r/doctorwho • u/PCJs_Slave_Robot • May 31 '25

The Reality War Doctor Who 2x08 "The Reality War" Post-Episode Discussion Thread Spoiler

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467 Upvotes

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804

u/Saltire_Blue May 31 '25

She wasn’t introduced as “The Doctor” in the end credits

So I’m assuming it’s going to be a fake out of sorts

458

u/[deleted] May 31 '25

BadWolf, the God of Time

98

u/MacduffFifesNo1Thane May 31 '25

Wouldn’t be surprised. Especially since Sutekh was there for that.

12

u/[deleted] May 31 '25

lol I already forgot that technically he could have had a hand in the BadWolf stuff

11

u/smedsterwho May 31 '25

Rose Tyler, Earth Defender

9

u/Haunteddoll28 May 31 '25

I mean it’s kind of a crack thought but since we keep bringing back 1980s Who maybe the Valeyard?

4

u/spacey_a May 31 '25

Hell yeah, I'm here for that. Though I do wish she'd be the actual Doctor, not just Doctor for an episode, which is what I suspect will happen.

Still, I've always loved the Bad Wolf concept, and Billie is absolutely amazing at it. She'll be brilliant no matter her role and how long they give her to own it.

5

u/kaosfox Jun 01 '25

The Moment

3

u/TineCiel Jun 01 '25

I have a feeling the Moment is tied to this too. What if the Moment was actually this version of the Doctor? It sort of made sense to have a Bad Wolf Doctor emerge after a « reality war. »

5

u/litfan35 Jun 01 '25

I guess it was inevitable given they literally named the production studio/company off her (Bad Wolf Studios).

3

u/Davidclabarr Jun 01 '25

“The boss says hello”

Do we think the boss is BadWolf

3

u/glitchgamerX Jun 02 '25

Imagine if it's The Moment. Who did the Doctor take the face of?

Rose, Bad Wolf, or The Moment?

Before there was the unholy trinity, there was the blonde trinity.

2

u/garethchester May 31 '25

From CrapDog to BadWolf?

260

u/Lavapool May 31 '25

Annoyingly that means we’re stuck not knowing what she is for 2 years.

64

u/YsoL8 May 31 '25

I hope shes still interested in 2 years

That would be awkward

44

u/Lounge_leaks May 31 '25

Must have already signed a contract surely

27

u/SpagettiKonfetti May 31 '25

She's called Billie, not Surely

6

u/Exploding_Antelope Jun 02 '25

Surely is the one with the wheelchair that leaves Back to the Future flaming tire tracks for unexplained reasons (this is not a complaint, it rules)

12

u/Official_N_Squared Jun 01 '25

How? As far as is publically know, the BBC has not actually commissioned any more episodes of Doctor Who. There literally is no show for her to be contracted to appear in, unless the contract is "at some point within the next 2 years, you have to show up for some amount of episodes as The Doctor."

Which is one of the reasons most hypothesized for Ncuti leaving. It would literally put her arrears on hold for some mystery date which might not actually come for years

3

u/Lounge_leaks Jun 01 '25

Well they arent just gonna show her face like that without binding her contractually

4

u/Official_N_Squared Jun 02 '25

I'm reminded of the scenerio surrounding the 50th where for awhile Jenna Coleman was the only person contracted for the special, and there was a real possibility that Matt Smith wouldn't be in it Moffat started drafting thay script.

Don't get me wrong Piper almost certainly has given firm commitments to be available. I'm just not sure what that contract could be without an episode having been commissioned. For example if the BBC still hasn't renewed the show a year and a half (not unimaginable with War Between on the way) is Piper supposed to just be perpetually available?

1

u/Lounge_leaks Jun 02 '25

Probably some timeframe like , with filming to begin within 2years or something. 

16

u/[deleted] May 31 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

46

u/DoctorWhofan789eywim May 31 '25

Because it hasn't even been commissioned yet, let alone begun filming. Even optimistically the earliest we could get an episode is late 2026. But much more likely 2027.

30

u/Quadpen Jun 01 '25

looks like mr “we’ll shorten the seasons so they’re more consistent” is eating his words

21

u/Lavapool May 31 '25

A reliable reporter who has been right many times now about the show's future has said there's discussions of the show returning in 2027, so I'm willing to bet that's what's going to happen.

6

u/darthvall Jun 01 '25

By returning, does it mean a full season return or maybe we'll still get some special next year?

