Spoilers Mrs. Flood Theories

[The Nth Doctor]

Here's the first Rani serial. Be prepared to be underwhelmed.

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I just watched the serial (for the first time in many years) and truthfully, I enjoyed it far more than I recalled. There are a lot of great insights into The Rani and her notorious history with immoral scientific experiments, which I really hope we get a real sense of in the following two episodes. I have a more extensive reflection on the story in the classic serial thread.

 

[jaime]

‘Mrs flood’ put the babies on the ship in space babies, and they’re actually all time lords…

 

[The Nth Doctor]

Something I forgot to mention in my post about The Mark of the Rani: I was surprised to hear The Rani remark how she is able to change faces with ease as oppose to how The Doctor is stuck with his. Granted, she's ribbing him about The Sixth Doctor's colorful appearance but The Doctor doesn't push back on the comment, which makes me think that's something The Rani is actually capable of doing. It's worth noting how Romana was able to change bodies with ease, too. Maybe it's a Time Lady trait or The Doctor has some inability to change like they do without death's help.

I'm surprised that I don't recall this conversation from my previous viewing since it's the kind of thing I've always been fascinated by (anything Time Lord society has my interest). Either way, I wonder if that's something that'll come up in the final two episodes, especially since she has two bodies now.

 

[Qonundrum]

Definitely not River Song or Amy Pond then, LOL.

There's only one possible reason for the Rani to be behind this, but as people have said that the Rani should have been behind the Cybermen in Capaldi's era except it was Missy, I'm not holding my breath for any theories at this point.

Here's the first Rani serial. Be prepared to be underwhelmed.

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On the contrary, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But the show was aimed at a different audience back then.

 

[Qonundrum]

Something I forgot to mention in my post about The Mark of the Rani: I was surprised to hear The Rani remark how she is able to change faces with ease as oppose to how The Doctor is stuck with his. Granted, she's ribbing him about The Sixth Doctor's colorful appearance but The Doctor doesn't push back on the comment, which makes me think that's something The Rani is actually capable of doing. It's worth noting how Romana was able to change bodies with ease, too. Maybe it's a Time Lady trait or The Doctor has some inability to change like they do without death's help.

I'm surprised that I don't recall this conversation from my previous viewing since it's the kind of thing I've always been fascinated by (anything Time Lord society has my interest). Either way, I wonder if that's something that'll come up in the final two episodes, especially since she has two bodies now.

The Rani was definitely discussing her physical appearance. As a n advanced biochemist, it's plausible AND retroactively turns a circus scene (Romana's regeneration haa-haa stuff) into something more serious in approach.

A myth we've seen happen twice so far

Yup. Myth it is not. But if you want a new theory because theories are cool and why not, it's actually hidden in the following video preview teaser clip:

Spoiler: preview teaser clip

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Except it's not much of a hidden one. It'd be hilarious if

Spoiler: Lame too-easy theory on that clip

she really is the new Doctor and keeping the "click to subscribe" speech the way every incumbent actor does. But that clip is just trollin' at the end, innit?

(added spoiler tags after the edit window lapsed)

 

[matthunter]

Something I forgot to mention in my post about The Mark of the Rani: I was surprised to hear The Rani remark how she is able to change faces with ease as oppose to how The Doctor is stuck with his. Granted, she's ribbing him about The Sixth Doctor's colorful appearance but The Doctor doesn't push back on the comment, which makes me think that's something The Rani is actually capable of doing. It's worth noting how Romana was able to change bodies with ease, too. Maybe it's a Time Lady trait or The Doctor has some inability to change like they do without death's help.

I'm surprised that I don't recall this conversation from my previous viewing since it's the kind of thing I've always been fascinated by (anything Time Lord society has my interest). Either way, I wonder if that's something that'll come up in the final two episodes, especially since she has two bodies now.

The New Adventures novels suggested regeneration was "improved" for younger Time Persons like Romana ("Newbloods") such that they could choose their appearance and had two hearts from the get-go (the workaround for no-one commenting on Hartnell's single heart was that the second only grew at first regen. Timeless Child buggers that up, but then the same novels had Looming, which is also now retconned out). But the Rani is supposedly the same age as the Doctor, so that wouldn't apply to her.

 

[Qonundrum]

‘Mrs flood’ put the babies on the ship in space babies, and they’re actually all time lords…

It's a shame that their ship is still the butt of a joke...

 

[Qonundrum]

The New Adventures novels suggested regeneration was "improved" for younger Time Persons like Romana ("Newbloods") such that they could choose their appearance and had two hearts from the get-go (the workaround for no-one commenting on Hartnell's single heart was that the second only grew at first regen. Timeless Child buggers that up, but then the same novels had Looming, which is also now retconned out). But the Rani is supposedly the same age as the Doctor, so that wouldn't apply to her.

The explanations for regenerations changed so often between decades... if they treat it seriously and not as a joke, it's not necessarily going to matter as much at this point. At least biregeneration wasn't used as a silly excuse begging far more questions than the Timeless Child had, unless I meant to say that the other way around but "timeless" did seem to try to take itself more seriously.

Besides, in 1966, if the Doctor needed the TARDIS to change appearance like that (hinting at rejuvination), he could potentially live forever, barring accidents... the same argument must have come up after 'The War Games' because the 1970s removed the TARDIS as impetus for the regeneration event, made it biological, added a maximum number of times before their body would die (as long as Rassilon or Borusa or anyone else hands out a new complement of lives, of course), and so on. The modern series sees regeneration not as a morphing effect but as a flaming one, with each new regeneration proving to have destructive abilities within a certain radius as well. Lovely thing, spectacle. Serious in tone those were, but was the underlying idea taken seriously? Just be in the middle of a room full of Daleks, let one Dalek zap you, you regenerate, the energy blows them all up, easy peasy.

The single heart of Hartnell is explained away just as easily as any other telepathic ability that the TARDIS can put out, since it was already causing Ian and Barbara to see or perceive things differently (also remember the melted clock faces) or personality changes (Susan), etc, because the ship was malfunctioning.

But now we have two biregenerations, originally pawned off as a myth but - surprise surprise?- it's happened again, and amazingly there's no song with lyrics like "Oops, we did it again" in the background this time. Yet. But if all of a sudden time lords can split - like mitosis - I'm not expecting anything like gravitas any time soon, noting that the latest use of "mavity" was given quite a different tone this time in the Eurovision episode, for which I'd say "gravitas" except we may as well roll with it and say "mavitas" this time.