Doctor Who: 8 Unanswered Questions From The Thirteenth Doctor's Era
The Thirteenth Doctor's reign has ended, but not everything was fully wrapped up.
And it's all over folks!
Chris Chibnall's term as Doctor Who showrunner has officially drawn to a close following the Thirteenth Doctor's final adventure, The Power of the Doctor, and now that her finale has passed, we can take a step back and thoroughly evaluate Chibnall and Jodie Whittaker's four-year reign. And what a rollercoaster ride it's been!
There have been some brilliant episodes along the way, but the Thirteenth Doctor's tenure has also been the most controversial of the entire revival, considering the introduction of the first female Doctor, and the reworking of the show's central lore.
You've most likely heard the criticisms, but those aside, it should come as no surprise that there's a lot to discuss, primarily because fans still have unanswered questions regarding Thirteen's time in the TARDIS. From unresolved conflicts to untapped concepts, it doesn't quite feel as if everything's been answered yet.
It's unlikely that any of these things will ever be addressed of course - showrunners don't often carry over plot points from the previous showrunner - but that doesn't stop us wondering about them...
8. Why Did The Flux Make No Sense?
While Thirteen's final series was an improvement on its predecessors, that's not saying much. Given that the overall plot of Flux was a half-baked mess, the serial was only mildly tolerable at best.
So, ultimately what was "the Flux?" The immediate answer is that the Flux was meant to be the massacre of the universe, which the Division incited. However, the Flux's purpose and extent remains convoluted to the point that it makes no logical sense. It appears to have ripped across the universe, destroying planets and civilisations by the end of the first episode, but as viewers, we find planets with active populations in the following chapters, contradicting Thirteen's quote at the end of Chapter One:
"The end of the universe. I always wondered what it would feel like."
The end of the universe? Well, actually, the end of a handful of planets that weren't relevant to us in the first place. And by the series' conclusion, with all those galaxies, planets, and solar systems supposedly still wiped out, the Doctor and her companions don't even care anymore.
The entire plot of Flux appears to be a buzzword, to presumably raise the stakes. It contains so many illogical and contradictory elements that we, as an audience, are lost within multiple dead-ends. Like, come on, what the Flux was happening here?!