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As Doctor Who season 15 saw the TARDIS return to one of the Doctor’s darkest adventures, showrunner Russell T Davies explains why he dared to make a sequel to a David Tennant-era episode. In season 15, episode 3, “The Well,” the Fifteenth Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Belinda’s (Varada Sethu) journey home brings them to an abandoned mining colony. As the pair find the settlement’s sole survivor, however, it is soon revealed that something on the planet has a terrifying connection to the Doctor and that he has visited this world long ago.
With Doctor Who returning to the planet of Midnight, Davies explained to Doctor Who Unleashed how he decided to revisit one of season 4’s most highly acclaimed adventures. According to the showrunner, while he understood that the connection to “Midnight” may be controversial, the factors of the story eventually lined up so well that establishing it as a sequel to the Tenth Doctor adventure was the best decision. Check out Davies’ full explanation below:
“It’s the sequel no one ever expected, and it’s the kind of episode you should never do a sequel to. So… That’s where we went, frankly, right to that. The elements kind of said to me, like, it’s a mining planet, and it’s deserted, and it’s deadly, and it’s poisonous and there’s something hidden, people have disappeared. All those scary things are in place. So that all just kind of… In the end, just kind of demanded… It said, actually, ‘Don’t try to pretend this is something else. This is the same planet.'”
What Davies’ Response Reveals About Doctor Who Season 15’s Surprise Sequel
As Davies hypothesized, the decision to make “The Well” a sequel to “Midnight” has not been without its controversies among the Doctor Who fandom, as viewers online debated whether the connection enriched or diminished each episode. For some, many preferred the open-ended ambiguity of “Midnight,” while others felt that the new layers added to the story helped enrich the entity as a monster. However, with Davies affirming that it initially wasn’t crafted as a sequel, it is clear that careful thought was put into tying the adventure together.
Related
Why Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor Says “Midnight” Was The Most Scared He’s Ever Been
In Doctor Who season 15, Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor claims “Midnight” was the most scared he’s ever been, and there’s a good reason why.
It would be best to compare “Midnight” and “The Well” to how Aliens built upon the foundations that Alien established. Much like how Aliens is a more action-heavy and bombastic feature, while Alien is a smaller, personal, and character-driven affair, “The Well” adds a similar twist to the lore established in “Midnight.” The Midnight Entity is placed in a new environment, the elements of its physical terror are ramped up and is pitted against a militaristic faction that is vastly unprepared. As such, viewing “The Well” through this lens could give viewers a better appreciation.
Our Thoughts On “The Well’s” Sequel Connection
“The Well” Has Taken The Fandom By Surprise
While the episode may be divisive, it is clear that “The Well” will stand out as one of the stronger episodes of Gatwa’s Doctor Who run. Alongside being a strongly rated episode by critics, the positive celebrations of the episode show that while there are criticisms, the risk of surprising audiences by being a sequel has paid off. With “The Well” success, many may wonder which Doctor Who episode may receive a surprise sequel next.
Source: Doctor Who Unleashed
5/10
- Release Date
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December 25, 2023
- Directors
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Douglas Camfield, David Maloney, Christopher Barry, Michael E. Briant, Barry Letts, Michael Ferguson, Richard Martin, Peter Moffatt, Pennant Roberts, Lennie Mayne, Chris Clough, Ron Jones, Paddy Russell, Paul Bernard, Michael Hayes, Timothy Combe, Morris Barry, Gerald Blake, Graeme Harper, Waris Hussein, Rodney Bennett, Mervyn Pinfield, Hugh David, John Gorrie
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