4 Things that could happen on World Enough and Time

We all know that the episodes coming up in the next two weeks are going to be tough. Tough as in “get-out-anything-comforting-but-you’ll-still-cry” tough.

However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have some ideas of what’s going to happen. The synopsis of the episode World Enough and Time is an ominous one. In case you’ve missed it (although I’m not sure how you could have) here it is.

"Friendship drives the Doctor into the rashest decision of his life. Trapped on a giant spaceship, caught in the event horizon of a black hole, he witnesses the death of someone he is pledged to protect. Is there any way he can redeem his mistake? Are events already out of control? For once, time is the Time Lord’s enemy…"

Ominous is one word for this synopsis. Scary as anything is another way to describe it. Either way, the next two episodes of Doctor Who are going to be packed with intensity. We don’t know what’s going to happen, or how. But that’s part of the fun! …Right?

We’re going to go through four things that could happen in these next two episodes, mostly based on fan theories. Keep in mind that it looks like no one is safe. It’s going to be a tough few weeks, but we’ll get through them together.

BBC

Bill dies

Let’s get this idea out of the way. We know that someone’s going to die, that’s happening whether we like it or not. Many people think it’s Missy, because of the way the synopsis is worded.

It says that someone dies that the Doctor has pledged to protect. And he has, literally, pledged to protect Missy. However, I think that’s too obvious. I’m not saying that Missy will get out of there alive, actually, far from it.

It was released yesterday that these episodes would be Missy’s last episodes and that she wouldn’t be appearing in the Christmas episode. So Missy is leaving, dead or alive, there’s no reason to speculate about that.

It would be just like Moffat to add a second death, a death we didn’t see coming. There have already been clues that fans have pointed out, such as the skull on Bill’s jacket. As I wrote yesterday, Pearl Mackie has been awfully quiet about whether or not she will be returning with the next Doctor, or if she’ll be leaving.

Basically, there are too many things surrounding Bill that make me wonder if she’ll make it out of these episodes alive.

BBC

Someone turns into a Cyberman

Many fans are thinking that Bill will turn into a Cyberman, mirroring the season 8 finale with Danny Pink. While I don’t think they would do something so similar, it’s certainly interesting. I have a twist on it though that might make it more interesting.

There are going to be multiple generations of Cybermen in this episode. So, most likely, someone we know is going to turn into one. Everyone in this episode is leaving at the end of the series, so no one is safe. Even if this is completely wrong, it’s still an interesting idea to think about.

Nardole is already an Android, and therefore would pretty easily be turned into a Cyberman. With Matt Lucas being a reoccurring, yet background character, it’s likely he’s going to leave the show somehow. This would be the easiest, albeit saddest, way.

The main Cyberman theory is that Bill will be turned into a Cyberman, and somehow work her way out of it using love. The issue with this? It’s happened two times already on the show. It’s almost expected now that if someone uses love, they’ll beat the Cyberman. I’m not buying that Bill will leave that way.

The most ironic thing, though, would be if Missy herself ended up as a Cyberman. While this would definitely question the future of the Master, it wouldn’t be the first time we saw the character come back. This would still mirror the idea of the season eight finale, with the Master(s) losing at the end to their own idea.

BBC

The Master is in the Master’s head

Wibbly wobbly, am I right?

What would happen if this entire time, something happens to Missy, and the Master is in her head? Right now, she has an angel on her shoulder, telling her to become good. She’s almost there too. You can tell that the Doctor wants to believe that she’s changed and that she wants to be his friend (maybe more?) again.

However, this goes against who the Master fundamentally is. Even Michelle Gomez has said that Missy is evil, and always will be. So wouldn’t it make sense that a past regeneration starts trying to make her come to her senses?

We already know that the Master has had difficulties hearing things in his head, though this might be more than four drum beats. Having a past regeneration trying to get her to come to her senses would deliver the age old storyline: a devil on one shoulder, and an angel on the other.

The difficulty with this idea is that it takes away from the excitement of a duo-master episode. Though you can’t deny that this gif certainly makes it seem like it’s in some kind of dream state.

BBCA

If she does end up listening to the devil on her shoulder, we already know that she has ties to the Cybermen. This would make sense if the Mondasian Cybermen come back in both episodes, which it looks like they will.

Credit: BBC

The Doctor fully regenerates

This is far off, but why not get the far off theories in here as well? We’ve been waiting since the season began for the regeneration. We were already caught off guard once in The Lie of the Land, waiting for a regeneration that didn’t happen.

We’ve also been told time and time again that the Doctor will regenerate early and that it won’t be the same kind of regeneration we’ve seen before. Most likely, the Doctor is going to at least start regenerating in these episodes.

But let’s take it a step further, just for fun. What if we get blindsided and the Doctor regenerates fully? This would be surprising, as we still have no clue as to who is the 13th Doctor, but according to Radio Times, Peter Capaldi has already shot his regeneration. All we seem to be waiting for now is who and when it happens.

Maybe this all a red herring, and we’ll have to wait until the Christmas episode like most regenerations. But if there is a duo-master fight against the Doctor, plus Cybermen, it doesn’t look like his chances are good. Especially with Missy leading the way on this mission. For all we know, she’s been in cahoots with John Simm’s regeneration this entire time and is playing the Doctor.

Next: First Look: World Enough and Time

No matter what’s being planned, I imagine that we’ll at least get a glimpse at the new Doctor. It would certainly blow everyone away if there was no official reveal – we just watched it happen by itself in the show. Is it likely? Depends. Would it be incredible? Definitely.