Doctor Who Flux: 10 Huge Questions After The Vanquishers

2. Is The TARDIS Fixed Now?

Doctor Who Flux The Vanquishers Time
BBC

One feature of Doctor Who Flux that we thought might prove to include hidden clues is the strange changes to the TARDIS throughout the series. The black substance that the Doctor tried to dismiss as nothing to worry about, the changing of the doors, their temporary removal, and the dramatic reboot that stranded her in the village of the Weeping Angels all suggested that when she did come back, the Doctor’s ship would play a significant role in the resolution.

The TARDIS proved useless, overshadowed by the Passenger, and unable to access crucial information because the Division ship was outside the universe. The reboot appears to have been successful, though it hasn’t reset the desktop theme or reset the chameleon circuit.

Eagle-eyed viewers will have noted that that black substance can still be seen inside the TARDIS. Yaz’s worries that a reboot might go wrong because the TARDIS has been playing up could well be justified. The trailer for Eve of the Daleks shows our heroes caught in a time loop, which could be a sign that either Swarm and Azure are still playing games, or the TARDIS is still damaged. We’ve yet to find out exactly what Swarm meant when he said the Flux had affected the integrity of the ship.

Chris Chibnall is likely to return to the 13th Doctor’s opening when it comes to her regeneration story, and the outstanding issue of why the TARDIS expelled her and what happened to it on the planet of Desolation may come back into play. Could Doctor Who Flux link back to the very beginning?

Contributor
Contributor

Paul Driscoll is a freelance writer and author across a range of subjects from Cult TV to religion and social policy. He is a passionate Doctor Who fan and January 2017 will see the publication of his first extended study of the series (based on Toby Whithouse's series six episode, The God Complex) in the critically acclaimed Black Archive range by Obverse Books. He is a regular writer for the fan site Doctor Who Worldwide and has contributed several essays to Watching Books' You and Who range. Recently he has branched out into fiction writing, with two short stories in the charity Doctor Who anthology Seasons of War (Chinbeard Books). Paul's work will also feature in the forthcoming Iris Wildthyme collection (A Clockwork Iris, Obverse Books) and Chinbeard Books' collection of drabbles, A Time Lord for Change.