If we learned anything from the Fifteenth Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) inaugural season on Doctor Who, it’s that there’s always a twist at the end. And the conclusion of Season 2 Episode 6, “The Interstellar Song Contest,” in particular, packs a wallop of a twist. It lays the groundwork for the highly anticipated two-part season finale.
Let’s delve into what transpired in the final moments of the Doctor and Belinda Chandra’s (Varada Sethu) latest adventure, including that jaw-dropping development.
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May 24, 2025
Our titular Time Lord and Belinda are led to the TARDIS, which is sitting in the Harmony Arena’s resident museum. Belinda tells the Doctor what’s on her heart — she thinks he’s wonderful. You can see that moment hit Fifteen as he wells up with genuine emotion. He needed to hear that. However, Belinda still finds him inscrutable, and his torturing Kid (Freddie Fox) frightened her. As for me, I’m happy we finally saw this Doctor’s unadulterated rage in action.
The Doctor admits the potential mass murder of three trillion people triggered him, reminding him of Gallifrey and how everyone died in the blink of an eye. He almost tells Belinda about seeing visions of his granddaughter, Susan Foreman (Carole Ann Ford), aboard the TARDIS. If you recall, the Doctor last mentioned Susan in Season 1 Episode 2, “The Devil’s Chord,” to Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). His incredulity regarding these visions makes me believe we’ll see Susan in person soon. The conversation pivots to getting Belinda back to Earth. You don’t want that hot chef to think you’ve ghosted him.
Rock and Dust and Ashes
That’s when the Graham Norton hologram recites facts about Earth, including its date of destruction: May 24, 2025. Of course, this episode takes place in 2925, so the planet was eradicated 900 years prior. “It is said the planet disintegrated into rock and dust and ashes,” Norton explains. Like Gallifrey, the human civilization perished in a “single second.” Cause? Unknown.
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Next, the Doctor vows to return Belinda to her homeworld and save it. However, the TARDIS bumps up against May 24, 2025. The lights within flash red as an alarm blares. That’s how you know something is really, really wrong. A series of sounds, including grinding and humming, sends Belinda and the Doctor down the path of panic. “That is the sound of May the 24th,” our eponymous Gallifreyan states before a fiery explosion blows the doors off the TARDIS.
How Inelegant
But wait — there’s more. Mike (Kadiff Kirwan) and Gary Gabbastone (Charlie Condou) finish reviving the last of the contest attendees who were floating in space within the mavity shell. None other than Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson) emerges from Rylan Clark’s former cryogenic chamber. Mrs. Flood asks if the Doctor has left, to which the Gabbastones confirm that our Time Lord has vacated the premises.
Mrs. Flood reveals her double-brain stem is frozen, which is lethal for a Time Lady. She rattles off “famous last words” as she radiates with bi-generation energy. “Let battle begin,” Mrs. Flood declares as another woman leaps out of her body. This is the Rani (Archie Panjabi). Mrs. Flood used to be the Rani, but now she’s a Rani, making Panjabi’s Rani “the definite article.” They explain to Mike and Gary that they’re the same person, though.
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However, Mrs. Flood is clearly more in a subservient, obsequious position now. She’s overly apologetic. Mrs. Flood hands the Rani the Vindicator readings. If you recall, Mrs. Flood tagged those when the Doctor set up the Vindicator at the beginning of the episode, shortly after his and Belinda’s arrival. She hands the Rani a circular device that emits a white light.
The Rani orders Mrs. Flood to accompany her, claiming she has “a date to arrange.” May 24, perhaps? She threatens to bring the Doctor “absolute terror.”
About the Rani
This legendary nemesis of the Doctor has been around since the 1980s, although this is her first appearance in the 2005 revival series. Initially portrayed by Kate O’Mara, she made her debut during the Sixth Doctor’s (Colin Baker) tenure in the TV serial The Mark of the Rani on February 9, 1985.
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The Rani is a renegade Time Lady and scientist who has no qualms with pushing the boundaries of experimentation on humans. Her more formal name is Ushas of Miasimia Goria. She’s also a member of The Deca, which is comprised of Gallifreyan acolytes from the Prydonian Academy. The Rani is eventually banished from Gallifrey.
Additionally, the Rani appeared in the 1987 serial Time and the Rani (with Sylvester McCoy’s Seventh Doctor) and Dimensions in Time (a 1993 TV special). O’Mara also lent her vocal talents to the character in the audio drama The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind (2000). After O’Mara’s passing, Siobhan Redmond took over, debuting in the 2014 audio drama The Rani Elite. She reprised the role for the 2015 audio drama Planet of the Rani.
The iconic foe and contemporary of the Doctor also has a slew of novels centered on her adventures, starting with a novelization of her TV debut that hit bookshelves in January 1986. Her last book appearance is in the 2013 digital short story “Something Borrowed” in celebration of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary.
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Two Ranis and a Doctor
The first part of the Season 2 finale, “Wish World,” sees the two Ranis teaming up with Conrad Clark (Jonah Hauer-King), who makes his return since starring as the main antagonist in episode four, “Lucky Day.” The short trailer for the episode, tacked on at the end of Doctor Who Unleashed, also teases the return of Ruby and the UNIT crew.
The official Instagram account for the series shared new images from “Wish World,” featuring the Rani holding a baby, Belinda holding Captain Poppy (who we last saw in “The Story & the Engine”) and Susan Twist as the ’50s Tea Lady she played in “The Devil’s Chord.”
In a 30-second preview, which you can watch below, the two Ranis scheme above London. The definite article now has a sonic screwdriver of her own. Mrs. Flood urges the Rani to exercise caution, remarking that, if you think about it, the latter came from her loins. The Rani finds this statement revolting.
But, hey, who wouldn’t want Anita Dobson as their mom (and the Brian May as their dad)?
Doctor Who Season 2 airs on Saturdays at 3 am EST/12 am PST on Disney+ and 8 am BST on BBC iPlayer in the UK.
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