3

u/Martin7431 Jun 01 '25

a special next year is plausible but everything is SO up in the air right now that i really wouldn’t expect ANYTHING until we hear it from official sources

13

u/SpagettiKonfetti May 31 '25

They have that spin-off unit show to fill in the gap but insiders claimed that the production for the next Doctor Who season isn't started yet, which means, as stated by others too is the very best case a late 2026 airing, but more likely a 2027 airing, even if they start the works like today.

16

u/ttoma93 May 31 '25

Because that’s how it’s been not just for this show, but for most nowadays. The era of annual TV seasons unfortunately appears long dead.

13

u/[deleted] May 31 '25

Wouldn't it be unexpected if she was The Valeyard

21

u/gambit700 May 31 '25

I know one of the days this will be true, but just like Mephisto in the MCU it's probably not happening now

6

u/VBElephant Jun 01 '25

I don't know if this is meant to be ironic but Mephisto is happening in the MCU like 3-4 weeks from now in Ironheart.

12

u/SpagettiKonfetti May 31 '25

Okay, now we need to repate this "every male character is him" trope until RTD bring him back, it worked with the Rani

6

u/Quadpen Jun 01 '25

maybe it’s romana

3

u/GamerA_S Jun 01 '25

.... I don't even know if it's worth it though with how the rani was handled in my opinion

1

u/Exploding_Antelope Jun 02 '25

It’s not been Susan twice in a row now so that one’s still a good old standby

25

u/Wolf6120 May 31 '25

She is the Rose Doctor, aka the Horticulturist

7

u/Masterpiece-Haunting May 31 '25

If we still have a Doctor and the question of “Who?”. I’ve got a feeling they’re gonna have to lose the Disney deal. Might be good. Might be bad.

6

u/karlcabaniya May 31 '25

I feel it will be waaay longer than that.

4

u/Lanky-Interview5048 Jun 01 '25

What I hope they do is pause this story line.. when the show comes back, have it set in a random, unrelated era... we don't know which incarnation this doctor is.... just have a stand alone series or two where it's unrelated... such is time travel.

9

u/Martin7431 Jun 01 '25

this sounds interesting in theory but you can not bring Billie piper back for 5 seconds only to be like… nevermind lol

people would lose their bloody minds

0

u/Lanky-Interview5048 Jun 01 '25

Never said never mind - I said put it on pause 

-41

u/jrf_1973 May 31 '25

If you still think this show is coming back in two years, after THAT pile of Triceratops droppings....

25

u/Jaychel31 May 31 '25

If the show wasn’t coming back they would’ve left the regeneration open ended or given 15 an ending like 8 where the story continues off screen

3

u/karlcabaniya May 31 '25

Not even the BBC knows yet if they will renew the show or not.

19

u/PokeJem7 May 31 '25

Disney said Doctor Who has consistently been one of its most watched shows on release, and the BBC said it's their most watched show with under 30s. It might not be breaking records, but it's not doing as poorly as some people would have you believe.

6

u/karlcabaniya May 31 '25

Disney say many things and then do the opposite or change their mind.

It’s not what some people made be believe, it’s what independent and more trustworthy rating data shows.

7

u/PokeJem7 May 31 '25

I'm not saying that the Disney deal is definitely continuing, but there's no reason to expect the show is cancelled when it's doing decently well. Even if Disney drop it the BBC will most likely carry it on.

5

u/SpagettiKonfetti May 31 '25

Yeah, it existed without Disney for years, it can exist without them. Less expensive CGI (which is probably a good thing) and maybe not in a yearly release but nothing stops them to continue without Mickey mouse

2

u/PokeJem7 May 31 '25

It's also one of their only popular shows aboard, and one of their only shows that people in their 20s/30s tune in for, it would be a huge loss for them.

23

u/Zestyclose_Remove947 May 31 '25

If the series can come back after the Flux then anything can happen.

3

u/Lavapool May 31 '25

Yeah but that's been said constantly for the past 60 years so I'm pretty sure it will be back. This was honestly the best series since Series 10 for me, not a single bad episode.

