If it felt as though the latest Doctor Who episode, Sleep No More, had far more of a story to tell. The ending, with Rassmussen getting his video out and outwitting the Doctor, was certainly brilliant, but it just felt like there was more to come. After all, while the Doctor and Clara did escape, the menace did not seem contained.
As it turns out, this was by design. Not only did Mark Gatiss want to have an episode where the Doctor did not win in the end, but the episode was left open ended for a reason. It just so happens that Gatiss has a sequel to Sleep No More already in mind.
Gatiss has not given out any details about this sequel, except to say that it pleases his inner fan. He has also refused to state whether or not this sequel will occur during Series Ten, despite the fact that he is already working on an episode for next year. The menace of the Sandmen could linger for a few more years before they cross the Doctor’s radar once more.
However, as Gatiss mentioned, the Doctor should know that he has not won, at least not completely. He should realize that something, somewhere, is very wrong indeed, and even if he does not immediately seek to find out what, it will be in the back of his mind. These creatures will pop up once again, as the Doctor will have his day of reckoning with them in the future.
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One has to wonder how far these creatures will spread. That video, which will theoretically create more of those Sandmen, will have reached quite a few other beings in the next few years. Likewise, there are other Morpheus machines out there, although the improved model which created the Sandmen should have been destroyed in the wreckage of the ship. But what if they were not?
After all, we never see these devices get destroyed, and other devices are scattered about. Could there be an automatic upgrade that installs the improvements needed to create these creatures? It definitely felt as though the job was left unfinished, especially with the Doctor knowing those devices were still out there.
Next: Doctor Who to See Tom Hanks in the Future?
The Sandmen are still out there, and a threat to the universe. This unfinished business will be taken care of at some point in the future.