their inevitable return in the closing chapter. Perhaps the same thing is happening here? Admittedly, Series 6 was the only year we had a finale that didn’t centre on Daleks, Cybermen, the Master, or the Great Intelligence. But there’s always a first (well, second!) time for everything…
Also, it might just be me, but the Stenza seem strangely reminiscent of the Shadow Kin from Class (remember them?!). Could Chris Chibnall be taking a page from Patrick Ness’ book? Even more so than the Silence, they were a prominent and recurring threat throughout their series. And, come to think of it, the prosthetics and humanoid design don’t look all that different, either…!
The Timeless Child
The impending return of the Stenza wasn’t the only tease of a story arc we got in The Ghost Monument though. In the episode’s climactic scene, the ribbony Remnants introduced us to the idea of “the Timeless Child”. Instantly, the internet erupted into furious discussion about who or what this might be. There’s not a lot to go on just yet though. The Remnants simply described them as “the outcast, abandoned and unknown”. But that’s enough to scare the Doctor. “We see deeper though, further back. The Timeless Child… we see what’s hidden, even from yourself.” The Doctor screams at the Remnants to get out of her head. But is she frightened because she’s clueless, or because she’s suppressing something terrible…?
Naturally, there’s a lot of speculation that the Timeless Child might be a returning character. With all the nods to classic Doctor Who (the title sequence, theme music, four-strong TARDIS team…), could it even be the long lost Susan Foreman? It’d be a nice reference, make no mistake. But the very idea of it is at odds with Series 11’s (supposed) mission statement to be new, fresh, and accessible for all. As much as I’d love to see a huge nostalgic reveal, I also want Chris Chibnall to stick to his pre-season guns. Some of his “truths” have already turned out to be false. I don’t want the entire series to be built on a foundation of lies.
(Story) Arc de Triomphe?
On one hand, of course it’s exciting to have a story arc that binds every story together and builds the series towards something big. Especially when it’s a completely unexpected arc, like this has been! But on the other hand, there’s a very strange sense of disappointment and betrayal surrounding the whole thing. We were promised ten standalone adventures that you could dip into or out of with ease. And in a way, that’s technically still true. Each episode will be different, but it seems we’ll be getting more and more of these little nods as the weeks continue on. So basically, the exact same formula we’ve seen in every series of Doctor Who since 2005.
Admittedly, there’s a minimal chance that the story arc references in The Ghost Monument were just quick, one-off inclusions. (In which case: what was the point?). Instead though, it seems much more likely that the Timeless Child will be this year’s Bad Wolf, or Harold Saxon, or Hybrid, or The Vault, or… you get the idea. The mystery itself may be exciting to unravel – but the idea of it is hardly anything new. The question now is not so much where we’re going (probably a freezing-cold Stenza planet 5,000 galaxies away!), but how much else Chris Chibnall has been holding back from us. As we go into the rest of Series 11, we’re left completely in the dark. The episodes were already shrouded in secrecy, but now we can’t even trust what little we thought we knew…