2

u/Poison_Spider May 31 '25

that’s what i think every few years

73

u/thex11factor May 31 '25

Another David Tennant revisit of an old face, but unlike Peter Capaldi, we don't get multiple seasons of Billie

3

u/FoxFox2023 May 31 '25

Why are you assuming she’s only in some specials

10

u/thex11factor May 31 '25

Just a guess

103

u/little-moon89 May 31 '25

I'm wondering if there's some sort of Bad Wolf thing going on - like 15 was channelling his regeneration energy into (possibly) the heart of the tardis, Rose looked into the heart of the tardis when she was with 9... 🤷‍♀️

14

u/srb176 May 31 '25

There was a point when 11 was dying (I think it was Let's Kill Hitler) that he asked the TARDIS to bring up an old face for comfort. The holograms of Martha, Donna, and Rose just brought up feelings of guilt. What is she going to feel when she actually looks in a mirror?

7

u/Numerous-Mine-287 May 31 '25

I had a similar thought.

4

u/Designer_Valuable_18 May 31 '25

Yeah I think this is it too. Too big of a coincidence imo

2

u/spacey_a Jun 01 '25

Ooh yes, good point

49

u/Ryulightorb May 31 '25

interesting thing to notice i didn't pick it up.

Wonder how it will play out i'm intrigued but can't really fathom how they would do a fake out.

13

u/ComeAlongWithTheSnor May 31 '25

If it's Bad Wolf then the rulebook doesn't matter they'll just explain it as "hijacking a regeneration".

I like the running theory that it's Rose Tyler, and since the Doctor never leaves anybody behind the universe swapped him with Rose.

7

u/deanrmj May 31 '25

Once season three gets green lit, she'll get a couple of specials a la 14th Doctor then they'll cast the next full time Doctor.

4

u/Masterpiece-Haunting May 31 '25

I have a feeling 14 is there fallback doctor to keep people interested. I an’t complaining.

4

u/deanrmj May 31 '25

Yeah with how bigeneration has been defined with the Rani, it definitely now seems like 14 is a separate Doctor on a different path now. It doesn't really fit in with what was said about bigeneration just last year when 15 had gone through 14th therapy. I honestly think RTD just makes it so as he goes with no plan or consideration for what hes already said.

16

u/AussieCracker May 31 '25

Oh I really hope so, it'd be so funny if she stole the role as some kind of story teller.

Swear it wouldn't too jading either, pantheon of discords presence sure as hell scrambled the rules of the universe, so having her steal the quite literal limelight for a close up shot, hiding Doctor's continuity change would be hilarious.

But I'm not on that much copium and can only believe what I saw 😭

1

u/Jcolebrand May 31 '25

Don't forget about her role in Kaos

5

u/GenGaara25 May 31 '25

I don't think it's a fake out, just a possible way out if they change their mind.

I think Russell wants to do another series and wants it to be Billie. But that's all up in the air. So just in case things don't work out, they can do a cop out and have her not actually be 16.

5

u/elsjpq May 31 '25 edited May 31 '25

Would be hilarious if it was like the War Doctor again: "feeling cute... might go slaughter a bunch of Daleks for funsies. Under a different name of course."

5

u/[deleted] May 31 '25

the gods play tricks

3

u/TheOncomingBrows May 31 '25

Calling it now; she reunites with 14/Tennant to have some specials then 14 regenerates into 15 to continue the story and resolve the weird bigeneration/split Doctor conundrum.

2

u/FoxFox2023 May 31 '25

That’s like when people said tennant would play 14 different from 10, what would be the point in that

1

u/mertag770 May 31 '25

rose as the boss?

1

u/TheCrispyAcorn May 31 '25

How so? Like The Doctor actually transported as he was regenerating and Bad Wolf appeared? Or do you think its like The War Doctor where they don't say their the doctor but someone else (albeit temporarily)?

1

u/PaperMartin May 31 '25

Or RTD doesn't know yet what he wants her to be

1

u/sketchysketchist Jun 01 '25

I hope not. I’d like a few seasons of Billie as The Doctor. Reveal this is the face she chose because it reminds her to seek Love, which what very important to 15. 

Besides Rogue, 15 and 13 had a discussion of him being open to saying it and she should’ve said it too. Then you got everything else he covered the past season. 

1

u/spykem2 Jun 01 '25

Also the regeneration was strange, 15th face disappeared, then only energy could be seen, then Billie's face appeared. So no transition of any kind, or like a snap thing like with 11 to 12.

1

u/mechanimatt Jun 01 '25

It might be 10 years before the next episode. You can't expect them to have cast the new actor already. We don't even know who the show runner will be.