10 Most Obvious Doctor Who Plot Twists Ever
There's always a twist at the end, and sometimes they're really REALLY obvious!
Doctor Who has pulled off some incredible plot twists over the past 61 years. Who could forget the Sontarans appearing on Gallifrey at the climax of The Invasion of Time, Professor Yana being revealed as the Master, or Jo Martin's debut as the Fugitive Doctor?
However, there are a lot of times when Doctor Who hasn't quite pulled off the big plot twist it maybe wanted to. Who could forget that time the BBC showed John Simm's face to assembled journalists at the premiere of series 10? In fairness to the Beeb's press and marketing departments, there's a fine line between spoiling a plot twist and teasing viewers with something exciting.
It's more unforgivable when, for whatever reason, the writing or a lack of care in the edit reveals a big clue that undermines a game-changing twist. Sometimes, however, bad plot twists can be so obvious that viewers can't understand why anything was kept secret in the first place. Sure, Kalid turning out to be the Master is a twist, but it also doesn't make a lick of sense; why did he bother disguising himself on a previously uninhabited planet?
So with that in mind, let's look back at all the times Doctor Who literally lost the plot (twist).
10. Who Did River Song Kill?
In Flesh and Stone it's revealed that Doctor River Song was locked up in the Stormcage Containment Facility for murdering someone. When the Doctor questions Father Octavian about River's crimes, the cleric tells him that she "killed a man. A good man. A hero to many."
Well, wonder who that could possibly be?
At the end of Flesh and Stone, River sort of comes clean to the Doctor and tells him her murder victim was the "best man" she'd ever known. However, she can't say any more for fear of spoilers, and we have to wait a whole season to have our suspicions confirmed.
Despite how many times we paused The Impossible Astronaut to see beneath the visor, we knew deep down that it was always going to be River Song. It's arguable that one of the reasons series 6 can be so frustrating is because it layers mystery upon mystery upon mystery. If the Doctor was confirmed as River's victim from the off, more drama could have been drawn from the how and the why of the murder.
It would also have taken some of the strain off the series' other big mysteries like River's true identity and what's going on with Amy.