Doctor Who’s Scariest Monster Returns: What It Means for the Series

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Summary

  • The latest Doctor Who episode reintroduces the Midnight entity, evolving and more powerful 400,000 years later.
  • The entity from Series 4’s “Midnight” hints at being part of the Pantheon of Discord, toying with mortals.
  • Doctor Who’s reintroduction of the Midnight entity paves the way for new revelations and potential future villains.

Back in 2008, I came across a terrifying, nameless, faceless monster during an episode of “Doctor Who” called “Midnight.” This mysterious entity thrives on sowing paranoia and fear, leaving audiences questioning long after the episode ended. Recently, thirteen years later, this entity made another appearance in the latest episode titled “The Well,” which could have substantial implications for the show’s future.

Ever since his first appearance as the Fourteenth Doctor transformed into him, Ncuti Gatwa’s character, the Fifteenth Doctor, has been meeting various deities from the Pantheon of Discord or the Gods of Chaos. The sequence started with the Toymaker, who is the god of games, and it has progressed to include gods of music, death, and light. The territory controlled by the Midnight entity is still unclear, but hints scattered across “The Well” suggest that it too belongs to this pantheon.

What Happens In “Midnight”?

On the alluring yet lifeless planet Midnight, which serves as a holiday hotspot despite its sun emitting harmful galvanic radiation and boasting a diamond surface, “Midnight” introduces us to the Tenth Doctor and Donna Noble (portrayed by Catherine Tate). While Donna indulges in some R&R at the resort spa, the Doctor embarks on an exploration of the planet’s stunning sights.

En route, the tourist shuttle experiences an unexplained malfunction. Strange noises echo, and a passenger claims to see something moving externally – something that logically shouldn’t exist. A woman named Sky displays peculiar behavior, seemingly mimicking others’ words without moving. The doctor is trying to make sense of the situation as the other passengers grow anxious, considering tossing Sky out into the radiation when he objects, even suggesting the doctor should accompany her.

Initially, the Doctor abruptly stops moving, while Sky recovers. At a glance, it seems like they have exchanged positions, with the Doctor now controlled by whatever entity previously held Sky. However, when Sky employs some of the Doctor’s distinctive phrases like “Allons-y,” the shuttle stewardess discerns that Sky remains under control. Determined, she forcefully opens the door and physically throws Sky out of the shuttle, putting herself and Sky in harm’s way to protect the others from radiation. This episode is one of the most terrifying in the show, leaving a lasting impression on viewers even after it concludes.

“The Well” Expands On The Entity’s Terror

On an unidentified planet, the Fifteenth Doctor and Belinda (Varada Sethu) link up with a group of soldiers probing a mining facility. Upon arrival, they stumble upon a grim scene: most individuals are dead – some shot, others with fractured necks. The lone living soul is Aliss Fenley, who served as the base’s chef and happens to be deaf.

As Belinda and some soldiers attend to and observe Aliss, the Doctor accompanies troop leader Shaya Costallion (Caoilfhionn Dunne) in exploring the base. He starts to connect the dots – the galvanic radiation, the existence of a diamond mine – and comes to understand that this planet is none other than Midnight, four hundred thousand years after his previous visit. Coincidentally, at the same moment as Aliss says, “‘There’s something behind me,’“, the Doctor discovers exactly what that “something” entails.

I’ve been here before.

In a chilling return from four hundred thousand years ago, the enigmatic figure hailing from “Midnight” has resurfaced, though it’s not the same as before – it has grown and adapted. This time around, anyone unfortunate enough to stand behind it will be forcefully hurled back, suffering a broken neck and shattered bones. Despite its increased power, it continues to wreak havoc by instilling fear and suspicion among its victims. The workers at the mining base attempted to halt its rampage by killing each other, but their efforts were futile as the entity merely shifts to the next unfortunate soul who claimed its previous host’s life.

Is The Midnight Entity A God?

As tensions rise, Aliss describes how the thing revealed itself to the people at the mining base:

“It came out of the well, and they said it was laughing.”

Ever since “The Giggle,” the gods have consistently revealed themselves through a unique, unmistakable chuckle. Aliss didn’t hear it personally, but the accounts she’s been given are enough to hint at the return of that chilling cackle, reminiscent of what we last heard in “Lux.” Furthermore, when the Doctor recounts the peculiar actions of the entity he initially encountered in “Midnight,” it seems oddly familiar.

It had fun. Oh…it played games. I think it was learning.

Each deity we’ve encountered thus far appears to have a fondness for manipulating humans. The Toymaker, Maestro, Lux Imperator, and even Sutekh all seemed to find a twisted pleasure in creating fear and turmoil. In “Midnight,” this is exactly what the entity did, causing the shuttle passengers to turn against each other. The Doctor’s hypothesis that it was learning makes sense because, in “The Well,” its power has increased. Now, it can attack. Its murmurs seem to force its host to destroy according to its will – shattering mirrors, crushing those who attempt to overpower it. Faced with this dreadful danger, the base members grew fearful, suspicious, and desperate to protect themselves. As Aliss says, they killed each other in an attempt to stop it. Aliss survived not just because she was the last one left, but because she couldn’t hear the entity’s murmurs.

Similarly to other deities, the Midnight entity showcases both cunning and persistence. On two separate occasions, The Doctor and their team must outsmart this enigma to break free from its control. In a desperate bid for freedom, The Doctor frees Alice by compelling the entity to confront its reflection, striking it with the same force that ended any life in its wake. However, before they can all escape, the entity latches onto Belinda. As a final move, Shaya resorts to her exceptional marksmanship to injure Belinda severely but not fatally, thus forcing the entity to leap to her. In an echo of the anonymous hostess’s act in “Midnight,” Shaya jumps into the mining shaft from which the entity emerged initially, making the ultimate sacrifice.

Although Shaya managed to imprison the entity six miles deep, its influence persists, similar to how other deities’ powers linger after their defeat. Soldier Mo appears to hear the entity’s murmurs, while another soldier seems captivated by something unseen behind the protagonist. It’s plausible that the entity has somehow escaped or, if it is a god, its presence may continue to linger. In “The Giggle” and “The Devil’s Chord”, the Doctor utilized residual power left by the Toymaker and Maestro respectively, enabling him to duplicate his TARDIS and perform on Abbey Road. Similarly, the Midnight entity’s whispers might have left an indelible mark, potentially leading to further repercussions.

The Pantheon of Discord’s Future In Doctor Who

By implying the Midnight entity as a God of Chaos, Doctor Who has paved the way for potential new adversaries, yet it also offers opportunities to delve into the histories of previously encountered malevolent beings. This could lead us to question whether it’s only the Fifteenth Doctor who has confronted these chaotic deities, but possibly many of his previous selves as well.

It’s not essential or wise to resurrect a multitude of the Doctor’s former foes. In “Empire of Death,” it was chilling enough to learn that Sutekh had been accompanying the Doctor since their last encounter. Similarly, “The Well” suggests that the Doctor might have come across deities for much longer and more frequently than he thought. This implies that these gods could be lurking in any corner of the universe, may reappear even when presumed vanquished, and possess abilities beyond our comprehension. It’s a warning that the Doctor still has unfinished business with them.

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2025-04-28 01:07