Summary
WhenDoctor Whofinally gets around to resolving themystery of Mrs. Flood, it must avoid the mistake season 14 made with Ruby Sunday’s story. Since Russell T Davies returned asDoctor Whoshowrunner, his new era has been defined by enigmas, some of which season 14 answered, others it did not. The biggest mystery still bubbling away ahead ofDoctor Whoseason 15is Mrs. Flood’s identity, with Anita Dobson’s character arousing suspicion by breaking the fourth wall, referencing past companions, and revealing her knowledge of Sutekh’s return.
The biggest mysteryDoctor Whoseason 14 actually solved was the backstory of Millie Gibson’s Ruby Sunday. 2023’s Christmas special, “The Church on Ruby Road,” established how Ruby was abandoned as a baby by a shadowy, cloaked figure, and the plot thread of her parentage went the distance untilDoctor Whoseason 14’s endingfinally revealed Ruby as an ordinary human with an ordinary mother. Pulling a similar trick with Mrs. Flood would represent a huge mistake onDoctor Who’s part.
Doctor Who’s The One Who Waits Identity Explained: How They Return & Fourth Doctor Connection
The One Who Waits finally shows his face in Doctor Who season 14, episode 7, “The Legend of Ruby Sunday,” and he has a history with the Doctor.
Ruby Was “No One” In Doctor Who
The point behind Ruby and her mother being ordinary humans was to subvert expectations, emphasize the power of belief, and send the message that regular, working people can be heroes too. As noble as those intentions were, the reveal was a disappointment.Doctor Whospent the best part of eight episodes overtly signaling that Ruby Sunday’s history contained a big, fateful secret, but when “Empire of Death” finally lifted that lid, the box was empty. No positive message was powerful enough to cover up the feeling of being duped.
Amplifying that betrayal,the conclusion of Ruby’s story contradicted clues and hints previous episodes droppedabout her past. Ruby’s mundane heritage made no sense after she subconsciously conjured falling snow, and it seems ridiculous in hindsight that Ruby’s mother couldn’t be located via conventional means, given her employment as a nurse and presence on social media. Consequently,Doctor Who’s Ruby Sundayreveal felt less like a clever, well-laid twist that played upon audience expectations, and more like a rug-pull that worked so hard to avoid being predicted that it tripped over its own clues.
The Mrs. Flood Mystery Is Too Good For Another “No One” Reveal In Doctor Who Season 15
Is Mrs. Flood Just A Regular Woman That The Universe Has Made Important?
After Ruby, the next big mystery on the menu forDoctor Whoseason 15 is Mrs. Flood, and RTD could feasibly pull the same trick. Just like Ruby, the speculation around Mrs. Flood ponders whether she’s a former companion, an old enemy, one of thePantheon Gods, etc. Also like Ruby, the truth could be significantly more mundane.Perhaps some residual TARDIS energy attached itself to Ruby’s nearby neighborand gave Mrs. Flood knowledge of the Doctor’s past, or something. A solution of this ilk would be another huge cop-out, deliberately avoiding more dramatic explanations in favor of something with much less significance forDoctor Who’s future.
Mrs Flood Is A Classic Doctor Who Character Even More Obscure (& Powerful) Than Sutekh: Theory
Doctor Who’s Mrs. Flood tease at the end of season 14 could secretly be the modern take on a powerful force from the classic episodes of the show.
Doctor Who’s Mrs. Flood mystery already has way more potential than season 14’s Ruby Sunday arc. The “mystery girl” companion trope is nothing new, with Ruby’s journey acrossDoctor Whoseason 14 echoing Amy Pond and Clara Oswald before her. The introduction of an older character who breaks the fourth wall, provides commentary on the Doctor’s adventures, and gives off a constantly eerie vibe, however, presents a far more unique premise, making Mrs. Flood one ofDoctor Who’s biggest curiosities in recent memory. The dead-end to Ruby’s parentage was bad enough, but doing the same with Mrs. Flood would be a far more egregious waste of potential forDoctor Whoseason 15.
One Sign Is Already Worrying For Doctor Who’s Mrs. Flood Mystery
Don’t Expect Easy Answers In Doctor Who Season 15
The big problem withDoctor Who’s handling of Ruby Sunday was how the scripts built up a strong aura of unknown around Millie Gibson’s character, inviting theories and speculation, but then delivered an anticlimactic and incomplete explanation. Frustratingly, one quote from RTD suggests that Mrs. Flood may fall into the same trap in season 15, as theDoctor Whoshowrunnerpreviously admitted that Mrs. Flood’s ability to break the fourth wall “might never be” explained.
Doctor Whocould address Mrs. Flood’s fourth wall breaks tacitly, rather than overtly. If, for example, she was the Pantheon’s “God of Stories,” this would be explanation enough.
The quote implies that, despiteDoctor Whoseason 14 courting plenty of intrigue over Mrs. Flood, there is no firm plan to sufficiently answer all of those questions. Similar to the Ruby Sunday situation,Doctor Who’s focus appears firmly fixed on fueling the mystery and scattering breadcrumbs rather than actually paying the teases off satisfyingly.It would certainly be a huge letdown ifDoctor Whonever explained why Mrs Flood can break the fourth wall, and depriving viewers of answers risks another Ruby-esque disappointment.
Doctor Who
Doctor Who: Released on June 29, 2025, this series follows the Doctor and their companion as they journey across time and space, encountering a range of extraordinary friends and adversaries, expanding the universe of the long-running British science fiction series.
