Doctor Who Series 12: Ten Huge Questions After The Haunting Of Villa Diodati
7. Have We Seen Time Lords Using Mind Reading Powers Before?
The Doctor has been using her Time Lord powers a fair bit in this series and we are surely meant to have clocked this. They add to the question marks over her identity that have been raised with the Timeless Child arc. We have already seen her wipe memories and pass on messages through telepathic contact, both known Time Lord gifts, but in this episode she reads Shelley’s mind, witnessing his discovery of the Cyberium as if she was there at the time (Eleven in Stranger Things style).
The Tenth Doctor read Madame Pompadour’s mind to see into her past, so whilst even rarer than other Time Lord abilities, it’s not completely unheard of. On that occasion, he was shocked to learn that it worked both ways, with Reinette being able to see his childhood. It is an ability we must assume the Doctor is reluctant to use. Perhaps this is because she worries about its invasiveness, having encountered species like the dream crabs.
The Doctor is not only able to see into Shelley’s past, she can see into his future too. Again, this is a gift the Doctor sometimes uses, though whether it is through telepathy or her having travelled forward in time is not always clear. What is completely unique in this episode, and rather disturbing as a concept, is the Doctor’s ability to make a person experience their death in advance.