Doctor Who Series 10: 7 Big Questions We're Asking After 'Oxygen'
6. Why Doesn't The TARDIS Need The Fluid Link?
For fans of William Hartnell’s First Doctor, there is yet
another Series 10 Easter Egg in the surprise reference to the TARDIS’ fluid
link. The mercury filled tubes were vital components of the TARDIS, so much so
that she couldn’t take off without them. The Doctor once lied that a fluid link
was all out of mercury, just so that he could explore the Dalek City with
Susan, Ian and Barbara.
The Doctor seems to have confirmed its importance to Nardole, only to then surprise him and countless Doctor Who experts by claiming that the removal of the Fluid Link wouldn’t prevent the TARDIS from leaving Earth after all.
It’s all a bit confusing, with the only point of continuity being that the Doctor has a habit of lying about the Fluid Link. But then he has a habit of lying about most things. So is this one of those inevitable inconsistencies in a show with such a long history, a little like River Song claiming that the wheezing and groaning sound of the TARDIS materialising is down to the Doctor not properly applying the brakes?
Or maybe the Doctor has tinkered with the TARDIS and replaced the fluid links with more reliable upgrades. After all it caused near catastrophe in both The Wheel in Space (where a mercury leak forced the TARDIS crew to evacuate) and The Mind Robber (where the overheating links forced the Doctor to take the TARDIS out of reality itself), and hadn’t been mentioned again until this week’s episode.